Videographer - Over charging for travel?

brittany1234567 · July 2016

So, my cousin got married a few months ago, and had a great amateur videographer. I'm on the fence about having a videographer in the first place for our wedding, but this videographer was such a deal that I thought I'd go for it. She's a very reasonable price for the quality. My cousin paid her $900 cash.

When I enquired with her, she quoted me her only package at $1500 and said the price includes travel fees but didn't say how much. I'm not sure if she knows that I know how much she charged my cousin, but I can only assume she's trying to charge me $600 for travel when its a 3 hour round trip. (My wedding is an hour and a half away from where my cousin's wedding was/where the videographer lives) She gave me no specific breakdown in her package price, so although I understand that pricing can increase over time, I don't know any specifics.

As a side note, this is a distance/route that many people commute 5 days a week (my fiance included!) - it's not an outrageous drive. In contrast, our photographer is travelling from the same distance as the videographer would and is only charging us $50 for gas, which I think is very reasonable. Our photographer's services are also a-la carte, so we know exactly what we are paying for.

What's reasonable to charge for travel? To be honest, I would have no problem paying her an extra $150 for mileage, just like I would get at my job for travelling the same distance. But I'm really not willing for pay $600 for travel, when the package is $900, and there are phenomenal videographers in my city for $1700-$2000.

Is it ok to ask her for a breakdown of the pricing in my quote? Also, is it appropriate for me to say that I know she charged my cousin $900?

Has anyone encountered a similar situation?

Britt

ILoveBeachMusic · July 2016

I would not hesitate to ask for a breakdown of charges. It is your money! I'm not sure about mentioning the amount she charged your cousin. Maybe say something along the lines that you are surprised in the increase of charges since your cousin's wedding.

charlotte989875 · July 2016

brittany1234567 said:

So, my cousin got married a few months ago, and had a great amateur videographer. I'm on the fence about having a videographer in the first place for our wedding, but this videographer was such a deal that I thought I'd go for it. She's a very reasonable price for the quality. My cousin paid her $900 cash.

When I enquired with her, she quoted me her only package at $1500 and said the price includes travel fees but didn't say how much. I'm not sure if she knows that I know how much she charged my cousin, but I can only assume she's trying to charge me $600 for travel when its a 3 hour round trip. (My wedding is an hour and a half away from where my cousin's wedding was/where the videographer lives) She gave me no specific breakdown in her package price, so although I understand that pricing can increase over time, I don't know any specifics.

As a side note, this is a distance/route that many people commute 5 days a week (my fiance included!) - it's not an outrageous drive. In contrast, our photographer is travelling from the same distance as the videographer would and is only charging us $50 for gas, which I think is very reasonable. Our photographer's services are also a-la carte, so we know exactly what we are paying for.

What's reasonable to charge for travel? To be honest, I would have no problem paying her an extra $150 for mileage, just like I would get at my job for travelling the same distance. But I'm really not willing for pay $600 for travel, when the package is $900, and there are phenomenal videographers in my city for $1700-$2000.

Is it ok to ask her for a breakdown of the pricing in my quote? Also, is it appropriate for me to say that I know she charged my cousin $900?

Has anyone encountered a similar situation?

Britt

You could ask for a breakdown in pricing although if she told you what was included in the package that might be all she gives you. Did you and your cousin have the same package, as in the same amount of time, same length of video, expected return time? Also, did your cousin book her last year? Oftentimes vendors change pricing year to year.

That being said I wouldn't say you know how much your cousin paid. She may have had a special deal. The videographer may require an overnight if the wedding ends or starts after/before a certain time or may require an overnight stay over a certain distance.

Inquire, but don't mention your cousin, and if you like her work and the package is cheaper than others I wouldn't push it.

ernursej · July 2016

I think it is reasonable to ask for a breakdown/itemized list of what you are getting for the price. I also don't think it is wrong to mention that you are surprised with the price increase. When I ask for references for vendors, I always ask about the price that was paid and if there is a difference between a reference and my own quote, I ask about it. This is a professional who should be able to explain their costs.

