Cancellation policies?

Ash2985

I'm still going 'round with Marriott North with regards to their cancellation policies.  I'm realizing that I don't have much of a grasp on what is a "standard" cancellation policy for other venues.  Can you all give me an idea of what cancellation/reschedule policies are like in general?

Obviously, we're not planning a wedding with the intention of cancelling (or even rescheduling), but the military doesn't frequently agree with our plans, so I'm just trying to find things out for the possibility that FI may end up deployed on our chosen date.

duqcheer04

I think it is really dependent on the venue.  In many cases, you have 30 days before the event to cancel.  You would forfeit your deposit in most cases.  If you were to cancel after the cancellation date, you would be liable for payment in full.

I've also seen it as late as 10 days prior to event date.

HTH  Good luck with the Marriott and hopefully your FI is not deployed close to your wedding date!

Ash2985

That seems so much more reasonable than even the compromise they're trying to offer.  They want a $6K deposit, and then we have up until 6 months before the date to reschedule/cancel (supposedly), where we would lose $1K if we had to cancel altogether.  After that, they haven't really made it clear in the contract, but my understanding was that we would be able to reschedule to a date within the year after the original date without losing any money.  If we weren't able to reschedule, then we would lose the $6K, which seems reasonable.

The initial contract was a cancellation fee of $9K, regardless of when we cancel, and he seems stuck on us giving him at least 6 months notice (which would be great, but the military doesn't see fit to give us 6 months notice, so I can't guarantee him that). 

Thank you for the info!  It does make me feel a little less crazy for asking for some flexibility.

duqcheer04

I'm sure you have your heart set on having your wedding at the Marriott, but it seems as though the manager is trying to pinch every penny out of you and using your situation to his advantage!

If you do sign a contract, make sure to really review every.single.detail.  I would hate for there to be something major in the fine print!

Is he claiming this is Marriott policy or just the Cranberry policy? I wonder.

LaFemmeRousse

Hmm, I think my cancellation policy is more relaxed than most, but we only had to put down a $1k deposit, which is nonrefundable, and then I believe we don't put anything else down until like two weeks before the wedding, so I guess a cancellation anytime before that would only put us out the initial deposit amount.

It really seems like you should look elsewhere; this manager doesn't sound very accomodating and I would hate to see you guys have to enter into a legal fight or be out thousands of dollars if your fiance does end up getting deployed.

Ash2985

It's the policy of this particular Marriott because it's a franchise.  We contacted another one in Bethesda, MD (where I used to live) because we figured they dealt with this type of situation more frequently because of the area they're in, and they allow rescheduling/cancellation due to deployment with no penalties.
I'm now dealing with the Regional VP of the Marriott North (or of the company that operates it, WHI) and he is consistently making me feel like they're doing me a favor by letting me spend my money there.  When he contacted me on Saturday, I was set on being done with them, but I was satisfied with the solution he provided, with no penalties if we had to reschedule, and just using the deposits we already had down towards the balance on whatever date we had it.  Until, of course, I got the "revised" contract and it wasn't what we had discussed at all.  I'm pretty much done with them.  I'm just afraid that I'm going to run into this no matter who I try to book with, though if other venues have more reasonable cancellation policies, then I feel much better about it.

KimWard

No advice, but I just wanted to say good luck- I hope you find somewhere that is more accomodating to you! Your tentative wedding date is my birthday.

Ash2985

It's my younger brother's too!  I thought it would be kind of fun to have a combo groom's cake/birthday cake and sing him happy birthday, assuming we end up having something that day.  At this point, Vegas is looking very promising.

elishanb

IMO you should take a look at some other places. As nice as this place is you should never let a place make you feel like they are doing you a favor by you spending your money there. No matter the circumstance.

Also by looking around you would have a chance to see how some other places deal with cancellation policies.

GL with whatever it is you decide to do.

kbielak17

I don't really have any advice but I just feel that going through THIS much trouble really isn't worth it. I cannot imagine going through so much aggrevation and work just so you can give a venue thousands and thousands of dollars. No matter what happens, aren't you always going to have some negative feelings toward this place?

Hope things work out for you in the end.

Ash2985

You're all exactly right.  This whole thing has left a bad taste in my mouth.  I shouldn't really feel like I'm being unreasonable for asking a venue to work with an issue that is out of my control.  They keep treating it like they're doing me a favor by trying to work with me.  I have e-mailed other places and gotten information, but they keep stringing this along and I'm kind of waiting to see what they come up with out of some kind of sick fascination, I suppose.  

I wonder if the other Marriotts in the area would have similar policies.  This is basically the last straw; calling me specifically on a Saturday to discuss the changes in the policy, and then e-mailing me a contract that's totally different than what we discussed, is really just insulting.

kwynn

I paid $1500 or so down, 50% remaining 60 days out and the last 50% remaining the week of the wedding with certified check. So the amount I would have lost would have been proportional.

