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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think wedding venue can't charge us for their invoicing mistake AFTER wedding

104 replies

maria1113 · 26/09/2016 18:05

We were sent a 'final invoice' for our wedding, a few weeks before the big day. Being busy and tired we scanned the invoice and paid the total as requested in bold at the very bottom of the form. Now, two days after our wedding we have an email to say they've noticed they invoiced us wrongly on said 'final invoice'. They now realise they have invoiced us just over £800 short. Is this our problem?

Hate confrontation, my partner is not brave enough to take the lead on this one and having a debate with the venue that we loved will leave a huge stain in the memory of our wedding day, wether we win or lose the debate.

If I stand firm, fight our corner and they accept their mistake, we will feel unwelcome there in future and risk looking like total tight wads. If I refuse to pay, and they lay the blame solely at our door, they could charge us without authorisation as we have given our card details for previous deposit and invoice payments. I can't see a way to avoid hassle, embarrassment and expense. We've spent a lot on the wedding and really aren't in a place to hand out that kind of money willingly.

Anyone know where we stand legally? Their contract says nothing about what will happen in the event they make an invoicing mistake.

Horrible horribleness. We just want to relax, haven't even unpacked our bags from the weekend, now got this lovely flaming bag of shite dumped at the doorstep. thought wedding stress was over. Hello old friend!

Any advice legal or moral welcome.

OP posts:
JacquettaWoodville · 26/09/2016 18:57

Actually, re reading OP, IT CANT HAVE BEEN A BAR BILL as it was sent before the big day.

OP, I doubt they would or could take it off your card without authority but this isn't a situation where e.g. A toothbrush is mispriced at 10p not £1 in a shop.

It sounds like a whole chunk of services you received (maybe wine, or a table or two of meals) got missed and neither of you noticed.

"We've spent a lot on the wedding and really aren't in a place to hand out that kind of money willingly."

As others have said, if it is more than the original pricing, query it; if not, then it is money you were willing to spend!

NerrSnerr · 26/09/2016 18:57

I agree with the others, it depends what was quoted. If it was quoted £800 more you should have that money ready to pay anyway.

CalmaLlamaDown · 26/09/2016 19:02

You've answered the question yourself really - you loved the venue so presumably had are worried it will tarnish the memories of your big day, you owe the money so pay the people what you agreed even though it's their mistake. They might give you a goodwill freebie.

allsfairinlove · 26/09/2016 19:07

I don't get the AIBU. If you agreed an amount and then billed you £800 less by mistake, of course you should pay up. If you agreed an amount and they've retrospectively decided to bill you £800 more then of course you shouldn't pay.

TaliDiNozzo · 26/09/2016 19:08

Echoing what everyone else has said - is this £800 something you owed according to the original pricing and it's just been missed off the invoice, or rather is it something that they perhaps realised they gave you without charge and they're now trying to charge you for it? Because that makes a BIG difference as to what you should do here.

Original poster
maria1113 · 26/09/2016 19:11

Thanks everyone for resetting my compass. I think I wouldn't have had my back up so much had they said the word 'sorry'. I still don't feel we are responsible for the mistake, but we are reasonable. Radio silence as baby throwing rice around lounge like confetti.

OP posts:
topcat2014 · 26/09/2016 19:12

Thsi really is quite straightforward. How did they quote, and what for - that is the agreed price for the job.

That agreed price does not change just because of a typing error.

No "legal or moral" confusion arises.

When they take you to small claims for underpaying, what view do you think the judge will take?

He will have the order in front of him, and say "is that your signature", to which the answer will presumably be yes

And then he will award judgement against you.

Jellybean83 · 26/09/2016 19:17

If it's £800 short of the agreed price then of course you should pay, why on earth would you think you shouldn't?!

BakeOffBiscuits · 26/09/2016 19:17

You aren't giving enough info OPGrin

If for example they told you the wedding would cost £10,000

  1. Did they accidently charge you £9,200

  2. Did they charge you £10,000 then ask for another £800 for extras?

If it's 1) you should pay.
If it's 2) you need to ask what the extras are.

TowerRavenSeven · 26/09/2016 19:20

But you haven't answered - was the $800 more than the agreed on amount? I don't understand the responsible part in your last post. Clearly they are responsible for the mistake but you are responsible for the payment if you agreed on that price.

origamiwarrior · 26/09/2016 19:28

I'm guessing the OP is likening it to a situation where you see a pair of shoes in a shop with a price tag of £80 on, you get to the til and are only charged £70, and either don't notice, or think 'Yay! They've applied a discount". You pay up, leave the shop, and then cashier comes running up to you saying they've made a mistake, and you need to pay an extra £10.

