Sued for a negative vendor review?

Did you have a DJ? I feel like the wrong songs and wrong lighting would be his or her fault.

I would make sure that you use very concrete examples instead of only saying she was unprofessional and disorganized.

I had a horrible experience with my florist. I felt they were the suing type so I didn't leave any reviews on them. Just didn't want to mess with it. I was just happy that i got them to agree to a partial refund. But man, they screwed up several times and it was stuff that was very clearly written in our contract. Like "use blush pink and white flowers only, NO greenery." Our wedding flowers for the ceremony that we got were SURROUNDED by greenery, and they used ORANGE roses with some pink and white. I was so pissed.

They can't sue over a bad review. Tell the truth and prevent someone else's day from getting wrecked

You can sue over anything. Doesn't mean you'll win, though.

MrsK&D, that's awful. Thankfully our florist was good and delivered what I asked for!

With respect to the songs, we had a band, which we were referred to through the planner. The band themselves were great. However, the planner was insistent on managing all communication with the band so I never actually spoke to the band, all communication went through the planner. I got the song timeline three days before my wedding and noted that the father/daughter and bride/groom songs I requested were flipped. I corrected the planner. The morning of my wedding she sent over a revised timeline and the songs were still flipped (this is kind of a mini metaphor for how all planning went with her!). I again corrected her...and sure enough, the songs were flipped at my reception later that evening. So, I think this is her fault, not the band's.

You're doing yourself and their future clients a disservice if you are stifled because of that fear. I always recommend being factual and professional, and honest when reviewing. I'd do it, you paid for it, you deserve a voice.

So I did see a case on TV that a landlord sue the renter cause she said the truth on the review that landlord kick her out unfairly and the landlord lost.. review are made to help others.. if she was not good then others should know.. I think you can take her to court for not doing her job..

They won't sue you over a bad review, they know they wouldn't win that. Plus I'm betting you are not the first one to have a bad experience with her, I'm sure all her reviews are not glowing 5 star reviews. Help a future bride to avoid what you went through.

They cannot sue you for a bad review. Be honest so you can help the next person avoid the same issues.

Def tell the truth!

They certainly can sue you, but it may be dismissed very quickly and them suing doesn't guarantee success by any means. I would be honest in your review and state facts that you can substantiate. Eta: not legal advice, just personal

There is always the possibility of being sued. IMO, if you feel that strongly about it, have evidence, and the commitment meant to follow through with your review, do it. Reviews are in place for a reason. Her actions/ lack of and your opinion are why.

Thanks everyone. She is currently sporting a perfect 5/5 review on weddingwire and theknot (from a collection of about 10 reviews on each site). Reading those reviews, it's almost like I worked with a totally different person (or those reviews are fake).

I was just looking for a sense of how common vendor lawsuits in response to negative reviews are. If I give her a 0 star review, it will definitely have an impact on her because she only has 10 reviews.

Defamation is extremely hard to prove and often looked at as kind of silly in the eyes of the law especially for a "wedding planner". You are more than allowed to review someone's work based on your experience

Truth is an absolute defense to any defamation type claim she would make against you. As some others have stated, you can "sue for anything," but as long as you are telling the truth she would not succeed. I only know of one case (I'm in Florida) where a plaintiff prevailed in a claim over online reviews, and she was able to prove the reviews were completely made up.

Definitely write the review -- there is no excuse for that type of poor service!

A vendor can sur over a bad review but many states have anti-slapp statutes to combat that type of thing. Stick to facts and clearly say something is your opinion.

I would write the reveiw and tell the truth I feel like if you give concrete evidence why she was bad than you have very little to worry about.. Good luck

Just make sure that you stick to the facts and are certain that she is to blame for the mistakes. You want to have evidence to back it up. You can be sued for defamation and maybe even slander but, as long as you are telling the truth, I don't think a lawsuit would hold up in court.

They can sue you, if they choose to. They may to win, but it would force you to pay attorneys fees.

Now, that being said. If you post an honest, not confrontational review, you may prevail. You will want to be professional in your review. State facts, not feelings.

It is up to you, to decide if your experience will help future clients. In my humble opinion, unless things went horribly wrong, I would simply not leave a review at all.

It's not worth the risk. Just don't write the review.

Truth is a defense to libel and defamation, but you'll spend so much in legal fees and energy fighting to get the case dismissed that it's just not worth the time and money. As PPs mentioned, anyone can sue for anything, and it's just not worth the potential headache and protracted legal battle, even if you turn out to be right.