negotiating with RH - need advice, please!
Just bear in mind that I'm using completely arbitrary prices here for the sake of illustration. The only accurate part is the price differences (so $5-10 price difference is accurate, just for different actual prices). Hope that makes sense.
I went to about 4-5 RHs this weekend with FH. We spoke to all of them over the phone and got price ranges from each over the phone.
There was one hall we REALLY both loved and it's our first choice. Over the phone, we asked specifically about Saturday night pricing in the months we were interested in. Heck, we even got available dates over the phone. Let's say the price we were quoted over the phone was $50-55pp and up for a Sat night on the dates we discussed. (It wasn't - arbitrary number!)
When we got there, we were told $60pp to start. ($5pp higher) I said that we were quoted $50-55 over the phone for the exact same dates and was told 'Oh, I must have just been giving you the range. It starts at $60.' Even after I insisted that we asked specifically about these dates on this day of the week and time, we were still told by the BM that $60 it is. (FWIW, all the other halls quoted us prices in person in line with what we were quoted over the phone except one. When I told that BM what we were quoted over the phone, he immediately changed the price to reflect the price he gave over the phone, claiming that he must have been thinking of the following year's price' or something like that... but he changed the offer. At all the other halls, the basic package at least started at the bottom on the price range quote)
Mind you, the RH we love has SEVEN open Saturday nights around the time we are looking (a 2.5 months range). They're not booked solid.
I have heard that others were quoted $50pp in person for the same dates -- and that was their FIRST offer -- but by a different BM. (Granted, I'd never say this to the RH, because how can I prove it? But it's sometthing I know ). Yes, this price was also for a Sat night.
So, now I'm upset that I was quoted a different price in person than over the phone, but I realize that some places will do that. However, I'm really upset they seemed not willing to budge even after acknowledging they may have quoted us a different price over the phone (but if they did it was a mistake or they were just quoting a range... uh, whatever...) I kept insisting, no, it was for Sat night on these dates. She wouldn't budge, and I didn't push the issue too far since it was the first meeting there. I also did not want to argue with her - was more feeling her out. I'm also assuming (hoping?) she's just playing hardball to make us think that the price is firm. My parents came, too... so we feel maybe she stuck to a higher price b/c she thought my father was paying for it or something...
Whatever the reason, I was turned off by it, but I love the place so much, I'm willing to negotiate with them. Other than this price thing, the BM was great. How would you handle the negotiation from this point on? Would you deal with the same BM you met with -- who is quoting you the higher price -- first? Would you ask to deal with the head BM (is there such a thing??) - i.e., this person's boss? Who would be this person's boss? Would you ask to deal with a different BM at the hall? Can you do that, or is that frowned upon?
And what would your next step be? FH wants to go to a tasting there to make them realize that we are truly interested and then deal with the price. I'm more interested in dealing with the price now so we can book before Thanksgiving... but I want to handle it properly.
I've also gotten the advice to call up and say, 'Hi, we really love the place, but we have been quoted much better prices by comparable places. $60pp is unfortunately not in our price range, as much as we'd prefer to have our wedding at your hall. If you are not negotiable and $60pp is your final offer, please tell me, and we will not call you back. If you're negotiable, we'd like to talk further.'
Another piece of advice I got was to say, 'We love the place, but we're really unhappy that we were quoted completely different prices over the phone than we were in person. Also, the price you quoted us is out of our price range. If you can do it for $50pp, we'll bring a deposit for X date this weekend and sign the contract.' And then I guess wait to see if there is a counter offer. (This date would also be the earliest date they had available in our time frame, which leaves the later dates open for them)
My father even offered to call for us if we chose either of the above options. (Not necessary, but it was a nice offer and my father is good with people and negotiating generally)
We do have a max price in mind that we would pay to have it there, so that is settled.
Any thoughts on how to handle the negotiation from here on out?
I went to about 4-5 RHs this weekend with FH. We spoke to all of them over the phone and got price ranges from each over the phone.
There was one hall we REALLY both loved and it's our first choice. Over the phone, we asked specifically about Saturday night pricing in the months we were interested in. Heck, we even got available dates over the phone. Let's say the price we were quoted over the phone was $50-55pp and up for a Sat night on the dates we discussed. (It wasn't - arbitrary number!)
When we got there, we were told $60pp to start. ($5pp higher) I said that we were quoted $50-55 over the phone for the exact same dates and was told 'Oh, I must have just been giving you the range. It starts at $60.' Even after I insisted that we asked specifically about these dates on this day of the week and time, we were still told by the BM that $60 it is. (FWIW, all the other halls quoted us prices in person in line with what we were quoted over the phone except one. When I told that BM what we were quoted over the phone, he immediately changed the price to reflect the price he gave over the phone, claiming that he must have been thinking of the following year's price' or something like that... but he changed the offer. At all the other halls, the basic package at least started at the bottom on the price range quote)
Mind you, the RH we love has SEVEN open Saturday nights around the time we are looking (a 2.5 months range). They're not booked solid.
I have heard that others were quoted $50pp in person for the same dates -- and that was their FIRST offer -- but by a different BM. (Granted, I'd never say this to the RH, because how can I prove it? But it's sometthing I know ). Yes, this price was also for a Sat night.
So, now I'm upset that I was quoted a different price in person than over the phone, but I realize that some places will do that. However, I'm really upset they seemed not willing to budge even after acknowledging they may have quoted us a different price over the phone (but if they did it was a mistake or they were just quoting a range... uh, whatever...) I kept insisting, no, it was for Sat night on these dates. She wouldn't budge, and I didn't push the issue too far since it was the first meeting there. I also did not want to argue with her - was more feeling her out. I'm also assuming (hoping?) she's just playing hardball to make us think that the price is firm. My parents came, too... so we feel maybe she stuck to a higher price b/c she thought my father was paying for it or something...
Whatever the reason, I was turned off by it, but I love the place so much, I'm willing to negotiate with them. Other than this price thing, the BM was great. How would you handle the negotiation from this point on? Would you deal with the same BM you met with -- who is quoting you the higher price -- first? Would you ask to deal with the head BM (is there such a thing??) - i.e., this person's boss? Who would be this person's boss? Would you ask to deal with a different BM at the hall? Can you do that, or is that frowned upon?
And what would your next step be? FH wants to go to a tasting there to make them realize that we are truly interested and then deal with the price. I'm more interested in dealing with the price now so we can book before Thanksgiving... but I want to handle it properly.
I've also gotten the advice to call up and say, 'Hi, we really love the place, but we have been quoted much better prices by comparable places. $60pp is unfortunately not in our price range, as much as we'd prefer to have our wedding at your hall. If you are not negotiable and $60pp is your final offer, please tell me, and we will not call you back. If you're negotiable, we'd like to talk further.'
Another piece of advice I got was to say, 'We love the place, but we're really unhappy that we were quoted completely different prices over the phone than we were in person. Also, the price you quoted us is out of our price range. If you can do it for $50pp, we'll bring a deposit for X date this weekend and sign the contract.' And then I guess wait to see if there is a counter offer. (This date would also be the earliest date they had available in our time frame, which leaves the later dates open for them)
My father even offered to call for us if we chose either of the above options. (Not necessary, but it was a nice offer and my father is good with people and negotiating generally)
We do have a max price in mind that we would pay to have it there, so that is settled.
Any thoughts on how to handle the negotiation from here on out?