If travel is $600.00 (maybe they are including wear and tear on the car, buy premium gas etc) then you will have to decide if the price is worth paying.

SaintPaulGal · July 2016

I was surprised to read the above responses, and I'm going to give pretty much the opposite answer from the prevailing wisdom.

First of all, I don't think it's reasonable--or more importantly, relevant--to ask for a breakdown of the fees. Does it matter that she hates driving and has a stiff upcharge on anything out of town? Drives a Hummer that she fills only with premium gas so it costs her an arm and a leg to get anywhere? Must be in bed by midnight and requires a hotel with a certain kind of fancy mattress so she can sleep? Is unable to drive and therefore has to take a taxi the whole way? Whatever the reasons, this is what she has quoted as her price, and you aren't going to move the wedding to her town to get a discount.

I think it makes far more sense to negotiate the total cost without regard to exactly how much she attributes to specific line items. Your negotiation strategy depends on one question: would you be willing to pay $1,500 for her services? You say that other professionals can be hired for $1,700-$2,000, so it sounds like you are still getting a good deal. But just because something is a deal does not make it affordable or a good use of money. If you would pay the $1,500 then I would recommend responding with something like, "That's a bit more than I was hoping to spend. Is there any flexibility in that rate?" But if you need something closer to the deal your cousin got or you are not going to book her at all, then I would go ahead and lay out your expectations and where they came from. "Actually, my cousin Gretchen recommended you because you did such lovely work for $900. I can cover gas money in addition to that sum, but anything more is out of my budget."

ernursej · July 2016

SaintPaulGal said:

I was surprised to read the above responses, and I'm going to give pretty much the opposite answer from the prevailing wisdom.

First of all, I don't think it's reasonable--or more importantly, relevant--to ask for a breakdown of the fees. Does it matter that she hates driving and has a stiff upcharge on anything out of town? Drives a Hummer that she fills only with premium gas so it costs her an arm and a leg to get anywhere? Must be in bed by midnight and requires a hotel with a certain kind of fancy mattress so she can sleep? Is unable to drive and therefore has to take a taxi the whole way? Whatever the reasons, this is what she has quoted as her price, and you aren't going to move the wedding to her town to get a discount.

I think it makes far more sense to negotiate the total cost without regard to exactly how much she attributes to specific line items. Your negotiation strategy depends on one question: would you be willing to pay $1,500 for her services? You say that other professionals can be hired for $1,700-$2,000, so it sounds like you are still getting a good deal. But just because something is a deal does not make it affordable or a good use of money. If you would pay the $1,500 then I would recommend responding with something like, "That's a bit more than I was hoping to spend. Is there any flexibility in that rate?" But if you need something closer to the deal your cousin got or you are not going to book her at all, then I would go ahead and lay out your expectations and where they came from. "Actually, my cousin Gretchen recommended you because you did such lovely work for $900. I can cover gas money in addition to that sum, but anything more is out of my budget."

A vendor is someone you are hiring. So you wouldn't ask for a breakdown of a construction company's quote? I always ask for a breakdown when one is not provided. I've never had a problem with a vendor letting me know what I'm getting and how much each item is.

The more upfront and aware you are, the less likely you are to be surprised or upset by something. A person with a business should never have a problem letting you know how they arrived at a quote.

SaintPaulGal · July 2016

ernursej said:

SaintPaulGal said:

I was surprised to read the above responses, and I'm going to give pretty much the opposite answer from the prevailing wisdom.

First of all, I don't think it's reasonable--or more importantly, relevant--to ask for a breakdown of the fees. Does it matter that she hates driving and has a stiff upcharge on anything out of town? Drives a Hummer that she fills only with premium gas so it costs her an arm and a leg to get anywhere? Must be in bed by midnight and requires a hotel with a certain kind of fancy mattress so she can sleep? Is unable to drive and therefore has to take a taxi the whole way? Whatever the reasons, this is what she has quoted as her price, and you aren't going to move the wedding to her town to get a discount.

