Affordable Music By DJs Mark & Beth ripoff, mislead deceptive company the business that doesnt give a dam Douglassville Pennsylvania
I just want to let all consumers know what a rip-off this business is. They are not professional at all and they do not care about there customers at all! I booked this DJ ( Mark Lerrario) 1 1/2 years in advance for my wedding. In the agreement he said he would contact me one month prior to the wedding to go over my expectations and requests-which he did not. After I contacted his business we arranged for an appointment. H
e canceled several times before we actually met and he was late when he finally did come for the appointment. My expectation which was clearly expressed to him was to play all songs by request. After talking to my guests I have concluded that he did not play any requests. Of the entire list of FIVE songs I requested (which he said he had and would play) he played 2 and both songs had to be repeatedly requested at the reception before he played them.
I imagine the others were not played because his entire CD collection consisted of about 60 CDs! Once when I requested a song he had the nerve to say "I wouldn't have played that but since you requesting it I will!" I was paying him, therefore he should play anything I want! My final request was for this DJ to announce were my husband and I went on our honeymoon and he didn't do that either.
Adrienne
Douglassville, Pennsylvania
U.S.A.
1 Updates & Rebuttals
Tom
Apex,North Carolina,
U.S.A.
Not all DJs are created equal!
#2Consumer Suggestion
Fri, November 12, 2004
I am a mobile DJ in North Carolina. This is an all too common story.
I get calls every day from people who are primarily concerned with "how much". Picking a DJ (or any other service provider for that matter) should never come down to price.
If you have met with 2 DJs and you like them both, then let the rates be a determining factor, but never shop purely on price!
People seem to have a great deal of sticker shock when it comes to the rates. My fees are about $200.00 per hour, which is not the highest rates that are charged in my city.
"But I found another DJ who will do it for $300.00... For the whole night..." Great! Then why are you calling me? The $300.00 DJ must not have made a good impression on you or you would have booked him.
I like to ask the following questions:
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important would you say the quality of your entertainment is? Normally, I will get a 9 or 10 response.
How much was your wedding dress? "$1,200.00."
What about your cake? "$900.00."
How about the hotel ball room? "$6,500.00."
Food? "$50.00 per person/200 guests."
So... already, we are up to over 18,000.00, (which is still below average for an American wedding).is the 6 or 7 hundred dollars you could save on a DJ really a big deal in the grand scheme of things?
As a professional entertainer, here is what you get for $200.00 per hour:
I meet with you in person in your home, or a place of your choosing well in advance of your date.
I give you an event planner and we fill it out together. This way, all of the details are taken care of immediately.
I give a copy of the planner to all of your event professionals. This way, everyone knows exactly what is happening and when.
We sign an agreement. Never give anyone any money without having something in writing telling you what you are getting.
I visit the venue where the reception is to be held. I look at the layout of the room, decide what sound system components I will need and meet the banquet staff. This way, I am not scrambling around at the last minute, trying to make it all work the day of your event.
I show up on the day of your event before you or your guests arrive. I have everything set up, and am dressed in formal attire before the first guest arrives.
What can you expect for $300.00? If you get someone to show up at all you are doing better than some people. You're likely to get someone who is inexperienced with a bunch of consumer grade sound gear. He will probably not be in formal attire. Consider yourself lucky if he wears a golf shirt
Look at it this way... Why would anyone who has so much time and money invested in their equipment and music library, not to mention countless hours of experience be willing to go out and perform for a bunch of people for less than it would cost to rent a professional sound system?
You will get what you pay for.
Adrienne, I hope you were only taked for a few hundred and not a Thousand dollars.
As a side note: As an event professional, it is my job to ask you if you are sure you want to have a particular song played if I don't think it will fit in, or may be offensive to your guests.
For example, I had a bride that wanted her first dance to be done to "Sometimes when we touch" by Dan Hill. I told her that this wasn't a good song for that because if you listen to the lyrics, it is a song about lying and breaking up.
When I played it for her during our meeting, she was blown away and had no idea about the song. She quickly selected another tune to replace that one. Imagine how embarassed she would have been actually hearing those lyrics coming out of the speakers during her first dance with her brand new husband.
This is the type of experience that a "budget" DJ would not have.
Be careful out there!