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Dodgy caterers being abusive

2 replies

miggy · 14/07/2006 22:09

Had a terrible experience with caterers last saturday. A party was held in our garden for the children leaving school in their final year. We were supposed to have a hogroast, 3 kinds of salads, veg paella with chick pea casserole and fried potatoes. They turned up late, 2 guys who had never worked for the caterer before, they had little idea how to cook what they did have and didnt have the ingredients for most of the other things, even ran out of gas for cooking. It was so bad that I had to leave 70 people in my garden waiting for their food, drive to tescos and buy food to make them dinner! It really was like fawlty towers.
We stopped the cheque straight away. We are prepared to pay them something, just nowhere near the full amount.
Everyone else on the commitee has now gone on holiday (lucky them !) and muggins here has been left to deal with it.
He has already threatened to "send his debt collectors round" and was very abusive on the phone in a half hour rant tonight.
What Do I do? Have sent letter by registered post explaining our problems, with a cheque for the amount we are prepared to pay.
Should I go to Trading Standards Or should I tell the police about the threats
Am worried (though I know its probably bluster) as its my address he has, as party was here, we live in the middle of nowhere and DH is away for two weeks from tomorrow.

OP posts:
Freckle · 14/07/2006 22:36

Contact trading standards. He may already have a reputation for doing this.

If the invoice is in dispute, he should not place it in the hands of a debt collection company. If he does, the first thing they will do is send you a letter demanding payment. This gives you time to refute the demand.

He cannot simply send someone round to demand the money. If he does, call the police.

He has certainly breached the terms of the agreement. So, in fact, he should be paying you money rather than the other way round.

miggy · 14/07/2006 22:52

Thanks Freckle, thats sort of what I thought but had started to doubt myself after his ranting tonight.
He is saying that he is contacting the police for fraud as we stopped the cheque, I am assuming they wont be interested in a trade dispute?
He says that because we ate the food ( we ate what there was of the hogroast, about 2 plates of meat as "chef" stopped carving when it got pink-thank god!) and didnt send it back (just dumped the grotty food-didnt think at the time) That we are lying to get out of paying the bill.
will contact trading standards on monday
thanks

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