I think it makes far more sense to negotiate the total cost without regard to exactly how much she attributes to specific line items. Your negotiation strategy depends on one question: would you be willing to pay $1,500 for her services? You say that other professionals can be hired for $1,700-$2,000, so it sounds like you are still getting a good deal. But just because something is a deal does not make it affordable or a good use of money. If you would pay the $1,500 then I would recommend responding with something like, "That's a bit more than I was hoping to spend. Is there any flexibility in that rate?" But if you need something closer to the deal your cousin got or you are not going to book her at all, then I would go ahead and lay out your expectations and where they came from. "Actually, my cousin Gretchen recommended you because you did such lovely work for $900. I can cover gas money in addition to that sum, but anything more is out of my budget."

A vendor is someone you are hiring. So you wouldn't ask for a breakdown of a construction company's quote? I always ask for a breakdown when one is not provided. I've never had a problem with a vendor letting me know what I'm getting and how much each item is.
The more upfront and aware you are, the less likely you are to be surprised or upset by something. A person with a business should never have a problem letting you know how they arrived at a quote.

I would absolutely ask for a breakdown from a construction company! There are some very meaningful line items that can be modified in a construction situation. "Oh wow, I didn't realize how expensive mosaic tile would be! Let's change that to plain ceramic." "Hmm, this vanity seems high. Why don't we swap that out for something more modest."

But what meaningful information would you uncover with a line item breakdown from the videographer? "I didn't realize how much it would cost to have you travel! Let's just shoot the wedding video here." "Hmm, the gas costs of you driving that hummer seem high. Why don't you swap that out for a Prius."

When you pay for a bathroom remodel it is very important how the money gets allocated because there are separate, distinct, parse-able units that each involve a separate, distinct, and parse-able cost. When you are buying what amounts to custom artwork, it does not matter at all how the artist arrives at her fees, only what those fees are. A bathroom with a $50 vanity and $1450 custom tile floor is *different* from a bathroom installed by the same individual with a $750 vanity and $750 ceramic floor. A video made by someone whose base fee is $900 and whose PITA travel fee is $600 is exactly the same as a video made by that same individual when their base fee is $1400 and their gas costs $100.

ernursej · July 2016

SaintPaulGal said:

ernursej said:

SaintPaulGal said:

I was surprised to read the above responses, and I'm going to give pretty much the opposite answer from the prevailing wisdom.

First of all, I don't think it's reasonable--or more importantly, relevant--to ask for a breakdown of the fees. Does it matter that she hates driving and has a stiff upcharge on anything out of town? Drives a Hummer that she fills only with premium gas so it costs her an arm and a leg to get anywhere? Must be in bed by midnight and requires a hotel with a certain kind of fancy mattress so she can sleep? Is unable to drive and therefore has to take a taxi the whole way? Whatever the reasons, this is what she has quoted as her price, and you aren't going to move the wedding to her town to get a discount.

I think it makes far more sense to negotiate the total cost without regard to exactly how much she attributes to specific line items. Your negotiation strategy depends on one question: would you be willing to pay $1,500 for her services? You say that other professionals can be hired for $1,700-$2,000, so it sounds like you are still getting a good deal. But just because something is a deal does not make it affordable or a good use of money. If you would pay the $1,500 then I would recommend responding with something like, "That's a bit more than I was hoping to spend. Is there any flexibility in that rate?" But if you need something closer to the deal your cousin got or you are not going to book her at all, then I would go ahead and lay out your expectations and where they came from. "Actually, my cousin Gretchen recommended you because you did such lovely work for $900. I can cover gas money in addition to that sum, but anything more is out of my budget."

A vendor is someone you are hiring. So you wouldn't ask for a breakdown of a construction company's quote? I always ask for a breakdown when one is not provided. I've never had a problem with a vendor letting me know what I'm getting and how much each item is.
The more upfront and aware you are, the less likely you are to be surprised or upset by something. A person with a business should never have a problem letting you know how they arrived at a quote.

I would absolutely ask for a breakdown from a construction company! There are some very meaningful line items that can be modified in a construction situation. "Oh wow, I didn't realize how expensive mosaic tile would be! Let's change that to plain ceramic." "Hmm, this vanity seems high. Why don't we swap that out for something more modest."

