Anyone know where we stand cancelling a supplier?

Our caterer has so refused to give us a tasting, forgot to meet with us when arranged, forgot several times to call OH back, and now is being a total twunt to him on the phone. She is on our list of recc'd suppliers from the venue, so OH spoke with them about the tasting issue and even they have said she needs to move with the times as couples can't be expected to pay thousands of pounds and not know what they're getting.

We both feel there is no trust there between us and the caterer now, and are hoping we can cancel.

Our venue have said there is probably time to re-book, plus easier being as our wedding is a Sun not a Sat. I am about to email/call all the other approved caterers to see if they have availability. If anyone else is available, we will want to cancel with our current one.

Does anyone know if we would get our £300 deposit back? We have no contract, just emails and a quote she posted to us and the cheque stub from about Feb 2011. She never sent us a contract to sign, Oh was in charge of catering and never chased it up

Gutted because she was the only one we could afford and don't even know if we can find another now with less than 3 months to go.

I would generally say no unless you can prove that they have broken the contract, Even though nothing is signed or in writing doesnt mean that there is no contract in place, If your emails from them says that they have offered a tasting with in the price and they are not offering then they are in breach and you could fight for your money back.

greenleaf:

I would generally say no unless you can prove that they have broken the contract, Even though nothing is signed or in writing doesnt mean that there is no contract in place, If your emails from them says that they have offered a tasting with in the price and they are not offering then they are in breach and you could fight for your money back.

Agreed with above, if you have e-mails stating the service includes tasting however they wouldn't provide the tasting service, you might have a chance of getting a refund. 

I hate these kinda posts or or hearing a supplier has let the B&G down, it's just not acceptable as a wedding supplier!!

I wish you the best of luck, 

Linda xx

Thanks, unfortunately the tasting session was only something she referred to verbally as a 'bit of a trial run' and we don't have that part written down anywhere.

Thinking about how unreliable and unhelpful she has been makes me worry that if we continue with her she will let us down anyway or spoil the food in some way. But thinking about losing the money is a big problem as our budget is maxed out. Even if other approved caterers are available it will be very difficult to try and afford their costs per head. But something in me is screaming to cut our losses and run.

It is a considerable amount to lose and I would pursue it as per above advice but at the end of the day it is better for you not to be worrying about her letting you down on your big day and cause that grey cloud.

Print off all the emails.  You should get a percentage of the deposit back if not all of it.  Especially if it is in advance of time she would be buying food supplies as that is what deposit tends to be spent on by caterers.

OH is convinced we can get it back as it is to hold a date for a service, but she is not providing crucial elements in the lead up to that service. He is confident that we would get it back. Just not sure of the legalities or where we stand. Such a lot to lose, but may be worth it for peace of mind.

If she is a venue approved supplier surely they should be having a word or stop recommending her.

I couldn't say if you would get your deposit back for certain as she may well deliver what you paid for but she is causing you undue stress because of her poor attitude.  I hate it when suppliers don't come back to me so understand your concern.

jojo2:

If she is a venue approved supplier surely they should be having a word or stop recommending her.

This.

They recommended her, so in part they are responsible for you booking her, and her actions reflect on them! Maybe they can put some pressure on her to refund you? By telling her unless she does so, she will have to come off of the rec suppliers list? I would go to the venue and meet with someone - they will be much more likely to fight your corner to her if they see you in person and 'connect' with your distress

Even with a watertight case , if the vendor doesn't want to refund your money you would have to take them to the small claims court. As it is, without a contract it's a grey area where you may or may not win. Your best bet is to negotiate with the supplier and, as others have said, try to get the venue to put pressure on them to refund you. They may be willing to refund you as a gesture of goodwill. 

Gurzle:

jojo2:

If she is a venue approved supplier surely they should be having a word or stop recommending her.

This.

They recommended her, so in part they are responsible for you booking her, and her actions reflect on them! Maybe they can put some pressure on her to refund you? By telling her unless she does so, she will have to come off of the rec suppliers list? I would go to the venue and meet with someone - they will be much more likely to fight your corner to her if they see you in person and 'connect' with your distress

Agreed. You obviously paid so much money on the assumption that if the venue recommended them they must be reliable, and if they've let you down they're also damaging the venue's reputation. I would speak to the venue and see if they can help you out.

I agree with the suggestion to go to the venue and ask them for their support, after all you are paying money to them too and they recommended the caterer!  I would especially do this if they only allow caterers off their recommended suppliers list.  If you have wedding insurance i would check the policy wording in there too as that may cover you for the deposit.

Hope you get it sorted!

Absolutely agree with the others - speak to the venue and get them to step in and help you cancel this caterer.

Thanks folks. OH spoke with the venue, they have sort of apologised/offered sympathy and emailed him a list of their other approved caterers and have said in writing they 'don't think it is unreasonable to request a taste session'. So if any of the other caterers I have contacted this evening are available, OH is going to speak to the original one to check about deposits. I don't know why he seems so sure about it, I don't think we have any rights really due to the lack of documentation.

At this point I would really rather go with someone else, as if I can't trust her to send a contract, arrange a meeting or even reply to an email or phone call in over 2 weeks then how can we trust her with all our money? I don't want to work with someone on such a major event when I don't feel completely assured they are doing everything in their client's best interests.

If she refuses our deposit (as I am sure she will, saying she held that date for us and turned down other work) I will get OH to speak with the venue again to do as you have all suggested. It does reflect poorly on them and they hold their reputation very highly as they have awards etc for being a bespoke venue. They also told OH over the phone that she hasn't catered an event for them in well over a year...makes me wonder why she is still on their list!

if she doesn't refund you the deposit (which i don't think she will!!) then 100% like others have said speak to the venue! i'd be very suprised if they wanted to damage their own reputation by reccommending this idiot! i know the venue give you no option other than to use their suppliers so if this is the case then surely they are part responsible? or could at least have a quick word with the caterer?

other caterers may give you a better price as the wedding is (kind of) short notice? so maybe bargain with another caterer...vanilla in all seasons was yummy at a wedding fair we went to but not sure of their prices!

I really hope it all works out, keep us updated!! x

I am very sorry to hear about the experience you have been having with the venue approved catering service. I would totally agree that your venue should step forward to help resolve this issue. I am concerned about how the caterer came on their books in the first place? They sound very disorganised and unprofessional. One would assume the venue would have checked them out beforehand and even seen or tasted their food?

Find out If your venue has seen any of the following paperwork from them, or have you?:

Food and hygiene certificates?

A valid liability insurance?

Checkable references?

Your security deposit receipt?

Print off all correspondence, demand to see all of the above and request a meeting with both the Venue Manager and Catering Service.

If they fail to produce any of the above I would suggest to seek legal advice. Your venue will need to take responsibility especially if you have asked for food tasting a number of times as this is standard and they have referred their services to you!

However, I would seriously say follow your instincts. What type of food are you having? What are the overall costs, and how many guests?

If you are really worried your food will not be up to standard, I would not use this caterer full stop! If all else fails, walk away even if you do not receive a refund as not only could there be a problem with presentation, or no show, but at the very worst a serious food poisoning issue for your guests! If the caterer is not covered by insurance, you’re going to encounter further issues!

Wedding insurance for couples is so often overlooked but a small price to pay can cover your losses for so many things which might go wrong.

Best regards

Sharon