Questions about security deposit for venue

Re: Questions about security deposit for venue

• charlotte989875 member

  

  July 2016

  ASHBOHOBO said:

  Hi, this is my first time posting in the forums but I had a semi serious question. I'm going to try and keep this as coherent as possible.
  
  My Fiancé and I have rented this beautiful farm for our wedding. But we have a couple issues with our contract. When we had initially met to do a tour, they said not to worry about a security deposit but has since changed their mind.  I wanted to know if it was normal for the owner to ask for a $500 security deposit when the venue has already been paid in full and we are also getting wedding insurance and the venue will also be certified on the insurance.
  
  Would the wedding insurance cover any damages done, especially since the venue is specifically on the insurance? What is the purpose of the $500 deposit and is this normal for other venues?  The owner said we would just write a check for $500 and if there were no damages they would just rip it up. But it still freaks me out a little bit.
  
  Also, things keep changing things every time I speak with the owner. They have added in extra charges that were not placed in our contract. I discovered later they were on the website, but should it not be in the contract? I don't want to attack this person or their livelihood so I'm trying to be polite but when I ask these questions they can never explain them to where they make sense to me. I know they have only been doing weddings for a few years but when I ask several times if something is okay to do and they swear up and down it is, but then backtrack when I ask more recently, it kind of makes me upset. I feel like I am being taken advantage of. 
  
  Thoughts? Feelings? Advice? I just want to make sure this is normal and I'm not going insane. Thanks for taking time to read. 
  
  P.S. The wedding is in less than 3 months. :0
  

  So you've already paid the venue in full and now they're asking for an additional deposit that wasn't in your contract? Yah I would definitely push back on that and ask specifically what it is for, given you have insurance on the venue. 
  
  On the other fees and charges; what are the for and did anyone mention them before hand? If there is nothing in your contract about them (or mentions of adding fees for different things) I would ask them to clarify. They should explain these to you in ways that you understand, even if they have to do that a few times. 
  
  I would reread your contract and have your FI do the same thing. Anything that you have questions about now, ask. Don't wait until the day/week/month before. 

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• ASHBOHOBO member

  

  July 2016 edited July 2016

  I need to call the owner again to clarify. I had attempted to clarify some things yesterday when I was having a meeting with them, but it seemed like they were trying to rush me out of there and I was wasting their time.
  
  
  The other fees and charges were never mentioned when we signed the contract. We agreed when we first signed that there was to be a hayride and a fire pit and yesterday was the first mention of a fee for either of those things. They also told us when we signed that they would be throwing in heat lamps for us as well, but they just told us yesterday there was now a fee for them. I understand that the hayride and the fire pit are not necessities so I am not completely bummed about that. I'm a bit ticked about the heat lamps now, that was a partial selling point. I just want our guests to be comfortable. My fiancé and I are re-reading the contract again.  

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• ernursej member

  

  July 2016

  Re-read your contract and find out what you signed. It could be that you signed something about facilities that were available but it didn't discuss costs. If that is the case, you may be on the hook for paying for these extras. If the contract talks about including everything for x price, I would push back.

  I would also book a meeting, in person, for a set amount of time (i.e. hour) and bring up your concerns line by line. With a certain amount of time set, you know you have that much time to discuss.

  If you are in the right and they are trying to get extra money out of you, you could also threaten legal action, but I would use that as a last resort as you may need to walk away.

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• ASHBOHOBO member

  

  July 2016

  Thank you to both of you for responding, I will be making a meeting with them in the near future to discuss our concerns. There are some parts of the contract that lack explanation. I appreciate all the advice I received. :]

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• charlotte989875 member

  

  July 2016

  Don't be afraid to ask questions when you have the meeting. There were a few times with venues I felt like they were talking past me or not really taking my concerns seriosuly. I don't know if that's because I'm a woman or what, but don't be pressured into agreeing to something you don't want. Venues are out to make money. 

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• MaggieF1990 member

  

  July 2016

  Agree with @charlotte989875. I felt like venues brushed over certain questions when they didn't have the answer we wanted. Ask everything you want to know, no matter how small the question.
  

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• SaintPaulGal member

  

  July 2016

  scribe95 said:

  Key question - were the heat lamps and the firepit and hayride specifically in your contract? If not then I think you will have to eat the cost. That's why you always read the contract carefully.

  This.
  
  Miscommunication can be a bitch.  It doesn't mean you are an idiot, and it doesn't mean your venue is shady.  I have seen it time and time again: a client hears "we have X" or "we can provide Y" or "you can do Z" and then subconsciously completes the sentence with "...for free."
  
  Did they actually tell you that all this stuff would be free?  Or did they just say "we have a fire pit and you can do hay rides and we have heaters for the tent"?  Because if they explicitly told you they would comp those things, then I think you should fight the charges.  But if this was a misunderstanding about what was included and what would cost extra, then it's kind of on you for not clarifying what exactly your dollars would entitle you to.

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