Blue Dress Barn Reviews (%countItem)
Blue Dress Barn Rating
Address: 68770 80th Ave, Watervliet, Michigan, United States, 49098-9401
Phone: |
Show more...
|
Web: |
|
E-mails: |
Sign in to see
|
Add contact information for Blue Dress Barn
Add new contacts
Our wedding date was scheduled for July *** 2020 at The Blue Dress Barn. We were paid in full for our venue in January 2020.
March 27th we enquired what our options would be if we chose to postpone our wedding. They told us we would be able to postpone to a later 2020 date at no extra cost (available Thursday), but moving to a 2021 date would require us to forfeit our full investment and pay a second time with a small discount.
May 1st I requested we schedule a call in order to talk through our concerns about postponing our wedding, and we were told they are not taking any calls.
May 18th we asked for the opportunity to negotiate postponement of our wedding where we could reach fair terms for both parties considering the circumstances of a global pandemic. We asked if we could pay an additional $1,000 deposit in order to reschedule to a day of equal value (Friday or Sunday) next year. This request was dismissed.
May 21st this was the first time we were offered a Sunday fair trade option for postponing to next year, but it was not at our venue of choice, The Blue Dress Barn. It was at The MillCreek Wilde, a sister venue. We were willing to consider this option until we saw the concerning language in their contract addendum stating we couldn't change our date again, and we would not speak publicly about our experience if it disparaged the owners or their business.
Our argument is that all 2020 couples paid in full were not prioritized equally to reach fair terms for postponement during a global pandemic. Some couples were given Sunday fair trade options at their venue of choice, and we were not. Some couples received partial refunds and we did not. We are making a moral argument that their business practices during a global pandemic were appalling to clients paid in full asking to postpone their wedding until next year. They took full advantage of their contract language that was heavily weighted in their favor to justify no refunds of any kind and take it or leave it postponement options. They prioritized couples willing to get married in 2020, and then couples willing to postpone to a Thursday because this presented no financial loss. They then prioritized POTENTIAL clients for 2021 who would bring in new income, instead of working with 2020 clients paid in full asking to postpone their weddings until next year.
I would caution against working with the owners Amy and Kirby B who also own the MillCreek Wilde and Sundance Studios. Their contract is heavily weighted in their favor and it leaves very little protection for their clients when a challenge arises. Make sure your contract has force majeure language in it! They also ask for full payment much further in advance than many other wedding venues. We had to be paid in full 6 months in advance and I believe they are now asking for full payment 8 months in advance for the 2021 season.
My fiance and I requested to re-book our wedding date due to covid-19. Blue Dress Barn will not allow us to re-book per the terms of our contract.
Revdex.com,
Thank you for consideration. We're in a similar situation at Blue Dress Barn (BDB) that was reported last week on ABC 57:
https://www.abc57.com/news/couple-at-odds-with-wedding-venue-over-pandemic-cance...⇄ />
We requested to re-book as described in Section 2 of the attached contract: If "we" (the Clients and the Management) "are able to re-book your date" (our wedding), a 25% cancellation fee will be incurred on the $3,650 balance.
We offered to pay this $912.50 fee and their increased 2021 rates, but BDB will not honor these terms. They indicate "we" in Section 2 refers to their corporation, and any refund is contingent on a new client booking our vacated date. "New client" or any similar phrase is not in the contract. They offered us the same re-booking terms reported on ABC 57 -- to basically double-charge for the event.
Due to BDB canceling our contract's re-booking terms, we believe BDB has voided the contract and should return all monies paid to date: $850 deposit plus the $3,650 balance.
Two other messages indicate BDB is not operating with scrupulous business practices. In email they stated "BDB will be ready to host throughout the season and will not cancel any events." They also posted on social media to Gov. Whitmer, that couples can host weddings with social distancing. These messages indicate BDB expects clients to proceed regardless of health or legal circumstance, and should adopt whatever distancing or other means are necessary.
All our communicae is documented over 8 emails, if you need verification. Their Instagram post is deleted, but I have a screenshot.
I have initiated a charge-back on my credit card, but we will not know the outcome for up to 2 months. The $850 deposit is still outstanding, not included in the credit card charge.
Thank you again for considering our problem. We're happy to clarify anything which is unclear.
Respectfully
Due to BDB canceling our contract's re-booking terms, we believe BDB has voided the contract and should return all monies paid to date: $850 deposit plus the $3,650 balance.
Direct email from business attorney:
A***, Leo G.
Attachments
Wed, Jun 10, 7:04 PM (17 hours ago)
to [email protected]
Ms. Schaefer: Please see the attached on behalf of our client, The Barns Management Corporation.
Leo G. A
Attorney at Law
They are unable to host our daugther's wedding due to Covid-19 pandemic. Will not refund us.
