venue have increases prices and changed menus

susied_2

hi

just wondering if anyone can help me, we booked our daughters wedding 2 yrs ago in a hotel, since then the menus have changed 3 times and so has the price, i have tried to argue my case with the wedding co ordinater with out much success, can anyone give me any advice on how to get them to stick to the original price that i booked at.

thanks
susied

kayleigh_b69

Hi Susied,

i booked my venue last sep for May 2011 at the time of booking the wedding co-ordinator advised that the prices will change due to inflation an the like but he said it should go up too much (i have this in writing to hold him to it lol) with regards to the menu im picking my own so cant really help on that.

siren13577

Have you paid a deposit and been quoted a price? I would have thought that if you have paid a deposit then they cannot increase the price? Perhaps someone can clarify this for you, other than that you could speak for half an hour with a solicitor for free, make sure you read through the small print of your contract and see if there was a minimum deposit at which they cannot change the prices in the terms and conditions. Perhaps speak to the CAB and ask for their input. Although the venue might be where your daughter has her heart set on perhaps you could look for a more competitive price at another venue and they could have a free day which might be able to accomodate you on her big day. You never know what they might find. Please do seek legal advice on this as my instinct is that once the deposit is accepted then they cannot alter the prices, but again perhaps someone else can clarify this. Good luck and I hope you find the information you need and get some good news!!

kayleigh_b69

the way in which my hotel got around all this is - i have only paid a deposit on the hire of the hotel when i reach 2011 an the prices for food have been decided thats when i will book food and pay a deposit.

hopefully tho the prices wont change much from what it was last year when i booked and like i say i have it in writing that it should be much more money.

lindaatno9

This may be of no relevance at all but I've been informed by one of my fabric suppliers that due to the weakness of the pound, fabric prices are subject to change.
I would suspect the deposit "holds the date" but in all honesty, you cannot expect them to charge you 2009 prices in 2010. Things go up. As for the menu, I would be inclind to find out where you stand because you may have booked that particular venue due to their menu.

roxalana

I guess it depends on what contract you have with the venue...

susied_2

thanks for the advice,
we paid a small £250 deposit when we booked the venue, then we paid another £1700.00 a few months ago, but it wasnt until i was looking at the menus that i realised the price had shot right up by £5.35 per head for the day and £2.40 for the evening, also the menu in the evening is really bad, i have got a meeting on monday with the wedding events woman to try and sort something out, i got my husband to work out the figures and the daytime meal has had a 18.5% increase in 12 months, i can't find the original menu to see what the overall increase is in 2 yrs since we booked. i will let you know how i get on at the meeting.
thank you again for your replys
susied

MrsTinks

I think most contracts with hotels etc allows for the fact that prices increase once a year usually. I know mine certainly did! Thankfully the increase in our case was about £1 per head so hardly end of the world... I would however think that 18% is a bit steep! I would definitely try and negotiate this with them but don't expect them to back down too much...

nat82

Our hotel guarenteed this years prices for next year but for more than a year in advance I would have expected them to increase their prices. Although, this isn't ideal when your working to a budget. My sisters hotel also guarenteed her prices 18 months in advance.

Let us know how you get on at your meeting. 18% seems an awful lot.

Good luck!

susied_2

hi
before going for the meeting i rang the hotels head office and told them of my complaint, they said someone would get back to me but i hadnt heard anything come monday morning so i went to the meeting with my husband, first of all the events organiser had heard from head office and she was very nice and said she would do her best to sort things out. basically i got the meal for £1.65p increase per head ( instead of nearly £6) and she also said they would supply free tea and coffee after the meal, also she said i could pick my own items for the evening buffet menu. the hotel manager also rang me and asked if i was happy with the result and said if i needing to discuss anything don't hesitate to contact him, so i asked about my daughter and her boyfriend tasting the meal were having in the day and he said they can come for a 3 course meal to make sure there happy with the menu etc,
so all in all an excellent result and it just goes to show it does you good to complain, thanks for all the advice that you offered.
susied