Start with the right question
When an event changes, several vendors may have different agreements and different work already completed. Build a vendor-specific record before assuming one cancellation rule applies to everyone. Preserve communications about alternatives as well as the initial cancellation.
Work through the checks
Identify the agreed service
Keep the date, location, deliverables, guest or quantity assumptions, and payment schedule. Record amendments and who approved them. A planning conversation may not match the final signed scope.
Record the cancellation event
Save the notice, sender, reason, and date received. Distinguish cancellation by the customer, cancellation by the vendor, and inability to perform for another reason. Do not supply a legal label without review.
Reconcile services and money
List payments, work already delivered, credits, and amounts requested back. Separate replacement costs from the original payment. Avoid counting a refunded deposit as an outstanding loss.
Preserve proposed solutions
Keep rescheduling offers, substitute services, and settlement terms. Record any acceptance or rejection accurately. Seek advice before agreeing to wording that may release claims or create a new commitment.
A record you can use
- Vendor and agreed service
- Cancellation notice
- Payments and delivered work
- Refund or credit offer
- Replacement expense
Keep this record locally. Use document references rather than publishing account numbers or other people's personal details. An empty field means the information is still missing; it should not be filled with an AI guess.
Worked example
A fictional photographer cancels and returns a $300 deposit. A replacement costs $450. The record shows the deposit returned and the replacement expense separately; it does not claim both the original deposit and the full replacement amount remain unpaid without further analysis.
This example is fictional and illustrates the method, not a real case result.
Limits and next steps
Contract interpretation, force-majeure questions, and recoverable losses require context. This checklist does not determine whether a deposit is refundable or whether a party must accept rescheduling.
Use the agreement and a clear reconciliation to seek a resolution. Keep any proposed release for separate review and obtain qualified advice when the consequences are significant.