Our daughter's wedding is scheduled to take place on May 23rd 2020 at the Mill Creek Wilde Barn in Watervliet, MI. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the State of Michigan has extended it's State of Emergency until May 28th. We are prohibited to gather with friends and family to celebrate our daughter's wedding at this venue. We have requested a refund since they are unable to host our event. The contract states: #22: Client Protection: In the circumstance that the Management must cancel the event prior to the event date because the facility has been rendered unusable due to fire, natural disaster, or OTHER UNFORSEEN CONDITIONS, the Client shall be FULLY REFUNDED any monies paid to the Barns Management when it has received insurance settlement. Mr. Kirby B, of The Barns Management, response to this is that insurance does not cover viral outbreak or pandemic, therefore NO REFUND WILL BE ISSUED. We should not have to take on the entire financial burden because they do not have insurance coverage. They have offered alternative dates to reschedule but they did not have any acceptable dates for our family.
We would like a refund for the event they are unable to host. We have paid $5,875.00
Direct email from business' attorney:
A***, Leo G.
Attachments
3:58 PM (3 minutes ago)
to [email protected]
Dear Ms. S:
Attached please find the response of The Barns Management in connection with the subject case. Thank you.
L.
Leo G. A
Attorney at Law
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
The person they are referring to is not me. They are responding to the wrong complaint.
Although my name is not on the contract with the Barn's Management, my name is on the check that paid them $5,875.00.
My daughter's wedding was scheduled for May 23 when the Governor's order was still in place. I do not have an attorney and have not defiled them in the media. I am simply requesting a refund for the wedding they were unable to host.
The reschedule dates they offered were not acceptable and most of them were Thursdays.
We live in Indiana. My daughter was married on her wedding day May 23.
The contract states that if they are unable to host the event they we will receive a refund, after insurance reimbursement. We signed that contract in good faith. It is unfortunate that the Barns Management does not have insurance coverage for this circumstance.
It is unreasonable for them to keep the entire $5,875 we have paid them.
Leo G. A E-mail: ***@h2law.com
*** Avenue, Suite 1100, ***, IL 60604-2461 tel 312.372.4000 fax 312.939.5617
6/18/2020
Via Email: [email protected]
Toni S
Consumer Engagement Specialist
Revdex.com Serving Western Michigan
3330 Claystone St., SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49546
RE: Case No. ***
Complainant: ***
Dear Ms. S:
This firm represents The Barns Management Corporation (the "Business"). The Business
operates Blue Dress Barn, an event venue. This is in response to your letter dated May 6, 2020.
Please note that ***, although apparently related, is not a party to the Agreement about which she filed her Complaint.
The Business' Agreement with the Consumers provides that the event fees paid to the
Business are non-refundable, except in circumstances where the Business must cancel an eventdue to unforeseen conditions and receives an insurance settlement as a result.
Unfortunately,even though the Business carries business interruption insurance, business interruption insurance in Michigan and throughout the United States does not provide coverage where the interruption is caused by a pandemic, which is the situation here. The fact that pre-paid event fees are nonrefundable is clearly stated multiple times in the Agreement with the Consumer, while simultaneously encouraging the Consumer to obtain their own event insurance.
Because the Business was sympathetic to the fact that Executive Orders by the Governor
of Michigan prohibited the Consumer's wedding event from taking place on their scheduled date,the Business proposed multiple alternatives to the Consumer, including alternative dates in various months in both 2020 and 2021, at any of the Business' three venues. By accepting any one of these alternative dates and/or venues, the Consumer would not have paid any additional
event fees, and would have received a substantial discount as well. The Consumer is not alone is having to re-schedule a wedding; tens of thousands of couples throughout the United States have presumably had to do so as well.
Revdex.com Serving Western Michigan
June 17, 2020
Page 2 of 1
Indeed, almost all of the Business' clients who were similarly affected by the Governor's
Executive Orders have successfully re-scheduled their wedding events with the Business, at a
substantial cost to the Business and serious inconvenience to the clients. We regret that the Consumer rejected all of the re-scheduling alternatives that the Business offered.
Very truly yours,
LEO *. ***
cc: ***
***
***, MI 48234
4841-6029-2543, v. 1
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
They still have the wrong persons name on their response. My name is actually on the contract.
The statement "By accepting anyone of these alternative dates and/or venues, the Consumer would not have paid any additional
event fees, and would have received a substantial discount as well." This is a false statement. They required an additional $5,500 if we rescheduled a Friday or Saturday.
Wedding date set for June 19, 2020. Because of COVID-19 we want to postpone, but will get no money back.
