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Please help me!

I posted the following thread in debt free wannabes and advised it may be better if i posted it here...

"Hi, i'm just wanting some advice really, but not sure if anyone hear can help me, basically myself and OH were due to get married and the wedding was cancelled.

OH's mum rang all suppliers on our behalf and cancelled, the DJ in particular was very nice about the situation and wished OH the best of luck.

Last week we received an email stating that he wanted paying £400, OH's mum said he never mentioned this to her on the phone, so we ignored it, and then today, we received another email which to be honest is rather abrupt, telling us we have 7 days to pay the £400 and then it turns into big bold red letters stating that if we do not pay they will past it on to a debt collector or start legal proceedings.

My OH originally booked this and as far as I am aware he never said a contract or anything he just rang them and booked over the phone, also can they pass it on to the debt collector? cos i havent borrowed any money from them?

Im confused as to what to do about it????"

Thanks xxx
:j6 debts cleared since joining MSE:j
:eek: Remaining debts... Very / Halifax Loan/ A&L / Virgin cc / Lloyds / Sister :eek:
:smileyheaGetting Married 04.12.10 - The MSE way :smileyhea
:dance: Making this house a home :dance:
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Comments

  • Valli
    Valli Posts: 25,575 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    edited 17 October 2009 at 5:29PM
    It would depend on the terms and conditions of your booking. There will have been a deposit to pay I would assume.
    I would get someone else to enquire about a possible future booking for a similar event then ask the DJ about a deposit - and what would happen in the event of a cancellation.
    Failing that can you contact OH (who made the booking) and get details of the Terms and Conditions outlined to him at the time of booking.
    Usually bookings taken over the phone ARE confirmed in writing as both the DJ and the client need protection - think how you would have coped/felt had you got married and the DJ just didn't turn up.
    If no cancellation terms are specified then the DJ might be pulling a fast one - but do bear in mind that he might have turned down other work in order to be available for you and so might well be entitled for payment - it's not HIS fault that the wedding was cancelled but he IS out of pocket if he doesn't get paid.
    How close to the wedding date was the DJ cancelled?

    Re the debt collection - well an unpaid bill is a debt - so he can pass it onto a collection agency who will chase you for the money, take a cut and pay him the balance.

    Another option is you could offer him a reduced amount in full and final settlement of the outstanding debt (ie the unpaid bill)
    If you do decide to do that get a signed receipt with date of booking date of event and those words I have put in bold on it.

    ie I (DJ) have received from (you) £250 in full and final settlement of my bill dated,(date of bill/account) in respect of a cancelled booking which was to have been held on (date) at (venue).

    At the very least (and to buy some time) acknowledge the receipt of the email and tell him you will deal with it as soon as possible but don't ignore it altogether.
    Don't put it DOWN; put it AWAY
    "I would like more sisters, that the taking out of one, might not leave such stillness" Emily Dickinson
    :heart:Janice 1964-2016:heart:

    Thank you Honey Bear
  • advent1122
    advent1122 Posts: 1,403 Forumite
    He is a chancer and is trying it on.
    If you never signed any contract or paid a desposit then he has no chance of getting £400.
  • Hi, thanks for the replies, I wanted to add that today I found a copy of terms and conditions that the DJ emailed to us when booking, in the terms and conditions it states that we would lose our deposit should we cancel, however it states no where that we would be expected to pay the full amount, I have read these over and over, and also OH has, and we have sent to his mum to check just to make sure were not missing something, but in this case does it make a difference?

    Thanks xx
    :j6 debts cleared since joining MSE:j
    :eek: Remaining debts... Very / Halifax Loan/ A&L / Virgin cc / Lloyds / Sister :eek:
    :smileyheaGetting Married 04.12.10 - The MSE way :smileyhea
    :dance: Making this house a home :dance:
  • There was presumably no problem with the other suppliers who were cancelled? So one has to ask why he is claiming more than the loss of deposit as outlined in his T&Cs - he should change his T&Cs if he wants full payment for every cancellation (he might not get many bookings though;)).

    I also think he is a chancer, seeing whether you will cough up more if he writes in red ink...
    "Sealed Pot Challenge" 2010: Member No. 891 :j
  • Valli
    Valli Posts: 25,575 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    what ever other suppliers did or didn't do is not really relevant.

    If his T&Cs state you would lose the deposit but make no reference to full payment then you should be ok BUT write and keep copes of letters. Send a photocopy of his T&Cs and say that you understand that you lose the deposit but that the T&Cs do not state that you need to pay the full amount; therefore, as far as you are concerned you understand there are no further monies due.

    Please double check though as it may be that cancellation within a certain timeframe (ie less than 14 days before the event) will incur a further charge.

    Any chance you could scan them and add them to the thread?
    When was the wedding to have been and when did you cancel?
    Don't put it DOWN; put it AWAY
    "I would like more sisters, that the taking out of one, might not leave such stillness" Emily Dickinson
    :heart:Janice 1964-2016:heart:

    Thank you Honey Bear
  • McKneff
    McKneff Posts: 38,857 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Did your OH pay any deposit when he booked, if not, why not

    Find out what the deposit would have been and pay him that because of what it says in his t & Cs
    make the most of it, we are only here for the weekend.
    and we will never, ever return.
  • Hi thanks for the replies, OH paid a deposit of £150, we have both now checked the terms and conditions which do appear very basic, and his mum and her partner have both checked too and it def states no where that we would have to pay any more money however it does state that we would lose the deposit. (which we have done)

    Also i know this is irrelevant but when OH's mum rang and cancelled on our behalf, he was lovely to her and told her to tell her son not to worry and wished him the best of luck, he never mentioned to her we would owe anymore money and he even told her that if we decided to get married in the future we could contact him and he would transfer our deposit to a new date so it just seems odd now that he would come out the blue asking for this money.

    The wedding should have been 2 weeks ago, and we cancelled late august/early sept (exact date im not sure of)

    Thanks xx
    :j6 debts cleared since joining MSE:j
    :eek: Remaining debts... Very / Halifax Loan/ A&L / Virgin cc / Lloyds / Sister :eek:
    :smileyheaGetting Married 04.12.10 - The MSE way :smileyhea
    :dance: Making this house a home :dance:
  • hartcjhart
    hartcjhart Posts: 9,463 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    As a former DJ myself I can understand his frustration BUT,all you will lose is the deposit as stated in his T&Cs.

    My agent always took 50% as a deposit so if there was a cancellation we still had an earner:beer:
    I :love: MOJACAR
  • Valli wrote: »
    what ever other suppliers did or didn't do is not really relevant.

    My point was that the cancellation notification was presumably reasonable and not at the last minute, as then there may have been demands from other suppliers, as well as DJ, if that had been the case.
    "Sealed Pot Challenge" 2010: Member No. 891 :j
  • edited as document didnt show properly will do again below xxx
    :j6 debts cleared since joining MSE:j
    :eek: Remaining debts... Very / Halifax Loan/ A&L / Virgin cc / Lloyds / Sister :eek:
    :smileyheaGetting Married 04.12.10 - The MSE way :smileyhea
    :dance: Making this house a home :dance:
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