Sketchy DJ or is this normal?

FutureMr&MrsG · November 2013

I have a friend who is getting married 12/14/13 and she just posted on Facebook that they found a DJ on line who required a $100 deposit so they paid it and then a few days realized he had actually taken $250 (half of the full amount).

They asked him about it and he says he told them the deposit was $250, now he is demanding the rest of the money.

They do not have a signed contract and are worried it might be a scam. It sounds shady to me, but I've never dealt with a DJ or anyting like that before so I wanted to get your opinions. Does it sound like the DJ is being sketchy or is it normal to require full payment before the event?

Edited to clarify the wedding date

karlipregler · November 2013

Did they actually meet the DJ in person? Does this DJ have any reviews online? Most professional DJ's will write up a contract for the services they are providing. It is normal to require full payment before the event, but your friend isn't getting married until the end of next year, so it definitely seems sketchy to me.

tmclawchick · November 2013

While it seems not out of the ordinary to require full payment before the event, there should always be a signed contract to protect both parties, and there's NO way the DJ should have taken more than what was previously agreed on. That's called theft. Does she have anything in writing from the DJ re: the deposit?

clarke10 · November 2013

The fact that they didn't have to sign a contract is what seems most sketchy to me.

arrippa · November 2013

How did he take $250 without them realizing it? I think it does sound sketchy without a contract on place.

emmyg65 · November 2013

Never ever give a vendor (even a friend) money without a contract. It protects both of you!

FutureMr&MrsG · November 2013

The company is called Disc Jockey Now.com and it was an internet special.

They have not met with anybody in person and do not have anything in writting. I assume they paid the deposit on-line and thought they were authorizing $100 but the company took $250.

erinlin25 · November 2013

we paid a deposit to book and then paid in full a week prior to the wedding BUT never pay anything until there is a signed contract! I would not trust that all

jlazgrl · November 2013

It's never a good idea to give any money to a vendor without a written contract. Sounds super shady. With our DJ we paid the $150 deposit when we signed, the other $500 didn't have to be paid until the day of the wedding, at the end of the night.

southernbelle0915 · November 2013

I would get a signed agreement in place before forking over any more money. It was kind of stupid not to do so in the first place but that ship has sailed.

smalfrie19 · November 2013

Seems sketchy to me! Even my family friends who are doing our photography had a contract before we gave them our deposit.

krizzo17 · November 2013

If they didn't have a contract, it works both ways - they can't demand anything from him in return for their deposit (since they have nothing saying whether it was refundable/nonrefundable, a deposit, a gift, whatever), but he also can't demand that they give him any more money.

It probably isn't worth hiring an attorney over, but they could try the "my attorney will be sending you a letter" approach, or if they happen to know an attorney who wouldn't mind drafting a quick letter demanding their money back, they'd probably see a response.

psychbabe314 · November 2013

According to scamadvisor.com this site has a 90% rating. But, the site also warns that it may be a scam based on the fact that the site was created through an anonymous server. Have them get a business address from the company as this can help identify if it is a scam or not.

http://www.scamadviser.com/check-website/discjockeysnow.com

WinstonsGirl · November 2013

I'd be contacting my CC company, as I assume that was how they paid. If they have any written record that the deposit was $100 and they were then charged $250, it should be easy to fight

climbingsingle · November 2013

Yikes. That is sketchy as hell.

FutureMr&MrsG · November 2013

Thank you for all the comments, I've been passing them along to her. I'm not sure what they plan to do at this point.

I agree that it does seem shady and I would have never given any money without a contract!

netskyblue2 · November 2013

I did write my photographer a check for the deposit at our meeting, and he emailed me the contract the next day to electronically sign. But without any idea of if/when I would be given the contract to sign, I wouldn't hand money over.

If she paid by credit card (sounds like it, if he was able to take more money) she should be able to do a chargeback - she never received anything for the payment, and he has no contract saying the money is non refundable.

hlvonb · November 2013

It sounds very shady to me. I would not pay them anymore money unless there is a contract signed.

huskypuppy14 · November 2013

I didn't sign a contract with my DJ, but they are a well respected company with a lot of great reviews on here. However, I do have email correspondence with everything we agreed upon, so I think that's fine.

The fact that this DJ took more money than your friend thought, is really shady. She should call her credit card company.

FutureMr&MrsG · November 2013

They ended up contacting the DJ and telling him that he was not receiving any more money until he was at the venue and all set up. He agreed but said that is not usually how they do it.

AprilH81 · November 2013

FutureMr&MrsG said:

They ended up contacting the DJ and telling him that he was not receiving any more money until he was at the venue and all set up. He agreed but said that is not usually how they do it.

@FutureMr&MrsG, do they have that in writing? I would be concerned that the DJ would either not show up (since he hadn't been "paid") or call a day or two before the wedding and threaten to not show up until he was paid. The whole situation seems sketchy.

Sketchy DJ or is this normal?

Re: Sketchy DJ or is this normal?

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