ROCK HILL. S.C. — A Rock Hill event venue closed suddenly, leaving some families scrambling.
Shandril Peoples told Action 9′s Jason Stoogenke she booked the Charlotte Metro Event Venue for her family Christmas party this year.
She says she put down the full amount of more than $2,200, but then in May, she says she found out the Event Venue went out of business.
“So I started calling. No answer. Went to the website. The website was taken down. Texting. No response,” she said.
At last check on Tuesday afternoon, she said she was still looking for a venue, minus that $2,200.
“I don’t have a place for our family to celebrate Christmas so I’m just out,” she said. “I feel disrespected. I feel discouraged, and I just don’t want this to happen to anyone else.”
Another displaced customer told Stoogenke the venue sent her an email saying it fell behind on rent and tried to come up with the money to save the events that were scheduled. The email says the company that owns the site and leased it to the Event Venue decided to go ahead with the eviction on May 10.
Stoogenke emailed the Event Venue. The owner emailed back saying he wanted to do an interview to “go over what actually transpired and what we are trying, to right any wrongs.” That was last month, and Stoogenke tried to arrange the interview, but no one responded in time for this report.
Stoogenke also reached out to the company that owns the property and what appears to be the landlord’s lawyer, but no one replied in time either.
Stoogenke says just because a business closes, it doesn’t mean the owner automatically gets out of refunding your money. So:
- If you used a credit card, dispute the charges.
- If you paid another way, keep fighting.
- The idea of suing makes some people uncomfortable, but there’s always small claims court.
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