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I wouldnt say anything else, keep all documented communication (emails), and follow up with your credit card. I would def get this taken care of, your vendor has been extremely shady and very rude. Does it say anything in the contract about how this kind of situation is usually handled?
No the contract is very vague. There are only 5 bulleted items on the contract and they don't apply to party rentals only to heavy equipment.
Yes, definitely document all communication. Save all emails, and have the venue state in writing (even if just over email) what condition the items came in and were returned in. If you happen to have any pictures that show the chairs being stacked (like in the background), even better. I would email her once more to tell her that you have disputed the charge, the CC company will be investigating, and you have her promise to refund part of your money in writing. Tell her that if she chooses to sue, you will be happy to go to court (yes, obviously this is a lie, but the likelihood of her actually following through on a lawsuit is probably pretty slim), because you have plenty of documentation to support your case. If you sound firm and make it clear you know she's wrong, my guess is that she'll back down pretty quickly.
Wait, so if the contract is super vague, she doesn't have a case! The contract is meant to protect the vendor as much as the client, and if they didn't say anywhere that the dishes didn't need to be cleaned, then they have no case. I'm almost positive that you can get the entire charge reversed.
I would also alert your venue and ask that they remove this vendor from their referral list. They obviously have horrendous customer service.
@Lili- I do have an email from the venue stating that they scrapped the plates clean just like they have done in the past and that the chairs were stacked. As well as the missing items were returned to the vendor. So at least we have that.
I don't have any photos of the chairs stacked, but I do have photos of the chairs prior to the event and during the event that clearly show that they were never in mud or the rain that they were on concrete floors and the sun during our ceremony was never prettier.
Document everything and dispute it with your credit card company. Time is of the essense. The time allowed to dispute a charge varies with each credit card company.
I just wanted to say I'm sorry you're having to deal with all this just after your wedding/honeymoon :(. Things should be on your side since you have her info in writing saying they found things & you have plenty of people to attest to how things arrived. Maybe you can even say the dishes arrived dirty & you paid for clean dishes & want a discount on the price you paid to "rent" them? Good luck!
Also, you may want to post their business name on here & if they're one of the WB vendors, note this in their service. Who knows how many other people have been charged & by speaking out, you may be preventing others from going thru that mess.
I don't have anything to add because I agree with PP's but wanted to say I'm sorry they did that while on your honeymoon. I'm just shaking my head in amazement. And especially to automatically charge your credit card. Keep all the documentation and get it now while you have everything fresh in your mind. And certainly let the venue know how you were treated by their preferred vendor. Is there a manager of the rental company you can talk to?
There's no way hey will go through the hassle and expense of small claims court for $500, especially when there is nothing about it in the contract and the items have been returned. It's an empty threat designed to get you to panic and let them keep the money they illegally took.
Just remember to stay calm. I always makes the mistake of getting really mad and saying things I don't mean! I think you are 100% correct and its not like you said you wouldn't pay her if anything was missing! She is being a total B and I think you need to document every little thing and tell your CC to look into the charges!
Don't let this lady push you around! The way she spoke to you and HUNG up on you is not business like at all! RUDE!!!
As a former event manager this sounds a little iffy to me. If the contract didn't say how the china was to be returned to them (clean or not) I'd double check everything you've got from them, contract, email, delivery order, everything. Everything is almost always spelled out because if it's not it's VERY unlikely that a credit card company will actually honor the charges.
I would also discuss the issue with your venue, if they referred her. If I'm understanding it right it sounds like you left the venue in charge of the break down. If you dispute the charges with the credit card comapny, which it sounds like you should be doing (all of the charges including the labor) and the rental comapny does decide to sue you f for ANY reason you were at fault (which it doesn't sound like you could be) you have emails from the venue stating that they were responsible for those things so in turn the venue should have been responsible for the cleaning fees etc.
I agree with the others -- get the charges COMPLETELY reversed. It sounds like she's lying, and an idiot.
@cricket- The rental contract is one page long. So I know there isn't anything we're missing. I actually had to request a contract several times from them which they scanned the contract and emailed it to us. I've never received a hardcopy. Also, the venue cleaned the plates, silverware, glasses according to how they normally do business with this vendor. We were responsible for stacking the chairs. So I know that those were taken care of. My wedding coordinator (not associated with the venue) watched my venue scrapping the dishes clean so we know that did take place. I have gone back through my emails and cannot find anything from her on how the items were to be returned. There was never any documents when they delivered/picked-up the items either. Which is really bad business on their part.
