ALWAYS GET IT IN WRITING!

"WORTH REPEATING TWICE"

"ALWAYS GET IT IN WRITING! You must have a clear, concise, WRITTEN agreement! No Verbals! No Trust Me! If the terms are later changed, demand a revised one"

REPEAT!

"ALWAYS GET IT IN WRITING! You must have a clear, concise, WRITTEN Contract! No Verbals! No Trust Me! If the terms are later changed, demand a revised one"

The horror stories are endless...

"When I purchased The Car The Guy Said"
"I was told it was a money back guarantee"
"Who are you? Steve is supposed to be my DJ!"
"You guaranteed me you would have it installed by 12PM"
"If I had known you couldn't deliver I would have went to XYZ!"
"What do you mean you have another event! We talked months ago"
"What is this charge for? We never agreed to this!"

As you plan for your special event odds are you'll meet savvy sales people who feed off your euphoria by telling you that you need to buy this or that, or making you feel like a pile of trash for not doing this or buying that.

Avoid the temptation to buy all the impulse accessories offered you, in most cases they are 3 times the cost you would pay anywhere else.

Always do what YOU want to do, not what other people expect of you, and and stay sharp. The only one looking out for you is YOU. The event planning industry can be an expensive, nickel-and-dime-you-to-death industry.

There's enough hidden charges and weasel clauses out here to confuse a used car salesman or politician. And boy through the years allot of clients have complained about how snooty the salespeople were in the bridal dress shops. Sure there's plenty of excellent shops and salespeople, but there are many with real attitude problems. Those are the ones to steer clear of. I would never talk down to or be snooty to a woman who is about to buy a $1500 dress.

Always Get It In Writing!

You Must Have A Clear, Concise, Written Contract! No Verbals! This even goes with my service!

The main reason for reminding you of this topic is for the individuals who do not utilize my service. If you end up in court disputing a vendor, the judge will say is "Where is your contract or entertainment agreement?"

Make certain there is a written contract and that everything you expect of them is in writing, down to the last detail, for example even the brand of your photo album and how many 8x10's will be in it. If vendors refuse to give you a contract or give you nothing but a bunch of verbal claims, get up and leave. Don't let any vendor tell you "We've always done business this way, we're honest, we've never had a problem". I can guarantee you 100%, you'll have a problem. There will be a mix-up somewhere, sparks will fly, and it will get ugly.

A contract or Entertainment Agreement ensures that you and your vendors are playing from the same page of music. Do you think they or even I will remember 10 months from now what was promised you?

Within the event planning industry the same verbal promises are give to dozens of other clients every week?

A written contract will help everyone remember. Make vendors put their money where their mouth is. If there is something you don't like on the contract, ask about it. The contract should reflect what the vendor is offering, ask about arrival and leave time, if you are promised a specific representative will be your service provider require a penalty clause if changes occur. If a guarantee or money back offer is featured it should be in writing within the contract or entertainment agreement. The contract should also cover specific details of your commitment.

Everything in life is negotable

Remember, you have the most powerful weapon: you can just walk. No matter what is promised to you, no matter how sincere they sound, even if they remind you of your sweet dear grandmother, make Grandma put it in writing.

Any vendor that does not want to use a contract does not get your money, because they are not a legitimate business, and you'll have no recourse in court. OK, have I dwelled long enough?

DEPOSITS & RETAINERS

Don't give any money without a contract, and never pay deposits or retainers by cash! ALWAYS MAKE PAYMENTS PAYABLE TO THE REAL COMPANY NAME OR VENDORS D.B.A.

Retain all contracts and receipts. Make sure they accept checks or credit cards before you sign. I'm sure you don't send cash in your monthly bills, so why start here. DO NOT pay deposits by cash or money orders, because once they have your cash or money order, they have your money, and if you get ripped off, good luck getting your money back.

If they require only cash or checks made payable to anyone other then the company name for deposits, it's time to leave, as they are not a legitimate business. Any legitimate business accepts personal or business checks and or credit cards.

This is true with most vendors, no matter what Jedi mind trick they make up, even if they tell you they've done business like this for years, do not do business with any vendor who does not take personal or business checks made out to a "REAL COMPANY" or credit cards for deposits. They are probably operating illegally.

If someone tells you that credit cards charge them too much for services, or they don't have a business checking account because of all the expensive fees. Tell them there are millions of tiny businesses who accept credit cards and have established business banking accounts and are doing just fine. They just want you to pay the deposit by cash or money order so they have your money. Once they have your money, there's no backing out of the deal if it turns south.

Once they have your cash or check, you'll never get it back.

P.S. On a sidebar, If you waited until the last moment to contract a vendor you could end up being required to pay by cash or certified money order... I would recommend a certified money order made out to the companies name and a receipt of payment be given at time of receipt.

FINAL PAYMENTS

As I mentioned in the beginning you'll meet savvy sales people who feed off your euphoria. The flip side to this is vendors will meet savvy individuals attempting to take advantage of them as well.. As a result vendors have established final payment programs that protect their investment in time and resources.

It is recommended that at the time of your contract signing verify it includes payment procedures. A few vendors will require payment in full a few weeks prior the event if paying by check to verify funds. Others give the option to pay the day of the event by cash or money order once it's established they are their which seems to be a preferred method of clients. I only recommend no matter what the final payment requirements are request a payment in full receipt and make payment of check or money order payable to the company. An often overlooked payment is for overtime which also should require a receipt.

If any vendor is insulted by the request of a paid-receipt for any and all payments they should consider a career change


If you have not reserved my service contact me today or check my availability at anytime by clicking this image to get your event started today!