Before Christmas I hired a disco for this summer and paid £100 deposit. Now I’ve had to cancel it after discovering I’m pregnant, but they refuse to refund my deposit, even though they have more than six months’ notice of the cancellation. What can I do?
The disco people are entitled to compensation for any losses they sustain as a result of you breaking your agreement with them. That means they could keep your money (and perhaps ask you for the balance) if they weren’t able to find anyone else to book them on the date you wanted. When you put down a deposit it usually means you’re committing yourself to completing the transaction. If you don’t fulfil your side of the bargain and there’s nothing in the paperwork to suggest that you can have your money back on cancellation, your deposit is usually forfeit.