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Beginner July 2018

Am I being unreasonable?

Bohobride2018, 2 August, 2018 at 15:37 Posted on Planning 0 5

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So we got married two weeks ago and it was a fantastic day but unfortunately a few things have been niggling on my mind since and I don't know whether to complain or if I am overreacting.

We booked a Motown band we loved and spent nearly £2000 for their services. This package included, 2x 60 min live band slots with 2x 30 min DJ Playlist in between for the band to have a break. The DJ playlist was just a Spotify playlist that the band had put together rather than a physical DJ being there.

When we originally booked the band back in November 2017 we said what we would like as our first dance however after some deliberation we decided to change this song in June 2018- 4 weeks before the wedding. We did not want the band to perform the song live- we wanted a specific version of the song which I emailed to the lead singer with the Spotify link to the song. She confirmed this in writing and said not a problem.

My partner also requested a 30 mins garage set at the end of the night.. ? which she confirmed was fine.

Additionally we had asked guests to put song requests on their RSVPs which we sent to the band and she said not a problem-these would be included in the playlists..

Roll forward to the wedding day..

On the day my partner and I had our photo shoot with the photographers whilst the band was doing the sound check so we didn't get a chance to speak to them before the first dance. The guests were called into the barn and we were announced and as soon as we walked in my stomach dropped as I realised that they were set up to sing live. They then proceeded to sing the original song that was requested back in November whilst my new husband and I awkwardly shuffled about whispering 'its the wrong song..' to each other through a gritted smile. We had actually planned a funny first dance song which was linked to the speeches so were really disappointed.

In addition to this none of the song requests had been added to the DJ Playlist and the garage set at the end of the night wasn't performed.

We didn't want to say anything on the night as we were in a happy wedding bubble but on reflection I am really disappointed- do you think I am within my rights to ask for some money back? I hate conflict and upsetting people but then at the same time feel like we had paid for a service that we didn't receive.

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5 replies

Latest activity by ExpensiveIvoryDiamonds53112, 21 August, 2018 at 15:12

Expert September 2019
Have_you_met_Mrs_Jones2019 · 6 August, 2018 at 11:29
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100% in the right to make a complaint. I don't think asking for ALL of your money back is fair or achievable, as they did provide you with a service, and I'm guessing the rest of the night was fine?

But dig out your old emails and confirm exactly what was agreed and open up a discussion to ask for a proportion of your money back. £2k is A LOT of money to pay for a service that wasn't 100% on point.

I'd be gutted if my first dance was ruined too! Good luck! X
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Paula @ Ollievision · 6 August, 2018 at 14:05
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I'd start by writing a letter/ email and detailing what actually went wrong. See how they respond then take it from there.
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Beginner July 2018
Bohobride2018 · 6 August, 2018 at 14:24
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Thanks for the advice Glad I am not overreacting too much! Yeah the rest of the night was fine in all fairness and the whole band did travel from London so I wouldn't want them to be out of pocket but I'm struggling to put a price on how much to ask for compensation. Do you think £500 sounds ok? Hard to put a price on something which isn't tangible...

xx
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Expert September 2019
Have_you_met_Mrs_Jones2019 · 6 August, 2018 at 14:38
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I wouldn't go in with a set amount. Have an idea in your head about how much you would be happy to accept, and start by just contacting them to explain what went wrong, and that you would appreciate some sort of refund as compensation. See what they come back with. I think if you went in with a figure, they would try and knock you down. If they do ask you what seems a reasonable amount, start off a couple of hundred higher and go down to what you're happy with.

I think £500 sounds fair. If you think of it in terms of time - they didn't play the garage set which was, what, 30 mins? And they didn't play the requested and agreed songs in the 2x 30mins DJ slots, but they played 2 hours of live which was good. So from 3.5 hours, you didn't get what you asked for for 1.5. That's roughly £285 per half hour, if you want to be nice, round it down to £250 per 30 mins to allow for travel costs. So that's £750. Plus messing up the first dance is awful. If it were me and they asked me to name a price, I'd start at £800 and let them knock me down to £500. But if you can get more out of them, frankly, go for it. X
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Paula @ Ollievision · 6 August, 2018 at 14:51
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I like that idea re calculating but I think you'd be lucky to get that much. Remember, if you aim too high they may refuse to pay anything and then you'll have to go to court and prove your case.

I think you're better off not asking for a sum right off. Outline the complaint and the impact it had on you and see how they respond. I think £200 or more will be most likely.
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