Need Advice.....

Last Year I donated a 2 hour face painting package worth $120 to a cancer fundraiser.
I just received a call from a woman asking me to do face painting for her daughter's birthday.
I said it would be $75 and hour. She said well, it's at Colasanti's. (which is one hour away)
so, then I mention that I charge $20 exrta for each hour travelled.
She then says "well, my friend gave me a gift certificate for 2 hours of face painting.
I told her I donlt mind face painting for 2 hours to honour this certificate but, going all the way to Colasanti's, face paint for 1 hour and treavel home will take me approx. 4 hours with set up and clean up.

She says well how about instead of painting for 2 hours like the certificate says, you just paint for one and we'll call it even.

I then mentioned that 2 hours of face painting if for a city event. Not an hour away.
So, she says well call me back if you can honour this.

What should I do?
Besides give out another gift cvertificate from FREE anything.

If you have it specified on the certificate that "travel fee" may apply or if you designate that it is only in a particular township or within a specified travel radius, then she needs to pay you. If, however, your certificate didn't cover those bases, you may have to bite the bullet on this one. If I HAD to do it because of a loophole in the certificate, I'd definitely go for the "paint 1 hour and call it even deal". While it's true that people should emply common sense when attempting to redeem certificates like this, if it's not in writing, many won't.

I'm a bit confused though, your rate is $75/hr but your certificate was for a two-hour gig worth $120? Do the math with the travel and figure out how much of your time/travel she can get for the $120 and present that. In the future, I'd be very specific about your certifcates...the more specific, the less chance of repeat issues.

Good Luck!

The reason it says $120 for two hours is becaise that certificate is 2 years old. When I was just starting out.
MY new rate is $75/hour.

I've found that many times, when you make people aware of what a blessing you are being to them by doing it for free, they're pretty quick to hire you again. But you can usually get a feel if they are that type of person through your phone conversations with them. Sometimes for me, taking the punch, boosts my business because they recognize me as trying to be as fair as possible even when we all know, it's only fair for them, not us. But this is just my stance.

I agree with Whitney. I had a client from Windsor who booked me for a birthday party. At the last minute, he switched the location to Amherstburg, which at the time was at least 45 minutes away. They hired me to do summer and Christmas parties for the next 3 years after that one little birthday party. It is hard to tell if they will use you again since they haven't needed to use that certificate for 2 years. However, maybe you can set up enough advertising that other visitors to Colasantis will want their faces painted too and it will help you generate more business. Could you maybe contact Colasantis and offer them a reduced rate to paint visitors after the party? Or maybe let someone in charge see your work and talk to them about painting on another day?

...and perhaps you should put an expiration date on your certificates as well. Mine expire 1 year from the last day of the month in which they are issued...I've never had anyone come back with an expired one...yet.

Thanks everyone. I called her back right after I posted this and told her I would honour my certificate. It is ethically the right thing to do. Yes, she is totally taking advantage of me as far as 2 hours goes....knowing the driving distance. But, If I can hand out enough business cards that is a bonus.

And I will definitly call Colasantis and see if they would like me to paint while I am already there.
Great idea.
Thanks all.

Flopsie.....did you use to live in Windsor?

How do you guys charge for travel fees?
Like do you charge so much for every mile/km over a certain point?
Say...any travelling one way more then 20 km is an additional .40 per km?

I am always stumped when travel fees apply.
Some jobs I spend more time in the car then at the party.

I charge by the kilometre but I have LONG driving distances. I know some in more populated areas create a map with circles - within the centre circle no travel charge, second ring, charge $10 extra, third ring $20 ...etc. Then any place that falls within a ring is a set fee.

Yes, born and raised in the Walkerville area. Small world,eh? I started the Classic Clown Company in 1991 when there were only 2-3 other clowns in Windsor. I had 5 really busy years then took breaks to attend the U and work at the casinos. I eventually was just doing parties for friends. I'm near Atlantic City now. I want to do this full time so I can be home with my family more.
I would definitely call the businesses in the area and try to do something else while you're out there. It might turn into a very profitable day. There is a tax thing about charging for mileage. Something about not being able to write off mileage if you charge for it, I think. You may want to charge for the time to drive rather than the distance. I added 1/2 of my hourly rate for LaSalle, Amherstburg, Tecumseh or Maidstone.
Where in Windsor are you? LouLou is a friend of mine. She is an amazing clown/face painter/balloon sculptor/artist!

Thanks for posting this...learning experience for me as I never considered travel area. When I donate a gift certificate, it expires within three to six months, depending on the value and the venue. If someone buys one for a gift, it expires within a year. This has helped keep people from sitting on them for a long time. I also do not put a time frame (2hr) etc, just a monetary value. That way if my prices change, they pay the difference. Typically people book me for more than the value anyway so it's a win-win!!

