Catering Invoice More than quoted

LEJC

If you have agreed a price verbally of x per head which I assume you did during early negotiations....when the first estomate was produced why did you not query it then?




Did you honestly not realise that a mistake had been made or did you think your luck was in and suddely the price per head had reduced dramatically....
To get a difference now of several thousands of pounds I find it hard to believe that the venue didnt pick it up...yes...buy I also find it hard to believe that you didnt either....


you say that you shouldnt have to pay based on the fact that they cant add up...well why didnt you add it up...this time the discrepency looks to be in your favour but had it been the other way round and they had overcharged or over quoted you ...i suspect you would have been the first to query it!!...I'm sorry to be so blunt but thats what it looks like to me.


In terms of should you pay...morally the answer is probably yes because you are aware that that is what the figure possibly should have read on the first invoice


I would however make the venue aware that this now comes as an unexpected expense and perhaps that they should have noticed it...but in honesty I cant see them agreeing to the reduced amount but maybe as a goodwill gesture they might/should.want to consider some reduction or renumeration.


For the record...an estimate is just that...its an indicative cost of something...an invoice should bear the final costs once numbers and choices are confirmed.
Thats pretty standard practice for most venues when dealing with receptions purely because they are booked provisionally usually many months before =hand and almost certainly before you know the final numbers attending the wedding,

ricksExpensive

Anatidaephobia wrote: »

I thought it was the other way around - the new invoice has the correct figure which is higher because the calculation was wrong on the original invoice? It should've been the higher price all along, if the figures had been added up correctly.

That's correct.

TBagpuss

I think if the ioriginal was wrong due to not being added up correctly, and it was marked as an estimate and the individual items are correct then part of the reason it has come as a surprise is that you didn't check it, albeit it came from their original error.

I don't thin that it would be unreasonable, in light of their mistake, to ask that they help you to adjust your choices of menus etc. to bring the total to the price you thought had been agreed -and to make some adjustment to make account of the fact that the original error was theirs.

As the wedding is not until August they should not have incurred any costs in ordering food etc as yet, so it should still be possible for you to review your menus.

I do think it would be reasonable for them to offer some discount due to their error but, particularly as this was not a final invoice, I don't think you can expect them to knock the whole £2K off.

Another option might be to explain to them that you have been budgeting on the original estimate and try to agree a time extension to pay the balance.

ricksExpensive

LEJC wrote: »

If you have agreed a price verbally of x per head which I assume you did during early negotiations....when the first estomate was produced why did you not query it then?




Did you honestly not realise that a mistake had been made or did you think your luck was in and suddely the price per head had reduced dramatically....
To get a difference now of several thousands of pounds I find it hard to believe that the venue didnt pick it up...yes...buy I also find it hard to believe that you didnt either....


you say that you shouldnt have to pay based on the fact that they cant add up...well why didnt you add it up...this time the discrepency looks to be in your favour but had it been the other way round and they had overcharged or over quoted you ...i suspect you would have been the first to query it!!...I'm sorry to be so blunt but thats what it looks like to me.


In terms of should you pay...morally the answer is probably yes because you are aware that that is what the figure possibly should have read on the first invoice


I would however make the venue aware that this now comes as an unexpected expense and perhaps that they should have noticed it...but in honesty I cant see them agreeing to the reduced amount but maybe as a goodwill gesture they might/should.want to consider some reduction or renumeration.

I can honestly say hand on heart we didn't notice that all the lines added up wrong.

Never thought about adding up each line individually to ensure it came to the correct grand total, and I ask the question who does in all seriousness.

Perhaps fool hardy on our part (and certainly a lesson learnt) but just didn't think too. Its only when this new invoice came we were like.... erm hang on what's going on here.

ricksExpensive

TBagpuss wrote: »

I think if the ioriginal was wrong due to not being added up correctly, and it was marked as an estimate and the individual items are correct then part of the reason it has come as a surprise is that you didn't check it, albeit it came from their original error.

I don't thin that it would be unreasonable, in light of their mistake, to ask that they help you to adjust your choices of menus etc. to bring the total to the price you thought had been agreed -and to make some adjustment to make account of the fact that the original error was theirs.

As the wedding is not until August they should not have incurred any costs in ordering food etc as yet, so it should still be possible for you to review your menus.

I do think it would be reasonable for them to offer some discount due to their error but, particularly as this was not a final invoice, I don't think you can expect them to knock the whole £2K off.

Another option might be to explain to them that you have been budgeting on the original estimate and try to agree a time extension to pay the balance.

Thanks @TBagpuss - I would never anticipate that they would knock off the whole £2k, but as you mention to discuss other menu options is a good idea, and something we need to sort ASAP.

You budget for your wedding and thats what we did around the pricing of the original invoice. As mentioned before had we of known we wouldnt have committed.

Certainly never take an invoice for granted again, and check every last penny.

LEJC

The advice given by bagpuss is excellent...its now a case of damage limitation....I would try to work with them to come up with something suitable for your guests within the confines or close to it of what you assumed you should pay.


Its a big day for you and of course you want your wedding to go without a hitch but trying to force the venue into supplying that much extra simply because of a clerical error may make them rethink the deal too....and offer you back your deposit and wish you well finding another venue!

Lavendyr

Ah sorry, I thought you'd said that the invoice was wrong and the estimate was right. My bad.

In that case I think you have a case to ask them for some goodwill gesture, but estimates, AFAIK, are not legally enforceable (unlike quotations, which can be) and therefore I don't think you can rely on that. You could either use it as a basis for negotiating a discount on the basis that you took the total of estimate on good faith, or you could ask them to help you find areas to cut down the price.