When Amanda Julia Rylander and Matthew Giroux decided to get hitched, they never imagined that picking a wedding venue would turn into such a saga.
The St-Lambert couple fell in love with the Auberge Prema Shanti in the laurentian town of Val David and reserved their spot two years ago for a wedding this September.
“It was pretty stressful. That was like the first thing checked off my list and we were building our wedding based on what was available there,” Rylander said.
When they brought up concerns about the reception hall being too small to host their 200 guests, they insist the owner was very reassuring.
READ MORE: Montreal couple finds new wedding venue after Science Centre cancels big day
“He said that he was going to do renovations and the place would be able to hold from 200 to 250 depending on how the renovations go, so we said OK that’s great, and we ended up signing and paid the deposit,” Matthew Giroux said.
The couple claimed the owner finally admitted he couldn’t accommodate such a large party because of renovation delays, but they have yet to get their $1,700 deposit back.
“He took responsibility and said he was going to reimburse us and then we just never heard back from him,” Amanda Rylander said.
The couple has now turned to Quebec’s small claims court, hoping to get their money back. What upsets them the most though, is that after reading reviews online, they discovered they’re not alone.
READ MORE: 5 money-saving tips to help you avoid wedding day disasters
Another Montreal couple claims they were also forced to cancel their summer wedding after being misled with what they call false promises.
“When we arrived in January to try the menu, they were missing a lot of things,” said Mathieu Huppé.
After complaining about the size of the venue, he said he was told it would look much different, come his wedding day.
Huppé and his fiancée said they pulled out of their contract in January when their questions and concerns went unanswered.
“They never answer. I try to call the cellphone, receptionist, send emails, no answers. So I said to my fiancée, ‘We’re going to find another place,'” Huppé said.
READ MORE: Wedding day disasters: your stories
The owner of the Auberge Prema Shanti refused to speak with Global News on camera, but off-camera, he did admit to keeping the deposits and believes it’s his legal right, as per the contract.
What’s more, he told Global News that he plans on charging Mathieu Huppé the full amount for his wedding.
A lawyer with the consumer group Option Consommateur claimed that charging a penalty is illegal under the consumer protection act and that in both cases the deposits should be refunded.
“I think that at the small claims court, the consumers could easily say that he did not respect his part of the contract and they are entitled to get a full refund,” lawyer Élise Thériault said, adding that consumers should add important details to contracts before they sign them.
“If the owner makes statements or promises, make sure to have him write them on the contract so that everybody is sure that we all agree on the same page.”
Both couples managed to find new venues for their big day and while they hope to get reimbursed, they ultimately want others to think twice before falling for what they call false promises.
“We just really don’t want it to happen to other people ’cause it’s not a fun thing to go through,” Rylander said.
- Budget 2024 failed to spark ‘political reboot’ for Liberals, polling suggests
- Train goes up in flames while rolling through London, Ont. Here’s what we know
- Peel police chief met Sri Lankan officer a court says ‘participated’ in torture
- Wrong remains sent to ‘exhausted’ Canadian family after death on Cuba vacation
Comments