The Empire Hall

Get your money back if you lost your deposit

If you are after professionalism and honesty then AVOID this venue at all costs. Those that own and run this venue are unethical and immoral. Describing them as deceptive is an understatement. I had initially booked this venue for June 2021, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, my event had to be postponed until September 2021. Because of government guidelines, September 2021 could only cater for 30 people. Economically this made no sense for such a big venue and therefore I kindly asked for my £500 deposit back.

The owners pushed back and stated that the deposit was non-refundable, even though the government clearly stated on GOV.UK that customers should be entitled to a full refund if an event is affected due to COVID-19, even if the deposit is originally deemed as non-refundable (of note, all of the other services that I needed for this event offered an immediate full refund with no hesitation). A representative of the venue stated that they were not prepared to offer a refund as they "incurred costs" that exceeded the deposit of £500. They came up with a bunch of phoney costs, with one example being me viewing the venue on several occasions prior to officially booking. This was apparently something that had a charge. To be clear, each time that I viewed the venue, bar one occasion, were viewing times that were open to the general public. The only one time that I viewed outside of public viewing was the same occasion that the deposit was paid. Taking this logic would mean that those who have viewed the venue on multiple occasions without making a booking should also be charged.

In the end, I took this matter to a small claims court. I provided all of the necessary evidence. A representative of the venue provided fake receipts and invoices claiming that they were charged by their supplier for items such as cutlery, linen, plates and etc. The judge dismissed all of this when there was no proof of payment from the venue to the supplier. I have read multiple reviews that people have lost their deposit during COVID-19. PLEASE TAKE YOUR CASE TO A SMALL CLAIMS COURT. YOU WILL WIN, as they cannot provide proof of paying their suppliers.

In my case, they put forward that they are a small family company that has been struggling during the pandemic and that the deposit sum is a fraction of what they end up incurring per event. They will also state that they plan and spent money on each event months before the actual event itself. This is a blatant lie as it is known that they are prepared and happy to take bookings a few weeks before the desired event date, providing that they have availability. In court, sob stories do not work. The judge will see the case for what it is. In my case, the judge asked, why did they not request the incurred costs back from their supplier, to which they responded - that they did not want to strain relationships that they have had for over 10 years. The judge had no interest in legacy narratives.

Before taking this to court, I even offered an even split of money during a mediation process. A representative from their end countered with a £90 refund and a 2 hour photoshoot. Their final offer was a £180 refund with no photoshoot. My event did not even end up taking place at their venue, yet they had the audacity to offer a photoshoot. In the end, I was awarded my full £500 and a bit more for missing half a day's work.

The ultimate issue with this venue is the arrogance of its owners. They take too much pride in a venue, which in actuality does not offer much. There are better venues nearby - even ones that are grade listed which offer more for less. They lack professionalism, compassion, and imaan.

To reiterate, if you have been affected like me, please take your case to a small claims court. Please be patient with the process. Trust the process, because you will come out on top. In my case, I only wanted my deposit back. However, you may feel that you have lost out on more financially. If that is the case, please also claim for that and provide the necessary evidence.