Dusty Chalk Posted November 28, 2014 Report Posted November 28, 2014 Yeezh, Haj. Horrible day for it. One of my best buds with whom I was supposed to have Thanksgiving also had to cancel for similar reasons. In his case, we think it's food poisoning.
jvlgato Posted November 28, 2014 Report Posted November 28, 2014 Damn, Haj. Feel better soon! Happy Thanksgiving everyone! We went to WI for dinner with the in- laws, which was pleasant and nice (not always the case). Agree on cancelation policy. When I ran a private practice, I had one. The key is to tell them up front, including the amount, time needed to cancel without penalty, put it in writing and have them sign it . Maybe a deposit they'd lose? You can always decide to not charge them or charge less, if you think there was a good reason to cancel. It really makes people act suddenly more respectful of your time. And screen out the unreasonable ones, who jump out as much more obvious. The occasional business you lose is business you're better off not getting. Good luck!
CD44hi Posted November 28, 2014 Report Posted November 28, 2014 Feel better soon Haj and your daughter as well! The idea of the deposit up front as part of the cancelation policy is a great suggestion. I can imagine lots of wasted time trying to collect on the fee otherwise. Good luck Santa! [emoji318] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
guzziguy Posted November 28, 2014 Report Posted November 28, 2014 Hope you and your daughter feel better soon, Haj.
Salt Peanuts Posted November 28, 2014 Report Posted November 28, 2014 Thankfully, we were both feeling little better by night time so we were able to partake upon some of the leftovers. We missed out on seeing the family (daughter and I stayed at in-laws house as the lunch/dinner is at another relatives house) but we'll get to see them next month. As others have said, I think a cancellation policy would be a good idea, Santa. 2
guzziguy Posted November 28, 2014 Report Posted November 28, 2014 Wayne, you might want to have a cancellation policy for clients that have previously cancelled. If you have loyal, long time clients who have never cancelled, you might not want to risk irritating them due to the sins of others. 1
Torpedo Posted November 28, 2014 Report Posted November 28, 2014 or just making the policy softer on those good clients. I guess Santa's customers talk each other being Cayman a smallish place. It could be troublesome that some knew a policy is applied to them while not to others.
guzziguy Posted November 28, 2014 Report Posted November 28, 2014 Actually, I was thinking that Wayne would be upfront about it and explain why he was asking for a deposit. Better to do that to the few clients that have shown it's necessary than to explain to all clients why he now asks for a deposit due to the actions of a few.
blessingx Posted November 29, 2014 Report Posted November 29, 2014 (edited) ^ This. More coastin' today. (Sorry for poor shot extracted from poor video) Edited November 29, 2014 by blessingx 4
Torpedo Posted November 29, 2014 Report Posted November 29, 2014 Actually, I was thinking that Wayne would be upfront about it and explain why he was asking for a deposit. Better to do that to the few clients that have shown it's necessary than to explain to all clients why he now asks for a deposit due to the actions of a few. More or less what I thought, it somewhat depends on if he asks for an upfront deposit, or just states that x% would be charged on the account or CC if the performance is cancelled. Unsure what's culturally more adequate, but at some point it might be necessary being covered from everyone, even good clients who at some point may decide that canceling is a good idea. You need insurance from the facts that seem unexpected, not just from what you know is more likely to go wrong.
