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Beginner July 2024 Greater Manchester

Wedding venue issue - Stressed out bride to be.

Colette, 27 February, 2024 at 11:23 Posted on Planning 0 1

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Hi Newbie here and i'm really stressing over my venue. We get married 25th July 2024, just a little under 5 months.

We got engaged December 2020. We finally found our dream venue, it's perfect and well within budget. On 22nd June 2022 we booked our venue and paid £995 deposit. We where quoted £3827 for ceremony and reception rooms, decoration of both, decoration of stairwell, food, drink and DJ. The deposit came off the total so we only had £2832 left to pay. I emailed the venue quite a few times asking to set up a direct debit, nobody responded until October 2022. 31st October they took their first payment of £134. Since then we have made 16 monthly repayments of £134 totalling £2144, then the £995 deposit on top which means that as of today we only owe £688. On the 1st January 2024 i emailed my venue asking if i can increase my direct debit to £300 to get this paid quicker. I didn't get a response until 31st January. She agreed to increase my direct debit. Just randomly i asked her to confirm what my total balance left was, she sent me an invoice from June 2022 with a message to say we still owed £1090. I questioned why and sent her proof of what we had paid. She didn't respond. A few days later i got an email of my wedding venue coordinator saying she will look into it. I've been asking for an updated invoice/statement for 18 days and i still cant get access to this. My emails either get ignored or i get a response saying "i'm waiting for our accounts team to get back to me, i've given them a nudge as soon as i hear back ill be in touch" - 18 days later and i'm still waiting. I have added extra food and drink and i haven't got a clue what i owe for that, because again, i have no up to date invoice/statement. I dod speak to citizens advice yesterday regarding this and they say that the venue have broken the contract, an invoice is legally required because they charge VAT? I've emailed my venue again this morning explaining this but again, no response. What do i do? im just under 5 months away from my wedding and i'm freaking out.

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Latest activity by Lastreaction, 17 April, 2024 at 01:11

Savvy May 2024 Buckinghamshire
T S · 28 February, 2024 at 18:12
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Hi Collette,
Wow - sorry to hear that your venue are being so rubbish with their replies!
Was the quote that you initially got with or without VAT?
Just breaking down the maths for ease:
Quote: £3827
- Deposit (£995)
- Instalments (£134 x 16)
- Jan/Feb instalment (£300)
You have paid £3,439 and should have £388 outstanding.
Why on earth would they send an invoice from June 2022 if you're asking for an update in Feb 2024, and you've been making payments for the entirety of that time? That's nonsensical to me. They should also be telling you how much the cost per head is when you add additional catering (and also if that's inc or exc VAT).
I think - for your own sanity - it's time to get your ducks in a row here. Print out EVERYTHING - their email with the quote, proof of your direct debits (dates and amounts), and every email they've sent either requesting or confirming receipt of money. That way you have a comprehensive hard copy of what was agreed, what you've paid, and what they've said. It's also worth reading through the contract you signed if there is one, check for hidden fees or anything that they've not delivered on.
Is your venue local to you? Can you book in a face to face meeting with your event coordinator and ask for someone from the accounts department to attend? That might be the best way to straighten it all out. (I've done that with corporate events before when being messed around, just pulled up with my spreadsheets, bought a drink at the bar and refused to move until someone came down from the office for a chat.) Try not to go in raging, but calm and logical. "Here's a copy of the payment amounts and dates, if you haven't received these can we just check the bank details you provided. If you didn't receive these I'll have to flag the problem with my bank" is hard to argue with, and watch how fast they scramble.
Could just be that you have a useless events assistant confusing you with another bride. See if you can arrange a face to face meeting, assemble all your evidence, and take it from there. This is their error, so it's their job to fix it. Deep breath, and good luck!
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