so I get a call from the office today, someone came to pick up their wedding video. Now I specifically told them final payments are to be made with cash, certified check, or money order only. (which is also in their contract) No personal checks or credit cards are accepted. They knew this, agreed to this, and said they would bring a money order.  Well, they decided to bring a personal check anyways. When they were told we wouldn't take it, they started screaming about how we're racist and wouldn't take it because she's puerto rican and she's going to report us for being racists lol.... I mean come on, how rediculous is that. i couldn't beleive it when I heard that. I feel bad for the poor receptionist who had to deal with them.

Man, I feel you 100%. In my line of work I deal with some of the same things almost everyday. The old saying "The customer is always right" what a joke.  ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

yep, couldn't believe it...

I once told my supervisor from K-mart that whoever said "The customer is always right" is full of @#%$!

My wedding clients pay 2 weeks in advance, in full, or I'm not there.  When they pick up, there's no hassle.

My wedding clients pay 2 weeks in advance, in full, or I'm not there. When they pick up, there's no hassle.

Our dj's do that as well.  Most video/photo companies in the area save a video payment for afterwards, so it's tough to get everything up front because that's what people are used to.

Fee for service. If you don't have the money, you don't get the service. No exceptions! Well maybe bassresource members.

The worst gender and ethnicity you can be in the United States is a white male. We are always the bad guys these days.

The worst gender and ethnicity you can be in the United States is a white male. We are always the bad guys these days.

Really? At K-mart it seems like large white women were the worst to deal with. Especially when they misread the sales ad for some personal items. : The ones I dealt with were loud, rude, and inconsiderate. Of course it doesn't help when they are not smarter than a 5th grader.

But on the other hand, for your argument is more occurrence. Especially those in higher social class and job ranking. e.g. CFO, etc.

the owner called them like I don't understand is wrong with you... they had our receptionist in tears, m-f'ing her up the wall in front of other clients.  Thank god the other clients clearly were able to see that they were insane.  My guess is they were planning on giving a bad check lol.

Each business owner has the right to set their company policy and the client was clearly wrong.  Personally speaking what I would have done was to diffuse the situation.  Realizing that me being the owner I've already spent time, labor and materials working on the video, if the client does not come up with the cash I have nothing to show for what I've done, except a small deposit.  Taking a personal check may have gone well with no problems, however if the check was NFS at least I would have legal recourse with a chance of getting my money.

final payments are small, if we don't get the final payment we're not going to go out of business lol.  But we've had a bunch of people give bad checks, and what it comes down to is it's not worth going to court for $400.  Takes too much time, money, etc.  Plus, with it being the standard in the industry, our bookings would suffer if we asked for all the money prior to their event.  Our DJ's get paid in full prior, but it's different with the video. 99.9% of the time there is no issue on either side of the business.

My wedding clients pay 2 weeks in advance, in full, or I'm not there. When they pick up, there's no hassle.

Our dj's do that as well. Most video/photo companies in the area save a video payment for afterwards, so it's tough to get everything up front because that's what people are used to.

Not true. Most - myself included - get their payment UP FRONT. No money, I'm not their to photograph the event. This includes their print package.  Most people have only one or three weddings, there's nothing for them to be "used to."

final payments are small, if we don't get the final payment we're not going to go out of business lol. But we've had a bunch of people give bad checks, and what it comes down to is it's not worth going to court for $400. Takes too much time, money, etc. Plus, with it being the standard in the industry, our bookings would suffer if we asked for all the money prior to their event. Our DJ's get paid in full prior, but it's different with the video. 99.9% of the time there is no issue on either side of the business.

I don't go to court for bad checks. I take them to the police first, have the detectives make a few calls. If that doesn't work, I go to the District Justice and file a criminal complaint. I had one women who bounced a $22.00 check. After ignoring my requests for payment, plus my mistake check fee, I went to the D.J. They issued a summons. She apparently ignored that as well. They finally caught up with her, somehow, (traffic?) and ran her name. She was taken immediately to the D.J.

Total it cost her was over $365.00.

My wedding clients pay 2 weeks in advance, in full, or I'm not there. When they pick up, there's no hassle.