Wmcmanus Posted November 29, 2014 Report Posted November 29, 2014 Thanks for all of the advice, guys. I think I'll give it some thought in the off season, and will probably implement a cancellation policy beginning next year. A lot of Santas (and other performers) also use written contracts, but other than for the Ritz (who insisted on one) nobody in Cayman has ever asked for one. I do technically need a Trade & Business License to operate (since I charge for my services), but only Government entities (libraries and public schools) have ever asked about that, since it's a requirement they must meet in their payment process. In addition, a lot of Santas pay to get a background check done every year and have insurance that covers them up to a million dollars per incident (i.e., you drop some kid who cracks his or her head open). I've held off on most of these types of "business" aspects of being Santa (as well as getting a website or doing any local promoting/advertising) because at heart I still think of myself as a hobbyist. Or at least I don't want to lose that sense of just being out there for the kids, to have a lot of fun, and to spread joy. But on the other hand, I don't want to be perceived as a "hack" so some of these types of things would actually help in terms of making what I do even that much more professional. On the other side of it, I've had some amazing experiences as Santa and some clients who are just incredibly generous and appreciate. There is one family that has hired me for about 10-12 years now, dating back to when I wouldn't take any money from anybody for any reason (not even from corporate clients). My thinking hadn't yet "evolved" at that point! I used to do it JUST for the kids, even though it cost quite a bit each year for candy, giveaway items, small toys, and wardrobe items. So they would give me a bottle of rum because they just couldn't let me leave empty handed. Then for several years, I would ask them to write a check for $50 to a designated charity which rotated each year (and led to nothing but headaches from the charities to be honest). Then one year, all of the lady's sons and son in laws matched her $50 check, so the charity got $300 that year. Then eventually I became my own designated charity, but they still give me anywhere from $200 to $300 each year for a 1 hour visit, and usually a bottle of wine or scotch. When the grandmother who hosts that event calls to schedule now, we have a chat like old friends and neither of us ever even mentions how much my fee will be. Then I had the lady who was staying at the Ritz a couple of years ago who insisted that she give me a Christmas gift, and wanted to know what I wanted. I told her that the only thing I wanted, which I had already bought for myself, was a new Santa suit. She then insisted on seeing pictures of it, and then when she saw the pics insisted that she paid for it. Her husband gave her permission so she wrote me a check for $2,000 in addition to the fee that she had previously agreed on! Her husband told me as he walked me out of the hotel that he was just happy that I didn't tell her I wanted a car! So those kinds of things live on in my memory and make me feel unbelievably blessed to have this opportunity each year to serve humanity in a very special way for about a month, being a rock star everywhere I go and watching kids get totally wrapped up in it. Even at the grocery stores and at gas stations and in airports, and even when I'm wearing "Santa casual" clothes, there are moments in every day that make it all worthwhile (despite an occasional cancellation due to rain, or dealing with an idiot event coordinator who thinks I should cancel other scheduled events to meet her ever changing needs). 6
blessingx Posted November 30, 2014 Report Posted November 30, 2014 After moving several months ago, the things I haven't been able to find are my cameras and backup hard drives. Been driving me crazy. So today retraced my steps and I went through each of the remaining 40ish boxes for the third time. Four boxes from the end I found them in a box labeled in big letters "Cameras & HDDs." 8
CD44hi Posted November 30, 2014 Report Posted November 30, 2014 Well that is a great find Ric! Cheers! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Wmcmanus Posted November 30, 2014 Report Posted November 30, 2014 (edited) After moving several months ago, the things I haven't been able to find are my cameras and backup hard drives. Been driving me crazy. So today retraced my steps and I went through each of the remaining 40ish boxes for the third time. Four boxes from the end I found them in a box labeled in big letters "Cameras & HDDs." I had a similar experience today. Digging through stuff in my closet looking for a pair of elf green Crocs beach slippers that I wore last year for some of my Caribbean Santa events, I was surprised at how heavy one of my (Headcase certified) Red Oxx bags was, and sure enough there were the expensive Cannon binoculars I was looking for this summer when I was leaving for my baseball stadium tour. Knew they were in this house somewhere! Edited November 30, 2014 by Wmcmanus 4
skullguise Posted November 30, 2014 Report Posted November 30, 2014 Yes, but did that Red Oxx bag have a label that said "Cannon binoculars" ? Ric, I got a nice chuckle from your story only because I've done something somewhat similar
Dusty Chalk Posted November 30, 2014 Report Posted November 30, 2014 I would have assumed that any labels were old, outdated, and inaccurate. So...sympathies.
Aimless1 Posted December 3, 2014 Report Posted December 3, 2014 Met with the financial planner today. I'm at least 5 and probably 8 years away from being able to retire. Since I'm mentally ready now, that's not great. At least I should be able to retire with dignity.
Dusty Chalk Posted December 3, 2014 Report Posted December 3, 2014 That's better than most, so good on you. I'll be able to retire when I'm dead.
guzziguy Posted December 3, 2014 Report Posted December 3, 2014 Sorry to hear that retirement is further away than you'd like. Hopefully the years will pass quickly, at least at work.
Torpedo Posted December 3, 2014 Report Posted December 3, 2014 Met with the financial planner today. I'm at least 5 and probably 8 years away from being able to retire. Since I'm mentally ready now, that's not great. At least I should be able to retire with dignity. Sorry. I feel mentally ready to retire too, but I'll have to wait and wait, and then keep working a bit more. Five to eight years sounds like a lot, but you know as well as I do that time flies, so in no time we'll be cheering you for your retirement. Just keep healthy to enjoy it 4
skullguise Posted December 3, 2014 Report Posted December 3, 2014 Well said Antonio! And many of us are in that same boat....especially with the downturns in the market over time nailing 401K's, IRA's, and the like. Not that it makes you feel any better, other than plenty of people sharing your misery. 1
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