Please can someone help....wedding NIGHTMARE

gordikin

southernlass wrote: »

Thankyou, just discussing that with my partner, think thats the way to go. I don't use my credit card but yeah we could pay it off straight away with the money we save.

So say for example we paid another £400 installment to them and then they still messed us about, breached contract, mislead us whatever....then we could claim it all back?? or does it have to be the deposit paid.....seriously considering doing this in future for big important things....this mess has taught me alot about not trusting companies and accepting what they say...

Everything in writing and cover myself as much as possible!!

Read the link I gave you...paying the venue some of the cost by cc gives you an added level of protection...but you really do need to have what you think you agreed to in writing. You don't want to get into an I said/she said/we agreed verbally thing. You do need it in writing.

You are paying a lot of good money...it's not unreasonable to get it in writing what for.

southernlass_2

Well trading standards have been really great, they are investigating but have confirmed that they are misrepresenting themselves with their advertising. I contacted consumer direct today, will see what they say and obviously I came here too for advice.

Stupidly no I didn't take out wedding insurance, kicking myself now...but nothing I can do. I just feel like we've been cornered and are being battered down by this venue...it seems to me and alot of other people that they weren't happy with the money from our little intimate wedding and just took this other booking to make up for it. The numbers they were talking about for this other wedding would have been around £9200! compared to our roughly £3000....

I'm hoping tomorrows meeting with the venue face to face will help us explain things more clearly, we're talking EVERYTHING with us, all paper work etc and have made a list of all the things we want to discuss, if we don't get a satisfactory response, i'm considering biting my tongue, paying the next installment on credit card and then dealing with it....but if I do that I worry that the dates won't add up and I wouldn't get my money back anyway.

What I mean is i've already raised all these concerns and then if I continued paying it would look obvious to the credit card company and anyone else, what I was doing.....not sure

southernlass_2

gordikin wrote: »

Read the link I gave you...paying the venue some of the cost by cc gives you an added level of protection...but you really do need to have what you think you agreed to in writing. You don't want to get into an I said/she said/we agreed verbally thing. You do need it in writing.

You are paying a lot of good money...it's not unreasonable to get it in writing what for.

Thankyou, I read though the link. I'm hoping to come away tomorrow with clear written evidence of what we've paid, what it covers, what our contract is with them, the clauses of that and all the other stuff. I have told her in email....well actually my partner has told her, because i've given up trying to communicate with her...that we want EVERYTHING in writing and signed aswell.

Hopefully all this will be enough to help ensure we're covered.

wealdroam

If you have trouble getting a written agreement from them, then you write down your understanding of what has been agreed.
Sent that to them explaining that it is your understanding of the agreement and invite them to disagree with it.

As you know, it is always a good idea to get things in writing.
It is even worth firing off a confirmation email following a telephone call... just so that there is no room for misunderstanding.

gordikin

Don't worry about the credit card company....they are legally bound to deal with it if you paid any of the bill by c...end of story!

I think you're being a bit too trusting....why would they get a 9k gig moved for a 3k one...did they ask you to think about another date?

southernlass_2

well the funny thing is, we initially wanted a saturday at the end of April, but was told that they were fully booked ALL weekends next year but they had one Sunday in April left and so we took that. She explained to us then that they only have one wedding in a day to give exclusive hire of the venue.

So if she can stick another party in the marquee on our wedding day and claim that it is a different venue and therefore not part of what we have hired....why couldn't she stick us in the house on the date we wanted while the other party had the marquee??

My guess is the marquee people are paying top dollar for the venue as its capable of holding hundreds. Alot of famous people have had parties, weddings etc at this venue and it has a really good reputation but I think thats mainly because it is used by people who have money and hire out the best of the best, not by people like my partner and I who don't have loads of money and don't want a massive marquee that can hold hundreds.

However if this is the case then, what I don't understand is why they would advertise and accept bookings for small gatherings if that isn't what they want. Seems it all boils down to the money. We can get bumped for something that wants to spend more than us.

Our main concern is ok, she has moved the date of these people (apparantly) but whats to stop it happening again? her taking another booking I mean. Because clearly the wording on their website and their verbal promises mean nothing atall. She has already said its another £2k for exclusive hire of the venue, then that as a gesture of goodwill she'll give us exclusive hire and then contradicting herself again by saying this doesn't include them not hiring out the marquee because its a different venue...Therefore we're back to the house and gardens, which we've already hired without the extra £2k so i'm confused about what she now wants this money for??

gordikin

I'm sorry to say this but personally I'd do my best to get the money I've paid back and look elsewhere.

unholyangel

I would do as i think wealroam advised and write to them setting out what your understanding of the agreement is (ie exclusivity). Perhaps also state that if they are changing terms to this agreement they need to give you notice of this along with a chance to cancel - without penalty - otherwise it would be in breach of the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977. If they fail to do this then technically they are in breach of contract and this would be your basis for making a claim.

paddyrg

Just a side-note really, but in your OP you mention that she had 'ruined your day' and your 'hearts are not in it' any more. A wedding is the biggest event most people will ever organise, and they have quite fixed ideas, whereas there is a lot to be said for rolling with it - plans will change the whole time (speaking as someone in the stadium-size event world) and there is always a lot of to-and-fro. If you can get past this bump, you still have a wonderful venue, darling husband-to-be, a child who is able to come to the event, etc., and think of seeing loved ones on the day. They want to see you married, and don't care if someone else is getting married too. By letting go of fixed ideas about how the day must go, you can save yourself an amazing amount of stress, remember the reason you're getting married, and don't get worked up about what will be the first of many things that don't go precisely to plan.

southernlass_2

Well we are going to the venue for a meeting at 10am. We have made lists of everything we want to discuss, been clear in our email to them yesterday that if we cannot reach an agreement then we want our money back plus the cover of costs incurred through having to change our venue and date.
We have all our paperwork and receipts etc to take with us, feeling nervous but one way or another something has to be sorted out.
Will keep you posted.