Thread: cancelation fee

I had been hired for a wedding June 20th and just recieved a email this mornig that, they can no longer budget me in as part of the wedding. No I did not do a contract, never heard of such being done. My question is, is it ever appropriate to charge a cancelation fee if at last min you services are canceled on you.


Very very sad. This was my first paying performence.:broken_heart: :Asad: ,f::

I'm sorry to hear this happened - especially with your first paid gig.

Unfortunately without a contract I'm not sure you will be able to get any cancellation fee. Plus Im assuming there was no fee stated to the person that hired you if they cancelled, so it would be hard to tell them a fee now. That would be something written in the contract.

I hope you'll have better luck with your next gig!

yes. If you get a deposit, you are very justified in keeping it, or part of it, as a cancellation fee. I learned this hte hard way. I had a Tarot reading gig one Halloween, turned down two others, never took a deposit. Got a call as I walked out the door that because of an acceident, they were canceling the party. I tried to collect the 50% deposit / cancellation fee for 3 months. Never saw a dime.


If you have a deposit, you are justified to keep part, if not all, of it. Make sure that the client understands that this is what you are doing and why. If you need verbage to explain, feel free to take it from my site. If you have not received a deposit, chances are you will never see a dime. Because if they can't afford you now, they probably can't afford the cancellation fee.

{{{HUGS}}}

There's not much you can do for this performance since you didn't have a contract (which, btw, made it very easy for them to cut you from the budget). In the future, always have a contract with a cancellation policy and a deposit. Typically the policy is if they cancel they will forfeit the deposit.

Sorry that happened. As has been stated, without a contract or a deposit there is little to no recourse.

I highly recommend using a contract and deposit, especially for weddings and big events that are planned in advance. In your contract you should state your policy on what happens with the deposit in the event of a cancellation by the client. If you search the forums I believe there are examples of wording others have used.

It is a good lesson though, and there will be plenty of other gigs!

I also always require a deposit of half of my total performance price. It's really easy to find sample contracts online that you can edit to serve your purposes. If your client isn't willing to commit to this sort of thing, isn't that something you'd rather know ahead of time? (i.e. before they cut you from the event at the last minute?)

Well, you learned a lesson the hard way: never do business without a contract. Always collect a deposit up front. With paypal you can now collect a deposit instantly and cover yourself for those last minute gigs that come up and make a mail-in deposit impractical. I require all gigs that book with less then 2 weeks notice to pay my NON-REFUNDABLE deposit (50% of the fee) via paypal with an added $10 convenience charge so I don't loose out from paypal fees.
If you're going to start accepting jobs and dancing professionally, you need to put the brakes on and get some of your business practices squared away before you get out there.

Ditto everyone else -without a contract, there really isn't much you can do.

Use contracts from now on, and collect deposits. My deposits are refundable up until a week before the event. I've only had one cancellation - a couple broke up and cancelled their wedding, but that was months and months before the actual wedding date. People are much less likely to cancel when they know they are going to have to pay you a portion of your fee regardless!

that really sucks, especially since it would have been your first paying performance too. Don't let it get you down. there's lots of good advice from other bhuzzers. Next time will be better!

Ditto Daniela - I get a 50% deposit which is refundable up to 1 week prior to the event (so, in your case I still wouldn't get any money). PM me if you'd like a copy of my current contract, Devona.

I get to keep half the deposit up until a week before the event, then I get to keep all of it. I also make sure they know that if they cancel the day of, they will receive a bill.

{{{HUGS}}}

Normally to secure a booking they need to give you a non refundable deposit. If they cancel you keep the deposit.

Originally Posted by HubicRuzz

Normally to secure a booking they need to give you a non refundable deposit. If they cancel you keep the deposit.

That's how I do it, too: I keep the deposit if the client cancels; the deposit is less than 50% of the total booking.

Deborah

it is also upsetting due to the time, work and money ( bride wanted me to wear costumes in her colors of which i did not own) I put into it, but also me and husband could of used that money to put towrds moving.

will ensure i get a non-refundable deposit from now on. I am not sure about doing contracts. I am on disability (legitimately). I don't want to loose the small pittance i get per month and the medicade which i need very much.

