Scam of the Decades
Here’s the bottom line; low-priced DJs are ripping you off and they are ripping themselves off too – it is the biggest scam of the last five decades! I cannot remember how many times I have heard from brides stating that DJ So-N-So said that they can do everything that I do and for less than half the price. But I am not the only one, all of my friends from across the United States that are award-winning wedding entertainment professionals have also run into the same scenario time and again.
They do everything that I do? How is this even possible? Seriously.
It reminds me of another situation that I ran into several years ago. The friend of a friend offered to fix the breaks on my business vehicle for less than the price of the parts I needed. Quite frankly it scared me to death and I declined the generous (and very cheap) offer in favor of having a professional do the work.
Don’t get me wrong, I like saving money as much as the next person. Yet when I considered this proposal for repairs, I declined it for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that it would actually save me time and a lot of money in the long run. Instead of rolling the dice on the questionable repair “deal”, I would have peace of mind in knowing that the work would be done right the first time, would be backed up by a gaurantee and would save me additional expenses in the long term.
Like this friend of a friend that had only the best intentions, most DJs do not charge nearly enough for their services to cover all of their expenses. Usually this is covered by their real job, but rarely provides enough for them to attend trade shows or even dedicate the time and resources to obtain education and experience other than experimenting at your wedding reception. Or, the other popular option among the low-priced DJs is to book more events, sometimes performing two or three events on any given day. This of course causes more than a few problems for you and your wedding as well.
For example:
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They do not have the time and availability to meet with you at your convenience.
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They do not have the time or training to properly assist you with wedding planning details.
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They lack the money and time to obtain education for their profession.
I have seen a lot of DJs come and go over the years, most of the time it is simply because they did not charge nearly enough to cover their expenses, upgrade their equipment and most importantly, obtain performance-related training. They are too busy scrambling to book the next event to pay proper attention to the clients that they have and their service suffers for it.
Personally, I charge according to my business expenses so that I can effectively maintain and upgrade my equipment on a regular basis, I am able to attend several conferences throughout the year and I have the time as well as the money to obtain training. One such example would be my recent accomplishment of becoming a certified Master of Ceremonies.
To put that into proper perspective for you, out of the approximate 200-300 DJs in Central PA, less than two dozen belong to the American Disc Jockey Association – I have been a member since 2006. Out of that two dozen, only three or four belong to Toast Masters International – I have been a member since 2006. Out of that handful I am the only DJ who is certified as a CPSDJ (Computerized Performance System Disc Jockey) since 2005 and I am the only one that is a certified Master of Ceremonies. I am making that difference even greater in October when I am attending another performance-related workshop, because I have the time and the money to do so.
Don’t get fooled by the scam of the decades…
Charles E. Snyder III,
Certified Master of Ceremonies
Extraordinary Weddings
717.718.5218
Tags: cheap djs, cheap wedding dj, DJ Pricing, wedding dj, wedding dj prices, what is a dj worth