Urgent Help! Please Read/respond

[Shoq T. Clown]

Ok... let me explain.

a couple months ago i booked a party 31 miles from me. I requested a $25 deposit to hold their date. (which i stupidly cashed, thinking that there was NO reason that i wouldnt be able to attend.)

that party was booked for tomarrow (saturday the 14th) at 1pm...

MY CAR BROKE DOWN THURSDAY!

I waited to see if my friend could have my car fixed by then first before i called the family. MEANWHILE... i sent my client an email explaining the issue and that i hope everything turns out as planned.

i recevied a call alerting me that my car wouldnt be able to be finished until monday night...

work called and asked me if i could cover a shift tomarrow from 11am until 8pm... i agreed. (i can walk to work, and i needed the money to pay for my car issues).

now... KNOWING that i couldnt attend the party and that i MUST report to work the next day or suffer the bad side of the unemployment line.....

I called the family.... she didnt recieve my email... i told her what happened. She was upset... she wants her deposit back (which is going in the mail in the morning), no problem.

Her husband (iam assumuing) theatened to call the Better business bueru (sp) and report me.

he also claims since i cashed the check i stole from them. (even though the money will be sent to them in the mail in a couple days).


THEN she offers to come get me..... i explained about work... he was MAD.

i told him that i was very sorry and i offered the family a free two hours for there next party, i felt so bad!


iam i going this the right way???? is there anything else i can do?
should i be worried about anything?

[pixcoco]

I can only tell you what I would do.

I would not agree to work somewhere else if i had commited to a show. You mention the un employment line...would that be the case if your car was working?

My car broke down this past Dec. I rented a car to get to my show. It meant I would not make any money but I would hold my obligations.

I you can, call that new clown in town and try to get him to take the job. That is why it pays to have clown friends... you can cover for each other.

I have had disasters of all kinds happen and still did not leave a show uncovered. I either got someone else, got a ride, rented a car or sucked up and did it myself regardless of the personal tragadies.

My word means a LOT to me.

[Sir Toony Van Dukes]

Hey Shoq,

I haven't seen you around lately.

I am not sure I can solve your problem. I suggest always calling your customers as soon as you think there may be a problem. I know you sent an email, but that isn't the same as talking to a real person. You have to realize that adults didn't grow up with computers and email and may not be as tech savy as the younger generations.

I don't know which pays more, the gig or the job. As a business owner, I would think your customers are more important. Word of mouth is a powerful tool when it comes to the entertainment business. Do a good job, and they will tell their friends, likewise, if there are problems, they will tell their friends.

I don't know if you could have found another way to get to their house. Borrow a friend's car, get a loaner from the auto shop or rental agency, public transportation, get a ride, etc.

You are young and will make a few mistakes along the way. I hope that you are able to work something out that they will be happy with.

[Scruffy]

Well, I guess it's time for a talk about cancellation policies. Heres the dilemma. I fully understand the whole car blowing up at the last second thing. My first thought. is Call them first, Email might be a great thing in this young century but the phone is still the way to go. You need to speak directly with them. I know for myself, I get so much junk email that I don't always check it everyday. Also, Call them the minute that you have car problems, And explain that their might be a problem with you making the party due to a vehicle malfunction. At that point perhaps they might have offered the ride and all would be hunky dory.
The whole deposit check thing, I learned that lesson myself. If they send a deposit check, hold on to it until you either return it, or have both checks and cash them at the same time. It just looks more professional. It also might simplify things for them regarding there banking.
The big problem is the job scheduling thing. My rule is that I won't cancel an event unless, I have exhausted every possible method of getting to it. Also, If I have to put in for the day off to schedule a party, then that day I will under any circumstances, not work there. Even if they cancel the event,
I think you made the best decision that you knew how to make,Shoq. I also understand trying to recoup the money you would loose by covering a shift at work. I know I would be upset if I had a parent cancel with just a couple of days notice. I don't think there is a right or wrong answer, All you can do is chalk this one up to experience and keep your nose shiny.

