Avoid the banquet hall blues
June 9, 2010
Let the party begin—or not.
Every June, hundreds of banquet halls across Los Angeles County are booked with weddings, proms and other celebrations. But it’s also the biggest month for complaints from “angry and desperate” people who discover at the last minute that their joyous celebration has turned into a banquet-hall bust, says Rigo Reyes, acting director of the county’s Department of Consumer Affairs.
Unscrupulous and/or financially shaky banquet hall operators have been known to collect thousands of dollars and then fail to deliver. Although complaints are heaviest during the wedding season, rip-offs occur year round for families planning everything from bar mitzvahs to quinceaneras.
The most common complaint involves banquet halls that have been paid but go out of business before party time. “The families drive by, and the place is abandoned,” Reyes says.
Other problems include switching locations from an attractive hall to an inferior one, or substituting cheaper food, drinks, decor or flowers for the ones promised. “If you find out at the last minute,” Rigo says, “you don’t have any leverage.” To prevent disaster or disappointment, Reyes and his department offer some simple tips:
- Patronize only stable banquet halls with long track records. Research them for complaints.
- Insist on a written contract that states the correct time, place and services for your event.
- Pay with a credit card so you can dispute charges if trouble arises.
- Make the initial deposit small and pay the balance close to the big day.
- Check back with the hall regularly to make sure everything’s on track.
If things do go wrong, contact the Consumer Affairs Department or file a complaint form.
Finally, Reyes suggests that another way to protect against fly-by-night banquet halls is to hold the event at public facilities, such as county parks that routinely host wedding and other celebrations. As Reyes, who got married at a small park in Berkeley, says: “You know it’ll be there when you need it.”
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