wedding day assignments contract

AD wedding booking deposit paid but change date later


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Snow_One

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Apr 26, 2005
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A question to freelance photographers doing AD wedding,

If your client pay you a deposit to book a date and later change it to another date which you are not available, do you refund the deposit or foreit it?
 

i always state that the deposit is non-refundable, so the ans is forfeit.

but.. it's never happened to me before. i've had CANCELLED weddings, and that was surely a forfeit and the customer was fine with it.

IF i was available on the date they changed it to, i would just leave it and not be too technical about it. altho, a deposit is to book on a PARTICULAR day. if it's changed, booking another day would require another deposit, forfeiting the first. but that's just being technical and maybe unforgiving..?
 

I'm with jOhO on this. So far never had any forfeiting yet and hope it never happens. Of course refunds will happen only if something unfortunate happens, as is.. erm... *touch wood*.
 

depends on the terms and circumstances (might have to be sympathetic to the couple). but to be fair to the photographer, he might have rejected other assignments to take on the particular wedding assignment, so the deposit would serve as a form of compensation.
 

i'm flexible on this. if the change of date doesn't clash with another wedding assignment i won't forfeit the deposit. after all the couple is still engaging me, only on a different date.

if its a case of cancelled wedding then its only fair to us photographers dat the deposit be forfeited in our favour. cos of all the planning n scheduling we end up without an assignment.

juz my 5 cents worth... ;)
 

How about looking for a alternative Photographer for them as well as be responsible to coordinate the day before even though you are not shooting?
 

anything extra would be goodwill.

if the couple booked a restaurant/hotel for the wedding and changed to another date where the venue is not available, should the venue owner help them look for an alternative venue and be responsible to coordinate the day before?
 

Snow_One said:
A question to freelance photographers doing AD wedding,

If your client pay you a deposit to book a date and later change it to another date which you are not available, do you refund the deposit or foreit it?
For me, I'll refund it.

Imagine.... wedding kena change date? There's a tendency that something happened. This kind of things I dun like to ask. Juz refund loh.
 

Snow_One said:
How about looking for a alternative Photographer for them as well as be responsible to coordinate the day before even though you are not shooting?
looking for alternative photog yes, i will help. but the "new deal" will be entirely between the two parties, i won't want to be involved except as the one doing the referral.

coord, no way no way!! the reason why i can't shoot their wedding on a rescheduled date is becos i have to shoot another one that was booked prior. also, being a middleman is no easy task. even if someone were to say, but u collect the deposit and now u just throw the whole thing to another photog, but technically, it wasn't the photog (me) that wanted to call off the shoot on the agreed date.

eh.. am i making sense? ahahha ;p
 

jOhO said:
looking for alternative photog yes, i will help. but the "new deal" will be entirely between the two parties, i won't want to be involved except as the one doing the referral.

eh.. am i making sense? ahahha ;p

yes you are.... thanks for sharing.
 

espn said:
I'm with jOhO on this. So far never had any forfeiting yet and hope it never happens. Of course refunds will happen only if something unfortunate happens, as is.. erm... *touch wood*.
Wah... the PROs.... have spoken :eek:
 

If couple cancel booking with me, deposit is non refundable.

If couple changes the wedding dates a few months before, which I can’t shoot, my associates will shoot for them. If all my associates are booked for the new dates, I refund the deposit.

If couple calls off their wedding, even it is the night before, I’ll refund the deposit.

I would prefer to call it booking fee, so it is much clearer for it’s usage.

Hope this help.
 

It depends on the situation really. For date changes, usually the situation is quite serious. I'll usually do a refund.
 

I think those who refund are great chaps but it can also lead to being taken advantaged of. For eg, the booking can be cancelled because the customer due to being influenced or a cheapo might want to switch photographer.

I think it would be better to say no refund during booking and you judge if a refund is reasonable under the circumstance.
Btw, I'm just a hobbyist and this is just my opinion on this.
 

If couple changes date, mostly are they still want my service, but if I can’t make it than why should I still keep the deposit? Well, it is up to individual practices.

If couple canceled booking with me, than the deposit is to compensate for my lose.

If a couple call off a wedding, do you how much lose are they going to bear? to refund the deposit is the least thing that I able to help them.
 

redbaron1963 said:
I think those who refund are great chaps but it can also lead to being taken advantaged of. For eg, the booking can be cancelled because the customer due to being influenced or a cheapo might want to switch photographer.

I think it would be better to say no refund during booking and you judge if a refund is reasonable under the circumstance.
Btw, I'm just a hobbyist and this is just my opinion on this.
well everyone has their way of conducting their business, even if you're a hobbyist, and/or shooting once in a while for money. :)
 

Snow_One said:
A question to freelance photographers doing AD wedding,

If your client pay you a deposit to book a date and later change it to another date which you are not available, do you refund the deposit or foreit it?

It happen to me many time, eg.Family member passed away, short gun, SARs time.............ext.
Still no refund......, if they don't want my service because they still got to get married after that.
Some couples like to go every where to compare prices and photographers skill after they had book you, and they found out that the others photographer pictures they like it more or maybe the price??? and they cancelled your service. Do you think fair to you??? Or feel KENA play up by them?
If the changes date like 6th months or one year later, mostly we are able to shoot for them, than we will KIV the deposit untill the actual day, provided they still want my service. So, Foreit it if they can't give me good reason.
People like us sure got alot of wedding photography kakis, if the changes date you are not free than arange another very good and responsible photographer for them, mostly they will said: OK loh! but must be good one har! :)
To be fair. If no changes of date but change photographer do you think they like it??? if that day i got another better offer may be like $3000/= :lovegrin: :think: :think:
 

it really depends I think.

it is goodwill not to forfeit the deposit, if you are available to do the shoot.

but if the couple is one of those annoying *******s kind of people, then I say you're in your full legal rights to forfeit the deposit
 

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