[Shoq T. Clown]

well i guess its a lesson learned. i am sending their deposit back via registered mail so i know they recieve it. (i ironicly JUST closed my checking account at the rip off bank, and have yet to get checks for my new account) so i will have to send them a money order.

there are days that i wish i had more brain cells guys,.....

[Shoq T. Clown]

what scares me the most is saying that they will make me look bad..

i guess the keyword is LOOK...

i didnt even think of renting a car (never have before)

if i could only get out of that shift at work... i would call in... but they know that i have something else i would like to do... and that usually ends up BAD! and lying to them would just make things worse at work... grrrrrr.

I took whoevers advice that said try to contact thte new clown in your area... i cant find any traces of this guy! no phone number... google says he doesnt exsist! LOL

[Shoq T. Clown]

looks like should learn from this and keep my chin up. these people were YELLING at me and it go me really uneasy, i DONT like yelling/arguing at all... sends me up the wall makes me nervious and shakey...

this is the first time in my life i have ever reconsidered my career. I love working with people... but yet i hate people. LOL its the nice calm happy people i love. the only thing i figured i could do at the time was to try and make them happy (isnt that the clown way?) and they still are upset. I cant blame them. but i wedged my self in a problem tooooo big for me to handle.and as i try to back out the blue shirted managment team blocks my way to freedom.

WOW iam tired... i g2g.

[tim]

The only I will add to what everyone else has already said is to have some sort of cancelation clause in your contract when you ask for the deposit.

Also, I'm kind of curious as to how much you are asking for the event. Shouldn't it cover contingencies like this where you might have to spend it all in order to somehow make the event? (Even if that means paying someone to drive you there and back.)

The biggest thing is certainly to start developing clown friends who can cover, if necessary. It is hard to go it alone. Even if those entertainers are not in your immediate area, but a bit of a distance, you have to find a way to work together with others somehow in order to be successful.

[Jolly Well]

You should definately touch base with other entertainers in your area. If nothing else, it will make situations like this much easier to handle - even if all you can do is supply the contact information to the customers you have to cancel with.

Don't let this situation discourage you to the point of packing up the clown suit. Try to make it right with them - if they're upset and don't want any part of it, then at least you tried. You're going to deal with people who may seem like they're crappy, but give them the benefit of the doubt of having a bad day. They can't all be Shiny, Happy People...

On the legal side of things - Cashing the check could land you in court if they really wanted to press things. Taking money without delivering on a promise (or product) is technically fraud. Sending them the cash back will help you if it goes that route and most likely nothing would come of it in the court room. I don't know how the court system works in your neck of the woods, but I can't imagine anything horrible coming out of it. In this age of litigation - be wary of civil court.

I wish I was more knowledgeable on the Better Business Bureau and their workings, but alas, I'm not. I've neither had claim, or made claim with them so only have second hand experience. The bad news is if they pursue their claim and call them, it could paint a negative picture for anyone that actually checks their database. The good news is that most people don't check it. Word of mouth negativity is likely to more damaging.


Whatever the outcome - Live and learn...

[SuitcaseSam]

Shoq,
You got yourself in a real pickle here my Brutha and I hope it works out for you.
Scruffy's right as far as never cash the deposit check 'til you get the final payment and cash both at the same time.

And offering a free two hour show sounds good but in their eyes, a whole year's worth of free shows won't make up for having to explain to their child why the clown couldn't make it to the party.

Can you get someone to give you a ride to the party if they will still have you? Perhaps you could go into work once it's over that way atleast part of the shift will be covered.

These folks are upset as they paid for something months in advance and now, it's not going to happen. You can't blame people in general for that just as you yourself would be upset if you put a downpayment on something you were so looking forward to receiving and found the seller sold the item to someone else for more money.

A committment is a powerful thing and not something to be broken.
No need to reconsider your career in Clowning, you have too much invested to throw it all away. We've all had our bad experiences to learn from, I'm afraid this one might just be yours.

Again, I hope it all works out for you.

~Sam