My sister and I flew out to El Paso in April of 2023 to look for a venue to hold our mother's 88th…read moreBirthday Party in May 2024. We settled on 150 Sunset Event Center because they appeared to be legitimately professional, yet easy going. We set the date for our party on May 11, 2024 and made a FULL payment of $12,500 a full year before the date. The $12,500 did not include all the extra perks that we would be discussing during our subsequent trip back to El Paso on June 23rd-27th 2023, to sample the venues food and plan some of the additional details for our party: florist, DJ, music, mariachis, dessert table, decorations, featured cocktail, etc., which we were fully aware that we would be billed additional charges associated with the added incidentals. $$$
Earlier this week one of the event coordinators from 150 Sunset called me to tell me that the contract for the event we'd agreed to and that had already been paid for in full, per their contract, had not been signed yet. I apologized and told her that my sister had been very busy with work, but I would call her to make sure she signed and return it that same day. I also advised her that she wasn't tech savvy and I offered to sign the contract myself since if it needed to be done ASAP. I phonetically spelled out my email so she could send the contract to me, but I never received anything. I also called my sister to tell her that the contracted needed to be signed and returned by the end of the day. The contract was signed and submitted that same day to one of the many emails that she was given. The next day the event manager emailed my sister telling her that because of the lack of communication, she thought it best to cancel the entire event. I totally get that the contract hadn't been signed, but they did have the full payment. The fact that the contract was returned, maybe not to the correct person within the organization, a quick search would've confirmed that it was returned, but it was signed and returned.
So now, instead of going to sample food at 150 Sunset, we'll be flying back out to El Paso from out of state to look for a whole new venue. We're extremely disappointed with how this was all handled. We're not denying any blame, since we agree that the contract hadn't been signed until the last minute, but the full amount for our event had been paid over a year before the party was supposed to take place and that should've been taken into account. The lack of communication was just the excuse given to cancel our event.
We're awaiting a full refund on the entire amount ($12,500) that was paid and we're hoping that transaction is dealt with in a much more professional manner.
I'm wondering if our event was canceled because they double booked or they were offered more money to host another party on the same day? Either way, I don't believe this how business should be conducted and hope others don't have to go through with the same headache we went through.
P.S. All checks/money was mailed back 3 days ago.