My fiance and I chose June 19, 2020 to get married, on May 12, 2019. We signed a contract that day. The final payment was due December 19, 2019.The total amount paid was $4,500. Recently our world has been taken over by the COVID-19 pandemic. We asked our venue about postponing our date due to the coronavirus and the uncertainty of having everything ready for our dream wedding in time. First response was no amount shall be refunded or transferred. We then contacted them again about postponing because the initial stay at home order was extended and my second job was "canceled" for the remainder of the school year. I am a substitute teacher. Their response was we could postpone for later this year and the balanced paid would be transferred. Unfortunately, the only dates available for the remainder of this year are Thursdays. We have invited 250 people to our wedding. With a lot of people off work right now, not many people are going to be willing to take off two days for my wedding come August or September. Let alone, my bridal party having to take three days off. I also want to include that having family come in from out of state, not many are going to have the money to come in, reserve a hotel, and take time off work. My color theme and flowers will not match in the later months. Our colors are mint, khaki, and lilac and my flowers are lisianthus. I have also realized that in the month of August the dates available I am not able to request off due to my employer having inventory and it states so in the employee handbook. I have asked to postpone to next year because Thursdays are not going to allow me to have the wedding I've been dreaming of since I was a little girl. They are willing to give us a $1,000 credit and we get nothing else back of our $4,500 and we have to pay a new balance. During a world wide pandemic I thought they would be a little more accommodating but we have been disappointed with the value of customer service. I have a contract and e-mails I could share if needed. I will not be recommending their venues to anyone in search of a venue or any event. Their place was everything I had dreamed about my wedding and it has been crushed.
I am waiting the full refund amount of $3,650. Due to the fact that our dream wedding can not be fulfilled because of a world wide pandemic that is out of both of our control.
Correspondence between Miss *** and the company regarding her scheduled Friday June 19, 2020 wedding and the Covid-19 pandemic were begun on April 9,2020. She was informed that we were offering later dates in the 2020 season at all three of our venues. She subsequently indicated that she wanted to cancel her scheduled date and inquired as to the refund policy. She was informed that as per her Rental Agreement, there would be no refund issued unless we were able to re-book the vacated date and that we would accept her email as cancellation. She responded that she would write a formal letter for the cancellation and asked what would happen to the balance paid if she postponed. She was informed that if she selected from the 2020 dates available the balance would simply be applied to the new date. At that time the only dates available at The Blue Dress Barn were Thursdays. If she wished to cancel and re-book a 2021 date she would need to pay a new deposit and re-book a new date to which the company would apply a $1000.00 discount.
The last correspondence in this discussion was on April 14th. On April 21st we received an inquiry as to what dates were available later in the 2020 season. Due to cancellations new dates had become available. In an effort to resolve the situation, Miss *** was offered a Friday and a Saturday in September and October of 2020 and a Sunday in 2021 all at no cost to her. She refused all offers. She stated that it didn't matter what dates we offered she wanted a refund. Miss *** is not interested in finding a resolution.
The terms of the Rental Agreement protect the company and do not require that we offer any rescheduling option or refund. Yet in consideration of the problems caused by the pandemic, we have successfully rescheduled forty dates thus far at a loss in excess of $66,000.00. We have made every effort to find a resolution for Miss ***.
The following are copied from the clients Rental Agreement:
2. CANCELLATION If canceling, Client shall notify the Management promptly and in writing utilizing Appendix 4/ Cancellation Notice. In the event of cancellation the Event Deposit is non-refundable. No credit fees shall be refundable. No paid penalty fees shall be refundable. Any additional balance paid is not refundable unless we are able to re-book your date. If we are able to re-book, a refund of the additional balance paid to date minus a 25% cancellation fee will be given. If written notice of cancellation is not given, e-mail notice shall be accepted as binding. Neither the date of cancellation nor the Client's circumstances shall alter these terms.
22. CLIENT PROTECTION In the circumstance that the Management must cancel the event prior to the event date because the facility has been rendered unusable due to fire, natural disaster, or other unforeseen conditions, the Client shall be fully refunded any monies paid to The Barns Management Corporation when it has received insurance settlement to cover loss of income. The Barns Management Corporation shall not be held responsible for any other costs incurred by the Client; consider purchasing Event insurance for your financial protection.
The client was informed that in this instance the operative phrase from Item 22 was "when it (The Barns Management) has received insurance settlement to cover loss of income."
Unfortunately, insurance does not cover viral outbreak or pandemic. Since The Barns Management would not receive insurance settlement, there would be no refund issued.
Though the available dates are dwindling, we are still willing to find a postpone option for Miss *** but it will not include a refund. We spend about $500,000.00 annually on mortgages, property taxes, insurance, utilities, upkeep and maintenance, repairs and improvements and payroll. We make a financial commitment to insure that our venues are ready for our clientele this season, next season and beyond. We must ask our clientele to make a financial commitment as well.