Sunset Hills Vineyard

Review: Sunset Hills Vineyard's inability to follow through on their contract clause that stated the return date for the damage deposit within 14 days of the event date. The event took place on September 23, 2013. It has now been 22 days since the event and there has been no deposit received for no damages caused. The deposit is $750.The contract clause stated below:DAMAGE DEPOSIT The contract holder is responsible for any and all damages or littering by guests or vendors (i.e.: photographers, florist, entertainment, DJs, bands, etc.). We require a damage deposit as stated on page one in order to assure that our facility is treated with respect and maintained as a historical property. If there is damage to the property, buildings or lawns, the contract holder will be responsible for all expenses incurred in bringing the facility back to its original condition in a timely fashion. Driving on the front lawns are not permitted at any time and may result in the loss of a minimum of $250 from the client Damage Deposit. If the vendors leave trash onsite, a fee for the removal of such trash shall be deducted from the Damage Deposit. If the event runs overtime, the additional rental time & staff time will be deducted from the damage deposit. If vendors and/or bridal party members access the barn or property grounds prior to the Access for Vendors & Bridal Party time stated above, the rate of $500 per hour will be charged in hour increments this amount will be deducted from the damage deposit check. Any amounts charged in excess of the Damage Deposit will be billed directly to the contract holder and is due immediately upon receipt. The unused portion of the deposit will be mailed to the contract holder within 14 days of the rental date.Desired Settlement: Refund of $750 for damage deposit. No damages were made, I would like a refund as soon as possible.

Business

Response:

November 20, 2013

Dear [redacted]:

We are responding to the compliant received on 10/15/2013 with ID number [redacted]. Customer service and goodwill is of the utmost importance to Sunset Hills and we regret that there was an issue with our customer's account.

Our contract states that damage deposits are fully refundable within 14 days, granted there is no damage to the facility. In this particular case, we did not experience any damage and the entire deposit amount of $750 was due to the customer. The 14-day period began on the day subsequent to the event of 9/23/13, and mailed no later than 10/11/13.

We learned there was a delay in receiving the refund check on 10/14/13, when we received a call from our customer's assistant. We immediately drew our attention to the situation and provided a prompt response on 10/15/13. We've attached email correspondence between us and our customer. The refund check was sent in the mail on 10/15/13.

We received another notification from our customer on 10/23/13 notifying us the refund check had still not been received. We determined there was an issue with the mailing address, cancelled the initial check issued, confirmed the correct mailing address and immediately sent a new check to the confirmed address on 10/24/13.

We continued to follow up with our customer until we were assured the refund was received. There is email correspondence between us and the customer {see attached documentation) providing an explanation for the delay, which ultimately was the result of a clerical error. The second attempt to send the refund was mailed to the customer on 10/24/13. We confirmed receipt of the refund on

10/27/13.

There was never any intention of withholding money that was rightfully owed and should be refunded to our customer. When it was brought to our attention that the customer had not received their deposit, we immediately focused on the matter until it was resolved. We have fully refunded this amount and have confirmed payment has been received. We regret to have caused inconvenience for our customer as we always strive to provide the best customer service possible.

We recognize that even the slightest delay in receiving reimbursement funds is not acceptable and can cause customer dissatisfaction. As a result, we have already implemented new procedures to ensure future refunds are timely and accurate.

Please feel free to contact me should you have any questions or need any additional information. Sincerely,