Wedding Venue Inflation

jillianpreston

Help! Last May I signed a contract for my venue agreeing to 2015 prices under the verbal reassurance from the venue coordinator that if there were an increase it would be no more than a couple dollars. Well, the increase in the buffet package I had planned on went from $49.95 pp to $62 pp!!!! And this is the CHEAPEST option on the menu. Every other option increased about 8-12$ per plate. Even the cheapest chicken dishes went from $59 to more than $70!! I understand prices were not locked in in the contract but I was led to believe that had there been an increase it would be minimal and most of these increases are around 20-25%!!! They also increased the ceremony fee from 500 to 1000 and the service fee from 19% to 20%.... All told these increases are going to cause my bill with them to go from about 8-9,000 to about 11-12,000. I think this is utterly ridiculous and am considering cancelling.... although I'm not sure it would be worth it at this point. My contract DOES say if I do cancel I can get back my deposit (2,000) - 500 as long as they rebook with a similar event. The new menu also tries to say that nothing is refundable now period. I feel as if I signed on with this place at the complete wrong time and honestly if I had been quoted this to begin with I never would have booked with them. Is there anything I can do besides canceling, on the grounds that they increased prices by an exorbitant 20-25%??????

LondonLisa

jillianpreston said:

Help! Last May I signed a contract for my venue agreeing to 2015 prices under the verbal reassurance from the venue coordinator that if there were an increase it would be no more than a couple dollars. Well, the increase in the buffet package I had planned on went from $49.95 pp to $62 pp!!!! And this is the CHEAPEST option on the menu. Every other option increased about 8-12$ per plate. Even the cheapest chicken dishes went from $59 to more than $70!! I understand prices were not locked in in the contract but I was led to believe that had there been an increase it would be minimal and most of these increases are around 20-25%!!! They also increased the ceremony fee from 500 to 1000 and the service fee from 19% to 20%.... All told these increases are going to cause my bill with them to go from about 8-9,000 to about 11-12,000. I think this is utterly ridiculous and am considering cancelling.... although I'm not sure it would be worth it at this point. My contract DOES say if I do cancel I can get back my deposit (2,000) - 500 as long as they rebook with a similar event. The new menu also tries to say that nothing is refundable now period. I feel as if I signed on with this place at the complete wrong time and honestly if I had been quoted this to begin with I never would have booked with them. Is there anything I can do besides canceling, on the grounds that they increased prices by an exorbitant 20-25%??????

Unfortunately, without anything written, you don't really have any legal ground to stand on. Have you called the person that promised you these prices? That should be your first port of call. If they agree with you, get it in writing.

Do you have ANY written communication saying they will honour the prices? An email? 

Next if you can't get in touch with them, call the manager and explain your situation. Say that you are considering cancelling because you were promised X price and simply cannot afford Y. They may be willing to work with you. Does your contract say anything about price increases or price? In the UK, contracts often say price increases will never be more than the RPI (retail price index) which is a marker of inflation measured by the government. 

In the future, with any vendors, always get the price agreed in writing especially outlining specifically what will be included (Goods, services and timescale). Never, ever put down a deposit without this. 

Remember, a verbal contract is as good as the paper it is written on. 

kristenone

This is called bait and switch. You entered into this agreement in good faith and the venue did not. They gave you verbal assurances and promises that the increase (if any) would be X but it ended up being Y. Depending on the state you live in, a verbal agreement is still an agreement. Do you have a witness who heard this? If they refuse to lower the prices to what you were told they were going to be, see if they will allow you to cancel with a refund. Use the terminology I used above when you communicate with them and make sure every conversation you have moving forward is in writing.

short+sassy

kristenone said:

This is called bait and switch. You entered into this agreement in good faith and the venue did not. They gave you verbal assurances and promises that the increase (if any) would be X but it ended up being Y. Depending on the state you live in, a verbal agreement is still an agreement. Do you have a witness who heard this? If they refuse to lower the prices to what you were told they were going to be, see if they will allow you to cancel with a refund. Use the terminology I used above when you communicate with them and make sure every conversation you have moving forward is in writing.

(Not a lawyer, no legal advice).  The above is only partially true.  Yes, verbal agreements are valid...actually in every state in the union; however, obviously they are harder to prove than written.

And for the OP, here is the big caveat to a verbal agreement.  A written agreement always trumps it anyway.

