How Long Do You Wait?

I had a last minute booking today. IE the client called last week, left a message, I called back, waited a couple of days, called back again, and gave up because it was 2 days before the party. Last night she calls me again (less than 24 hours before the party's supposed to start, haha), to book the party. She's a repeat client from last year, although I'd sent a contractor to work the party, since I was in Alberta at the time.

Anyway, that's that. Get all of the info for this year, tell her I'll see her tomorrow. It's in the amenities room at her apartment. Do I need to buzz in? Nope, and she'll have her cell.

Get there 15 minutes before I'm scheduled to start, just like always, and I can see in the amenities room - empty. Call her house number. No answer. Call her cell. It goes to voice mail - and it's not her name. Huh. Call her house again. No answer. Call the cell. Leave a message anyway. Finally have the presence of mind to buzz up to her apartment - her daughter answers. She has no idea where her mom is, or when she'll be back, or whether her brother's party is here or at play school. Also, according to her, she does not have a cell, plus she doesn't know the number for the school.

I call my dad (work questions always mean to call my parents!) who tells me to buzz up once more and tell her daughter that I'm going to leave in 2 minutes, and to get her mom to call me - it's already been 20+ minutes and the party should have started 5 ago - and I hear "Sorry! Sorry, I'm here!" and my client comes running down the stairs from the sidewalk.

Party goes fine, I start 20 minutes late, but count that as work time, since it wasn't my fault we didn't start earlier. I know that's a lot of back story, but my question is:

How long do you wait before you leave?

If a retainer had been collected, do you just bum around for however much that's worth of your time? (IE if you charge $100/hr and need a $50 retainer, do you wait for half an hour?) I know it's not likely that this would happen (ha!), but I know it threw me for a bit of a loop today...

I have only tried that once and that was at a bachelor party. They decided that there was enough time to get down to the local pub and get a drink - there wasn't quite. But they was there only around 5-10 minutes later than when they thought I was going to be there (I had a job before, so not quite sure how fast I could be there, but they told me they was there a lot before, so just to come when I could).
I had time to try to call a few times on the door phone, her mobile phone and was about the try to see if I could find her normal phone when they arrived. Else I would have left. So around 15 minutes in a 2 hour booking. Guess a bit longer if it job is longer.
And I would definitely charge for the time being there and only stay longer if they paid for that too.

english is not my language...what is retainer?

a deposit...money to hold the date or time slot that is usually taken off of the balance.

ok...thanks...well I guess if it's their fault you keep the retainer...but half an hour would be my maximum...

wow... I don't know how long I would wait... what about all the guests? when did they get there if they weren't already there? I usually tell them to have me come a half hour after the party starts so that we can be sure everyone is there and no one misses the fun.

I always keep the deposit if the cancellation is less than two weeks before the party (and I'd say that definitely qualifies as less than 2 weeks).

Honestly... I would give it 10 minute past the "start time" and then I'm gone. I state in my contract I arrive up to 30 minutes early to set-up which would mean I've been waiting about 40 minutes by then!! I've got better things to do!

Because it was a last minute (literally 22 hours before start time) booking, I did not get a retainer - but she was a past client. In which case, I was thinking that if I had to leave, to bill them a cancellation fee - goodness knows if I'd actually get it, though. Luckily I didn't have to do that.

The first guest got there at the same time the client did - 10 minutes after the party was supposed to have started! If there were people there, then at least I wouldn't have been wondering if it was even on, you know? Other guests didn't show up for another 10 minutes after I'd started - 20 minutes late.

I usually start either at the start time or a half/full hour in. At someone's apartment, you'd think it wouldn't be a problem! One of the guest's mom actually ended up helping decorate and stuff the loot bags 0_o.

I was just about to leave at 10 minutes past start time - when I'd been there 25 minutes already (My contract mentions 10-15 minutes early for set up, as well). She's lucky she wasn't 5 minutes later!

I have a dilemma sort of like that this weekend. I was booked to do the American Cancer Society Relay for Life in New Orleans this Saturday. They wanted my entire castle setup and everything. The lady emailed back and forth with me, gave me her number, definitely scheduled the event for 3 hours of painting back in March. She was supposed to send a deposit but never did. 2 weeks ago I started emailed and calling her to get the rest of the details, remind her about the deposit, etc. I have yet to get a response and the event is tomorrow! To just show up wouldn't even be a simple thing... it would take time to load everything onto my van, then an hour and a half drive to the event venue, then unload and set up (another hour and a half), then try to find the lady that hired me. And then if I can't find her, another hour to break it all down, and load it back up, then another hour and a half home, then more time to unload once I get home! That's 6 hours of work for possibly no pay! My friend wants to do it, because she thinks once we show up that someone will pay us, but I'm leery of that. What do you guys think?

Was there a contract to be returned with the deposit?

The emails could be construed as a contract UNLESS it clearly states that the deposit is required IN ADVANCE.

Seeing as you have been trying to make contact and she is NOT responding I would send a final email and leave a final voice mail that unless you hear from her by XX time tonight you will NOT be there as the terms of your agreement have not been met (i.e. receipt of deposit.)

Never show up "hoping" to be paid cause it WON'T happen!

Thanks, Shannon! Yep, that's what I figured. That's a lot of work to just "hope" we'll get paid. I'll do as you say and send her a final email and call right now, though I don't hold out any hope that she'll respond. I think their funds ran out and she's too chicken to call me back and let me know. Geez. If that's really the case, be a grown-up and respond! I won't bite your nose off LOL!

I don't have a contract, but after this fiasco, I definitely want to get one drawn up. Know where I can find a good one to start with?

squiggle wrote: If that's really the case, be a grown-up and respond! I won't bite your nose off LOL!

ExACTly! A girl I went to high school with is now a realtor, and asked me to paint and twist at an event - voluntarily, but it was a great cause (). I said I had a gig that morning, but if nothing comes up for the afternoon, then I will fp for a couple of hours - only because it's 5 blocks from my morning gig, and it would only be a couple of hours for an old...friend? Acquaintance? I also mentioned that if I wasn't in the area, I wouldn't, as well as what I use/what I normally charge etc. Then I said to contact me the Monday before to check if I was still available.

No response. The Monday before comes and goes and nothing. I send her an email. No reply.

WTH? At least answer me, even if it's to say no! I was not being snarky, but I am trying to educate the Lower Mainland on how much a professional face painter costs.

That makes me angry. Ha.

Dawnie - I would do the same thing Shannon said.