To think this woman is entirely deranged?

[annoyedatotherparents]

I’ve just had a big birthday, and hired a room in central London for a party. I booked a photo booth and thought I’d get a glitter backdrop for behind it as well. The first company didn’t do them so I found another one on Instagram that provides them, and booked it all months ago.
The woman in charge of the glitter wall company seemed fine, if slightly incompetent (lots of emails to me and the venue asking obvious questions) but all was ok until the day before the party when she says she’s unable to contact anyone at the venue and starts sending frantic emails again. I loop her in again, and she seems to have sorted it.
Then it’s the day of the party, and three hours before it starts she begins texting me again to say she’s too stressed about this all (ie lack of contact from venue) to come out now and wants to cancel the whole booking. I point out that’s not great to leave me with no notice, and she says her mental health has been triggered by this extremely stressful situation.
She’s now ignoring my messages asking for my money back. What on earth can I do? But also, surely proving glittery wall backdrops is literally the least stressful job ever?! How does she cope with everyday life?!

I run kids parties and we always take full payment for the event beforehand. It's standard in the industry so don't think it's at all ridiculous you paid in advance. Shame this has happened though, small claims and factual negative review.

If you have paid with your bank card you should be able to raise a dispute which some banks let you do online. If it was bank transfer you need to raise a scam claim and the bank will investigate. Good luck, hopefully your bank will help you get your money back.

Two hundred and fifty pounds to hire a glittery backdrop?

There absolutely is a point in pursuing it

I don’t get the sense that she’s a scammer tbh. I think she’s legit but with mental health issues. I suspect that you’ll get your money back in the coming days.

Write to her and say if she doesn’t pay you back it’s small claims and she’ll have to pay the fees for you plus any interest.

People are so useless these days, everyone’s got anxiety with 300 triggers.

i will come with some cardboard, blue tack, pva glue and buckets of glitter for £250.
I would use the tube and save you congestion and ulez zone fees🤣🤣🤣

@Yalta you’re on! 😆

You paid for a service that she did not provide , refund all the way at least

I've read this exact same thing either on here or on Facebook only it wasn't a glitter wall as I've never heard of a glitter wall. It was some other party 'thing'.

The woman claimed mental health problems in exactly the same way you are describing what happened.

Why? You need to say she bailed on you with 3 hours notice, after copious communication on your part, and she has not immediately returned your fee.

That would be a "fair" review.

Totally agree.

I feel for her if her mental health isn't so good right now, bit how can business emails be a trigger?

I used to do the same thing (make and rent out glitter walls, flower walls, balloons etc) and now I work in a magic circle law firm. Honestly the law firm is less stressful than that job.

However she does sound a bit unhinged and if she is experiencing these issues, it's not very professional to let a customer know this or burden it onto a customer particularly if you are providing a service for an event. I'm not particularly sure what type of issues she's having with the venue, in my experience I would just turn up with the stuff and they let me in. It's not really as big as a deal as she's making it out to be.

1. File a complaint with action fraud, 2. Contact the woman by email or text. Confirm how much you paid, and for what service. Keep all your messages from her. 3. Ask her to refund you the money and give her 14 days to do so. 4. If she does not refund, send her a letter before action stating you will make a court claim and she will incur legal costs if she allows it to proceed. Lots of template letters for sending letter before action on the internet. You can track her address down on 192.com. 5. Leave a review based on your experience.

I've just googled glitter wall backdrop. You learn something new everyday.

She sounds so bat shit that running a business would be beyond her. My guess is that your money is gone into a black hole of trading while insolvent.

This sounds awful OP.

Just to say I always see things about 'small claims court' on MN and imagined it to be an admin nightmare.

I took Vinted to small claims court earlier in the year. All I needed was their registered address. The admin took me about 10 minutes. They didn't even ask to see my proof, I just had to list it.

Vinted had 2 weeks to respond and at the end of the 2 weeks I had my money, plus interest plus the admin fee I paid. Bish bash bosh

I know it's a bit different when you're not dealing with a big company but sometimes just raising it will mobilise people to pay up!

Good luck OP

So unprofessional. Even if her mental health was impacted as a result of this it was wrong for her to tell you and she should’ve just cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances etc. I hate it when people who are providing a service start telling you loads of stuff like X and Y and all I think is I don’t care!!! Had a Vinted seller do it to me the other week when I asked for a refund because it wasn’t posted within 2 weeks and she told me some story of her son saw her cat get hit by a car and it was all so traumatic… I couldn’t care less! I don’t even know them you’re just supposed to put a parcel in the post for me.

Id send her an email on Monday setting out all the information she needs to refund you. And if you don’t hear ring ring ring her. Do you have her address?

This sounds insane. Like surely she just turns up to the venue with her stuff at the time you agreed for set up and if there is a venue problem it's your problem not hers. I would message back saying you want an refund otherwise you will be putting a claim into the small claims court.

£250 for a glittery wall 🤣

She saw you coming, OP.

Fair review if she does not repay the money in a week’s time -
’Vendor cancelled with only 3 hours noticing, citing stress related to business communications. I requested a refund for the full amount (250pounds). One week after I sent the request I have had no reply/have received more excuses but no refund.

@Fireisland To be fair the time and cost (if she made it herself) would have been a lot. If by 'glitter wall', it's actually a sequin wall - I made one once and it was traumatizing 😂

It took me nearly a week to make, I started at 8am and didn't finish until 1am most nights. The cost of the wall and 1000s of sequins and hand pinning each one and the cost of the structure was over £1000. I was delirious.

Slightly off topic but what did she need to know from venue in advance.
I would also expect when you hired her services she should have taken up questions with you not the venue?
Trying to think of questions I'm coming up with - is there parking, a power point if required...

Presume it a standard size that can be transported into and out room and fits most celling hights.
If she over complicating things I would include that in review. I always hire professionals with the opinion they know how to do all this better then me so leave them to it.

Oh my god @Mstxxx! I didn’t realise they had to be made by hand. No wonder she was so odd about it then…it sounds like a significant emotional investment!

Most of the questions were logistical- when could she arrive, when could she leave, parking etc. She was not impressed when they said the party would be over at 1am and she could come then to collect, or on Monday, but not today as it’s shut. She said 1am was far too late and she wanted to be able to get it the following morning as she didn’t trust them not to damage it. Also very weird as working in events usually does involve late nights….