Sometimes you just need to vent...

Re: Sometimes you just need to vent...

• [Deleted User]

  

  November 2009 edited December 2011

  I suggest you ask what is entitled to you for the money you have already paid, whether it's a different room, etc.  If it's not what you want then read your contract thoroughly to see what they've agreed to comply to and try to work with that. If your current contract is against you then possibly re-negotiate the monies they're asking for. If they won't budge, I would ask them who they would suggest to accommodate your reception for the money you paid them!!  That would be interesting to see what they say.  Also remember, a bad word weighs ten times more than good words on these types of blogs and maybe if you subtlety mention that you are a Knottie, they may reconsider. Good luck!!

  Report0 Reply
• steeser03

  

  November 2009 edited December 2011

  ugh. grace, that is so frustrating! there isnt anyway for you to get them to follow the original contract? im suprised that given they know your circumstances they are doing this. if i were you i would fight very hard for what you want and although the only thing that matters is that you are married, you want the wedding you've dreamed of. my H was previously married and it was very important to me to have our wedding be special. so i understand completely. if you cant get them to agree, then i would say you may want to try elsewhere. someone may give you a huge discount given that it is so close and if you explain the situation. you dont want to look back on your wedding day and regret it.good luck. if you need help researching or contacting vendors or even to talk, just email me. id be happy to help any way i can.

  Warning No formatter is installed for the format bbhtml

  Report0 Reply
• yellow_grace

  

  November 2009 edited December 2011

  Part of the problem is that we originally scheduled a Friday night event, and now our event is a Saturday night, so there is an increased catering minimum. We didn't think that would be a big deal because they are so slow over the winter that they actually offer a "discount" (decreased catering minimum) to people who book winter weddings with them. Anything in the contract for the 9/25 date that they think is in their favor they are following, but they are not giving us a new contract (that we could negotiate) for the 12/26 date. At this point, I would rather just leave them with my non-refundable deposits and see what I can do elsewhere for the $ I could get back from them... except that I don't actually think they are going to give it back, since nothing in the contract addresses rescheduling the wedding.  

  grace

  http://gracelings.blogspot.com

  

  Report0 Reply
• t2mofok

  

  November 2009 edited December 2011

  Awww Grace.. that sucks!! I'm never on here anymore but was posting a for sale post and noticed your name. I know a friend of mine had a ton of issues with them and had to actually threaten to contact the Attorney General and the BBB of course then they did what she wanted and happily. Try not to let them push you around and stand your ground!! I'm glad to see you are still around. I had asked Kara a few weeks ago if she heard from you. We all had so much fun at that GTG and the diner afterwards. Hope everything else is going well with you Take care and have a wonderful WHITE wedding

  Report0 Reply
• dianeflook

  

  November 2009 edited December 2011

  Hi,I would definitely challenge them on the catering minimum during the winter.  I am planning a wedding for 50 and decided to tour CEI just to get ideas even though I didn't think we could do it there because of the minimum.  We were looking at an April wedding and asked if they would be flexible on the catering limit since it was off-season and she told me there was no catering limit at all in their off-season which would def. include December.  This was only last month that they said this.  Unfortunately she said this in person and we didn't book there so I don't have it writing.  You could always try calling as a perspective bride and not say your name and ask about catering limits in winter and she what they.

  Report0 Reply
• klperry member

  

  November 2009 edited December 2011

  Like Tara I am never on here, but i know i have been sending you e-mails and such, but definitely stand your ground or threaten the BBB or a news station, honestly that is bullcrap what they are doing to you!!!! You have to have your December wedding cause then you can rock the cape!!!! Trust me the pics are worth it :-) Hope all is well and good luck. If you need anything just ask.  Maybe I could Bring the cape to you and we can gtg with Tara and Melissa while I am down there!!!

  Report0 Reply
• sandthahn

  

  November 2009 edited December 2011

  Wow, sorry to hear about the problems you're having....Unfortunately I had similar problems with Cameron Estate when I signed a contract with them...My niece, age 6 at the time, was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of cancer and we had to postpone/cancel our wedding 11 months in advance....CEI not only refused to return any of the deposit, but also threatened to sue us for the remainder of the contract if they couldn't re-book the event, even when the notice was almost a year in advance! I don't want to sound like a downer, but my experience is that they probably will not return any of the money you've paid, especially if they weren't able to have an event in September....We had a lawyer and the BBB involved in our case without any luck

  Report0 Reply
• joelnjean

  

