Band - Amazing Apples

All in all

Had e mailed these to see if they were available for our date - confirmed that they were and gave us a list of dates to viewed them - picked one of these and double checked with the band that it was okay and went to see them last night. Called today with a view to booking them and were informed that they were on holidays the week of our wedding. Seriously unprofessional outfit. AVOID!

WaltKowalski

Had you paid a deposit to reserve the date?

Lord Trollington

That's an outrageous claim to make unless you had paid a deposit to secure the booking.

Obviously there a good band if you tried to book them after viewing them.

All in all

Lord Trollington wrote: »

That's an outrageous claim to make unless you had paid a deposit to secure the booking.

Obviously there a good band if you tried to book them after viewing them.

Confirmed with them that they were free for our date and no we didn't we pay a deposit. Just extremely annoyed that they didn't let us know that they weren't free before we embarked on a 4 hour round trip.
No outrageous claim made IMO.

WaltKowalski

What sort of time lapsed between you viewing them and trying to book them?
Did they know you went to see them?
Are they just meant to forgo holidays forever in case someone might book them?

All in all

WaltKowalski wrote: »

What sort of time lapsed between you viewing them and trying to book them?
Did they know you went to see them?
Are they just meant to forgo holidays forever in case someone might book them?

Confirmed at the beginning of this week that they were free for our date, and that we were travelling to see them last night (Dublin to Athenry 2 hr drive). Phoned them today with a view to booking them.
I do not wish for them to forego holidays just a call or email out of courtesy if the availability of the date had changed.

toadfly

That's really bad form. I have found them hard to reach, took me three days to get through to them after several calls and a voicemail.

We went to see them last night too. We were told they would be on at 9, we got there at 10 but they didn't start til 11. They are a good band but not sure about booking them when they are so hard to get in contact with.

Edit: when's your date OP?

clint_silver

All in all wrote: »

Had e mailed these to see if they were available for our date - confirmed that they were and gave us a list of dates to viewed them - picked one of these and double checked with the band that it was okay and went to see them last night. Called today with a view to booking them and were informed that they were on holidays the week of our wedding. Seriously unprofessional outfit. AVOID!

Nasty. Dont know this band but know it can happen. Fella who takes the bookings says in conversation to the rest of the lads on the way home in the van
"someone was at the gig tonight viewing for date X next year"
main singer they cant gig without: "Oh yeah, was meaning to tell you to keep those dates free cos Im on me holidays, missus only told me yesterday she booked them".
Fella who takes the bookings "ah ****e, lets see if she rings". you ring the next day. what can ya do?

Be worse if you had made the booking and the fella going on holidays had told him afterwards and he had to ring you to cancel.

Not nice though and I can understand your anger.

My band were booked to play in a pub on a friday night recently, agent booked us, we dropped posters out, all organised, turned up and there was a date mixup (agents fault), pub wanted us there on the saturday instead, only we couldnt do the sat cos we were booked elsewhere. We had given the friday night to people who rang up looking for viewing dates. A couple had gone out on the friday, seen we werent on, seen the saturday on the poster, left, went back the night after, we werent on then either. rang our fella up going nuts on the phone saying we were really unprofessional and they wont be booking us and wouldnt listen to our side of the story. We had put facebook updates up as did the pub as soon as we found out what happened but didnt help the couple who had gone out both nights as they hadnt seen them. We totally understood their side of things, but what can ya do? mixups just sometimes happen.

clint_silver

TillyGirl wrote: »

That's really bad form. I have found them hard to reach, took me three days to get through to them after several calls and a voicemail.

We went to see them last night too. We were told they would be on at 9, we got there at 10 but they didn't start til 11. They are a good band but not sure about booking them when they are so hard to get in contact with.

Edit: when's your date OP?

Was that a wedding or a bar you got times for?

wedding music can kick off at any time from roughly 8:30 til even 11. depends on meal, speech times, an average start is sometime between 9 and 9:30 but this means nothing if the meal was delayed and the speeches went on for ages. band just has to sit around waiting for it all to end so they can start getting ready.

should know the times for a bar though give or take 15 minutes.