Flopsie.....definitly a small world. I live in the Riverside area. I grew up in Forest Glade. I find Windor not very profitable since I am not a clown. More of the clowns in my area are busy alot. I am not. I mostly do festivals, a few parties and some sub contract work for Dotsy. Only at $50 an hour. But, it fills in some of the open weekends. So.....no loss. Only gain.
I really have to get the travel fees organized.
When I donated that gift certificate, I just started out and wanted to help the Cdn. Cancer society. So, live and learn.

I honestly think the woman trying to get me all the way to Colasanti's for this gift. cert. is somewhat taking advantage of the situation. Just the way she asked about everything then said she had the cert. Sneaky for sure.

You would hope she would atleast tip.....since she is getting it free. She didn;t even donate for the cert. Her friend gave it to her. So, this is 100% free to her. We'll see.
My sister is coming in from 4 hours away for the weekend she wants me. So, it kinda burns my ars that I will be spending a ton of time travelling to this event. A 2 hour face painting cert....turns into 4 plus hours of my time.
Argh.....I am still wanting to just tell her that I do not travel outside of the city.
But, I did call her and tell her I would honour the cert.

Thanks for posting your concern. The responses have opened my eyes. Great advice to put expiration date and monetary value. I hadn't thought of that. Maybe the next time I visit my family you, me, and Erin can jam a little...or I can bring you stuff from the states in my suitcase(duty free) LoL.

For sure I would love to meet you and jam. Erin (Perry Noia) and I have been trying to get a jam together for a few months now. Although, it was during the busy Halloween season.

I charge a straight $20 travel if outside a 20km radius, people don't seem to have a problem with this at all.... but as Shannon said I regularly get asked to travel 50 kms or so I need to have a system in place for spending two to three hours driving. I have heard of some people charging their hourly rate and breaking it up into travel time... I think this is a bit steep.

Hmm... I charge 50 cents a kilometre for any job that is over 50 kms round trip from my home. It is easy math... I do a festival 254 kms away, I then charge $254 for travel. It is a 5-hour round trip so it works out to about half my hourly rate actually - hadn't thought about it that way.

And that travel charge is how I pay for shattered windshields from rocks that hit it on the highway driving to these jobs!

If you charge $254 for 254kms away would that be $1 per km?
Far out I would never travel that far for a gig! Good on you!
I'm thinking $1 per km might be ok...
I have just been charging a set fee.
So you do $1 per km round trip... so say 60kms there- 60kms back... that's $120.00 travel?

I would have told her the cert was for face painting, and travel is separate. I HATE driving though.

Tash,

Shannon is saying that if she has to travel 400 km round trip.
The calculations would be:
400 - 50km = 350 km x .50.km = $175.00

And yah, I would rather be painting for 2 hours instead of travelling for 2 hours.
She called today and said that she needs me out there by 1. My gosh, my family won't even be gone by the time I have to leave.
Should I call back and tell her that the earliest I can leave is 1?

She's paying you nothing...? That sucks... and she sounds like she's not the easiest client in the world.
Who wants to go out of their way to do a job for nothing... hopefully the funds raised by you donating the certificate my placate this some what.
I would explain to her very very politely that the certificate is to be claimed when I have available time as essentially I am donating my time and my supplies. That means fitting it in between my booked jobs and my family. Un-fortunately I am not available untill 2pm on the day you requested.
I would really love to honor the certificate so hopefully we can come to an arrangement that suits us both.
If you can't help her suggest she gives the certificate to someone else or perhaps back to the person who bought it at the auction?
Good luck - this really sounds like a huge pain in the backside!

** oh and about Shannon's post she said she charged $254 not $175... but I since have reread it and realize she meant .50c a km round trip.. which is the same as $1 per km 1 way.... I'm a bit slow on the uptake this morning.

Thank you for the great advice. I will call her back and tell her that I cannot be there until around 2pm. If she is upset, oh well. At this point she is just being greedy.
She better fricking tip me. hahahahah

I hate to say it but I don't see a tip in your future <----- pretend that is a crystal ball.

And i like tash's response.

Bec....I 100% agree with you.
She is a greedy woman.....just by her messages. No compassion or compromise on her part.
Oh well...C'est la vie!!!!!!!!!!!!!

the whole situation sounds pretty sucky..... I personally, don't charge for travel as long as it's in Essex County (which would include Leamington), but I've gone to the Chatham area a couple of times and asked for an extra $20 for travel. I don't want to have too much of a system in place because I really don't want to go that far at all.

I had a client in Leamington that hired me two years in a row for his daughter's party (owns a restaurant and had the party there with like 20 kids and a giant bouncy castle)... first year, I waited 1/2 an hour standing around before he finally paid me and I could leave.... second year, same stupid thing only I didn't count it before I left and he shorted me $20! Didn't realize it until I was back home and there was no way I was driving back the 45 minutes to get into an argument over $20. Next time, I'm busy.