| Subject: deposits |
Author:
pm
[Edit]
|
Date Posted: 12:52:18 08/24/07 Fri
Directors are getting serious about deposits! Copied from the TN board. -- No name, 19:09:36 08/23/07 Thu [5]
This is in response to Linda Sansone - CONTESTANTS: SEND IN DEPOSITS!!! -- A director that understands, 08/23/07 7:49am
This is becoming a very big problem for me and my system. I don't think that everyone out there knows how much work is involved in putting on pageants, and how much money is involved. It can be an absolute DISASTER to order a ton of trophies and expensive custom crowns, only to receive two or three deposits before the "deadline to enter". Unless you are Janice Brown, you are never guaranteed to have someone enter at the door; in fact, I have NEVER had a door entry, even when it was on the form that I would take door entries, and I have been doing this for four years! Linda, don't feel like you owe ANYONE an excuse for cancelling, because you don't. I do not understand why people will not send in their deposits when they KNOW that they are going to attend. It would make it so much easier to plan on our end of the deal. I know that there are some of you out there that are faithful about always sending in a deposit, but the rest of you, and you know who you are, should take this post and Linda's post to heart and make it a point from now on to get those deposits in on time. We are ALWAYS willing to make changes when parents give us constructive criticism, now it is YOUR turn. Stop giving us the run-a-round and start letting us know that you are coming by the deadline date. There are a lot of good systems that are simply quitting because of this massive problem. Again, I am not trying to be ugly in any way, I just think that there are many people out there that do not realize how important getting your deposits into us really is. Now, lets change this and start having more pageants!!!
[> This is why there are hardly any good systems left. -- Another Director who understands, 08/23/07 9:27am
It takes alot of money to put on a good pageant, and crown suppliers, banners, etc. all require orders to be in by 2 weeks before your event. Without deposits, that all comes out of pocket for us as the directors. I currently am sitting on about $300 worth of Monogrammed banners from Cancelled Pageants. It just really takes the wind out of your sails, and makes you question whether or not to even keep trying. Yes, there are pageants that will let you just register at the door, BUT the crowns are tiny, the trophies are tiny, the prizes are cheap and you leave with no feeling of accomplishment--even if you won!
There are Great Honest Directors out there that have put way more effort than you can imagine into giving your little girls a NICE pageant you can both enjoy, that make nothing off of their pageants, that just simply enjoy giving your children a hobby, that have to cancel because you wont send in your deposits and they cant afford to pull that much money out of pocket. If you want a NICE pageant, you have GOT to send in a deposit. PLEASE help us give you want you want--- Great, Well Organized, Fun Pageants with Super Nice Awards---Send in a Deposit!!! PLEASE!
[> [> I think Discounts are part of the problem. -- director, 08/23/07 9:51am
I think that numbers have reached an all time low all across the board, and Directors have desperate tried to figure out ways to get people to come, so they started offering discounts after the deadline passed. It started with the late fee..it would get waived, and then the supreme package would drop or they would give you the door optioanls free, etc. I have seen this from small prelims to bigtime Nationals. So parents sit and try to wait it out to see what type of discount you are going to give to try and pull in more numbers. So essentially we the Directors are rewarding them for not sending their deposit in.
SOOOOO...I think that if we all stop doing late fees, etc. and start rewarding those who enter on time, with an earlybird discount we will start to see a rise in parents who actually send their things in on time. Just a thought. We need to do something..before all of us good directors give up and quit.
[> [> [> Re: I think Discounts are part of the problem. -- Another director, 08/23/07 9:57am
I agree! I think there should be late fees. If they don't get it in by the deadline there should be a late fee and a stiff one at that. A director that drops their price is just asking for trouble. Tiny Miss just did this and now she will never get people to enter on time because they will wait out the fee drop. I will never drop the fee because they are late getting in deposits. I would rather cancel that do that. I already have my fees as low as they can get and the late fee will stick.
[> [> [> [> Re: I think Discounts are part of the problem. -- Orignal Poster, 08/23/07 10:29am
Great ideas!!! Keep them coming. As for me, I think I am going to go with the Early Bird discount and then charge a stiff late fee, probably $25.00 for prelims and $50.00 for bigger pageants. Parents: Take notice of this. We are not trying to be mean or cruel, we want you to come to our pageants, but we cannot continue forking out the $$$ when you hold out on sending in deposits!
[> [> [> [> [> Re: I think Discounts are part of the problem. -- I understand, but, 08/23/07 10:38am
to some of us that do alot, it's hard to pick and choose right now, there are so many! I have so much other stuff going on that I admit I wait until the last minute, but enter by the deadline always. My kids are involved in alot of things and sometimes things come up at the last minute and pageants are usually secondary, so I have to wait or else lose my $. There are always 2 sides and I don't do it to cause any problems, I just never know what will be happening at my house! LOL We actually have something every weekend of our life!
[> [> [> [> [> [> Deposit are all ways transferable. -- A director that is 100% with the other directors. (Send in the deposit PLEASE!), 08/23/07 11:04am
You never lose your deposit it is all ways put toward another pageant, so if you do a lot of pageants you will use it on another one.
We directors want to give you the best of the best, but with out having deposits in HAND we cannot get you the best. That takes money and most of us do not have it lying around we relie on your deposits to pay for the best gifts, crowns, trophies, and so forth. So help us to give you the best by sending in the deposit.
I agree a late fee would be a good thing, which would show the Mother's that do send in a deposit we appreciate them for doing so, and show the ones who wait until after the deadline that we can't run a business on maybes.
[ Post a Reply to this Message ][Edit]
Replies:
My take on this as a director -- No name, 21:11:24 08/23/07 Thu
great post (NT) -- No name, 03:11:35 08/24/07 Fri
I think if Directors took a bigger stand and made people adhere to deposits then it would get better. No more door entries (or not without a substantial penalty) (NT) -- No name, 11:22:26 08/24/07 Fri
There aer several directos of big pageants doing this. Pageants are changing (NT) -- thank goodness, 12:21:32 08/24/07 Fri
|
|
You have done a great job Stewart!!
Maine Model 3 Contestants
Every Contestants Nightmare....
