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OMG I'm totally with you on this one! Most. Obnoxious. Thing. Ever. I have no solutions for you, but I wanted you to know that this bee finds this super annoying as well. :(
where are you panning to get married?
This really frustrated me as well...I think part of it is the pricing changes based on your date. Also, they want to get your contact info, so they make you get in touch before handing out the price list.
I agree! I get that some pricing might vary, but chair and table and china rentals are probably going to stay the same all the time. For photographers, I appreciated if they are least wrote something about "packages start at $____"
Lol, I agree, and I have a Price Range listed on my website.
That being said, I still get tons of inquiries for under my price range or tons of inquiries that ask, "How much is your base package?" My head hits the table every time :-)
I have found in my own search most coordinators DONT put anything at all and that's frustrating. I know most of them, so I just ask them when I see them... but still....
Most new photographers and some more established too don't put prices because they'd rather get your first because that means you are "interested in their work" and then if they start at let's say $2000 but your budget is $1800 they might be able to work something out. They'd rather have that chance to negotiate before you click off their site. OR they can woo you into spending more :-)
Hey Ejoyb
Well I am on the East Coast and would be happy to help you if you'd like. ;-)
I see what you're saying but they only time I wish they wouldn't put the price is on your ring or your dress. I have a ring from Tiffany's and they put the prices on their site. I have had people tell me they went on the website to find my ring. Which now means they know how much it cost. Which is just weird knowing everyone knows your biz.
Yes! Please people!
If I see no price I'm more likely to just write you off.
I also hate how I have to make a gazillion phone calls to find out how much a dress costs. Grrr.
An unneccesary way of making wedding planning more complicated and time consuming and I resent it.
It is frustrating!
However, I work for a hotel, and none of our banquet prices are listed anywhere (for rentals, etc.) This is because nothing is set in stone. Most places will work in your budget!
Geez - I am SO with you on this one. I'm planning a wedding in Georgia, from Arizona, and I can't tell you how many emails I sent out asking for prices! And then you have to follow up with the whole "Well, I love your work, and I'm sure it's worth that, but I don't have that much money, so thanks for your time." I got very good at those emails.
In the end, though, I lucked out, and got a great photographer at a steal of a price, who sent me to a fabulous DOC for a not-so-steal, who helped me get a total steal on catering (FREE kids meals!!!!) and a DJ. So really, I've come out ahead.
But not posting the prices is very annoying, and such a time-suck for a tech-savvy bride searching online. Good luck!
i hate doing price inquires, though i sort of understand the reasoning behind not posting prices. A range, at least, would be nice though. I skipped over a ton of vendors simply because I didn't want to call/email them...
@Lindsay12.31.2010 Do you even list your price ranges? I imagine a minimum exists. "Prices start at _______" would be more useful than "call us for prices."
Agree!
It makes comparison shopping a nightmare.
Imean, I kind of understand when it's something like coordination or florals or food, where prices are going to vary widely based on what you want from the vendor and the supplies involved, but for things like linens and chairs?
Just tell me how much to fork over for a freakin' chivari so I can get back to work!
Related: Why, why, why are some vendors utterly unwilling to accomodate evening appointments? This is New York effing City. I cannot leave the office while you are in yours! My boss does not care that I am getting married. Like, srsly.
I know exactly what you mean. Any other time that the price is not listed, it's usually out of anyone's budget. Not listing prices or even a starting range doesn't do the vendor any favors in drawing in potential clients.
Ugh I know, so annoying! I haaaated shopping for vendors because of this - if your lowest package is like $5k over my budget lets save us both some time and let me know! I do not want to have to email 12 people before I figure out that half of them are double what I want to spend. If you are flexible about prices than at least put a range on your website! But seriously, no matter how 'flexible' some vendors claim they are on price, they're not going below a certain figure, why not just be up front about that?
Yes, it is very frustrating that most vendors do not list prices. Even more frustrating when you email them to find out (b/c you are busy and working during their 'office' hours) and they call you back instead of emailing back. Like I don't want to talk to you for 30 minutes listening to how great you are before you finally reveal your prices.
I also agree that prices are not listed b/c they are based on date and perceived budget. I actually encountered vendors who wouldn't give me a price quote until I revealed my budget, then did not itemize anything. Of course.
Oh, and to vendors who don't reveal prices on websites, it might work out for you to keep people more involved instead of 'clicking off', but I usually just 'click off' if prices aren't listed. My DOC had prices listed on his website, that is why I contacted him.
Ugh, I absolutely HATED this when I was still in vendor research mode!
I agree its frustrating but with some businesses, such as locations or catering, its difficult to put a price on a website. So many people request custom menus and pricing now that there isnt just a "set price" anymore. If a venue/caterer put on their website it averages around $100+ a person some people might not even contact them. But if they dont put a price and you call or email, they will let you know their base range BUT they might also let you know they can work with your budget too. On the opposite side, if they put a super low amount because they are able to go that low in certain circumstances, I can only imagine how many people would call and then be upset to find out that low price might not apply to them.
I agree! The worst was when I emailed one of these "price-secretive" vendors, clearly explaining what I wanted and when and asking for a price range. The response was them blabbing on and on about their work and ending with "Call us to discuss pricing"! It's bad enough that they don't list it on their website, but then they refuse to give it over email!! Grar.