But what meaningful information would you uncover with a line item breakdown from the videographer? "I didn't realize how much it would cost to have you travel! Let's just shoot the wedding video here." "Hmm, the gas costs of you driving that hummer seem high. Why don't you swap that out for a Prius."

When you pay for a bathroom remodel it is very important how the money gets allocated because there are separate, distinct, parse-able units that each involve a separate, distinct, and parse-able cost. When you are buying what amounts to custom artwork, it does not matter at all how the artist arrives at her fees, only what those fees are. A bathroom with a $50 vanity and $1450 custom tile floor is *different* from a bathroom installed by the same individual with a $750 vanity and $750 ceramic floor. A video made by someone whose base fee is $900 and whose PITA travel fee is $600 is exactly the same as a video made by that same individual when their base fee is $1400 and their gas costs $100.

It is actually relevant as you could be paying $1500 for an unedited video or $1000 for the time at the reception and $400 for the editing etc. In this case, you could be paying $600 for travel or less if OP's cousin received a significant discount and the videographer's regular price is $1300 and she is now only charging $200 for travel. A breakdown for a videographer may be different from a construction site, but it still gives you negotiation room for the different components.

Also, it helps if you are comparing companies. If two companies charged $1400 for a video but one allocated only $50 for editing I would assume that either they have a knack for great raw footage that doesn't require editing or that I'm going to end up with an amateurish video with lots of cuts that I can see.

I respect that you wouldn't get a breakdown (this level of detail can sometimes be incredibly time consuming and might be fine without it), but I would advise anyone I can to always ask questions about what you are getting for your money and how that breaks down. Sometimes you may not get a full itemized quote, but you can assign a basic price on values such as amount of time spent doing each component or components offered (i.e. you get 10 hours of editing vs. 1 hour of editing or you get complete control of negatives for photography for example).

charlotte989875 · July 2016

I don't see a problem in asking for what the packages includes; how many hours shot, long video, short trailer, editing, etc., but I also think it's fine for a vendor to set their price or details of their travel. As a customer you can decide to pay for that, or not.

I would feel comfortable negotiating over the package, for example not bother with a trailer, fewer hours, whatever, but not over the travel. If they said they need to stay in a 3+ star hotel or they require a hot meal, I think you need to take it or leave it with those specifics. IMO those are thing the vendor has determined they need in order to produce the quality of the product they are offering.

[Deleted User] · July 2016

How early & late are you asking her to be there? If you want her to be there early she may want to stay overnight in the area to make sure she is there in time. Same goes for if you want her until the end, this way she doesn't have to worry about a late drive home after a long work day. Also, how long ago was your cousins wedding? Depending on how long ago it was, she has more experience & feels that experience is worth the higher price. Is this maybe her full time career where for your cousins wedding it was a side career. If it's a full time career right now she is going to be able to provide you with a faster turn around probably then when she did it part time. The final possibility is that she doesn't want to travel that far so instead of saying she doesn't want the job she priced herself out of your budget and if you do hire her, it really makes it worth her while then.

Knottie45833992 · August 2016

I do not think her quote of $1500 is due to travel and my best guess is that she realized she under charged for your cousin's wedding and bumped up her quote. Videography is a lot of work, combing through every second of a wedding. I think it wouldn't hurt to ask about the price difference, but I would first inquire about what the cost includes. Do you get only a highlight film or the other key moments and ceremony as well?

monniiauddii · December 2016

I realize that this a pretty late, but pretty sure what happened here is that she upped her quotes to make a living. When you start off in videography or photography in weddings, generally you go pretty low so that you can get experience working with couples. after you get a few under you belt however, you start to charge full price for things so that you can make a decent living. Like people have said before, ask for a price breakdown--she would be able to give one to you -- so you can see what you're getting charged for =]

ernursej · December 2016

@monniiauddii it is generally frowned upon to comment on a post that is more than 2 months old.

Videographer - Over charging for travel?

Re: Videographer - Over charging for travel?

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