AN EMAIL LOG OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS

TUESDAY 5th:

10.28 - Bruce emails to offer a job on Saturday evening 9th December. I answer it saying that I'm available.

11.24 - Bruce comes back to me, tells me to pencil his job in for now and he'd get back.
12.08 - Tim emails to forward one he'd received regarding a job on Saturday evening 9th December; his indicates he has put my name forward for this.

17.37 - The guy emails regarding Tim's job - asks if I'm available and what I'd charge. I reply immediately, as usual, explaining what i do and that I'm on hold at the moment and would have to let him know if I am free or not.

I also email Bruce and tell him to let me know asap as I can't hold the job for long; I give him till the morning to let me know.

20.59 - Bruce emails to say 'The client has told me that it is definite but am waiting for info to process the contract.'
I reply saying I look forward to receiving paperwor and I email the other job to say 'sorry, can't do it'.

WEDNESDAY 6th:

Bruce calls in the afternoon; he tells me that he is going away to London from his home the next day so won't be around to coordinate the job so has asked the other agency (!) to deal with me directly. He gives me the name and phone number of the contact there and tells me to call them if I don't hear. They will be emailing me.

THURSDAY 7th

I am out but Rob receives a call from 'the other agency' giving him all the details of the job, time, venue etc plus contacts at the venue, the agency and even the client who is Gillette.




FRIDAY 8th:

At 16.30 I receive a call from the girl at the agency to say the job has been cancelled! She is indignant about it but asks me if I belong to a union or similar as I should get them to fight it. She believes that there is a case to answer but she denies that it's her job as an agency to do this. I can't say too much as I have to leave home immediately to get to a booking.

Late that night I download the terms and conditions from that agency and they are quite clear that if clients cancel they will have to pay the fees.

SATURDAY 9th:

I call another magician who was also booked on this job; he's been cancelled to but has a contract. It appears I also received one that morning in the post - it states that the client is Mapledurham House.

I call Bruce who more or less intimates that it's up to me to deal with the agency as he had bowed out but I point out his name is on the contract and he is not amused.

I call the venue number and speak to Hayley who tells me the contract is all wrong anyway as it's not MapleDurham House but MapleDurham Events. The client, Gillette, have drawn back on their original agreement to spend £3000 and have now only put £500 behind the bar and cancelled the entertainment. She claims to have called the agency to cancel at midday the day before. She also says that the contact for the client is a call centre in India. She also tells me to use Equity to fight the case but doesn't seem to think I will get money from her, just from Gilette.

And there you are - I am going to go to Equity on Monday morning - this whole thing is a farce and I lost a job I could've taken if I'd been less honorable. I should've taken the second job that came in and not waited to see whether this lot wanted me or not.

What a bummer!