I have requested a dispute claim with our credit card company. So we will see what happens from here.
I am just really really heartbroken that our wonderful wedding/honeymoon had to end with this over our heads.
Do you have emails from the venue stating this is a standard operating procedure? Whether it was before or after the incident? That might be a good thing to have as well.
@Cricket- Yep the venue's email after the event says we've always scrapped the plates for them and if they changed their policy they should have notified us.
I also don't believe they were allowed to charge your credit card unless you authorized them to do so... look that over in the contract. I'm sure in the end you won't loose any money, plus it seems the venue is on your side as well :)
I would dispute it with your credit card to make sure it gets done and not wait for her to "credit" you back.
If they do threaten to sue you than you can let them know you are filing a counter suit because they charged your credit card without your permission. HOPEFULLY it doesn't come to all this, but know that you're covered :).
Depending on your contract:
It's illegal for anybody to charge your credit card without authorization. Small charges should be challenged with your credit card company. Large charges constitute fraud, for which you can press criminal charges and seek civil damages.
...some contracts you sign might include authorization to charge your card without consulting you each time.
@serabell- Nope the contract doesn't say I give them permission to charge my card at any time. Plus to charge my card for more then what you say you're going to charge is wrong too.
btw...Still no credit on my card for the glasses.
I'd call your credit card co now (if you haven't already) & dispute the charges... thou it CAN take up to 4 days to post to your account if someone refunds you. I refund customers at my work & 4 is the maximum.
So was the $500 charged only because of the "missing" dishes & glasses plus the chairs not being stacked? Or was that on top of another charge? Also, how much did she say she would refund you? Probably the safest thing to do would be to dispute the charges now so that if she doesn't refund you enough, you're covered.
I may even talk to your credit card co about it being fraud... that may stop her from doing this to anyone else. But only if you feel ok doing that. If someone gave me dirty dishes that I had to wash before my wedding, then lied about what the venue says they've always done, plus lied about you stacking the chairs, plus claimed the dishes were missing (only to be "found" after you were charged), PLUS charging your credit card $$ you didn't authorize... plus leave nasty voicemails to you on your honeymoon & threaten to sue you & whatever else, I'd probably ask the credit card if it was fraud. You shouldn't have to deal with this & other brides shouldn't, either. Good luck!
@serabell- Yes the 500 was on top of the final rental bill. They charged my card the final rental bill the week of the wedding. Then charged 300 for the dirty dishes one day the week of our honeymoon and then the next day charged my card a second charge of 200 for the chairs not being stack (100) and the missing glassware. I'm not sure why they'd make two separate charges which is weird. They said they'd credit our card back 70.00 for the missing glassware. Plus they didn't charge 300 like the bill shows instead they charged 320.25. So that right there is reason enough to dispute the 300 charge.
We spoke to our venue again on Friday and they had to wash the glassware prior to our event because it was dirty too. So I think we should be pretty even on the cleaning fees. We'll see. I just got the paperwork from our credit card today so I'll start working on it.
Thanks everyone for your support! I'll let you know what happens!
Don't forget filing a complaint with the Better Business Bureau so that hopefully your mishap is useful to other consumers.
Definitely file a chargeback with your credit card company and file a complaint with the better business bureau. BUT, I would first call them and tell them that you are doing both of those things. Often, that threat is enough to motivate them to get with the program. You can also email the website www.consumerist.com and see if they'll post your story. Feel free to tell the vendor that you are willing to post all over the Internet about your poor experience with them. That should also pressure them to do the right thing.
Just an update. The Credit Card company removed the charges after I gave them the supporting paperwork. However, they then gave the vendor the chance to counter which they did. So my credit card has sent me a letter stating that I can counter again.
I called the vendor this morning and asked to speak to the owner. I told the owner we were willing to meet them halfway on the charges and he told me that I was a one-time customer and would not resolve this issue with me because why should he. I wouldn't bring them future business so he doesn't see the point in working with us on the charges. They did give me a $70 credit for the returned water glasses but they still over charged my card by $20 bucks which both my paperwork and the paperwork the vendor sent VISA show this. So Visa should at least give me $20 back.
