Be Wise When Booking A Big Event

When you rent a banquet hall, take extra caution to keep from being ripped off

Updated June 10, 2011

It’s the season for celebrations across Los Angeles County.

Weddings, proms, quinceaneras, anniversaries and other parties are taking place all around.

This means banquet halls are in high demand. But when demand for service grows, so does the chance of you getting ripped off.

June is the biggest month of the year for complaints about banquet-hall operators here at Consumer Affairs. It’s the time when would-be grand celebrations sometimes end up with anger and money down the drain.

Common rip-offs include:

• Banquet halls you have already paid unexpectedly go out of business.
• A venue will switch locations from an attractive room to a worse one.
• A hall will serve you cheaper food, drinks, flowers or decorations than what you paid for.

Often you won’t even face these problems until it’s too late to prevent it. Like any rip-offs, you should take every possible step to avoid problems with banquet halls.

Here are some tips when renting a banquet hall:

• Use only reliable halls that have been in business for a while. Check online sites like Yelp to see what other people think about them or if they have complaints.
• Hold your event at a public hall or building. (Of course, we suggest you try a county park.)
• Get your contract in writing. Make sure it lists the correct time, place and services for your event.
• Pay with a credit card. You can dispute charges more easily with your credit card company if trouble arises.
• Pay a small deposit. Pay for the rest of the costs when you get close to the event.
• Keep in contact with the people in charge of the hall to make sure everything is correct.

If you have questions or complaints about banquet halls or any other consumer topics, contact us at (800) 593-8222.

(Information from Supervisor Yaroslavsky's website was used for this article.)