Sports'deposit recovery ?

[Guest]

Our tennis club has paid £1000 deposit for some sports' equipment: The company now wants full payment of £8000 to start manufacturing the order.
We now want our deposit back !
Any advice on how to recover this deposit, if it is not returned, would be much appreciated.
Thank you.

[des8]

Going to need a lot more info about the contract eg terms & conditions.; date order placed and date cancelled (if yet cancelled)
Did the club know the equipment needed to be manufactured and wasn't available "off the shelf"?

Has the club asked for return of deposit?

[crowncourt]

Just back from the club committee meeting; £1000 deposit paid one month ago, only an email receipt with no reference to terms and conditions of a contract. The item was to be manufactured.
Strangely some members seemed inclined, given we could lose the deposit, and arrange to collect the said item and settle with bank transfer upon collection!!!
Thank you for your help.

[crowncourt]

...and would you advise two members of the committee to travel to the depot to pick up the item with the said monies ? Seems a silly plan b to me...guarantee and quality of the item..many imponderables...lust to secure the deposit ?

[des8]

A club prepared to order £8000 equipment to be built on the basis of an email with no written contract, and paid a £1000 deposit and it seems from your posts that quality of the item is unknown!
firstly if I was a member I'd be looking to change the committee!!
Secondly the club has a right to cancel their order but the manufacturer is entitled to keep sufficient to over their actual losses (ie their costs already incurred and loss of profit) but how much that might be I cannot guess.
As the manufacturers have not yet begun work have the club approached the manufacturer to ask if they can cancel, and if so at what cost?

When the committee know the terms of exiting the contract they will be able to make a considered decision on how to proceed
(sounds like Brexit...any MPs on the committee?}
.

[crowncourt]

Thank you for taking the time to reply. You seem perceptive to this committee's misguided mentality: I will do my best
to offer some reasonable advice to it...after your guidance.
Here's to an enjoyable weekend.

[crowncourt]

THIS MORNING UPDATE!
I WILL MOVE THAT WE LOOK TO THE SMALL CLAIMS COURT IF WE ARE UNABLE TO RECOVER £1000 DEP[OSIT.
IS THIS EXPENSIVE and would we need a Solicitor for any possible hearing///are there some hidden costs on this route ?
Thank you...again.

[ostell]

£70 online to issue the claim for £1000. Can be done without a solicitor but I think someone would need to be nominated to handle this. There is also the problem of where the hearing will take place.

[des8]

If the case proceeds to a hearing there will be a further £80 hearing fee to pay

If you win you would expect to recover those fees plus travel and accommodation costs reasonably incurred.

If you lose you may have to pay the losing parties similar costs

[crowncourt]

Thank you for the responses/