Should I refund deposit?

blondine wrote in post #6070934
NO..... that was the whole email... but I'm some-what a softy + the bride was going to be the first one to get married from her group of friends... and she may recommend me to them once they start getting married...

if you stated from the get-go that the deposit was non-refundable, then it's yours... as for personal aspect noted above, im pretty sure that they have bigger issues to deal with than the deposits... whatever went bad just may be bad enough to where they could care less about the deposits they lost and be more upset with what made the nuptials collapse?

you were not the cause of their situation, so you should not be losing any referrals...

if after they do resolve their issues and they request/demand a refund, first resolve to split the amount so you can at least get something out of the deal... afterall, for all they know, someone else could have tried to book that date prior to their cancellation and you would have lost the other business...

I've had this happen a time or two before as well. I have a contract, and it does say anything paid up front is not refundable. But, normally I'll tell who ever paid me (bride, her mom, groom, whoever), that if they should come down the marriage road ever again and need my services, I'll wave the deposit, or give them what they paid me as a discount for something else.

I had a groom that had his wedding cancelled take the money he paid me and have me photograph his dogs... he said he's happier with those than he ever would have been with wedding pictures!

AdrianeCale wrote in post #6076909
I've had this happen a time or two before as well. I have a contract, and it does say anything paid up front is not refundable. But, normally I'll tell who ever paid me (bride, her mom, groom, whoever), that if they should come down the marriage road ever again and need my services, I'll wave the deposit, or give them what they paid me as a discount for something else.

I had a groom that had his wedding cancelled take the money he paid me and have me photograph his dogs... he said he's happier with those than he ever would have been with wedding pictures!

hahahahahaha that's awesome!

I think I have to agree with several others here. Keep the deposit, but offer them other services in kind.

I'd feel pretty good about just refunding the deposit, asking them to consider you again should the need arise and move on. You haven't been damaged, and if I know if I were your client, I would like to be treated that way.

I'd feel pretty crappy about keeping the deposit in these particular circumstances, but I'm a sucker sometimes.

How much are we talking about here? You may not lose referrals by keeping it, but it's very possible that you have them to gain if you refund it. Besides, the purpose of the deposit is to hold the date because it's difficult to rebook on short notice...but this isn't exactly short notice. Technically, the money's yours, but it still seems like the right thing to do to give it back. A sensible compromise would be to hold off, and refund when/if you got another booking for the date.

Thanks everyone!
I will wait to make sure the cheque clears and give the bride a few weeks, then I will contact her and offer a portrait session or a partial refund, as it is a subst. amount I'm sure she will appreciate it, she was the one paying for the photography.

First of all you need to get your act together and get a contract. The word deposit should never be used. Deposits typically are considered "refundable" by many US court standards. Use the word "retainer".......have them pay you a "retainer" to secure the date and prepare for their wedding.
SAY NO TO DEPOSIT AND YES TO RETAINER.....and get a freaking contract.

stathunter wrote in post #6085827
First of all you need to get your act together and get a contract. The word deposit should never be used. Deposits typically are considered "refundable" by many US court standards. Use the word "retainer".......have them pay you a "retainer" to secure the date and prepare for their wedding.
SAY NO TO DEPOSIT AND YES TO RETAINER.....and get a freaking contract.

Great advice Stathunter!

I read through here and may have missed it, but did anyone think that maybe they just found a different photographer and are cancelling the first one instead? And tried to use the ol "wedding-cancelled" excuse to get the deposit back?

Not sure how well you know these people and know whether or not the wedding truly was cancelled... I'd take that into consideration when deciding upon whether or not to return the funds.

lulugus wrote in post #6114172
I read through here and may have missed it, but did anyone think that maybe they just found a different photographer and are cancelling the first one instead? And tried to use the ol "wedding-cancelled" excuse to get the deposit back?

Not sure how well you know these people and know whether or not the wedding truly was cancelled... I'd take that into consideration when deciding upon whether or not to return the funds.

Boy, I thought I was a very cynical person, but I didn't think that. lol

Yeah I just heard about this too, people go through international banks and it takes about 7-10 days for the international bank to figure out that the original deposit was bogus and remove the money. Any funds that were transferred/written against are also pulled back.

I would go in and talk to your bank manager. Tell him/her the story and see if they can verify the originating bank's funds and how long is a good wait period before refunding some of the money. I say 50%.

overkil2 wrote in post #6114579
Boy, I thought I was a very cynical person, but I didn't think that. lol

Hey, I thought it was less cynical than someone pulling a fraudulent-check scam!