when vendors dont get back to you- UPDATE!

Is this at all normal?

Should I give the second guy another chance and call him and try to still set up this meeting - or should i run for the hills and book the 1st one (if my dates still available) who actually answers me.

Call them. Your e-mails could be in their spam folders.

You want to get your photographer & DJ booked soon. I would imagine early June would be busy, busy, busy wedding time in your area.

Photographer is already booked. i can't find a phone number for him.

DJ i only called. And i looked through my spam mail.

We are having the same problem with our photographer!! He was so eager to respond to emails UNTIL we put down our deposit. Then it was like pulling teeth to schedule our engagement photos ( You would think with the amount we pay, THEY would be calling US. Hopefully, the pictures will make me forget about the difficulty. We had our engagement pictures done and we love them. Good luck!!!!!!

In the two weddings that I planned in the last two years, this is was the single most annoying things I had to deal with, especially for my October wedding in Vermont. If I sent out 3 emails and didn't hear back from them, I moved on to the next vendor on my list. This was especially true of caterers. October is a popular month to get married in Vermont. More money could be made on my guest list of 62. One wouldnt even give me a bid.

My thoughts....if they can't get back to me in the planning stage, how do I know I can count on them on the day of. : )

Good luck!

Katie, isn't there a phone number on the photographer's contract?

I have had the ame problems with my photographer and caterer. I see my do in person all the time, so have had a need to call - but I'm sure I would have had trouble with him as well. I don't know what it is about people not responding promptly to emails or phone calls.

Unfortunately, this IS the norm with a lot of vendors from what I've seen on these forums and if I were you all, I would make sure that reflects in their reviews. The only vendor - that I actually booked - that I seemed to have this issue with was my MUA, luckily.

This makes me just crazy. I try to respond to my couples ASAP, unless it's the weekend and I'm officiating, and even then, it takes all of a minute to respond to someone and let them know you'll call them on Monday.

I personally hate to wait for anything, especially when I'm excited to chat with someone. I'd try calling, just in case, and then move on, really. The planning is the absolute easiest part of the whole relationship, and if that doesn't go well....it's just not a good sign.....

Wow - I am shocked and sad that vendors are not responding to brides! It has been a while since I got married but - it seems crazy to me for a vendor NOT to respond to a potential client. I agree your email may be in their spam folder...so maybe give them one more shout out but then I would move on as well. If this is how it is going to be before you work with them it doesn't bode well for them how it will be when the big day arrives. Good luck! I hope, no I know your wedding will be wonderful!!

Sometimes i can understand a few days but when you completely IGNORE me and 2 WEEKS later i don't hear a word and we are supposed to have a meeting but you IGNORE that too - then take a hike.

I should not have to email or call someone twice to get an answer.

I can tell you from experience, run from these vendors. What Carole said is absolutely true -- if they can't get back to you during the planning process, they will NOT get back to you when you really need them to. My caterer was a nightmare in this regard -- I ignored my gut because the price was right and the food was good, but he caused me so much stress, looking back I would gladly have paid more to a caterer that was responsive and that I knew I could count on.

Be front and frank with your photog, since he is already booked. Ask him what the deal is, and be honest with the reason as to why you booked him. Nip it in the butt NOW, otherwise it will spiral out of hand.

As for the DJ - send him a note saying that you expected to see something prior to the meeting, as you had discussed, and you are disappointed that you haven't seen anything. It's up to you whether or not you want to actually have the meeting.. my gut would be to kick him to the curb, and go back to the first DJ and see if there is any wiggle room on price. You have a comparable other DJ, I'm assuming, and the first doesn't know that you are considering not using him. Start to search for other DJs too. You do want to lock them in fairly soon.

Some vendors just aren't the best fit. I would find a way to scrape together the extra $150 to book the first DJ who was responsive, and you seemed to like his services.

I do not agree with the above statement about asking for wiggle room. This guy has a higher fee because he is obviously more responsive than the other guy. Therefore, wouldn't he deserve to be paid his full fee? This is why the other guy is cheaper -- he may not give a crap!

UPDATE:

The photographer we are extremely annoyed with and he's already booked....

So a few weeks ago i had replied to his email where he said the 17th is his next available saturday - I replied saying we'd do the 17th and he never got back to me. (yea thats tommorrow)

I emailed or called every day this week and today i FINALLY got him on the phone. He doesn't appologize or anything... Just goes on saying he has one girl that might cancel so then I'd have room but as of right now i'm booked. He's like she was supposed to call me back but she hasn't... *he giggles* - I was so tempted to say -"Yea It's annoying isn't it!" but i thought better of it.

So he's SUPPOSEDLY gonna call me back when he finds out. (i'm not holding my breath)

So let me get this straight - you IGNORED my request for the 17th for the past 3 weeks and NOW you tell me your busy? Well I'M busy the next two weekends - there are no other options.

I'm extremely nervous about trusting this guy with our only wedding photos! I'm seriously contemplating throwing the 200 dollar deposit in the trash and finding someone else we can trust.

But we are on a tight budget and he was a deal (obviously i know WHY he was cheap now) We can barely afford to lose the 200 dollars - let alone the extra 600 bucks that most other places cost. This is a nightmare.

I totally agree that if the vendor is not quick with a response before you put down a deposit, it will only get worse after they have your money. I was very picky with my vendors before I booked and it's worked out so far. I think if they don't respond back in a timely manner...keep looking.

What a horse's ass he is. I wouldn't care if he was Avedon, I'd get my 200.00 back and run like the wind. Tell him that his unprofessional behaviour has made it obvious that your working styles are incompatible (code for "I would like to be treated like a valuable paying client and you don't seem able to do that.") and you want to cancel the contract and move on.

Tell them your minister told you so ;-)

That's very wrong and I would move on. They are making a huge mistake in treating a customer this way. If they do not have the time for you, the professional thing would be to tell you. So sorry they are treating you this way. They do not deserve your business.