Is This The Last Minute Show Cancellation?

[PamperedchefDaly]

Last Friday at 2:00 I got a phone call from my host for that night's party. She needed to reschedule because one of her kids got sick. No problem--I'm a mom, I understand. I had picked up the groceries for her as a favor (to be reimbursed later), but they were able to keep. She rescheduled for today.

I spoke with her earlier in the week and everything was on schedule. I called her today, and she was at the beach, expected home by 4. (That should've been my first clue.) So I called her cell and left a message "just touching base for tonight, for a final head count". I called her home at 4:45 and her son said she was home, but "in the bathroom, she'll call back." Since I need to leave at 5:15 to get there by 6, I called again at 5:10, and was told "she just went out". I asked him "is she coming back soon? I'm coming over tonight to do a party". She called back about 1 minute later. I said casually "I'm getting ready to leave. Is there anything I can pick up for you on the way?" And then she said, "well, um, I really can't get my act together to have a party. You know, I've been out all day, and I've been running all over, and football has started and (a whole bunch of other excuses I can't remember)." I said "are you trying to say that you are cancelling the party for tonight?" Well, she was. I asked her if she told everybody else because otherwise she was going to have a bunch of people on her doorstep in about an hour. "Oh yes, they all know it's cancelled."

I'm still dumbfounded. Imagine if I didn't call her, and drove 45 minutes to her house? It's people like her that make me ask, "what the heck am I doing in a business where I have to be at the mercy of other people???"

Thanks for letting me vent.

 

[esavvymom]

Sounds like what happened to me in June - except her 2nd excuse was that the dog had heart-worm and wasn't doing so well. As others will end up telling you- chances are EXTREMELY good that she sent out the invitations or no one was coming.Bless and release, and then don't bother calling her again. If she comes to YOU, don't give her the first date she wants, even if you want it badly...make her feel that you are very busy.This is also why I've started doing the invites (and reminder calls). Of shows I've sent out the invites, they do not cancel or reschedule, and my attendance is usually 8 or more people.

 

[cindylpal]

What about the food that you bought as a favor to her????

 

[esavvymom]

Yeah- i wouldn't have given it to her without the payment!

 

[PamperedchefDaly]

What about the food that you bought as a favor to her????

It was tonight's dinner for my boys.

 

[PamperedchefDaly]

Yeah- i wouldn't have given it to her without the payment!

I still had it in my fridge. She had cancelled last week and I kept it for this week.

 

[quiverfull7]

Some people really don't get that we do this as an income producing JOB, they think we do it for fun, which of course is true but it's our job! Just leave her be and move on to your next host.

 

[cincychef]

Sorry you had to deal with that, it is very frustrating when people have so little regard for us. I had two shows cancel this week and was not happy. One of them I had opened up an extra date for. I do find that mailing out the invites is the way to get them not to cancel. I had a $1,000 show last month and she said, "after you mailed out the invites I realized it was the first night of football practice, but I couldn't even remember who we had invited to cancel with them anyway!" Thank goodness!

 

[AJPratt]

A consultant I know on CS (Sharon), when she has a hard time getting a hold of the host, will leave a message something to the effect of "Hi! I have directions to your house from Mapquest. I will be there around 6:30. If you ned to get a hold of me, call XXXXXXX." She says she usually gets a call back either way. I guess the host thinks "Holy crap. This woman is going to come over." Luckily I haven't had that problem recently, but if I do...

 

[esavvymom]

A consultant I know on CS (Sharon), when she has a hard time getting a hold of the host, will leave a message something to the effect of "Hi! I have directions to your house from Mapquest. I will be there around 6:30. If you ned to get a hold of me, call XXXXXXX." She says she usually gets a call back either way. I guess the host thinks "Holy crap. This woman is going to come over." Luckily I haven't had that problem recently, but if I do...

That's how I got the call-back from my host that cancelled twice. I left a vm that I would be there at a certain time. She called me 30 minutes later.

 

[kristina16marie]

I've had a lot of cancellations lately too, so I'm starting to mail out the invitations myself too and hopefully that will put a stop to them. I also love this line from a Guest List I got from someone on here (sorry I don't know who it is, but I love it!) • Although I love my job, and it's a lot of fun, it's still my job! Please be respectful of that, and if you need to reschedule, give me 3 weeks notice so I have time to re-book the date, and am not unemployed for the evening. Thanks!

 

[ChefBeckyD]

I've had a lot of cancellations lately too, so I'm starting to mail out the invitations myself too and hopefully that will put a stop to them. I also love this line from a Guest List I got from someone on here (sorry I don't know who it is, but I love it!)

• Although I love my job, and it's a lot of fun, it's still my job! Please be respectful of that, and if you need to reschedule, give me 3 weeks notice so I have time to re-book the date, and am not unemployed for the evening. Thanks!

That's from my Guest List!


Glad you like it. After my first 6 months in this biz, I started mailing out invites, because I was discouraged and tired of all of the last minute cancellations - and suspected that all of the "family emergencies" were really a case of not having mailed out invites. I was right!

 

[pampchefsarah]

Here's proof of one of the lessons from Tammy Stanley - go ahead and invite people at the last possible minute.

I had a show this past Friday for another DS consultant. I sent out an e-vite, and the only definite Yes I had ended up canceling. I considered canceling the party, but had already done this once (I gave plenty of notice, and it was for the same reason - invites sent but no one coming). Since my friend was kind enough to offer her home for the party, I knew it would at least be her, her daughter, me, and my daughter. Just as my daughter were leaving to for my friend's house, one of her friends called to make sure it was ok for her to come. When we got to my friend's house, and she heard we were only expecting the one teenager girl, she called a friend and said "hey, we're having a party, you should come over." Then, one of my 'maybes' called and said she wanted to come, but would be really late, was that ok? Absolutely. Ok, it ended up a small party, but we had alot of fun, and there were some sales (I don't know how much, because this consultant has to carry inventory, so she didn't have to place an order).

From now on, if a host cancels within a couple of days of the show, I'll tell her (or him, but I haven't had a male host yet), it's ok if she hasn't had the chance to invite people. Give me phone numbers and I'll call, and she can make some calls, too. People don't mind a last minute invitation - the spontaneity makes it seem more special! We'll see if this works, but I'd rather have one or two guests than a completely cancelled party.

Nancy, in your case, if the host went to the beach with plans to come back within a couple hours of the party starting, I doubt she ever planned to hold the show.

 

[kristina16marie]

That's from my Guest List!

Thanks Becky! I knew it was from someone awesome! I'm going to share that sheet with my cluster @ our next meeting. I just really love the way you worded it. It lets people know that, hey it's a party, but it's also my JOB! But in a courteous way. =)

 

[PamperedchefDaly]

"Nancy, in your case, if the host went to the beach with plans to come back within a couple hours of the party starting, I doubt she ever planned to hold the show."

That's what upset me the most. The fact that she had no intention of having the show and didn't even have the courtesy to tell me. Well, I've griped enough about this to many people, so now it's time to "bless and release". Thanks, everybody, for your support.