No, you can't have your deposit back..(sheesh!)

[SoCalDem]

Woman Fights Company Over Wedding Money

Local 6 Helps Bride-To-Be Get Full Refund

POSTED: Tuesday, March 17, 2009
UPDATED: 9:15 am EDT March 18, 2009
http://www.clickorlando.com/money/18953446/detail.html#-
ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Local 6 Problem Solvers help a bride-to-be fight a Central Florida company that would not refund her deposit after her fiance died suddenly from cancer. Blythe Carpenter and Jeffery Kalish, both in their 30s and whom had never been married, were engaged last May. "His big thing was that, 'I waited this long to find the right girl and get married,' so he wanted this big blowout wedding," Carpenter said. They made wedding arrangements, including deciding on flowers, the cake, the caterer and the venue. They also chose to hold the reception for their Jan. 31 wedding at CityArts Factory in downtown Orlando.

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But in November, Kalish became very ill.

"Dec. 12 was the day he had the exploratory surgery, and we were told right there he had cancer stage four and that it spread throughout his abdomen, so we pretty much decided we would need to cancel to wedding and maybe we could do something quick later on if chemo would have been an option," Carpenter said. On Dec. 12, Blythe's wedding planner notified all the vendors that the wedding was off -- at least for a while. All the vendors returned Blythe's deposits -- except CityArts Factory.The company said it would not return her deposit of more than $1,300 because of its strict cancellation policy, which states that there are no refunds within 60 days of the scheduled event.

"It absolutely makes no sense to me," said Carpenter, who added that she tried to appeal to a manager at CityArts Factory. "He just pretty much said everybody is in the same financial situation as you." Kalish died in mid-January, but the manager held firm. "I had to remind and say, 'I had no option in this matter.' I would pay 10 times if I could get him back and to get married, that's all we wanted to do," Carpenter said. "I just want him back. If I could have him back for one more day, one more hour, one more hug, one more kiss, one more opportunity to talk to him on the phone." The venue decided to send Carpenter a $500 refund, along with a copy of the cancellation policy, which was circled for emphasis, she said.

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The Problem Solvers contacted the executive director of the downtown arts district, which oversees CityArts. He agreed to fully refund Blythe's deposit, and she has already received the check. Local 6 News suggested that anyone signing a contract can put provisions or "outs" into it for protection. Also, wedding insurance is available through several carriers.