Getting hitched shouldn’t have hitches. And yet nearly one in five people married in the last five years had a problem with at least one service. But how many of us make the effort to complain?
Just two weeks before Ed and Anne tied the knot their caterer left the country. They’d spent around £1,700 on a hog roast for their guests. The day was saved by a last minute caterer stepping in.
But they’re out of pocket (and currently fighting their case) as a result of their runaway caterer. Ed told us:
‘Initially the caterer seemed fine. He’d worked the venue before, we’d sampled his food, it all looked good.’
‘He started being awkward about the menu but nothing extraordinarily odd; just a lack of concrete details and an unwillingness to get in touch. Then 13 days before the wedding he emailed us to say his business had ‘gone bump’ and he had left the country.’
Wedding woes from poor service
The couple immediately got in touch to ask for a full refund but heard nothing. They contacted the police and trading standards, in addition to writing a formal complaint to the caterer. They’ve also started civil proceedings.
While the majority of people are satisfied with their weddings, nearly one in five people (17%) are dissatisfied with at least one service on their big day.
People are most likely to be dissatisfied with the photographer (9%), the entertainment (8%) and the transport (5%). Catering problems, as Ed and Anne’s example shows, and issues with the gift list provider came in joint fourth with 4% dissatisfied with service.
The uncut wedding video
We’ve heard complaints about drunken photographers, disappointing DJs, late transport and cold food as our video shows:
And while Ed and Anne acted on their poor service, the majority of people who are dissatisfied with a service don’t bother to complain. Our research showed just one in five complained directly to the service provider, while 44% did not do anything. Well, we’ve just published some new advice on how you can complain to help you resolve any hiccups you encounter on your big day.
Have you attended a wedding which could have done with a helping hand on the service front? Have you hired a photographer who wasn’t up to scratch? We’re keen to hear your views.
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