Cost of lawyer's letter to speed up covid cancelled wedding venue costs ?

[dunkyd]

Paid in full to a venue but had to cancel due to covid.

Now hearing loads of excuses why they haven't paid back despite with holding deposits being illegal.

 

[P924]

Yes

 

[xrapidx]

Withholding deposit illegal? What's the point of a deposit then.

Also - depends on the lawyer. Could cost anything from ∅ to ∞.

 

[Priapus]

Paid in full to a venue but had to cancel due to covid.

Now hearing loads of excuses why they haven't paid back despite with holding deposits being illegal.

Uhm, that's not how deposits work.

 

[RanzB]

Paid in full to a venue but had to cancel due to covid.

Now hearing loads of excuses why they haven't paid back despite with holding deposits being illegal.

If you want the cost of a lawyers letter, I would suggest contacting a lawyer.

 

[RanzB]

Uhm, that's not how deposits work.

It kind of is. The CPA states that a non-refundable total amount is illegal.

 

[SeRpEnT]

You would have signed something when you booked and paid the deposit. What does the T & Cs say?

 

[newklear]

I last paid R1800 odd for a lawyers letter requesting funds. All depends on your agreed upon contract though, the stipulations should be there.

Will type out a letter for you for R1000.
I am not a lawyer.

 

[RedViking]

About R1500toR2400 to talk to the lawyer. Probably another hours work for the letter. And then the delivery of the letter about R800 (sheriff?)

So about R3000-5000

 

[SmartShack]

I was meant to get married in October last year , paid the venue but then delayed(thanks to lockdown restrictions) knowing it wasn't worth the fight to ask for money back so instead I booked for a Thursday this year instead of a Saturday and now they owe me a R12000 credit due to cheaper costs in the week day ... maybe do the same to avoid expensive and tedious fighting ?

 

[RedViking]

Oh, and a lot of places do non-refundable deposits. Specially wedding venues.

But this was due to circumstances beyond your control or theirs. It goes both ways.


So Name and Shame. Facebook. Twitter. Hello Peter. Instagram

 

[xrapidx]

It kind of is. The CPA states that a non-refundable total amount is illegal.

Total amount - not deposit.

 

[RedViking]

I was meant to get married in October last year , paid the venue but then delayed(thanks to lockdown restrictions) knowing it wasn't worth the fight to ask for money back so instead I booked for a Thursday this year instead of a Saturday and now they owe me a R12000 credit due to cheaper costs in the week day ... maybe do the same to avoid expensive and tedious fighting ?

My whole wedding probably cost less. Lol

 

[RanzB]

Total amount - not deposit.

No, even 'deposits'.

The wedding’s off – how much of your deposit can you claim back?​

When a Cape Town woman, who asked not to be named, booked her November 2015 wedding at Babylonstoren estate last August, paying a R38000 deposit, the cancellation terms weren’t discussed in person or via e-mail, she says.

When she decided to call the wedding off in February, she called the estate to cancel and that’s when she was told her deposit was non-refundable unless the date could be resold, in which case a cancellation fee of 25% would apply and the balance would be refunded.

Here’s the thing: the Consumer Protection Act, which has been in force for more than four years now, makes blanket “non refundable deposit” policies illegal.

Consumers may cancel an advance booking of any kind and get a refund of what they’ve paid, minus a “reasonable” cancellation fee.

Given that “reasonable” is open to widely varying interpretation, the supplier should spell out their policy in detail to whoever is paying – in writing, in the form of a sliding scale of refunds, from 100% to zero – to avoid unpleasant cancellation disputes.

“It can be particularly difficult for vendors to prove monetary loss for missed opportunity,” says ombudsman for Consumer Goods and Services, Neville Melville. “But they need to show how they calculated a fair charge for their losses.”

 

[xrapidx]

"non refundable deposits" illegal ................ sliding scale 0-100% refund.... /facepalm. This is why the CPA is pretty much useless and many companies ignore it.

 

[the eskimo]

1. There are usually Ts&Cs on the payment/refund of a deposit, you must've signed something with these Ts&Cs to reserve the date?

2. You don't need a lawyer to send a letter of demand, you can do it yourself stating the reasons why you should be refunded.

If it's significant, I might suggest you contact a lawyer. The average attorney is charging between R1000 and R5000 per hour. You should be prepared to shell out 2x hourly to consult the attorney and have them draft the letter. Only you would know whether this is worthwhile.

3. The venue may have insurance for cancellation of bookings and the insurer may require evidence that the venue did everything in their power to offer you an alternative prior to refunding the deposit (or the portion of the deposit that can be refunded). These options could include offering another date, other hospitality in lieu of the booking etc. Only once you have declined these alternatives will the insurance policy respond, and the venue would bear an excess on the cancellation. This might be a reason why they are playing hardball.

 

[SeRpEnT]

Silence from the OP....
I have a feeling we are dealing with a Jacques Pauw-case here...

 

[hellfire]

Silence from the OP....
I have a feeling we are dealing with a Jacques Pauw-case here...

Ask entire question in thread title
Run away

 

[LazyLion]

My daughter also booked for July last year. She has now rescheduled again with the venue for this year.
We knew it would not be reasonable for them to have to refund everyone, it would bankrupt them.
COVID was not their fault, and I don't see why they should have to simply just refund everybody.
Negotiate with them to split the costs, or ask for a re-schedule or something.
It really sounds like you are being an uncompassionate hard ass and if I was the venue I would roll up my sleeves and get ready to fight over this.

 

[BBSA]

I'm supprised the OP could convince someone to marry him.