Do I owe client a refund who canceled a photography session they signed a contract for?
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Do I owe client a refund who canceled a photography session they signed a contract for?
Looking for advice…. so a few months ago a couple signed a contract for a 2019 wedding that included an engagement session. They live in N.C. and I live in VA. The wedding and engagement was supposed to be in N.C. Well a few weeks later they say they are now canceling the wedding bc the venue didn’t work out and are going to get married in Jamaica and they just wanted to do the engagement. So they paid an additional $530 on top of the $250 they paid when the signed the contract for the wedding. The day of engagement sessions comes along and it had been raining for a week straight here and there and the weather didnt look good so we decided to postpone the session. A few days later they write back saying they wanted to cancel the engagement
and get their money back. I responded and said unfortunately they would not receive a full refund and that I was happy to coordinate our schedule to still
do the session or they could have a credit towards a future shoot. They responded by asking if they would get the $530 they paid and I would keep the $250 deposit. I haven’t responded. They have been so wishy washy since day one. I have accommodated them from day one. I held dates that I could have
taken someone else even though it was raining. I feel like they have jerked me around like Im not running a business. What do i do? I have a liability clause in the contract they signed. We never canceled it and never did a new one for just the engagement. Do I owe them anything?
Asked on May 30, 2018 under Business Law, Virginia
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 6 years ago | Contributor
You have no obligation to return *any* money to them if they cancelled the session, unless your contract with them had some refund clause or provision and they fully complied with its terms. In the absence of a contractual provision to the contrary, when a customer elects to cancel, they are still held to the contract the signed: the vendor/contractor can keep any deposit(s) and could potentially sue them for any additional lost profits, over and above the amount of the deposit, incurred due to the customers' breach of contract.
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