Our dj's do that as well. Most video/photo companies in the area save a video payment for afterwards, so it's tough to get everything up front because that's what people are used to.

Not true. Most - myself included - get their payment UP FRONT. No money, I'm not their to photograph the event. This includes their print package. Most people have only one or three weddings, there's nothing for them to be "used to."

You can't compare an area such as rochester to that of New Jersey/NY City. Keep in mind, I said "In my area". We do about 6-700 events a year, as do many of our competitors. 99.9% of photographers and videographers save a payment for after the wedding. When I said what they're "used to" I mean in terms of what other companies are telling them. With the amount of companies going out of business people are very weary, and most ask if they can keep more money for afterwards. It's a whole new beast in this area. For our area, it is most certainly the industry standard, and no reputable company asks for payment in full up front.

But again, it's a lil different here. We probably have more companies going out of business on a regular basis than you guys have total wedding business.

Looks like you had better change your business cards to state that you "exclude" Puerto Rican's.  This way there won't be future problems. Just kidding.

This is part of owning a business.  There are plenty of good people in this world and they would be fine to accept a personal check from, but there are also those who would scam you in a hearbeat.  I have found in my business that those who scream the loudest are often the ones who would have taken advantage of you.  The ones who you would want to deal with are those who would apologize and try to make it right even before offering an alternative.  Sounds like this couple knew what they were doing and my gut instinct would have been the same. 

FYI.....going with the industry standard does not always mean the standard is right.  Sometimes a change is good, if you approach it a different way.  You could always approach it by giving references for the people to check and say that you charge it all up front due before the date so that there is nothing extra after the fact.  Make it sound like you are doing them a favor by not asking for more money after an alraedy expensive wedding package.  Then give them a deadline that you can meet for the video to be ready.....it never hurts to make the deadline with a little extra cushion for eiher that last minute change or so that they get it "early".  I have never seen anyone get mad for getting it early, but alway upset for getting it late.  Just my 2 cents.

I agree... One of the big reasons why people that do so many weddings keep finals for afterwards as well is the cost of production... When you're doing a wedding here and there, it's not a big deal.  But when you're doing 20-25 weddings a weekend, and then have to produce albums or videos, there's tremendous cost associated with that.  So it makes it easier on cash flow as well.

But, also keep in mind  that I mentioned about how many companies go out of business in this area, simply because there are so many companies.  That being said, majority of people will simply not pay in full prior to the event.  Around here, everyone has heard the horror story about paying in full, and the company goes belly up, and then they're screwed.  Regardless of what I could provide in terms of referrals, if I told someone they would have to pay in full prior to the wedding for the video, I could almost guarantee that I would never hear from them again. 

New jersey/nyc is it's own world in terms of weddings, things are VERY different here than other parts of the country, and I know several large companies that tanked recently, literally leaving thousands screwed on their wedding day.  All over the news, all over the papers, and what that creates is a nervous customer.  These people talk, they go on wedding forums like theknot.com and weddingwire, they go to bridal shows and talk to other brides....  make a post in the new jersey wedding section of theknot.com and ask how many people would be willing to pay for video in full prior to the wedding... I can tell you the answer without doing that though.

I can understand the reluctance on the part of the buyer, but is this really the case if they were to pay in full 1 or 2 weeks before the wedding?  Most businesses are not going to go bankrupt within that short frame of time.  Maybe you need to look at how things are charged out.....make it a "package" deal where there is no line item for the video portion.  This way they never know about the cost to be paid later.

I am not trying to tell you how to run your business, jsut giving some ideas.  I have several friends who are photographers.  I know each place is a little different, and I live in the unemployment capital of the US (michigan) so we have felt the pinch too. 

I am a deadline person and I always make sure to be in before the dealine.....this keeps the customer happy. I am with you about chasing them down for the bad check.  Each state is different and the ending is different by state.  Here you could file in small claims court and go that route, but expect it to drag out 3-6 months and you will get paid only after garnishing wages/ income tax returns unless they really are good people who pay it when they show up to make it right,  Or you can go to the local police and they have a bad check recovery program.  I have just recently used this for the first time and it took about 6 weeks, but I had my money in full with all fees associate with it.  t was slick and the county prosecutor took care of everything.

