An Australian event planning company must compensate nearly $76,000 to couples who had their wedding plans dashed when the firm went broke and liquidated, leaving the poor couples in the lurch.
The director of Bali D’Luxe, Catherine Williams, must pay that amount out-of-pocket to five couples, while Acceler8 Group Pty Ltd, which traded as Bali D’Luxe, was also fined $50,000 in an Australian magistrate court, reports ABC Australia.
The firm was found guilty of wrongly accepting prey-payment between June 2013 and October 2014 without providing the services hired—some of the couples had arrived in Bali for their weddings only to discover the wedding services weren’t actually paid for and they had to pay the fees all over again to guarantee them.
“The couples thought they were going to have their dream wedding in a popular destination, but it turned out to be a nightmare,” Acting Commissioner for Consumer Protection David Hillyard said, as quoted by ABC.
“Paying large sums of money upfront for services that may not be delivered for many months is risky and consumers should try to reduce that risk by paying the minimum amount required to secure the bookings.”
