Wedding venue issue

raging-rupert

So you're saying that the cooling off period relating to distance selling doesn't necessarily apply to this situation? The wedding is fsr enough away that the date could easily be resold and we have confirmation from them that they haven't spent any money on making our arrangements. So they can't be out of pocket.

I may well just sign the agreement and walk away. Although I feel they are trying to deliberately hide poor service and potentially someone else could be worse off.

Seeing that maybe we don't have as solid an argument as originally thought. Walking away with the money seems the best option. As arguing about breach of contract will take forever.

unholyangel

raging-rupert wrote: »

So you're saying that the cooling off period relating to distance selling doesn't necessarily apply to this situation? The wedding is fsr enough away that the date could easily be resold and we have confirmation from them that they haven't spent any money on making our arrangements. So they can't be out of pocket.

I may well just sign the agreement and walk away. Although I feel they are trying to deliberately hide poor service and potentially someone else could be worse off.

Seeing that maybe we don't have as solid an argument as originally thought. Walking away with the money seems the best option. As arguing about breach of contract will take forever.

Yes thats what I'm saying. The right to cancel (14 days from the day after entering the contract/receiving the goods to notify of your intent to cancel and 14 days from notifying to return any goods supplied under the contract) does not extend to contracts for wedding venues. It would only apply to wedding venues if there was no fixed date agreed, and I've never heard of that happening in weddings.

Personally I think I'd take their offer and walk unless perhaps they had done something that was truly atrocious. Anything minor just isn't worth the hassle.

Most of CAB folk seem to read things direct from their website, and I think I've found why he advised you as he did, but the page contradicts itself: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/changed-your-mind/cancelling-a-service-youve-arranged/

If you want to cancel a service you’ve arranged online, over the phone or by mail-order (eg a photographer for a wedding or a caterer for a party), you get a 14-day cooling-off period during which you can cancel for any reason and get your money back.

Then goes on to say:

You also won’t get a cooling-off period for:

accommodation (eg a hotel room or a short-term let)
transport of goods (including courier services)
vehicle rental services
catering or leisure activities for specific dates (eg hotel and restaurant bookings, theatre tickets, catering for a wedding or party)

duchy

You booked your venue, at some point after booking it became clear that your expectations and what the venue could provide didn't match up (or you just preferred somewhere else). After you getting some very poor legal advice the venue decided it was easier to allow you to breech your contract with them and return your deposit despite on what you've said there was either no or very weak grounds for them to do this.
You seem to think they have agreed to the refund because they are in the wrong in some way rather than it's an expedient way to end the time and cost on both sides.
Making this offer conditional on you not attempting to damage their reputation if they believe the matter is based on a misunderstanding of expectation is not unreasonable so either accept the offer and move on or refuse and spend time and money going to court, however if you take this route a court can take the view that you were unreasonable in not accepting the refund and not award you costs so you'd probably need to prove the hotel was so unreasonable in their expectation that you'd be wanting to damage their reputation online to avoid this. If in any of your correspondence with them you'd threatened to do this then unless your reason for cancelling was for any thing less than totally reasonable and non bridezilla then they'd could successfully argue it was a fair condition to make.

Either take the refund and move on or spend money and go to court , but winning in court may still end up costing you in money as well as time.

Gavin83

raging-rupert wrote: »

Woah. I'm not bitter or looking to slag folk off. But I don't see why I should be held to a gagging order when I'm entitled to a refund. The reason we have changed our minds are valid and they have not held up their end of what we were initially sold on. Broken promises, feeling mislead etc.

Can I ask did you cancel based on something that actually happened or something you were led to believe might happen based on what you'd read on the internet?

raging-rupert wrote: »

I may well just sign the agreement and walk away. Although I feel they are trying to deliberately hide poor service and potentially someone else could be worse off.

I think thats the sensible option. Even if you feel you are in the right it's really not worth the hassle just to prove this. You could potentially end up with several sleepless nights when it's totally avoidable just by agreeing to their terms which in effect cost you nothing. Hard to say how unreasonable they're being or how strong a case you have with the information you've provided but just sign the agreement and take the money.

raging-rupert

I'm cancelling based on standards that have dropped significantly since booking, promises that haven't been met and expectations that they build up not being lived up to. What we were sold and what they can provide in reality do not meet up.

I have been very polite in all correspondence and not made any threats of damaging reputations. I have avoided being insulting to them or their venue which would have been easy to do so. I haven't named them on here or anywhere else.

Some folk on here seem to have a real attitude problem.

Oakdene

Have they ruined your wedding? No...so you have no real right or reason to 'slag them off' anywhere.

They have, finally. offered you a refund so sign the document, get your money back & focus your energy on finding a new venue & enjoy your big day.

raging-rupert

Can someone please point out where I said I wanted to slag them off. However I would of given a fair and honest review of services provided on our visits and given an honest account of our experience to anyone looking to go there or use their services.

agrinnall

raging-rupert wrote: »

Some folk on here seem to have a real attitude problem.

The thing is, this type of accusation towards people who are trying to help you just makes us think that perhaps the cause of the problem is you rather than the wedding venue. Your options have been made very clear to you, it's now down to you to decide which one to take. There really isn't anywhere else for this thread to go.

unholyangel

agrinnall wrote: »

The thing is, this type of accusation towards people who are trying to help you just makes us think that perhaps the cause of the problem is you rather than the wedding venue. Your options have been made very clear to you, it's now down to you to decide which one to take. There really isn't anywhere else for this thread to go.

To be fair, he/she isn't wrong in what they said - some folk do have an attitude problem and never seem to post to help, only to belittle or insult.

Not saying my attitude is perfect (far from it, I'm probably the biggest pedant on the board) but I don't think OP overreacted. To the contrary, they've actually kept their composure. Look at their reaction to my post advising the CAB have misinformed - they didn't argue or keep trying to force the point or look for a way around it, they reconsidered their position - unreasonable people generally cannot be reasoned with and are not so quick to reevaluate.

The OP's annoyance with the venue comes across in the posts but I think some people have misinterpreted that as OP being on a crusade against them. They've perhaps forgotten that people have a greater desire to speak about bad service than they do good.

LadyDee

If you are planning a wedding OP you'll doubtless experience far more stress than simply being let down by this particular venue. Take the money, rebook somewhere else, then after your perfect day heave a sigh of relief that you didn't lose out.

Somebody once gave me some very useful advice "pick your battles". Is it really worth getting all bent out of shape about this? Count your blessings - you are getting refunded and are free to book somewhere else.