Make Your Wedding Fit
for Royalty
BBB
Advises Carefully Reviewing Contracts and Reviewing Vendors in Advance
Austin,
TX - April 27, 2011 – Millions
of people are looking forward to watching the live broadcast of England’s royal
wedding this Friday, and the timing is perfect given that thousands of American
brides and grooms are currently gearing up for the busy summer wedding season
stateside. Considering the average U.S. wedding costs more than $25,000 and
involves over a dozen different vendors, now is the time for couples to begin
finalizing their plans and double-checking their vendor contracts to ensure
that all terms and agreements will be met on their special day.
In the
past three years, BBB
has received nearly 600 complaints against local companies providing wedding
services. These companies include wedding planners, bridal shops, car or
limousine rental, DJs, wedding photographers, florists, jewelers and more. The
most common complaints concern the company’s unwillingness to honor
cancellation and refund policies after a deposit has been paid.
Other
common complaints include dresses and tuxedos not fitting correctly,
transportation services failing to be on time or show up at all, photographers
not fulfilling their picture allotment and DJs cutting short their agreed upon
playing time. BBB recommends taking the following steps to ensure your special
day leaves you feeling like royalty:
· Research all vendors.
Talk to friends and family for references on local trustworthy vendors. Look up
the BBB Business Review for each company at bbb.org prior to signing a
contract. Make sure the company has a long history of providing good products
or services for weddings.
· Get terms and
conditions in writing and keep your paperwork. All written
contracts should include specific dates, products, prices, cancellation and
deposit policies, and must be signed by all parties involved. Be sure to keep
copies of all your signed paperwork.
· Pay with a credit card.
Credit cards offer consumers the added protection of disputing any charge over
$50 within 60 days of the purchase. Most established businesses accept major
credit cards, so use them whenever possible, including payment for deposits.
· Consider purchasing
wedding insurance. Wedding insurance can cover a range of
prospective problems including vendor no-shows, cancellations, inclement
weather, military deployment, medical emergencies, travel delays and more. Many
policies start at $200 and can potentially save you thousands of dollars.
To check
the reliability of a company and find
trustworthy businesses, visit BBB.
About Better Business Bureau:
BBB's mission is to be the leader in
advancing marketplace trust. BBB accomplishes this mission by creating a
community of trustworthy businesses, setting standards for marketplace trust,
encouraging and supporting best practices, celebrating marketplace role models
and denouncing substandard marketplace behavior.
Businesses that earn BBB
Accreditation contractually agree and adhere to the organization's high
standards of ethical business behavior. BBB is the preeminent resource to turn
to for objective, unbiased information on businesses and charities.
Contact BBB serving
Central, Coastal and Southwest Texas at (512) 445-4748.
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