Either way, best of luck and you did the right thing.  Go with your gut, cause that is where you will feel it first.

absolutely is the case, unfortunately.  Like I said though, it's almost never a problem, maybe once or twice a year, and it covers the production costs.  For the amount of problems we have, it's just not worth it to change the policy and risk losing clients over it.  (which would no doubt happen)

My wedding clients pay 2 weeks in advance, in full, or I'm not there. When they pick up, there's no hassle.

Our dj's do that as well. Most video/photo companies in the area save a video payment for afterwards, so it's tough to get everything up front because that's what people are used to.

Not true. Most - myself included - get their payment UP FRONT. No money, I'm not their to photograph the event. This includes their print package. Most people have only one or three weddings, there's nothing for them to be "used to."

You can't compare an area such as rochester to that of New Jersey/NY City. Keep in mind, I said "In my area". We do about 6-700 events a year, as do many of our competitors. 99.9% of photographers and videographers save a payment for after the wedding. When I said what they're "used to" I mean in terms of what other companies are telling them. With the amount of companies going out of business people are very weary, and most ask if they can keep more money for afterwards. It's a whole new beast in this area. For our area, it is most certainly the industry standard, and no reputable company asks for payment in full up front.

But again, it's a lil different here. We probably have more companies going out of business on a regular basis than you guys have total wedding business.

It makes no difference where you're from.  Ask Mark McCall, PPA photog of the year, about not getting payment up front.  He'll tell you how it will ALWAYS be for those that do not get with it.  You can get paid more, be percieved to be higher quality, and run into less "customer issues," the less flexibility you offer your clients.  Sounds backwards, but it isn't.  You are the pro, you tell them you do it your way, they can take it or leave it.  Charge more, up front, and you are the better service provider.  You are exclusive.

I completely disagree about it not making a difference where you're from.  Majority of people that walk through our doors either know someone who was screwed over, or have read the horror stories, and are simply not willing to pay in full prior to their event. 

We are succesful at getting payments, and very, very rarely have problems, like I have said many times.

Majority of people that walk through our doors either know someone who was screwed over, or have read the horror stories, and are simply not willing to pay in full prior to their event.

Target a different demographic. They would not be my customers. Do the florists in your area get payment after they have delivered? What about the limo driver, bakery, reception hall, etc.? Are photog/videographers second class service providers?

Don't get me wrong, someone has to do the work, but not me. In fact, I don't even do weddings anymore. Don't need to. Don't want to. I'll be willing to bet I got a lot more for each event than the average so called "wedding photog" weekend warrior type. Your location only determines a mean price for services, and you can be on that mean, below it, or above it.

This isn't exclusive to just wedding services. I ran a successful aquarium installation and maintenance business for 10 years much the same way. To some, charging more for service excellence is a gamble. To me, its a no brainer. Why would anyone, in this litigious society be afraid of turning cheapskates away at the door, and gamble that it will only be one or two a year.

Now in my reel business, the scenario is different, and relies on communication through the process. I get the reel, and payment is not expected until the reel is complete. But I have the reel. There in lies the rub. Its the same process as when I take my car to the mechanic, except I get the job done right the 1st time, LOL.

My latest venture involves teaching kayak angling, and guided fishing trips. I'm targeting those involved in kayaking, but perhaps never thought to fish from one, its original intention. The other group would be established fisherman, looking for access to new water through a different type of vehicle. I am not after the the shore bound angler, looking for a cheap way to get off the bank, but I suppose I will attract a few. But they aren't my target audience, and I make no adjustments in my policies to attract one or two a year. I won't be waiting at the end of the dock for payment at the end of the day either.

My final payment for weddings is always due 2 weeks (approx) before the wedding.  This assures them that I'm still around, they saw me face to face, etc.  Like Nick76 said, unlikely I will be bankrupt in that time frame.  Also, I work out of my house, so I'm a little easier to find.  Most everything else I do is paid for upfront, like sports, dances, etc.