Wedding Blog

I presented a seminar at the Perfect Wedding Guide bridal show this past weekend. My staff and I had a great time meeting lots and lots of brides. I am happy to say that the recession may have changed weddings, but it hasn’t stopped them!

I met a couple who came to me in quite a panic. They were informed by another vendor that the company that was providing them with their photographer, videographer and DJ went out of business. Evidently the company (who has offices nation-wide) shut down, informed no one, and took off. To make matters worse, the bride and groom were paying in installments and since their wedding is around the corner, they were almost paid in full. They were at a loss as to what to do.

I hate to hear stories like this. Even before the recession, I would get emails about companies who closed their businesses without warning and without informing or refunding their clients. It is unethical, cruel and completely inexcusable. Unfortunately, unless you pay via credit card, there is very little you can do to get a quick fix (or any fix for that matter) after you have made payments. Here are six tips on what you can do to try to get some money back.

• If it is a large company, look for another location or a home office and send a certified letter demanding your money back.
• File a small claims lawsuit. Keep in mind, filing a suit will cost money, you will not be guaranteed to win and if you do win, you still might not get paid.
• For larger sums of money, hire an attorney to pursue the company. Again, this will cost you money and the outcome will not be guaranteed to be in your favor.
• Contact your local Attorney General’s office and file a complaint. Chances are, this company disappointed other couples as well. The AG’s office might get involved.
• Call your newspaper or local television station’s consumer reporter and ask him to look into it. This is free and you may get some satisfaction, if not from the company you hired, perhaps another company will work for you at a discount, in the hopes of getting good publicity.
• File a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. This will not guarantee that your issue will be resolved, but it is free and you may save other couples the pain of going through the same thing.

Come back Friday for my post on steps you can take when hiring a vendor to avoid losing money if he goes out of business.

If you have questions or comments on this topic or any other wedding related matter, post a message for me here, or email me at susan.southerland@pwg.com.

Your partner in perfect planning,

Susan