I'm getting married in Baltimore too (in October)! And planning from CA. I know it's not in everyone's budget, but have you thought of getting a planner? It's made it so much easier for me because she either already has prices for vendors or I can tell her, "I like A, B, and C. Can you find out their prices for me?" And a couple days later, she'll have it.
Unless your problem is that you're looking for planners and can't find their prices, which is understandably frustrating. Let me know if you have questions - I might be able to help with some of the stuff I've already found out.
All I have to say to you my dear is AMEN!!! Seriously people need to get with the digital age. I'm thinking about going the controversial china dress route (it's that or David's Bridal and I see China as the lesser of 2 evils) and one of the companies I'm interested in is on twitter and facebook, to me that shows a pretty good effort towards steps in customer service and trying to make a name for themselves! I actually work currently in the "web world" and those kinds of things go along way in telling me what a company is trying to do with their services. So does having your bloody pricing on your website. Plain and simple people can't always have access to you over the phone so either be willing to email a list (which a lot of them have a problem doing as well) or just post it. Just because you have me on the phone and tell me your prices does not mean I'm going to magically change my budget because your voice is just that rad . . . sorry doesn't work that way.
What bothers me even more are vendors who won't give you pricing info over the phone or by email. They wait until the end of your face to face meeting to whip out a price sheet.
I'm totally with you on this one! I planned a wedding out-of-state and had to do everything online, and this frustrated me to no end.
I can understand venues not putting prices up because they really will negotiate with you, but coordinators, photographers and cake bakers should.
One of the main reasons we hired our coordinator was because she put her prices on her site. I immediately thought, "I like this woman, she's straight-forward" and we hired her during our first consultation.
This is a serious matter LOL I feel the same way......everyone so far has been helpful since I told them the only way I can do business is through email because I'm away and I can't talk on the phone at work LOL. Acutally our venue was higher online than the price they gave us so that resulted on a good email ;). The one I hate the most is the BM dress websites like Dessy, Hjelm, etc....come on it is a dress price it! lol
I think they do this so that vendors can jack up the prices and gouge you as much as they can!
Ooh, I forgot about trying to find out dress prices. That is driving me crazy. I totally agree about that - just price it, it's not going to change day by day.
I work at a hotel/venue and we have our packages on the website, but they aren't front and center for sure. There are two reasons for this. 1) We don't want to scare people away who might be looking for a lower budget or for a style of wedding that doesn't fit one of the set packages. We can work with just about anyone. 2) From a sales standpoint, you have a much better chance of connecting with a potential client on the phone or in person than via email, so the sales managers are encouraged to at least have a phone conversation with someone (find out their needs, etc.) before sending them pricing. Doesn't always work though!
However, I do think it is weird when places who are selling things rather than services don't have pricing listed. A chair is a chair. How much does it cost to rent it?
Again, this working within the budget thing is a fallacy. What if a client calls a caterer and says their budget is $10 per person? Most vendors are not going to be able to work within that budget and this is where posting a price _range_ can help.
I really think the forced interaction is to try to upsell you and convince you to go over budget. People are spending so much on weddings lately that i think vendors just expect that the budget is flexible and sure, you can spend more, whip out that credit card.
That's a rant for another day though. :)
Of the vendors I've called to ask about their price - none of them have been able or willing to work with my budget. My budget is not that small. Most vendors are not that flexible.
UGH! I agree with Arachna... vendors really aren't as flexible as wedding magazines would make you believe! And what really "grinds my gears" (thank you Peter Griffin) is when photographers don't post a "Packages starting at" on their website. Any other vendor I could guess, but photographers are very hard to immediately nail down a budget just from a glance at their work, you know? :(
There are plenty of Vendors who list prices online. I'm one. I've always done it because I think it makes it easier for everyone. Just use Vendors who list prices - many do!
I completely agree with you. It's annoying and a complete waste of time to have to contact every single vendor I'm semi-interested in to get their pricing sheet or package availability. I've emailed 15 photographers so far for their pricing sheet and as they respond one by one I have to go back to their website and look through it all over again just to figure out which one is contacting me. It's especially frustrating when I fall in love with their work and then find out their prices are triple what I am able to afford. grrr.
What an applicable vent! I think we all hate this! Photographers were one of the hardest things for me- more than once I was stricken with sticker shock when they replyed- and I felt so dumb for having to say "sorry I can't afford that!". Ugh.
@ejoyb & Arachna - I totally understand where you are coming from. The place I work would be considered a high end venue and you are right that we would not be able to work with people who have a $10 per person budget, but with the economy the way it is, you might be surprised at how flexible some vendors might be (and I mean some, not all). But I also think it depends on the region, time of year, and a variety of other factors.
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Argh!
I'm trying to plan my wedding from across the country and most vendors' business hours are my working hours. As such, I'm spending a lot of time hunting for vendors on websites before I actually talk on the phone with anyone.
The problem is that for some reason, people in the wedding industry have mutually decided that putting prices on their websites will immediately cause their businesses to stop functioning...or something.
This means I'm sending out mass emails to 30 vendors at a time trying to figure out who falls in my relatively tight budget. So much hassle and time wasting for nothing!
I wish they'd just list their pricing on their websites and make everyones lives easier (especially mine!).