With hundreds of people being affected by the closure of a north Norfolk hotel, an expert has given his advice on what to do if your wedding venue goes bust.
Dozens of people have been in touch with this newspaper after The Manor Hotel in Mundesley announced that it would cease trading with immediate affect on December 19.In a statement posted on Facebook, The Manor Hotel, run by Steven Williams, said: "We have endeavoured over many months to find a way through but have been unable.
"We would like to thank our loyal customers that have enjoyed many events at the hotel, our staff and apologise to those that have upcoming events we are unable to honour."
From wedding venue booking too gifts for parents and Christmas day meals, the unexpected closure of the hotel has left hundreds out of pocket.
READ MORE: Hotel has taken hundreds of bookings despite ceasing tradingThe senior consumer rights editor at Which?, Adam French, has spoken to this newspaper to give his advice on what to do if a wedding venue ceases trading.
He said: "If your wedding venue goes into administration, you'll need to register your claim for a refund with the administrator.
"This can take a lot of time, and doesn't guarantee the whole of your deposit or venue fee back.
"If you've paid for part or all of the venue fee by credit card, you should consider making a Section 75 request.
"Under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act your credit card is equally liable as trader for any loses you sustain between £100 and £30,000.
Mr French encourages anybody that has paid by debit card to get in touch with their bank.
He said: "Sometimes the bank can actually get the money back for you from the administrator but this is not always possible.
"You have 120 days to get in touch with your bank."
If neither of the above ways are successful, Mr French advises get in touch with the Financial Ombudsman Service.
He said: "Sometimes the Financial Ombudsman Service might be able to help people get their money back, but this is a long process and doesn't always work.
For people that may have paid in cash or for services worth less than £100, there's not many options.
Mr French said: "As figures less than £100 are not considered life changing sum of money, there is nothing that can really be done.
"For people who aren't affected by this, the main thing they should take away is that wedding insurance is very important.
"People spend a lot of money on weddings, they need to protect themselves."
Which? Tips for if you wedding venue goes bust:
- Speak to your credit card provider and make a Section 75 request if the amount is between £100 and £30,000.
- Try Chargeback, your bank will try to get the funds back into your account from the administrator/venue. This must be done within 120 days.
- Financial Ombudsman
- Make sure you have wedding insurance, if you do have wedding insurance, put in a claim.
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