How do I get my money back from hall hire?

j1992

Didn't really want to disclose the company but here it is: http://powerleague.co.uk/function-room


Also, there was no 'Duty Manager' and when I asked about the 'adherence to terms and conditions' it just meant that the hall was left in good condition, e.g. no damage to any of the property inside or out.


To be honest, it isn't entirely about the money. If they said right at the beginning about the cost it would have been fine. It's the fact that for over a month, among all the phone calls and visits there was no mention of it. Also, when I spoke to the main girl who was helping us, she had no idea what I was talking about when I mentioned costs.


I honestly think they just took advantage of me, and I've fallen for it. The sad thing is, the hall was a perfect size and I would definitely have used them again (and family members) if they hadn't have done this or let us down on the night. Maybe I should mention that, although I've a strong feeling they really won't care.

stevemLS

Great value for money - in some venues room hire is FREE*

j1992

Yes and on the section on the venue I chose it said completely free.

'Have your party here and you can enjoy great value - in fact it's free with a refundable deposit'

PasturesNew

Maybe the security is compulsory for a late license - and they didn't let you know that you were under a late license. Maybe a regular license is until 10:30pm and you were going to be running later. Maybe that was part of their planning permission - they MUST provide security if an event runs later than 10:30. But they should have told you.

But they should have a page explaining the hours, license, security and costs.

It sounds like the £100 you paid was the returnable deposit. The £160 requested was the £100 deposit (as they hadn't spotted you'd already paid it when they asked) and £60 for two hours of two door blokes (10:30pm-12:30, including booting out time) at £15/hour each (a standard hourly rate for an SIA qualified license holder).

But you're not in the industry - they should have a page explaining stuff like that: why, what, how much, etc.

j1992

I agree, if they had said that at the beginning I probably wouldn't have minded as £60 for hall hire isn't bad! It's the fact they hid it until the week before, and they also told me I would have late license but made us turn the music off at 12 and put the lights on and started tidying up!


I've requested the manager's e-mail address and will just explain to them the problem and see where it goes.

fridge_raider

I would wager from reading the website, that PasturesNew's post is bang on the money. However, you might get some joy by complaining, you never know. They should have let you know about additional costs in advance, so there is a legitimate complaint.

susancs

fridge_raider wrote: »

I would wager from reading the website, that PasturesNew's post is bang on the money. However, you might get some joy by complaining, you never know. They should have let you know about additional costs in advance, so there is a legitimate complaint.

The website is vague, as it states:
*Function hire requires a deposit on booking which is refundable subject to a minimum bar spend and aherence to local terms and conditions.

There's also the options for late license to keep the party going.

So it looks like the late license was an optional extra not included in the "free hall hire" and that there were additional local terms and conditions that might be imposed. Like you say you should have been informed up front that there were extra charges for these. They also seem to have stacked the odds in their favour in regards to the minimum spend by not supplying a fully stocked bar.

zaax

Theres is no such thing as a late licence. there is a TEN.
But a function hall should have either a 24 hour licence (normal) or a 6am to 2am licence as they would be doing this thing on a regular basis

j1992

Thank you for all of your advice. I e-mailed them and luckily we had spent over the amount behind the bar and they also agreed to return the £60 as an apology, so tomorrow I will have £160 back!

keyser666

Great News