We vet over 200 vendors across India, and the same handful of warning signs come up every time a vendor relationship goes badly. None of them are about pricing.
Red flag: they won't put anything in writing
"Don't worry, we'll sort it out" is the single biggest predictor of a bad event-day surprise. A vendor confident in their own delivery has no reason to avoid a written scope of work.
Red flag: no backup plan for their own equipment or staff
Ask directly: "what happens if your lead sound engineer is sick that day?" A vendor who has never thought about this has never had to — which usually means they have not been doing this long enough to have learned the hard way.
Not actually a red flag: being fully booked
A vendor with limited open dates and no urgency to close you as a client is often a sign of genuine demand, not disorganisation. We'd rather book a busy, in-demand team early than an eager one with a suspiciously open calendar.
Not actually a red flag: asking for a deposit
A reasonable, documented advance is completely standard and protects both sides. The concern is only when the split is unusually front-loaded with no milestone structure at all.
The vendors who cause problems almost never look risky on the first call. They look risky the moment you ask for something in writing.
Every vendor on our recommended list has been personally vetted and has delivered for us more than once — ask your coordinator for our shortlist in your city.