  November 2009 edited December 2011

  Sorry to here of your frustrations and it is always good to vent but being objective will yield far more benefits in the long run. Remember, there are two sides to each story and while you may not like it YOU SIGNED THE CONTRACT! and now you do not want to honor your commitment…(hate to be ugly, but what does that say about you wedding commitment?) Your contract may also have said your date is non-transferable yet you said they let you change your date. So who is being unreasonable?As it is, we are governed by laws and contracts and one thing my fiance and I have learned is that if you CHANGE a contract you have to pay for that change.  The BBB, the Attorney General and engaging a lawyer may not be all that helpful as they have no real governing authority to force a business to do anything but respond to your accusations and cost you. And if you choose to complain, read your contract in detail first, it may prove the you are in the wrong, not the business...Threatening anyone is of little value because they may well call your bluff and it may not turn out at all like you expect, but rather quite the opposite. Being deceitful and calling in and posing as a potential client sounds like doing what you are accusing your site of doing and sinking below their level, not good advice. As my fiancé likes to say “Man-up and accept the consequences of your decisions” (This has helped me through may frustrating times and why I love him so, my rock)We have had 6 friends use the Cameron as the site and EVERYTHING went perfectly, they could not be happier. We have scheduled our wedding there as well and since we read the contract in detail we have a FULL understanding as to what is our responsibility and what is theirs the expectations are clearly set. We have nothing but positives to say about the Cameron and how professional they have been.   Remember the outcome of your special day is all up to you, if you look for problems, you will find them.

  Report0 Reply
• yellow_grace

  

  November 2009 edited December 2011

  joelnjean, you gem... How nice of you to imply that I am not keeping up my end of a contract and will therefore not have a successful marriage. You doll. I bet it would be equally nice to say that since you seem so condescending, your marriage will be full of bliss since your husband will quickly come to despise you... but I won't say that. First, let me clarify since you have not read my other posts on this subject: John and I read the contract fully, had it reviewed by an attorney, MODIFIED IT and then signed it. We are fully aware of our contractual obligations. If CEI wants to abide by the contract, we are happy to let them keep the non-refundable portions and they can return all of the other thousands of dollars that we have paid. Technically, our contract is for an event that was never held and therefore not applicable to the wedding we are planning; we notified them within their contractual time frame to receive our money back. I would be perfectly happy with this outcome, but they are not choosing to honor that portion on the contract.My contract does not say the date is non-tranferrable. So get off your horse. John and I are both highly educated, analytical individuals (he moreso than I, and to a degree that is not often found in people as personable and congenial as he is) so I think you should stop accusing us of being unreasonable.Changes to contracts do not inherently cost anything. Especially when our initial contact with CEI about changing the date went like this:Us:we have an emergency, and we need to cancel the wedding.CEI: No problem, everything will be fine. Don't worry about anything.If they had EVER spoken of an increased cost or a rescheduling fee or anything of the sort, John and I would have happily agreed because we are, overall, quite happy with the setting and do want to have our wedding at CEI. We fully understand that they have every right to charge us to reschedule the event, and we are willing to work with anyone who is honest and up-front about these types of things. But because they never mentioned any of this and in fact waited until our wedding was only 6 weeks away to give us an updated statement of account, I don't think you could classify their intereaction as up-front and honest.We nearly have enough evidence from their interactions with us to take it to the police because they are basically extorting us. So yes, there is a reason to involve the authorities. And yes, contacting the BBB would not change the business's practices, but it would earn them a mark against them which informed brides consider when choosing a venue. Niether of these are at a cost to us, and neither is our attorney, who, having read our contract in detail with us advises us that we should not allow them to manipulate us further. We are paying them to provide us with a service. We are not giving them money to be told that our contract is only valid if it benefits them and not if it benefits us.For the record, I did not call in and pose as a potential bride. I feel no need to do so as their website is presently advertising a reduced minimum and discounts on winter weddings. It was misinformed and presumptious of you to call me out on something I never did... nor even suggested doing.I fully accept the consequences of insuring my health through emergency surgery in August, and no matter what the outcome of this episode with CEI is, I am more than happy to lose money in exchange for health and peace of mind. You know nothing about me, and I am offended by your inference that I don't "man up." I think you should learn a little about me and my life experiences before suggesting that I am weak, unable to accept the consequences of my behavior, and possibly implying that I am so daft that I don't even consider that my contract is with another party who is looking to protect their own interests and not mine. I am happy that you and your friends have had perfect experiences with CEI. I have often found that brides with simple minds- those who are unable to understand the way CEI messes with the pricing structure and adds an indemnity clause to their contract is actually screwing with them in ways that could not only affect their pocketbook but also the rest of their lives- are perfectly happy with CEI. It is certainly beautiful, and while the food is not great, the setting makes up for other things that are lacking. Yes, the outcome of my special day is all up to me, which is why I have carefully chose my groom and have discussed at lenght the things that are most important to us on our wedding day, and more importantly, in our marriage. We will have these thigns even if our wedding is not hosted at CEI. Certainly, we will have a good marriage depsite what occurs in our relationship with CEI. I don't consider being upset about a situation "looking for problems" just like I don't consider good business practices or expecting vendors to be reasonable with contracts "looking for problems."In the words of my fiance... well, I won't post them. They were not nearly as gentle and did not allow for as much room for your misunderstanding as I did.

  grace

  http://gracelings.blogspot.com

  

  Report0 Reply