If you visit The Ripoff Report and type in "DJ Service" you will see a few pages of bad reports on several DJ companies. If your search Google for "DJ Horror Stories" you will find several hits from DJs like Chris Cady of All Star Entertainment in Reno that tells the story of the amateures that ruined a wedding or from Full Effect DJ Service in Detroit that tells of similar stories. Links to these and other stories of weddings ruined can be found at the bottom of this page.

All of this reenforces what I've heard from caterers, photographers, and, yes, prospective clients that hired another DJ service instead of mine.The common thread in all of this is price. The potential client does a search for a DJ on Google or Craig's List and finds a price that is just too good to be true. Honestly, if it sounds too good to be true then it is. Don't let price be your only concern.

I will tell you that I do advertise on Craig's List; however, I don't advertise that I have cut-rate prices. Craig's List is free advertisement and it does help in boosting web presence.

To avoid the pitfalls of the low-ball DJ, start by first setting a reasonable budget for your entertainment service. I highly recommend CostofWedding.com as a resource for helping you plan your budget. At the CostofWedding.com site you will be able to get a breakdown of what people in your area spent on their wedding and also get an estimate of what it may cost you.

In regard to DJ pricing, you should know that while the performance time is the time you and your guests see your DJ service in action there is much more to it. For example, there is the travel time to and from your wedding, there is the set up and strike time, and there are other things that the DJ service might do such as a site visit or a face-to-face finalization meeting with you. In addition to all of this the DJ service has to buy and maintain equipment, buy music, keep the vehicles running, and pay for things like a telephone, web service, internet connection, and so on.

When it comes down to it, most DJs will spend from twelve to sixteen hours on your wedding. I average thirteen  hours, so, reasonably speaking, $50/hour or $650 for the thirteen hours invested in your wedding is not unreasonable for a professional wedding DJ.

You will find prices for DJ services ranging from $100 to well over $1,000. If the DJ service you are considering is under $500, then I would encourage you to ask more questions. You can find a good set of questions to ask a DJ before you hire by clicking this link.

Remember, don't let price be your only concern as some of these tails Indicate:

Jim Casey Entertainment Wedding DJ Horror Stories page

Full Effect Wedding DJ Service Horror Stories Page

All Star Entertainment Wedding DJ Horror Stories Page

There are plenty more out there. I feel for these folks. If only they had done a little more research or had not let price be their only concern.