Wedding couples to lose thousands as venue refuses refunds

Couples due to tie the knot at a posh wedding venue slated the hotel's refusal to refund bookings worth thousands of pounds cancelled due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

The Taypark House Hotel, in Dundee, has come under fire from couples who had expected to be getting married at the four-star venue in the next few months.

Some couples are looking at losing out on as much as £9,000 for weddings which cannot go ahead, despite asking for the ceremonies to be postponed or rearranged.

But hotelier Richie Hawkins said he was in a 'hugely difficult position' and had only cancelled weddings due to government advice or because he had been requested to do so by the couple.

Dundee wedding venue refuses refunds for couples

He also said insurance did not cover the situation and that the business has been unable to cover government-funded grants.

Bride-to-be Nicola Robertson was due to wed partner Lewis Shiels on June 20, but they stand to lose £6,000 if the wedding does not go ahead.

The couple, from Aberdeen, have also had their request to postpone refused.

Miss Robertson said: "When we realised this was going to affect the wedding, we thought 'well surely the venue will be flexible and we'll be able to come to some sort of solution', but we couldn't have been more wrong.

"Every option we have suggested to them - including even splitting the money we've paid so they get to keep half - has been rejected.

"They're just not willing to compromise or negotiate.

"At first we were both really upset, devastated in fact, but now we're just left feeling angry."

The venue has refused to fully refund or postpone any bookings for the coming week or months, even if the lockdown continues - leaving eight couples in limbo and potentially losing out on more than £56,000.

They have been offered the chance to rebook their weddings on other dates, but this will be treated as an entirely new booking, with none of their money being transferred over.

The venue confirmed it would refund any money paid in advance for food and drink, however all other payments will not be returned.

Another bride-to-be, speaking on condition of anonymity, was expecting to get married in the next few days.

She and her partner had paid £9,000 to the hotel - 75 per cent of the total cost.

The woman said: "We know that our wedding can't go ahead, but they are refusing to postpone or cancel, or refund the money we've paid.

"They've said that we can book a new date, but none of the money we've paid will be transferred over.

"Given that we've already paid 75 per cent of the total cost of the wedding, that just isn't an option for us.

"If we don't get this money back, we won't be able to pay for another wedding like this - it's a bitter pill to swallow.

"We were sold this dream of a fairytale wedding at Taypark but it has turned into a nightmare."

Kerry Dysdale and her partner Ryan Mulherron, from Dundee, have concerns about elderly relatives who would be due to attend their wedding on May 2.

Ms Drysdale, who has paid more than £7,000 to Taypark, said: "We've told them we're happy to wait until next year, or the year after, if they'll postpone, but they just refuse.

"We've recently just bought a house and we have a one-year-old, we can't afford to lose that money."

While some of the couples have wedding insurance, most believe this will not pay out as the small print in their contracts states that cover is not provided for a change in the law or government regulations.

But the hotel says its insurance will not pay out in the current situation, and Mr Hawkins has also claimed that he has been unable to access any government-backed loans or grants introduced to help businesses.

Mr Hawkins said: "We want to do the best for each and every one of our customers and clients, but we also have to meet our obligations to our employees, other customers and suppliers.

"We will only cancel wedding bookings when the government advice makes it necessary and advisable to do so, or where the client asks us to cancel their booking, and always in accordance with the booking conditions agreed with the party making the booking.

"In the event the wedding cannot go ahead all monies received for catering and drinks will be refunded in full."