Storybook setting? Check. Charming venue? Check. Things were looking pretty good for Lisa Wolf and her husband, Jason who were planning for their September 2017 wedding in Saline.
But it soon took a turn for the worst.
They live in California but as natives of Metro Detroit, they chose to get married at Wellers Carriage House.
Thinking it would be easier, the couple choose a DJ from the venue’s recommended vendor list, leading them to David Ruffo of Encore Sounds based in Independence, Ohio.
They forked over $1600 over a year before the wedding and then 23 hours before the wedding, the DJ canceled via e-mail. But he wasn't just slated to provide DJ services. He was paid to provide a dance floor rental, gazebo, photo booth and slide screen projector.
Frantic, the couple missed their own rehearsal dinner as they scrambled for last minute replacements.
"We had to come up with 4 vendors within a few hours, and shell out the money right then and there. No one deserves that," said Wolf.
And worse, Ruffo never returned the money. Wellers told 7 Actions News the DJ had been reliable up until that point, so they had no indication the DJ would back out.
Meanwhile, online, brides and grooms had complained of the same dropout. It turns out Encore Sounds no longer exists. But it appears Ruffo started another one, 82 Events, in its place.
By phone, Ruffo told me he had fallen on hard times, after a fire ruined some of his equipment last June but said he had started another business to continue working so he can pay off his debts.
In a statement, he said...“any client who is owed a refund can expect to be paid in full, with interest, over the next 45 days. We understand that mistakes were made in how this situation was handled and would like to express our sincere apology to the clients and venues who were affected.”
Ruffo said all affected customers could check on the status on their refund by emailing refunds@encoresounds.us
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