So needless to say it isn't resolved yet.
Wow. Not only would I continue to dispute this (good job on that in the first place!) but I would file a compliant with the BBB. That is simply beyond ridiculous!
I am boggling over this. They told you they wouldn't resolve the issue because you're a one-time customer and they don't care? I would do everything in my power to get your venue to remove them from their recommended list, so they lose out on a lot of future "one-time customers". Definitely file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau as well!
I know I couldn't believe he made that comment. He also said "your kicking the wrong barrel here." Whatever that means not quite sure. I tried to contact the venue this morning but the coordinator is out this week. So I plan to contact her next week to let her know what this guy has said. He not only is disrespecting me but also her as well.
Go to lawyer and get some advice. Since this will be a small claims court issue they won't be able to represent, but they can sure walk you through the paperwork. I would have filed a lawsuit the same day I disputed the charges with the credit card company. Don't have any further contact with this company. If they try, simply tell them they can speak with the judge. Report them to the BBB as soon as possible.
Good thinking about contacting the venue again. They need to know never to recommend these jerks to anyone else again!
"You're kicking the wrong barrel" - LOL! What a loon. He's the one kicking the wrong barrel, if by kicking the wrong barrel he means shooting himself in the foot over and over and over again. 
If you manage to keep these people from messing with future brides, that should count as your good deed for the year!
Thanks madcat! I plan to talk with my uncle about all this. He's a lawyer but has retired but he could at least tell me what to do from here. Just a frustration I hate to deal with!
That is definitely a good plan. Good luck...keep us posted, I'm curious to see how it turns out!
You may be a one time customer (can't believe he said that!) but your venue certainly is not. I would see if the venue would consider not recommending this vendor anymore, and if they would be willing to let the vendor know about it. The dirty glasses which created extra work for your venue should be reason enough for them not to want to use this vendor again, not to mention all the trouble he has caused you. I would also leave reviews up all over the internet. That gets their attention pretty quick. This vendor is incredibly short sighted if he doesn't realize how much the wedding industry relies on word of mouth recommendations...
I would definitely talk to your uncle, and maybe get him to write a letter to the vendor. They are so far out of line it's quite incredible, and for all their talk of suing they might get a real shock to get a lawyer's letter threatening the same back to them.
I'm always amazed at how quickly a legal-sounding letter can get people to turn around when they know they've got no leg to stand on.
Good luck with counter-countering the charge with the credit card company. And definitely write a review firstly for your venue -- if they've caused so much stress to you, how likely are they to recommend this company again? -- and secondly for the entire internet.
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Long story-short
We had to rent plates, silverware, glasses and chairs for our event. No where on our contract did it state that the items had to be cleaned at the end of the use. The vendor was recommended by our venue and the coordinator at the venue told us that they just scrape food from the plates and rinse the glasses. That the vendor will wash.
While we were on our honeymoon I received a very ugly voicemail from the vendor that 66 plates and 22 glasses were missing, the chairs weren't stacked just thrown in a pile and that the plates were full of food not scrapped clean. She said at the end of her message that this would result in hefty labor fees and "that's just the way these things go."
We couldn't call her because of our location. So when we got home 5 days later I emailed her and told her to please let me ask the venue if they have the missing items and to send me a bill for the labor. Then I checked my credit card... they had already charged my card $500.00 without asking me or telling me that they were doing so.
As it turns out, the vendor mysteriously found the 66 missing plates, the venue found the 22 glasses. So we called to explain that we stacked the chairs at the end of the night, (we have several family/friends who can attest to this) and that the venue claims that they scrapped the plates clean. Not to mention that the items arrived dirty when we got them and we had to handwash them prior to our event.
We told the vendor that we would be disputing the charges on our credit card because 1) the glasses were returned and 2) the amount she billed us for and charged us for didn't match. She charged our card $20 more then her bill.
She then replied back immediately with "then I'm suing you!" and hung up. A day passed and she emailed me that she was going to credit my card for the glasses. It has been 3 days and my card doesn't show the credit yet.
My question to you all is... do I email her back and say the credit hasn't gone through. Or do I just wait until my credit card company follows-up on the dispute claim?