2008
Planning the perfect wedding? Take some advice and avoid the pitfalls advises Consumer Direct North East
Venues cancelling bookings at the last minute, wedding dresses not arriving on time, guests coming down with food poisoning and photographers disappearing without a trace. These were just a few of the wedding complaints reported last year, but there are ways of avoiding the pitfalls advises Consumer Direct North East.
5th June 2008
Last year, the government advice service received over 150 wedding-related complaints in the North East. Nationally Consumer Direct took 4000 complaints about hotels, caterers, jewellers, photographers, florists and travel agents.
David Sayer, Head of Governance for Consumer Direct North East and Trading Standards Manager for Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council said:
'Wedding contracts can be worth several thousands of pounds so it's vital that you shop around, compare prices, ask lots of questions and make sure you know exactly what you're getting before you agree a deal.'
Consumer Direct North East has the following list of tips for couples planning to tie the knot:
- Start planning well in advance. A lot of reported problems result from trying to do too much in too short a space of time.
- Set yourself a budget and stick to it.
- Look at a number of different venues and suppliers to compare costs and levels of service.
- Ask for written quotes (rather than just estimates) as these are legally binding.
- If you make a decision based on verbal promises, ask to get these in writing.
- Before you pay a deposit to a venue, make sure you have read all the terms and conditions and ask about cancellation policies. If you have to pull out and you breach your contract, you won't be automatically entitled to a refund and you could lose a lot of money.
- Consider using a credit card for purchases of between £100 and £30,000 as this could give you extra protection if the contract is breached by the supplier.
- Think about wedding insurance, but make sure you read the policy to see what's covered and what's excluded.
Further information and advice is available by calling Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06 or visiting the website at www.consumerdirect.gov.uk
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Editor's Notes:
1. It should be noted that information captured by Consumer Direct is provided as given by the consumer and that no opinion on the truth or verification of facts has been made by the Consumer Direct service.
2. Consumer Direct North East is working in partnership with all 12 Local Authority Trading Standards teams across the North East, offering clear practical consumer advice. This covers the NETSA region (North East Trading Standards Association) which encompasses the following Local Authorities:
Darlington, Durham, Gateshead, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Newcastle, North Tyneside, Northumberland, Redcar and Cleveland, South Tyneside, Stockton and Sunderland
1. Consumer Direct North East, based in Redcar, was launched in May 2006. The service is the latest addition to the Consumer Direct network. There are now eleven regional operations in England, Wales and Scotland.
2. Consumer Direct is a telephone and online consumer advice service, managed by the Office of Fair Trading and delivered working in partnership with Local Authority Trading Standards. It provides clear, practical consumer advice to help consumers resolve problems and disagreements with suppliers of goods or services.
3. The service is delivered through contact centres across England, Scotland and Wales and is available to consumers via a single, telephone number and the Consumer Direct website (www.consumerdirect.gov.uk).
4. The information and advice helpline is available on 08454 04 05 06 from 0800-1830 Monday to Friday, and 0900-1300 Saturday, excluding bank holidays and public holidays.
5. To call a Welsh speaking Consumer Direct adviser, telephone 08454 04 05 05. Minicom users should call 08451 28 13 84.
6. Calls cost a maximum of 4 pence per minute from a BT landline. Calls from mobiles or other networks may vary. Your service provider may charge a minimum cost per call. The advice and information given is free.
7. Since it was first launched in 2004, Consumer Direct users have saved significant amounts of money through refunds, replacements and repairs.
Media Enquiries: Sue Gungaram T: 01642 495 681
