Paying a Wedding Venue deposit with no contract? Can I get refund?

[tootsi4]

My partner and I went to view a wedding venue a couple of weeks ago. The girl we saw offered to reduce our wedding hire from £3000 to £1000 if we booked by 31st March and she also offered a couple of other things like a free bus for our guests from the wedding venue to their sister hotel 20 minutes away.
I have been e-mailing one of the girls in their office trying to get things in writing and I asked her to send me a contract to read before I paid the deposit and she said she would send the contract after we had paid – this is their normal practice?? I wasn’t happy with no contract but due to lack of choice and the time limit for the reduced hire charge I paid the deposit over the telephone yesterday.
I’m not happy. They have already gone back on the verbally agreed free bus (they sent me an e-mail confirming this wasn't something they offered) and they are being completely inflexible about me changing things like salmon on the menu. I also went on a wedding forum and some girls sent me private messages to say get everything in writing because they had problems with the company. I just have a bad feeling. Am I entitled to my £500 deposit back if I have not seen my contract and I paid over the phone? Does it fall under distance selling?

 

[lilliah]

Hi,
Did you ever find out about this? I'm having the same problem with my wedding venue.

We'd contacted a venue over email and they'd given us some info but not full prices and we had no access to the Ts and Cs about the wedding etc. We paid £500 deposit on Friday over the phone and we received a contract today but we don't want to sign it because we're not happy with them.

We asked as it's only been 3 working days if they'd return the deposit as we're not happy and they've refussed.

 

[Witch consumer]

If you don't sign the contract, no contract exists so you can get all your deposit back.