Banquet hall contract/price issues- please advise?

[alauniira]

Hi all. I need some advice. I think my banquet hall is screwing me over. Some quick info- I was married May 1st in Orlando and signed a contract in February for a at-home reception which is this Saturday.

Okay, anyway, yesterday we went to give our final count and pay for everything. First she forgot to take off my deposit and then as we looked over the bill there were 2 "new" charges. First a $250 set up/clean up fee. I know that these are common, but I was never notified either by paper or verbally of the charge. It is no where on my contract or any other paperwork I have. The other thing is we were charged at their new higher rates ($3 more per person) and not the rates when I signed the contract. When I questioned the banquet manager, she said it states in my contract that prices are subject to change. I did not bring my contract with me and things were a bit uncomfortable since my inlaws came "to see the place." So, my mom paid for both charges since it was stated they were on my contract. Of course the first thing I did was check my contract when I got home and no where does it state prices can change or the set up fee. So I was charged almost $600 extra.

The main problem is I'm worried if I cause a big fuss they will mess with me on Saturday. But I decided to email her and let her know my concern. She got back to me but really didn't answer my questions just said the $250 is their standard wedding fee and she is sorry it wasn't mentioned and that my bar was not raised even though they increased that price too.

So what do I do come Monday. Do I dispute the charge on my credit card? I have heard that is bad for your credit. Do I call a lawyer? I figured I would try to get in touch with the owners as my first action. Anyway, please let me know what you think and if you think that I am right...

 

[Lynn5700]

Umm if it isn't stated in your contract at all then they have no way to chrage you for these extra fees...talk to the owner first and show them your signed contract!Good luck.

 

[alauniira]

That's what I've been thinking. The only thing I am worried about is that it doesn't actually list the price on the contract either. I am just going by the paperwork we went over that day. I do not have anything signed with the actual price.

 

[theantibride]

If you didn't sign anything with the prices then you may be out of luck. But I would talk to the owners first and see what they have to say. If you get nowhere check with a lawyer cause they'll know for sure whether or not they can do that to you. If they say they can't then ask the lawyer to send them a letter stating they need to refund you x amount of money. Then if they still refuse you can dispute the charges and no, that won't affect your credit rating. The only thing that will affect your credit is if you do not pay your credit company but if the charges are in dispute you're not respsonsible for them until the dispute is settled. Good luck.

 

[Lynn5700]

Oh hmmm if you didn't sign anything with the prices on it,then it might be tough to get out of! See what the owners say first then go to step 2 and see what a lawyer says. Good luck with everything!

 

[Cosi Bella]

That's a tough call. If the contract that you have in your possession that you signed does not state that the prices can be changed, then technically I would think that they can't change the price... But since there is no price on your contract, its really a crap shoot because you can't prove that the price was changed! I hope that everything works out! The benefit to having it on a credit card is that you can in fact dispute the charge if you need to. So have fun on Saturday, and I agree with the advice given: talk to a lawyer and see what your possible actions are; but trying to work it out with the owners is definitely a good first step! Good Luck!