Great post :) I've read posts like this and Lauren's over the last couple of months and it fills me with unadulterated rage at the greed and lack of professionalism that a few bloggers display. It smacks to me of a basic lack of understanding of the commercial aspect of these kinds of events. I started blogging after running a company for 9 years, so understand precisely how commitments like this work and as such I avoid freebies from companies unless I know 100% that I'll use it and be positive about it, which rules me out of a lot of things. I get the impression some bloggers run around like kids in a candy shop, as if getting stuff for free is what blogging's all about. But these events aren't like your mum or dad buying you presents, or being given a gift out of the blue, because those are unrequited, nobody expects anything back. The basic premise of these blogger events is a reciprocal arrangement between brands and bloggers. Just because a company exists to make profit, it doesn't mean that their products cost nothing, or that people haven't put in lots of time to create these events, whether that's their job or not, so of course they'd be unhappy if they don't get their part of the deal back, in full. It makes me sad because I feel aware of a stigma surrounding blogging of it being distinctly amateurish. Posts about people like this clearly add to that reputation, which is sad. I sincerely hope it's a small minority. A few months ago I e-mailed a London company who I'd visited the day before and loved the experience, so wondered if they worked with bloggers. I got a slightly curt reply that they did, but also that they were holding an event in a couple of hours and would I like to come. I couldn't make it, so immediately declined, politely, however seeing posts about it afterwards, it was clear that it was a blogger event with about 12 people and I can only assume they had also been let down, despite laying on copious free wine and food for the event, plus access to somewhere you would usually have to pay for. Anyway, a blacklist for these people is a great idea, or even taking a refundable deposit to hold places. As for those with genuine reasons to cancel, I think you're safe, because in life it's often very easy to tell when someone is genuine or just being a dick.