Reception Site going out of business, Update (Mill Race Inn)

arteduc8

So I posted last weekend about my reception site, the Mill Race Inn in Geneva, going out of business.  I was able to speak with the banquet coordinator briefly and she gave me names of other local venues that she had been in contact with.   Fortunately we were able to book another nearby site for our same date and avoided having to rebook all of our other vendors.  The new place even gave us a deal since they understood we were in a bad situation. 

She also told me to call back Monday about the deposit since they would be meeting with bankers about closing.  So I called, and called, and called, and left messages.... and no return call.  It turns out my school districts support staff union just booked a banquet there as well and put a depost down on Wednesda last week... then Mill Race announced on Friday they were closing.

Many people in the area seem so sad that Mill Race is closing, however no one seems to know how much they are screwing people over.  They took people's money KNOWING they were not going to be able to hold up their end of the contract.  Its just sick.

So I ended up calling my bank since I paid with my debit/credit card.  I just barely fell within the window in which I can dispute the payment.  I'll hopefully be able to get my money back.

If you know anyone in my situation, please tell them to do the same.  Call their bank NOW as it seems to be the only way to get back deposits.  So sad a landmark restaurant turned so shady. 

And to everyone else, be sure to put deposits on your credit card so you have options in case your vendor ends up breaking the contract. 

Love is Bald

How long is the window to contest the charges?  I'm so sorry this is happening to you!  Im glad the other venue is working with you...  keep us posted!

arteduc8

My bank said I was just within the window, 90 days.  I had until February 6th since I booked November 6th. 

jilld82

I'm really sorry that you have had to face some hurdles for your wedding, I am sure it's pretty stressful and I hope you can find a different Venue.

With that being said, I'm not so sure you know the extent of the story so maybe you shouldn't jump to conclusions yet.  They didn't know until that Thursday for certain that they would be shutting down.  You shouldn't bad mouth the place when you don't know the whole story.  I am sure they are busy dealing with other people who are in similar situations and are probably trying to figure out a way to make everyone happy.  I also think that it's partially your fault for not doing your research on the site before booking it.  As much I loved Mill Race inn(yes I am from Geneva) you would have found that the bottom floor had gotten flooded recently and was never restored.  I personally would not have booked a venue that didn't have the money to even fix the repairs from an event like that.  I would not have taken the chance.  Plus it was known that they had been struggling during winter months for quite some time.  Take a little bit of responsibility.  I really hope that the other venues work out for you but try not to keep bad mouthing a business that had been around for 80 plus years.

arteduc8

They were not open about any troubles with flooding or slow business.  I'm also from the area and none of my friends or co-workers knew about their troubles either.  Many of them have lived in St. Charles and Geneva their whole lives and were just as shocked as I was to find out the bad news.  I did do research and found nothing about this prior to booking, and trust me I looked!  If I had known or found or heard anything that made it seem even slightly bad, there is no way I would have booked!  You can't simply make it sound so clearcut.  And if you were in my shoes you would be upset too.  I'm not "bad mouthing" a business, I'm stating the facts.  I loved Mill Race but this situation is just not right.   The owners had to have known that the  numbers weren't adding up. 

And the current owners only had owned it for 6 years, so sadly it is not the "legendary" business it once was.  I even saw a waitress comment on a recent newpaper article about this saying how they weren't given their tips the last few days or paychecks. 

I finally got a message today from the banquet coordinator (who really was wonderful to work with) that the owners asked her to call all the people with booked banquets.  They are working to get deposits back, and we should hear within 2-3 weeks.  Unfortunatley, I can't hold my breath on that, and had already gone to my bank.  My budget is already tight and I simply can't afford not to get my money back.