If someone doesn't pay after a Chasuna

amother

Natural

Mon, Dec 26 2016, 3:14 pm

What happens? I can't imagine that there is never anyone who realizes on the day of his childs chasuna that he doesn't have the money to pay the hall afterwards. What does the owner of the chasuna hall do? I never heard of anyone being in litigation over refusal to pay for a chasuna.

B"H I'm only asking out of curiosity.

amother

Natural

Mon, Dec 26 2016, 3:20 pm

They do? We never made a chashuna yet but we made a few bar mitzvos and we never paid until that night after it was over. If people pay in full for chasunas beforehand let me change the question to a Bar Mitzvah

amother

Blush

Mon, Dec 26 2016, 4:08 pm

at my wedding at a frum hall we had to pay in full in advance. We were nervous about it but t worked out for us because they ended up serving an extra course we weren't expecting but it wasn't on our cheshbon since we paid already and they knew how much we paid.

amother

Ivory

Mon, Dec 26 2016, 4:35 pm

For our Bar Mitzvahs, we signed a contract and gave a deposit, and paid the balance right when it finished. I'm sure some people don't have the money, and the caterers/owners try to wait patiently, and at a certain point, they have to decide if it's worth it to sue for the balance, based on the signed contract.

Flower Girl

Tue, Dec 27 2016, 12:03 am

We went to a wedding once where the caterer refused to serve the main dish as the wedding wasn't paid up. I guess he knew whom he was dealing with because there was no money to pay for this wedding. My dh found a partner and went knocking door to door to raise the remaining balance. It was a very sad situation.

amother

Aquamarine

Tue, Dec 27 2016, 1:42 am

Flower Girl wrote:

That's really awful. The caterer for embarrassing the family in public, and the family for hiring a caterer with no intention to pay.

Goldie613

Tue, Dec 27 2016, 1:51 am

amother wrote:

That's really awful. The caterer for embarrassing the family in public, and the family for hiring a caterer with no intention to pay.

Maybe the family was figuring they'd use wedding gift money to pay the balance that was still due?

It could also be that the family had the resources to pay when they booked the hall, but that, rachmana aslan, something happened later that made it impossible to pay at that moment.

As for the caterer - (shrug) - I don't know...judging al kaf zechus, maybe he figured they'd pass the hat at the wedding and get it paid off that way, so that the wedding parties wouldn't have to lay it out, and he could still cover his expenses?

amother

Aquamarine

Tue, Dec 27 2016, 2:13 am

Goldie613 wrote:

Anything's possible. However, if you hire a caterer and find that you won't be able to pay, you work out some kind of payment plan. What are the odds that all of their money disappeared on the morning of the wedding? This sounds like the caterer knew that the family was planning to walk away without paying.

So far all of our simchas have involved paying for the hall in advance, giving the caterer a deposit and paying the balance right after the event. I have no idea what would happen if we didn't pay, but since we had signed contracts, it would be easy to bring someone to court for nonpayment.

Anyhow, it sounds awful all around. I hope the young couple recovered from the bad beginning.

amother

Sienna

Tue, Dec 27 2016, 6:50 am

Every Brooklyn and Williamsburg hall and caterer has the same policy: you need to pay in advance or they will not serve the main course.
I don't think it's awful. This is a business where this is the only way they can ensure payment. Even if families have the means - there are many times where each side says go ask the other - this way - fight it out between yourself but make sure I get paid.
My parents did not want to be busy with money on the day of my wedding (they bh have enough and were making an upgraded wedding). So they discussed IN ADVANCE that the caterer is welcome to charge as much as he estimates it'll be before the wedding but the balance won't be paid till the next morning. They easily agreed because they trusted it'll be paid (and it was) but that was an exception

33055

Tue, Dec 27 2016, 7:08 am

I made two simchas. Both times we weren't asked to pay until after. The first caterer is out of business because many people didn't pay him.

The second caterer didn't even ask for a deposit, nor did he present us with a bill until DH went looking for him the next day. I kept offering him money in advance to hold the date. I was nervous that he wouldn't show. I feel much better doing business with a signed contract and an exchange of money especially the first time. Now I wouldn't worry.

amother

Aquamarine

Tue, Dec 27 2016, 7:17 am

amother wrote:

It's not the only way to ensure payment. That's what a contract is for. It means that these halls are dealing with a lot of people who would just not honor a contract.

allthingsblue

Tue, Dec 27 2016, 7:58 am

amother wrote:

It's not the only way to ensure payment. That's what a contract is for. It means that these halls are dealing with a lot of people who would just not honor a contract.

That's possible. And it could be the hall doesn't want the headache of going to beis din and /or secular court every time a family doesn't pay, since that is a long, drawn out process until he even sees the money.
so to be on the safe side they take money upfront.

amother

Aquamarine

Tue, Dec 27 2016, 8:07 am

allthingsblue wrote:

It makes me sad to think that vendors in the frum community deal with nonpayment often enough to make a policy like this.

33055

Tue, Dec 27 2016, 8:08 am

amother wrote:

It's not the only way to ensure payment. That's what a contract is for. It means that these halls are dealing with a lot of people who would just not honor a contract.

They are insuring the contract is honored. No difference.

amother

Aquamarine

Tue, Dec 27 2016, 8:24 am

Squishy wrote:

They are insuring the contract is honored. No difference.

Of course there's a difference. A contract assumes basic trust. Each party meets its obligations.

If I sign a contract to pay for a service after it's delivered, I have promised to pay. I have signed on to an agreement. My word means something.

amother

Sienna

Tue, Dec 27 2016, 9:14 am

amother wrote:

Your word means something because you won't sign if you don't have the ability to pay. However, many of these families are marrying off multiple children and don't have the means to pay. They sign because there is no choice. If the caterer would wait for after the wedding the customer would simply say "I don't have. What should I do??" The food was served and the loss is the caterer's. This way, you need to figure it out. Catering isn't a tzedaka it's a business. No, the client is doing it to be bad. But he really has no money.
Like I said, in my case, where they knew there was money, they had no problem waiting. But typically it's a risk they understandably won't take.