Catering problems at wedding -- how much should I be refunded?

Question

Hi! I just got married three weeks ago, and our wedding was wonderful. We had major problems with our catering service, however. Our menu was chicken and beef kebabs (grilled on site) with rice and five different summery salads. These were the problems:

-- The chicken was dangerously undercooked even though the first table told the caterer the chicken was not being cooked thoroughly.

-- Many guests complained the beef was too tough to chew.

-- Many guests were provided with dirty glasses and dishes; some of the glasses still had lipstick marks.

-- The caterer ran out of some of the side salads and ran very low on others, even though we had 20 fewer people than we had paid for.

-- The buffet line took about 90 minutes when the caterer said it would only take 45-60 minutes.

I am in the process of drafting a letter to the caterer. What kind of restitution would be reasonable to ask for? How much money do you think we should get back?

Thanks!

Answer 1

My biggest suggestions could be to AIM HIGH first and be ready to take a lower price. Also prep all paperwork and keep documents of any letters sent to them and visa versa in case you have to take them to court.

EDIT:

I would still aim high. Try for 75% and again prepair to go lower, but I would say no lower than 45% of what you paid.

Read over your contract and see if there is a section that talks about things being unsatisfactory.

Answer 2

maybe half of what the initial cost of the service was. depends on how much they charged and if they wanted any money like half before this date and the rest before this date.

Answer 3

You never mentioned how much you paid. I wouldn't expect much, if any, back. Its terrible, but they will consider their services done and over with. Maybe 20%? Goodluck. Try the BBB if you get no response from the caterer.

Answer 4

i would want the whole thing but i'm pretty sure your not gonna get that lol.  so i would at least shoot for 1/2 or a little over.  why would they not listen to the guests that is horrible.  i'm sorry that happened.

Answer 5

I'm very sorry this happened to you.

How much money you will get back will depend on your contract and what exactly was offered.

However, there are health issues here:   sanitation and undercooked food are major problems. I strongly urge you to contact your BBB and/or health department on this issue.

There is no excuse for dirty equipment and undercooked food.

The BBB and health department should be able to provide better suggestions and advice.

One more point:  Ask the BBB if there would be a problem if you post your reception details on a place like theKNOT.  (you don't want a problem with slander--I don't know if you would have one or not, but you don't want to have a problem by posting negative comments)

Answer 6

Wow! Those are definitely serious problems!  I would start out asking for all my money back if I were you.  That is totally unacceptable from any caterer for anything!  The health hazard potential alone is worth having all your money back!  Ask for all of it; maybe settle for 3/4 if they offer that.

Answer 7

Sorry, but you ate the food, used their dishes.  You could write and ask for some restitution, but they are not obligated to give you any thing as you used their services.  It was up to the bride and groom, or at the very least, members of the family to bring the chicken back and say 'this is unacceptable!"  You can write them, maybe they will give you something back.  But for some posters to expect 50 - 100% back? Totally outrageous. You had the option to refuse their services when the chicken was underdone. Doesn't matter if it was inconvenient for you.  I would also report them to the Health Board since, of course, underdone chicken is bad news.

I would ask for compensation without listing an amount.  Likely you wouldn't get more than 20%.  Unless you can show that one or more of your guests became ill from the food, your complaints (other than uneaten chicken) after you accepted the service are just not going to work in your favor, especially by a judge.  I would just not recommend them to anybody and feel free to say negative things to others about them.

<<we would have ended up with nothing to eat!>>

I sympathize, I do, but you could have ordered out for pizza after telling guests that the food was unacceptable. Think about it. What would you have done if the caterer was in a car crash on the way to the site?  In any case, if you need to list an amount, I would say that since you refused the chicken (nobody ate it, right?) you can insist upon being refunded for that as it was presented in an inedible fashion.

[edited to add] They did not breech the contract. They provided the services that you requested.  Their quality was what was not up to snuff.  However, given that the chicken was not safely cooked, I think you can certainly ask for that back.  Anything else you get, you will be lucky to get. I'm not trying to beat you up, but this is exactly what a judge would say. You accepted the services.

Answer 8

The cost of the chicken wholesale, possible the wholesale cost of the beef, 10% of labour costs for the dishes, determine what percent of the total guests 20 is and that amount of the total cost.

Additional information: Also request a letter confirming their sole liability for illness stemming from the food served

Answer 9

This is a difficult situation and it's hard to say how much.  But, honestly, I would say anywhere between 50%-100%.  Serving undercooked chicken is against the law in some places and this cater can easily have their food service permits taken away.   They were in serious violation of the health department.

They could have made your guests seriously ill and I'm can imagine you were embrassed, I would be.   This isn't even a matter of ruining your "image" they could have poisoned your guests!!  That calls for a serious refund.   Your guest barely ate what you paid good money for.  

I would ask for a fair refund and I would even consider telling them you are seriously considering report this incident to the health department.

Answer 10

I seriously doubt the vendor would refund you any money.  They have no real incentive to do so.  If they so dangerously under-performed at your wedding, they are probably unprofessional in handling their booked events.  I seriously doubt they would even bat an eyelash when you send your scathing letter to them.  In this slow economy, every penny counts...and unfortunately, I don't think any is coming your way.