Which is not to say you can't go back and renegotiate the terms, like some of the other PPs have suggested.  It would save them from you cancelling and/or leaving them bad reviews. 

badbnagdway

short+sassy said:

kristenone said:

This is called bait and switch. You entered into this agreement in good faith and the venue did not. They gave you verbal assurances and promises that the increase (if any) would be X but it ended up being Y. Depending on the state you live in, a verbal agreement is still an agreement. Do you have a witness who heard this? If they refuse to lower the prices to what you were told they were going to be, see if they will allow you to cancel with a refund. Use the terminology I used above when you communicate with them and make sure every conversation you have moving forward is in writing.

(Not a lawyer, no legal advice).  The above is only partially true.  Yes, verbal agreements are valid...actually in every state in the union; however, obviously they are harder to prove than written.

And for the OP, here is the big caveat to a verbal agreement.  A written agreement always trumps it anyway.

Which is not to say you can't go back and renegotiate the terms, like some of the other PPs have suggested.  It would save them from you cancelling and/or leaving them bad reviews. 

There are certain types of contracts that are required to be in writing under the statute of frauds. This is probably not one of them, but the OP could check her state law. 

I would definitely approach them, tell them that you have an agreement for x price, and that if they will not honor it you will need your deposit back and will find somewhere else. I always recommend trying to catch the fly with honey first. It is not acceptable for them to increase the price on you like this. At the same time, it is a valuable lesson that you need to get things in writing, especially with such a big vendor. 

lovemesomemonster

I'm sorry you are dealing with this but I'm so glad I read this before signing my venue contract!

Got it this week and noticed under Meal Policy there is a bullet point that states prices are subject to change without notice.. I'm emailing them back to clarify this because after reading your venue situation I do NOT want to get hit with this 20-25% increase! Please keep us updated and I hope it all works out for you.

short+sassy

badbnagdway said:

short+sassy said:

kristenone said:

This is called bait and switch. You entered into this agreement in good faith and the venue did not. They gave you verbal assurances and promises that the increase (if any) would be X but it ended up being Y. Depending on the state you live in, a verbal agreement is still an agreement. Do you have a witness who heard this? If they refuse to lower the prices to what you were told they were going to be, see if they will allow you to cancel with a refund. Use the terminology I used above when you communicate with them and make sure every conversation you have moving forward is in writing.

(Not a lawyer, no legal advice).  The above is only partially true.  Yes, verbal agreements are valid...actually in every state in the union; however, obviously they are harder to prove than written.

And for the OP, here is the big caveat to a verbal agreement.  A written agreement always trumps it anyway.

Which is not to say you can't go back and renegotiate the terms, like some of the other PPs have suggested.  It would save them from you cancelling and/or leaving them bad reviews. 

There are certain types of contracts that are required to be in writing under the statute of frauds. This is probably not one of them, but the OP could check her state law. 

I would definitely approach them, tell them that you have an agreement for x price, and that if they will not honor it you will need your deposit back and will find somewhere else. I always recommend trying to catch the fly with honey first. It is not acceptable for them to increase the price on you like this. At the same time, it is a valuable lesson that you need to get things in writing, especially with such a big vendor. 

Haha, very true, I should have pointed that out.  I'm a landlady and I, of all people, know that.  Real estate...whether purchasing property or renting property...almost always has to be a written contract to be valid.  For example, if I rent out my place to someone.  We don't sign a lease, but verbally agree on a 12-month lease.  And they move out in month 3.  Too bad, so sad for me.  Any court will automatically consider it a month-to-month lease without written documentation stating otherwise.

Probably also true anytime a person is financing something, like a car, because nowadays there are interest disclosures the borrower is required to be provided with.

But there are tons of situations where a verbal contract, although harder to prove if the parties don't agree, is just as binding as a written one.

jillianpreston

Thanks for all of your feedback guys! I met with the venue... my original coordinator is "no longer there" and the new manager is going to "meet me halfway" and instead of the original 49.95 or the new 62.95, he will give me 54.95.... OK, but frustrating because either way the increase is to their benefit. Also, was not aware they were renovating the entire building... which I am apparently paying for in increases. Another thing that we just found out is that almost every hotel in that area, (45 mins away) is booked that entire weekend for a concert at a nearby venue........ things just keep getting more and more not what we thought Looked back at my original first choice today, whom we thought was originally too expensive, to find that it's nearly the same price we are now paying and they have basically no dates left. YAY.