Many local couples had to postpone their wedding due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Apart from dealing with the emotional aftermath, some were even faced with the added difficulty of vendors requesting higher payments – some by up to €2,000, for ceremonies moved to 2021.
Asked about this during a segment on local TV show Niskata, Consumer Authority representative Odette Vassallo said: “These postponements were due to extraordinary circumstances, of whom no one is to blame. The consumer couldn’t partake in the service, and neither the vendor could offer it.”
Stressing once more that such circumstances are no one’s fault, Odette shared some insight into how couples can deal with this situation: “The advice we’re giving to couples in this case is to find alternative dates but without additional fees,” she said.
Odette continued that: “This means that if the only solution is to postpone the wedding to the following year, one should not expect an increased rate in costs, but the rate which had been agreed by the couple and vendor for this year.”
“Couples should not accept to pay more and they should insist that the price remains the same as originally agreed. Coversely, they can argue that in light of recent events, the contract falls and are within their rights to ask for their deposit back.”
She also asked couples who are finding difficulty dealing with this situation to get in contact with the Consumer Authority, who in turn will contact the vendors in question.
“It is in the interest of both parties that a just agreement is reached,” she concluded.
To watch the clip in full, please click here.