WaltKowalski

All in all wrote: »

Confirmed at the beginning of this week that they were free for our date, and that we were travelling to see them last night (Dublin to Athenry 2 hr drive). Phoned them today with a view to booking them.
I do not wish for them to forego holidays just a call or email out of courtesy if the availability of the date had changed.

That is bad form and I understand your frustration, but until you hand over money, they don't really owe you anything.

toadfly

It was a wedding. I know things can get delayed and it might not have been their fault. I am more pissed off at not getting a call back after calls and a voicemail. No apology either when I eventually got through.

clint_silver

TillyGirl wrote: »

That's really bad form. I have found them hard to reach, took me three days to get through to them after several calls and a voicemail.

We went to see them last night too. We were told they would be on at 9, we got there at 10 but they didn't start til 11. They are a good band but not sure about booking them when they are so hard to get in contact with.

Edit: when's your date OP?

I wouldnt let it put you off if you like them, some bands have agents who operate 9-5 and will answer every call, most bands dont. Usually one of the guys in the band has a band phone number who checks it every 2 or 3 days.

Do they have a website, have they email?

clint_silver

TillyGirl wrote: »

It was a wedding. I know things can get delayed and it might not have been their fault. I am more pissed off at not getting a call back after calls and a voicemail. No apology either when I eventually got through.

This would annoy me too. With any business.

Sleepy

My brother's in the band. I've mailed him a link to this thread.

The band email address is: amazingapplesband *AT* gmail.com

Facebook is: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Amazing-Apples/124329757078?sk=info

clint_silver

Sleepy wrote: »

My brother's in the band. I've mailed him a link to this thread.

The band email address is: amazingapplesband *AT* gmail.com

Facebook is: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Amazing-Apples/124329757078?sk=info

Sleepy, quick note about boards rules, if your brother hasn't been on here before and wants to represent the band in this thread, he'll have to authenticate himself with the moderators as the bands rep first or else he'll risk any post he puts up being deleted.

See the chris nelson photography thread for reference.

AoifeCork

WaltKowalski wrote: »

That is bad form and I understand your frustration, but until you hand over money, they don't really owe you anything.

Common decency should be expected, not something you "owe" somebody...?

tinkerbell

First of all, I think it's unfair to write such a bad review on a band when it was just a mis-understanding. Until you put down a deposit, there is no definite agreement with the band. Sometimes it happens that a band or whatever is free but then someone else comes along or whatever and pays a deposit, unless you specifically say "hold the date for me for a few days".

Also I think it's very rude to just rock up to someone else's wedding to check out the band/DJ. Was the OP crashing someone's wedding? I would be furious if random people appeared at my wedding just to check out the band/DJ, it's a private function, you were not invited.

toadfly

tinkerbell wrote: »

Also I think it's very rude to just rock up to someone else's wedding to check out the band/DJ. Was the OP crashing someone's wedding? I would be furious if random people appeared at my wedding just to check out the band/DJ, it's a private function, you were not invited.

How are people supposed to book a band without seeing them at a wedding? I was there on Saturday night and had cleared it with the band that it was ok with the couple. I would never go to a wedding without clearing with the band.

TillyGirl

TillyGirl wrote: »

How are people supposed to book a band without seeing them at a wedding? I was there on Saturday night and had cleared it with the band that it was ok with the couple. I would never go to a wedding without clearing with the band.

Jesus! i didnt think people did that, how precious!

Owen

tinkerbell wrote: »

Also I think it's very rude to just rock up to someone else's wedding to check out the band/DJ. Was the OP crashing someone's wedding? I would be furious if random people appeared at my wedding just to check out the band/DJ, it's a private function, you were not invited.

That's pretty much an accepted thing. I've played (With my old band) for about 600 weddings over 7 years, and at nearly all weddings, couples come in very discreetly after the bride and groom have done their first dance, and stand far away from the floor at the bar. They stay at most about 10 minutes, and generally go back out to listen in the lobby once they're happy with how the band looks and performs on stage.