I doubt you would be able to get any type of a deposit without a contract. I would never give money to anyone if I didn't have a contract. A contract works to protect you AND your customer. The deposit ensures your costs are covered in case they cancel. From your client's point of view, it ensures YOU show up and fulfill your half of the agreement. A contract works to protect both parties.

My contract states: A nonrefundable deposit of $35 is required to be received no later than five days before performance (Checks and PayPal accepted). The balance of the payment will be provided at event location.

And perhaps this requires a spin off, but do you seasoned dancers find that contracts are turn offs for potential clients? Like if someone is deciding on a couple of dancers, wouldn't they choose the one who didn't require a contract or deposit....

I'm really not a seasoned dancer, which makes the fact that I have already dealt with a ton of crappy client behavior pretty sad. I have had everything from last minute cancellations to completely intolerable work conditions and I have only been doing private parties for about three years now. At this point I have provisions for everything I can think of in my contract. I make it clear what I expect of the client and what they can expect from me.
I really, truly, and honestly feel that if people can't agree to my contract (or my prices), I would rather not perform for them. It usually indicates to me that they will be trouble and it's a job I'm better off passing up. Even at my most broke (which, at 23, is pretty effing broke), I'd rather not schedule my entire life around some gig that's both tentative and possibly sketchy. If that means that some clients balk at my contract and take their business elsewhere, I'm neither upset at them nor upset at the person they ultimately hire.
It's just a dealbreaker for me. no contract no gig. Gigging without a contract to me is like having unsafe sex. I'm not judging you if you do it and it doesn't bother you, but I'm personally way too anxious/risk averse to deal with it.

edit: so I guess the point of my rambling was yes, the contract turns some clients off, but do I care? no.

Originally Posted by SaraKat

I really, truly, and honestly feel that if people can't agree to my contract (or my prices), I would rather not perform for them. It usually indicates to me that they will be trouble and it's a job I'm better off passing up. Even at my most broke (which, at 23, is pretty effing broke), I'd rather not schedule my entire life around some gig that's both tentative and possibly sketchy. If that means that some clients balk at my contract and take their business elsewhere, I'm neither upset at them nor upset at the person they ultimately hire.
It's just a dealbreaker for me. no contract no gig.

I couldn't have said it better myself! And as elljay mentioned, it's in the client's best interest because it protects *them* as well. So if someone refused to sign my contract, my spidey-sense would be going crazy.

Originally Posted by andalee-oriental

My contract states: A nonrefundable deposit of $35 is required to be received no later than five days before performance (Checks and PayPal accepted). The balance of the payment will be provided at event location.

And perhaps this requires a spin off, but do you seasoned dancers find that contracts are turn offs for potential clients? Like if someone is deciding on a couple of dancers, wouldn't they choose the one who didn't require a contract or deposit....

This is a good point. (I hope its not a hijack, I think its kinda on topic...) To me this speaks to a larger issue that I've seen on some other threads, regarding being taken seriously as a "legitimate" performer. The GP will not take you seriously as a performer unless you take yourself seriously as a businessperson. I imagine some gigs might be lost due to a client not wanting to deal with a contract. But...when you hire a DJ for a party, there is a contract. The caterer - there is a contract too. Same with the florist. And they ALL require deposits. You hire a band for the party...contract and deposit. So WHY would the performer/dancer accept anything less?

*warning...rant coming...*:soapbox:

If a dancer doesn't insist on running their business as a business, then he/she shouldn't whine when people rip them off or don't take them seriously. And if you don't know how to run a business, learn it. Or enlist the help of someone who does. It will only benefit you in the long run, because you'll be the one with the professional reputation. Overcoming objections to deposits/contracts is not that hard to do, if you remain professional, courteous and firm.

Ok. Done now. Thanks for letting me get that off my chest.

I have NEVER found anyone balk at my contract requirement, and I have never lost a client because I require one. I find my clients are more than happy to sign a contract and send a deposit - it insures that I am going to show up!

When I was planning my wedding, I had a few vendors who didn't have contracts, and I actually drafted one myself and made them sign it -it's as much a protection for me as it is for them.

I'm a lawyer. I don't do anything without a contract!