Several months ago my daughter paid a £500 deposit for a wedding reception at a hotel over Christmas. The marriage is off, and my daughter asked for her money back, but the hotel says it has a policy of not returning deposits. Can we get them to refund the money?
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. If your daughter had cancelled the booking earlier it’s possible the hotel would have given her a refund out of goodwill.