DisneyMillie · 26/09/2016 19:35

If it's a case of you've underpaid on the quoted amount I don't really think they even need to say sorry - you do - you've underpaid them for services you've received and I'd feel bad for not realising and correcting them - depending on the size of the venue that could mean a lot for cash flow.

Inertia · 26/09/2016 19:51

As others have said, it all depends on whether they've now added on an extra £800 out of the blue, or whether it was part of the agreed price. It isn't your fault, but you do need to get them to give you a cost breakdown so that you can compare it with your original agreed prices.

If it turns out that you do owe them money and you don't have it available now -e.g. you've calculated other budgets based on their invoice- maybe you could ask to pay the shortfall off at a reasonable, agreed rate e.g. £200 per month. They'd probably rather have the money coming in gradually than not at all, or deal with the hassle of small claims court.

Original poster
maria1113 · 26/09/2016 19:54

We agreed an initial price, made a lot of changes to reign in price re drinks and catering, agreed another price assuming the reduction was due to the reigning in. Looking back we were lazy and assumed they had done the maths when we got final invoice. It seems the reduction was due to them removing some bedrooms from the final bill. We should have looked and looked again. We will pay, but stubbornness dies hard in this one and I will be pointing out their mistake, one they had 3 months to notice.

Apologies for showing my arse. I am wrong on this one. face red.

OP posts:
GDarling · 26/09/2016 20:05

As you have said..... You paid the 'Final Invoice' which means, all of you who keep asking, Yes, it was the Final Invoice, not some of the bill, the final amount, no more to pay as it was the Final Invoice!!!!!!!!!!!!
I would go through with them, what they have forgotten to put on the 'Final Invoice'.
If it all adds up and you now remember that it was closer to what they had quoted you, pay half, it is a lot of money for them and you.
Really it's the person who wrote/sent you the invoice who is at fault not you.

ScaredAboutTheFuture · 26/09/2016 20:05

So they quoted you X amount and gave you a final invoice for that amount which you paid.

They are now saying they under quoted you by £800.

In that case I would not pay.

MaddyHatter · 26/09/2016 20:15

do you have records of the re-negotiated price?

if you do, and this is their mistake, i would offer them half and tell them to swing for the rest as its their error, not yours.

TaterTots · 26/09/2016 20:29

I would ask for a full written breakdown of what this covers and what the original invoice covers. If they've made a mistake once, they could do it again.

If, once you've had this breakdown, you're satisfied that the invoice is right, tell them that £800 is a lot to pay out at once. As they've taken three months to notice, tell them that you'll pay it in three installments.

Squiff85 · 26/09/2016 20:31

Surely you knew what you had left to pay and would have realised the first invoice wasn't right?

PikachuBoo · 26/09/2016 20:36

I'm a freelancer and once noticed I'd undercharged one of my regular clients £800. I noticed three months or so later (honestly!). They were lovely and paid me within two weeks. I was delighted. It was my fault, but I'm human, and it meant a lot to me.

Pay them :).

Waltermittythesequel · 26/09/2016 20:41

Hang on: you agreed a price, renegotiated a lower price and then they invoiced you.

Now they're deciding after the fact that the renegotiated, cheaper price is too cheap and they want £800 more?

Fuck that.

HighwayDragon1 · 26/09/2016 20:52

I'd usually say fuck em. But you say you really enjoyed the day so I'd offer them £400 as a goodwill gesture, because you've already paid the full amount on the invoice, if they say no, tell them to go fuck themselves

KateInKorea · 26/09/2016 21:16

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

SquawkFish · 26/09/2016 21:18

I still don't understand what you are trying to say - sorry !

  1. You agreed a price, made a lot changes and had it reduced and it came to an adjusted price. Were you invoiced for the adjusted price minus £800?
Oblomov16 · 26/09/2016 21:25

You are not giving us enough information to make a reasoned decision.
Or you are wording it strangely.
Give us some facts and figures so we can understand.

From a book-keeping point of view this is very odd. You can't just invoice someone and then months later find a purchase order that hadn't included and invoice them again.
If you make a mistake, or don't add one of the costs in, then you just need to swallow it.

Oh I billed you 3 million for your new offices..... 3 months later, oh I found some costs I forgot to include, for coffees .... Heres a bill for £50. Errrr no.