Texas-San Antonio

Vendor ALERT -- BEWARE!

I booked a wedding with the Grande Hall in Castroville. The site is so lovely. I had my heart set on using this place, and didn't even want to consider anything else. I booked here and gave them a check thinking that I would get an email with the contract in it eventually. (I thought everyone in the industry had a contract!) I didn't recieve it, so I emailed the owner who informed me that they did not do contracts. That my cancelled check would be enough to hold the date.

We ended up having to change the date, because of a death in out family, and we lost  $500 dollars of the deposit because we were told that they could not book that date again. They told us that we could change it to another date, which we conisdered, but we wanted a contract this go round. The owners told us to write our own. At this point, we chose to cut our losses and book with another venue. I am not trashing this venue... but Brides beware of a place that will not write a contract. They protect your venture, the venues interests and it creates a formal agreement if anything happens. I really wish it had worked out, because the site is to die for... but we just can't take any chances.

Re: Vendor ALERT -- BEWARE!

  • edited December 2011
    If there is no contract, you should be able to get your deposit back.  A contract is the only way they could keep it from you, since it would be in writing that it is nonrefundable and for a certain date, etc.  I would demand my money back if I were you.  Contracts protect vendors as well as the clients, so that could be kind of good for you in this case.
  • edited December 2011
    Wouldn't that go both ways though? How could we even prove that we gave them the money, besides with a check reciept? They already told us that they would keep it. Thanks for the thoughts.. any other suggestions?
  • edited December 2011
    If you had cancelled anywhere else if you had a contract they would have kept your deposit. Only a handful of places in town will actually give a deposit back/ and or move a date. The ones that have contracts if you cancel with a certain amount of days notice would actually make you pay the full amount on the contract.

    I think you actually made out not having a contract.
  • edited December 2011
    Yeah.. that is why we cut our losses. I think it might have gotten messy if we had stayed with them though. Thanks for the replies!
  • edited December 2011

    i would fight it. that's too much money to just say oh i'll cut my losses especially being they didn't give you a contract. even if it gets messy that's your money that could have gone to something else for your wedding.

  • edited December 2011
    UPDATE-- we tried to get the deposit back, and they played dumb, like they had no idea why I would want it back. BAD BUSINESS!!! I do not recommend you use their venue without anything in writing.

    I lost $1000 dollars to this venue.
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