Hi,
This is the first time I'm writing to this forum and I'm looking for some advice. In March of this year my fiancé and i signed an "Agreement" saying that we would be placing reservations at a reception hall for our wedding. Before I signed the agreement I read a section which states that if we cancel before a specific day we would have to pay a cancellation fee. The chart states we would have to pay 20% of the contracted value if we canceled 120 days before the day of the event. Recently there have been some family emergencies that have forced us to cancel the wedding and just elope. We contacted the reception hall and they told us that our deposit was non-refundable.
Does the hotel have any legal standing to withhold our money from us? I understand that some money is lost which is why I don't have a problem paying 20% on the $1500. Some people say that most courts don't hold up such large deposits.
Is small claims court the way to go? Anyone have any advice or ideas? I'd hate to have to pay hundreds of dollars to pay to have a lawyer to look at the agreement. We wouldn't end up getting any money back.
This is the first time I'm writing to this forum and I'm looking for some advice. In March of this year my fiancé and i signed an "Agreement" saying that we would be placing reservations at a reception hall for our wedding. Before I signed the agreement I read a section which states that if we cancel before a specific day we would have to pay a cancellation fee. The chart states we would have to pay 20% of the contracted value if we canceled 120 days before the day of the event. Recently there have been some family emergencies that have forced us to cancel the wedding and just elope. We contacted the reception hall and they told us that our deposit was non-refundable.
Does the hotel have any legal standing to withhold our money from us? I understand that some money is lost which is why I don't have a problem paying 20% on the $1500. Some people say that most courts don't hold up such large deposits.
Is small claims court the way to go? Anyone have any advice or ideas? I'd hate to have to pay hundreds of dollars to pay to have a lawyer to look at the agreement. We wouldn't end up getting any money back.