Vendors...sans contract

alk0511

I know that they rule is to never book with a vendor who is not willing to give you a contract.

Our potential chair cover company and tranportation/shuttle provider both come highly recommended (and are on the "preferred" list) by our venue and the reviews I can find appear to be good.  The prices are right but...urgh...they both don't work with a contract.  I really can't believe that any reputable small business is willing to work without one.  I'm really concerned about booking anything until there is accountability - in writing - for the services promised at this point in the planning.  I tend to believe that people out there working on reputation and verbal marketing alone would not risk their livelihood but, c'mon, FI and I want contracts!

How would you go about addressing this with the vendors without giving the impression that you are a know-it-all trying to tell a person how to run their business??

We are about 8 months out from the wedding and I'm getting a ton of planning out of the way now.  All the more reason for agreements in writing!  There is time but I don't want to sit too long and risk having them both book up.

GoodLuckBear14

No contract = No business.  If they cannot understand that then they shouldn't be in business.

AddieCake

I don't think you sound like a know-it-all by saying you are not comfortable doing business with them if they won't provide a contract. Contracts protect all parties. 

Coghoot12

I had a shuttle to pick up people after our reception to go to the after party.  The shuttle was run through the hotel where we booked a block of rooms.  The shuttle provision was in our contract with the hotel.

When the time came for the shuttle to show up, it was nowhere to be found.  My sister called the hotel asking where the shuttle was. The manager on duty said it was not in our contract.  Thankfully, I had the contract available on email and sent it over.  Apparently the final contract (with the shuttle provision) had never made its way to their file. 

Since I had the contract, the hotel honored it and sent the shuttle over. If I didn't have that contract, we would have been SOL. 

Moral of the story:  as GLB said "No contract=no business".

alk0511

I totally hear all of your responses and know that no contract is not a good thing.

I think I'll just explain that unless they are willing to get an agreement in writing, then we will not be able to use their services.  I'm not even looking for all the legal-ese, indemnification, blah blah...just something that states that the company will provide X services on X day for X dollars.  If they do not, FI & I are not responsible for payment of services and will receive any monies paid, in full.  Simple terms & conditions to protect us and them!  That's all.

I was just looking at our DJ contract and it's a no frills document.  But we are both accountable.  I'm thinking I may use that as a template for my response to these contract-less vendors.

Thanks.

alithebride

not a chance in hell i'd book either of them. you have absolutely no recourse if something goes wrong or is not as promised.

save yourself the trouble.

GoodLuckBear14

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_reception-ideas_vendorssans-contract?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:5Discussion:2287037e-779d-4c03-9bf3-3b5bc9219862Post:93688978-07ae-463a-8373-29b20b177e9c">Re: Vendors...sans contract</a>:
[QUOTE]not a chance in hell i'd book either of them. you have absolutely no recourse if something goes wrong or is not as promised. save yourself the trouble.
Posted by alithebride[/QUOTE]

Agreed.  OP you are in South Jersey where wedding vendors are tripping over eachother.

libby2483

I would absotely not book a vendor that doesn't have a contract.  I got screwed out of a $700 security deposit last year because of not having something clearly spelled out in writing. I had a verbal agreement with a landlord about something that was not written in the lease.  When he unexpectedly sold the property, the new landlord didn't honor the verbal agreement, and since I had nothing in writing, I lost $700 for violating the terms of my lease.  So, for our wedding, I made sure every vendor I worked with had a contract and everything was clearly spelled out.  I even asked a couple of vendors to modify things I was uncomfortable with.  No contract would mean no business for me.