I don't think there is necessarily going to be a standard cancellation policy.

If you were open to it, you will have the most ease and flexibility with a Friday or Sunday date or a winter date. Vendors won't be as strict with the cancellations on this because it isn't a prime date where they are losing major money.

Have you looked into wedding insurance at all? If you get the wedding insurance, that may give you peace of mind and ease in booking all vendors. It may only cover active duty, however.

How long until your FI gets out of the National Guard? Is it possible to just wait until then?

Also, I think you have to be careful how you approach this with venues. If you casually say "Okay, and what's the cancellation policy just in case?" as you are asking other questions, they will tell you and you can double-check it in the contract. But if you ask upfront or really explain the situation, the vendor becomes a little uneasy.

I'm not saying that it is right for them to do that at all, but they start thinking that maybe you know more than you are letting on, maybe there's a chance that this won't work out with the military duty, they will be out big money on a slim profit margin, there are other brides who can take the date and have a greater chance of fulfilling the contract, etc.

You need to find a venue that is GLAD to have you. That may mean a different venue or less desirable day. If they want your business badly enough, they will bend and make concessions. A vendor is not going to amend policies for a date that they can easily fill, IMO.

I hope that helps somewhat. I think another venue would serve your needs best!

kat112

We had our reception at the Marriott in Robinson. We had a deposit of $2,250 to book the room and a guaranteed minimum amount on our contract of $8,500 in food and bar.  If we cancelled 6 months or more in advance, we'd have owed 25% of the $8,500 (equalled the amount of the deposit) so another $2,250 on top of that (for a total of $4,500 to cancel more than 6 months out)

Cancelling between 3 and 6 months out, and we'd have owed 50% of the $8,500 minimum, so $4,250 (plus we lose the $2,250 we put down).

90 days or less - 75% of the minimum, plus the deposit, so basically we'd have owed a total equal to the minimum that we signed in the contract.

I don't really know the back story of you situation. But I understand our Marriott's reasoning for the situation above. If I cancelled less than 90 days before our event, the chances of them booking that ballroom for another event that night is pretty slim.

Keep in mind the situation above that was spelled out in our contract is for a straight cancellation. I'm not sure what it would have cost to reschedule and what the deadlines were for that.

Good luck!!

djbill21

If you are going into a wedding thinking about cancellation policies, maybe you should be re-thinking things.

morainemom

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_pennsylvania-pittsburgh_cancellation-policies?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:116Discussion:d149c2b1-93ce-43d7-997a-4cb50ab0f404Post:1c1c8f94-15ac-45b0-8e5d-0dc5b447a6c3">Re: Cancellation policies?</a>:
[QUOTE]If you are going into a wedding thinking about cancellation policies, maybe you should be re-thinking things.
Posted by djbill21[/QUOTE]


Her  fiance is in the military and can be deployd at a moment's notice - hence her concern. 

KRMac

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_pennsylvania-pittsburgh_cancellation-policies?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:116Discussion:d149c2b1-93ce-43d7-997a-4cb50ab0f404Post:1c1c8f94-15ac-45b0-8e5d-0dc5b447a6c3">Re: Cancellation policies?</a>:
[QUOTE]If you are going into a wedding thinking about cancellation policies, maybe you should be re-thinking things.
Posted by djbill21[/QUOTE]

<div>Yeah, not only are you a vendor who is commenting on the boards, but snarky comments like this are NOT appreciated.  If you were actually a contributing member of this community, you would KNOW what this bride was going through, as we do.  Her FI who is making the ultimate sacrifice in fighting for our country (and as is she, by extension) could be deployed at any time, which is why she would need to cancel.  </div><div>
</div><div>EVEN if she had second thoughts and was asking for info on cancellation policies for that reason, it isn't your business.  She is asking for our experiences with them, not for your attitude.  Weddings get canceled and postponed on the knot all the time and it is a painful experience for the bride and all involved.  </div><div>
</div><div>My mom always told me if you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all.  Seems to me like that should go triple for vendors.  I'll be sure to relay this exchange to other brides who are looking for a DJ, because I sure wouldn't want someone like you involved in my wedding day.</div><div>
</div><div>Obviously an apology to the original poster is in order.</div>

Thrice_Divorced

DJ Bill obviously doesn't mind flushing potential business down his toilet, huh? Spin on, dude. You're one class act.

MimiAnto

Most chain hotels have a standard contract.  These contracts vary based on whether the hotel is corporate-owned or a franchise.  If it's a corporate-owned hotel there's usually little to no wriggle room.  Franchise-owned you'll have some wriggle room (depends on the management company and the person you're dealing with).  I work for a hotel and I can honestly tell you that if I went to my boss with your situation we'd work out a contract whereby if your FI was deployed we'd be able to re-schedule based on the date availability.  While my primary job is to fill the hotel with business I wouldn't be where I am today without a heart.  Best of luck with your search and if there's anything I can do to help please PM me!