Bonnie Evans had the wedding day she’d been waiting for her whole life.
"It was the best day ever. It turned out to be amazing," Bonnie said.
She says it was amazing despite what the couple had been through planning a DJ for the big day.
They had paid hundreds of dollars to MB Event and DJ Services and its owner Michael Berrios for their October 2016 wedding.
Evans says Berrios was recommended to her by their wedding venue.
"He just seems very esteemed in his line of work," she said.
Berrios’ company was featured on NBC 6 in 2009. He also was hired to work at the wedding of NBC 6 employees including Roxanne Vargas. Berrios posted a video from her wedding where she described how much fun they had.
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On Facebook, Berrios describes himself as the "Best Wedding DJ Ever."
"If you’re going to advertise yourself as being the best DJ in South Florida, then you have an obligation to the community of South Florida to live up to that name," Evans said.
Evans initially gave Berrios a deposit of more than $600 to book him for their ceremony, cocktail hour and reception.
In July 2016, Evans says Berrios called and offered a $100 discount if they paid in full. They took the offer and gave him their debit card number for what was supposed to be a $500 charge.
"We noticed on our statement right away that we had been charged twice," she said. "I thought it was a mistake, honestly."
She says Berrios acknowledged the mistake and said he’d immediately return the $500 he overcharged. But months passed and Bonnie says that credit was never issued.
"Once September rolled around, he had actually stopped contacting or returning our email," Evans said.
So, they sent him a letter terminating their contract because of Berrios’ "unwillingness to communicate" or reimburse them “for the overpayment.”
They booked another DJ for their wedding and eventually called NBC 6 Responds.
“I haven’t given up on this,” Evans said. “It’s not as much about the money as it is about the principle. Nothing he’s told us over the last year has come true.”
When contacted by NBC 6 Responds, Berrios said he’d been going through a difficult time and was planning to pay the full $1600 he owed by August 1. Nearly two weeks later, he sent NBC 6 Responds a video showing him mailing a $200 money order to the couple.
”First payment to get all this thing taken care of,” he says in the video. “I do truly apologize and I’m sorry.”
Berrios also sent NBC 6 Responds a statement saying he intends to pay the remaining $1400 within the next 30 days. Regarding the overpayment, he wrote that the “duplicate processing error which was done back in July of 2016, this was refunded according to our processor.” The statement went on to say “the refund was done according to our CC processor. It was not until later that we found out it wasn't.
Evans isn’t happy with the timeline and this week filed a lawsuit against Berrios hoping it’ll help her get her money back.