I can also concur about weddings running late. We were always at venues for 8, and in most cases we could never start until 10 due to speeches over running, hotels having to clear/set the dancefloor area up, and for us to get on stage - even if our roadie had set up the majority of the equipment during the day. But bands will always try their best to get on stage as quick as they can, and I've no doubt Amazing Apples did the same here, as echoed by the Videographer.

toadfly

fiestywonder wrote: »

Jesus! i didnt think people did that, how precious!

What do you mean?

Acoshla

tinkerbell wrote: »

Also I think it's very rude to just rock up to someone else's wedding to check out the band/DJ. Was the OP crashing someone's wedding? I would be furious if random people appeared at my wedding just to check out the band/DJ, it's a private function, you were not invited.

That's pretty common, it's often said that while a band's showcase proves they can play etc it's very difficult to recreate a wedding atmosphere in a pub or emptyish reception room on a Sunday evening, so lots of bands tell prospective customers to view them at a wedding. As mentioned couple hang back a lot and listen to a couple of songs, it's agreed with the band.

clint_silver

Deleted User wrote: »

Jesus! i didnt think people did that, how precious!

As a band, if we knew there were couples coming, we would always clear it with bride and groom first. If we do 80 weddings a year, 78 couples wouldnt have a problem with it as thats how they got to view bands but some couples just dont want anyone else coming in. For whatever reason is up to them and not for us to judge or second guess why. I would say tillygirl does the right thing in asking the band to clear it first.

As Owen says above the viewing couples usually cpend 10-15 minutes in the room, a few minutes outside discussing amongst themselves and then they leave.

omahaid

Ya, people turned up at ours to listen to the band, I didn't give it a second thought, common out afaik.

Galway K9

Sleepy wrote: »

My brother's in the band. I've mailed him a link to this thread.

The band email address is: amazingapplesband *AT* gmail.com

Facebook is: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Amazing-Apples/124329757078?sk=info

eoin?

Sleepy

Yep, hi Barry.

Gatica

common enough to listen to a band before booking. We were informed of upcoming gigs by our band. We'd already booked then and didn't get a chance to go up to any of the open gigs or private weddings.
In our contract details they asked if it was ok to have couples come view them. I wrote that it's fine, just let us know if this does happen. That was that. No need to get stroppy about it fiestywonder.

liliq

I've never heard anything but good things about Amazing Apples, their performances, or their conduct from anyone I know that has dealt with them.
I'd also be of the opinion that if you didn't pay them a deposit, you haven't booked them. You can't expect a band/ anyone to hold adate for you IN CASE you book them, that's unrealistic and not a good way to do business.
Like another poster mentioned, you were obviously impressed enough to want to book them. They didn't that date on pause JUST in case you MIGHT come back to them- not a reason for a bad review. In my opinion.

clint_silver

liliq wrote: »

I've never heard anything but good things about Amazing Apples, their performances, or their conduct from anyone I know that has dealt with them.
I'd also be of the opinion that if you didn't pay them a deposit, you haven't booked them. You can't expect a band/ anyone to hold adate for you IN CASE you book them, that's unrealistic and not a good way to do business.
Like another poster mentioned, you were obviously impressed enough to want to book them. They didn't that date on pause JUST in case you MIGHT come back to them- not a reason for a bad review. In my opinion.

While I dont think it warranted a bad review either, In fairness to the OP, I dont think she was complaining about them giving the date away, its that she went to view them when they said the date was free when it was never free as they were on holidays.
It may be that the guy taking bookings didnt know they were going to be on holidays at that time she asked so it may be just unfortunate timing all round rather than unprofessionalism.
At some stage a diary for a band is going to get filled in with holidays, in this case, it could have happened in between OP going to view and booking.

Sleepy

It was a miscommunication and the band answered on the thread but hadn't verified themselves with a mod so the post has disappeared.

Not that it matters anyway, Amazing Apples aren't accepting bookings for weddings any more (I think my sister's wedding next year will be the last one they do). Their original stuff has been going well (topped the download chart for a few days and just missed the Top 40) and while they've played Electric Picnic, the Volvo Ocean Race Weekend and some other cool events they had to turn down some incredible opportunities because they had wedding commitments. Obviously they're honouring the bookings they have but, for now at least, they're focusing on being an originals act.

iguana

Closing zombie thread.