cancellations contracts terms and conditions

[Dragonfly]

Hi guys

12 hours before my 2 week holiday I have a dilemma ........

had a wedding booked on the 24th August 2 days after I get back off holiday and yes in 2 weeks time ...

heres the problem...

had an email this afternoon "sorry we have had some bad news we have to cancel our booking on the 24th , can you please inform us what will happen to the £100 we have already paid? thanks"

my terms and conditions state that if a client cancels within a 31 day period then the full balance is payable ....

I have no intention of refunding the £100 this close to be honest but the dilemma is do I chase the remaining balance also? those that have met me know im mr. nice guy and I have no idea about how to go about chasing this up ? probably sounds really stupid to some of you i know.

what course of action would you take in this situation ....... I get on a plane in 12 hours lol

yes I do have a signed contract that says they have read and understood the t and cs etc.

Thanks guys.

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Email them and tell them you are going to have to charge them the amount that it says you will charge in your contract Dave. Forget being nice and all that - this is a business. You could and probably did turn down other work for this wedding.

If they don't respond, write them a firm but fair letter, enclosing a copy of your contract, highlighting your cancellation fee.

[Dragonfly]

Thanks Daz will do that .... thanks for being so quick.

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

BY the way Dave, if people don't or won't pay, there is an easier way to claim money than going to small claims court.

Clicky.

[jamesh]

Yeah I'd do the same as darren in that i'd reply nicely to the email stating that you are very sorry to hear about the cancellation but it clearly states in your contact that should a client cancel with less than 31 days to the function date they are still liable to pay the full amount.

In the email include a copy of their signed booking form (scanned in if need be) as well as the terms and conditions and also include an invoice for the full amount with a note that payment should be within 14 days.... you could also add in something along the lines of failure to do so could incur additional administration costs and interest on the debt outstanding.

Just make sure you tag the email as needing a read receipt as it sometimes helps too...

That should cover you while your away on holiday and if there isn't a cheque waiting for you when you get back you can then chase it and take further action such as sending the invoice to their address via registered post...

[CRAZY K]

Hi guys

12 hours before my 2 week holiday I have a dilemma ........

had a wedding booked on the 24th August 2 days after I get back off holiday and yes in 2 weeks time ...

heres the problem...

had an email this afternoon "sorry we have had some bad news we have to cancel our booking on the 24th , can you please inform us what will happen to the £100 we have already paid? thanks"

my terms and conditions state that if a client cancels within a 31 day period then the full balance is payable ....

I have no intention of refunding the £100 this close to be honest but the dilemma is do I chase the remaining balance also? those that have met me know im mr. nice guy and I have no idea about how to go about chasing this up ? probably sounds really stupid to some of you i know.

what course of action would you take in this situation ....... I get on a plane in 12 hours lol

yes I do have a signed contract that says they have read and understood the t and cs etc.

Thanks guys.

Dave, this is even worse than an empty Dance Floor.

Its a nasty feeling and particularly annoying when they come the old bull about---do we get our deposit back--

I know this just happened to me. First time in xx years anyone has queried cancellation charge.

Mine was cancelled apparently because the Barn was "flooded"

I might have had some sympathy but they live in a house called HILLTOP!!!!! and ive been there before---more bull!!!!!!!

They cancelled a week before and the wife thought the £50 paid would cover everything===pleeeeese! No insults to my Intelligence

Do Thompsons Holidays give you all your money back if you cancel a week before the Holiday--nope!!

I asked the husband to ring me--no he didnt--so chatted with Steve (Corabar) and agreed Recorded Delivery Letter, Invoice 14 days payment, copy of Contract and a nice comment about how I turned away other work because I was COMMITTED by Contract to cover their event so I couldnt cancel them out.

Keep it all friendly and no threats at this stage, tell them this is STANDARD PROCEDURE IN THESE CIRCUMSTANCES.

It all went quiet and I was thinking small claims court--but today the cheque arrived. Yee-ha!

Go for it Dave and dont muck about, if they phone up crying say---well how would you feel if I had phoned you the week before and said---sorry cant make it--better paid job somewhere else--WELL thats how I feel right now---

Dont wait for returned phone calls, emails etc, just do the paperwork before you hit the Costa Brava plane and by sending Recorded they know you are on their case--you could put at the bottom of the Letter---COPY TO XXXXXX SOLICITORS just so they know what comes next

No explanation as to why cancelling?

regards

Alan

CRAZY K

[Dragonfly]

thank you for all your help email has been sent.

[rob1963]

Email them and tell them you are going to have to charge them the amount that it says you will charge in your contract Dave. Forget being nice and all that - this is a business. You could and probably did turn down other work for this wedding.

If they don't respond, write them a firm but fair letter, enclosing a copy of your contract, highlighting your cancellation fee.

Completely agree.

On the email, I'd also politely mention the fact that this is your living, and if everyone cancelled at short notice without having to pay, you'd have gone bankrupt many years ago.

They have signed a contract or booking form which states that they agree to your terms & conditions...so they can hardly moan about it now!

It's unlikely you will get another booking at such short notice, and I see no reason why you should lose out because THEY cancelled.

There's no point in having the clause in your terms & conditions about the full balance being payable if they cancel within 31 days unless you enforce it!

Otherwise, what's the point of having terms & conditions in the first place?

[CRAZY K]

Completely agree.

On the email, I'd also politely mention the fact that this is your living, and if everyone cancelled at short notice without having to pay, you'd have gone bankrupt many years ago.

They have signed a contract or booking form which states that they agree to your terms & conditions...so they can hardly moan about it now!

It's unlikely you will get another booking at such short notice, and I see no reason why you should lose out because THEY cancelled.

There's no point in having the clause in your terms & conditions about the full balance being payable if they cancel within 31 days unless you enforce it!

Otherwise, what's the point of having terms & conditions in the first place?

This incident and my own problem recently with cancellations makes me think it would be a good idea in my covering letter to the client to confirm the actual cancellation figure.

As in--please note the cancellation condition in the enclosed Contract, if you cancel less than 30 days before the event there will be a further charge payable of £250 payable within 14 days of the event and you will be sent an invoice---

I must say I think it helped that in my case that the covering letter specifically draws the clients attention to the cancellation charge in the Contract, so they cant claim---I DIDNT KNOW ABOUT IT

To suggest cancellling close to the event and that nothing or in my case £50 is enough " to cover it " makes me mad

Especially when you think how much effort goes in from the DJ to fulfil their side of the agreement.

CRAZY K

[PropellerHeadCase]

On the email, I'd also politely mention the fact that this is your living, and if everyone cancelled at short notice without having to pay, you'd have gone bankrupt many years ago.

Good lord, I wouldn't! The last thing you want when writing a legally weighted business letter is to include slightly snivelly, vaguely apologist rhetoric like that. Stick to the unemotional facts of the matter at hand - let them read the abovementioned into it. The most I would mention is the number of gigs turned down since the booking was confirmed, assuming there were any.