Wedding cancelled...do I return the deposit?

<p>Hi Laura,<br>

Your customer was aware of the purpose of the refund. She is into business also so she will understand your policy.<br>

I would suggest to make her aware of the refund that it's still valueable when she plannes a new wedding within a certain time.<br>

I wouldn't worry to much about it.<br>

From the other hand if you manage to book another wedding on that date you can still offer to give back the refund.<br>

But be carefull to treat every customer in the same way when you opperate in a small cummunity.</p>

 

<p>HI Laura:<br>

I teach wedding photography workshops, (as well as plain business workshops). I just spoke at a conventioon in Las Vegas (WPPI) about money and clients in fact. This subject came up. I stress WHAT retainer/deposit is for. It's to reserve your services exclusively for a specific date and turn away any other potential clients for that date. I book up sometimes 18 months in advance and if someone calls me for that date and I am already reserved I decline that job. Now if someone cancels for that date Ive lost the other remaining 50% balance they would ordinarily pay me. Its a fair situation. Its NON-REFUNDABLE and is stated clearly so in my contract. I have had a few cancellations over the years and did not refund their deposit. This is standard in the industry. Anyone refunding the deposit is not a good business person and is sending the wrong message to his clients about the definition and meaning of a "retainer-deposit". AS a courtesy I let them know they can apply it to other products and services I offer. They always understand and are very gracious about it. Ive never had any issues or problems.<br>

Good luck!</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Anyone refunding the deposit is not a good business person</p>

</blockquote>

<p>I do find that statement impossibly arrogant and completely missing the potential complexities of the poster's situation. I'd give it back, and that doesn't mean that I'm a bad business person.</p>

<p>I would simply return the deposit.</p>

<p>Goodness, refund the money. You have plenty of notice and lots to lose. Agree with previous posters that the goodwill you will create in a small community will be worth it. </p>

<p>It is wrong to call your initial payment a deposit if it is really a retainer. The two are completely different. A retainer is a fee paid to retain your services and is never refundable. Try having an attorney on retainer and then at the end of the year asking for a refund because you did not use their services, or getting a refund from your insurance company because you did not file a claim in 2008. No venue will provide a refund of the deposit and they collect 50% at the time the contract is signed. Even worse there are venues that have collected 100% and then gone out of business with no money going back to brides.<br>

If you want to charge money then you owe it to yourself and other wedding photographers to treat this as a business and act accordingly. A retainer is charged to hold a date which you did. When a couple cancels for any reason you need to find a replacement couple of equal or greater value. If you do you can then decide whether to give the bride full refund of the retainer (which I would do as who wants to try for a second date and more headaches) or provide a credit against a future wedding date.<br>

It is important to get a check for the retainer and to specifically refer to the retainer as a retainer and not a deposit. You can specify that it non-refundable in the agreement and later decide whether to deviate but there is no need and no benefit to trying to insert language for these possible situations in the agreement.<br>

If goodwill is of such great value I would expect all the venues to be also giving full refunds and absorbing the loss when a bride cancels. As they do not provide even a partial refund I suspect that they believe they are running a business and need at least a partial reimbursement for their expected financial loss. What happens when they lose a bride was with 120 guests, having turned down many requests from other brides, and then trying to find someone who is dumb enough to not have a venue for the reception 90 days before the wedding date. Most brides book a venue and their photographer more than a year in advance.<br>

If this is just a hobby and something you are doing for grins than follow the advice of others and give them a refund and spend your Saturday in August baking cookies as the assumption being made is that the money you receive from your wedding clients is not that important.</p>

 

<p><em>A retainer is a fee paid to retain your services and is never refundable. Try having an attorney on retainer and then at the end of the year asking for a refund because you did not use their services... ...<em>you owe it to yourself and other wedding photographers to treat this as a business and act accordingly</em></em>

<p><em></em><br>

Attorneys refund unexausted retainers all the time. Only some attorney retainers are for holding open aviailablility. Insurance premiums are a payment for assuming risk and not relevent here. Moreover and more importantly, returning the "retainer" may be important for business beyound this one transaction as indicated by the OP. See my winning the battle vs. winning the war comment above. That IS good business.</p>

<p><em>It is important to get a check for the retainer and to specifically refer to the retainer as a retainer and not a deposit. </em><br>

<em></em><br>

The name is not as remotely important as the way the contract works. You could call it the Ice Cream Cake Clause if you want but what will matter is how the scheme in the clause works in the event of a breach by the client. See my post above for this also.</p>

<p><em>If this is just a hobby and something you are doing for grins than follow the advice of others and give them a refund and spend your Saturday in August baking cookies </em><br>

<em></em><br>

A wee bit gratuitous.</p>

</p>

<p>Have YOU lost money because of the cancellation?</p>

<p>If the answer is no give the money back. If you have spent some money on the cancelled wedding then subtract it from the $200 and give the remainder back with an explanation. If you spent more than $200 then keep the money but explain it to the client. If you lost a booking because of the cancelled wedding then you should keep the $200 but I would still talk to your client.</p>

<p>Is not the purpose of the deposit to protect the business? If the business was not hurt give them the money back.</p>

<p>I live in a small town. Reputation is important and it gets around. I have seen people do things that ticks other people off and the funny thing is that the people who get a bad reputation don't realize what it is costing them. Refunding $200 will reinforce your good reputation. Your reputation, good or bad, will get around. It will be spread in church, in the grocery store, at the local eateries.</p>

<p>Which would you rather be the talk of the town, "They gave us the money back but they did not have too." Or "The cheap ...... took our money and did nothing for us." The details and legalities of the contract will not be what is being discussed in the barbershop or hair salon. Which conversation is better for your business? Your client may be ticked off about this and just because they have not said anything does not mean they are ok with the situation. You do not want to get bad mouthed at the barbershop or hair salon. Yes someone in the future might try to take advantage but you deal with it on a case by case basis. It does not sound like it happens often.</p>

<p>If the cancallation has not cost you money give it back.</p>

<p>Later,<br>

Dan</p>

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