Signed Contract

[Sherry]

How many require their customers to send a signed contract?  Do you think this is good or bad for business?

[reginanewsum]

I have a little contract that I have drawn up, but I never use them!  I guess I have been lucky, so fas in this little business adventure, I have had some amazing clients to work with!  The funniest thing happened at a booked face painting birthday party about one month ago.  I was to meet the party at the local park at 3pm. The mom called me at 10am that morning to make sure I would be there, I said yup! with my brush in my hand!  At 2:30pm I got to the park and drove around and drove around until 2:50pm, getting flustered I called the mom on the cell phone number that she had called me on! No answer at all! Not even voice mail!  I didn't get a down payment on the gig! and I had turned down one party for her time. So now I was angry! At 3:10pm my cell phone rang!  It was the gals mother. The gal was at the hospital, she had gone into labor at 2pm! gheesh bad luck!  But she did rescheduale for a late birthday party in November!

[ChaCha]

I dont do a contract, just the paypal deposit.  But I tell them payment is due at beginning of event.  Regina...I couldnt imagine!  I did my first baby bump the other day, and she was due any minute.  I had nightmares of her going into labor right then!

[sparklingfaces]

I have one, but it's mainly for companies so we know what the expectations is on both ends.

I had one that asked me to even edit the payment arrangements as they could not give me a check the day of the event. It was for the school district so they had to send it off and it would be mailed to me a month afterwards. I do it annually so it was no big deal, but yes companies read that.

Another reason why I like it is if the event is a bust - I HAVE A CONTRACT stating that you will pay me X dollars regardless of the number of people attending.
This saved my but when a store opened and booked me for 6 hours for each saturday and sunday.
On saturday - due to the poor turnout they wanted to cut me on Sunday.
I explained to them that I had turned down alot of gigs for this event AND unfortunately they signed a contract guaranteeing me 6 hours each on saturday and sunday. They DID NOT cut me Sunday.
Sadly I only painted around 8 people sunday... but honestly... that's not my fault not that many showed up.

[Psalmbook]

I do signed contracts & a deposit. My contract does a few things. It lets the client know how long I'll stay, what their responsibility is & what my responsibility is. The contract makes sure I don't have to walk 3 blocks with my kit(Entertainer will be provided with parking close to event & any parking fees will be paid for by the event) & gives me a safe healthy setting(Entertainer will have shelter from the elements). Since my contract I have never been asked to sit in the middle of a field without shelter in the scorching sun. It helps me to stay professional & friendly because the contract has told the client everything & I don't have too.

[reginanewsum]

Now that the year is winding down to no jobs! I am going to work on a contract and require a deposit. This year alone I had 11 cancelations any wheres from 1 hour to 5 minutes before schedualed face painting to begin, I also turned down work for the days I did have gigs. I always arrive 30 minutes before the gig to set up and be ready to go, normally I start as soon as I am set up! So I give that time also. At a few of these gigs, I had already arrived and was told it was canseled! Not very far in my opinion to us face painters, but I do fine that alote of people think we do this just for fun! Yes it is fun, but why do they not understand, would they work at there jobs and on pay day not receive there pay! I think not!

[Sherry]

I'm  in the process of changing things around a bit too.  I just had my second bounced check in 2 months.  Ack!  Weird that I've never had that happen in the 3 years I've been in business and then suddenly boom, boom.

I always plan to arrive 30 minutes early too and start as soon as I set up.  That gives me a good buffer in case I have any problems with traffic or finding the place.  But I am prompt about my shut down time too.

It is fun, but it's also a job after all.  I don't think they realize how much work goes into face painting overall.  The longer I do this craft, the less I see that attitude.  Thank goodness! 

[Whitney Myers]

I never wanted to use a contract, but have had to turn to using one after an event I scheduled. It was a citywide wing festival that was suppose to bring in over 20,000 attendants. I was hired for six hours and I brought in another painter for three hours. They first tried to get me to do pay per face and I explained to them that I don't do pay per face at events that I have never attended before. They agreed to pay by the hour and pay both of our full amounts. This is the first event I had ever worked with this painter. Well right when she arrived, they tried to cut her because I hadn't had many customers. It got very ugly and they tried to make me leave the event without any pay at all. I was kind, but firm in reminding them that I knew there was a risk involved with new events which is why I chose to only accept my hourly rate instead of pay per face. Had to go all the way up to the owner of the company to get mine and my partners money. Probably wouldn't have stood so firm if it was just me getting taken advantage of, but there was no way I was going to let it happen to someone else that I had never worked with before.  So now, I see the need for a contract.