Weddings and coronavirus: couples forced to cancel but face massive bills – The Guardian

Couples who have been unable to get married because of the coronavirus lockdown have had their wedding insurance claims rejected in some cases despite being assured they were covered before buying their policy.

The Guardian has heard from people who have lost thousands when claims were turned down by provider WeddingPlan Insurance.

Lidia and her partner Adam were due to get married on 4 April, after the lockdown had begun.

They became concerned that their plans would be affected in early March and looked for insurance that would offer cover against cancellation due to coronavirus. After checking with WeddingPlan that they would qualify, they bought a 57 policy and made payments to caterers and other suppliers.

On 21 March the venue told us they would not be able to hold our wedding because they couldnt guarantee the safety of staff, Lidia says. Then on 23 March came lockdown, and everything was officially shut down.

They asked about a new date next summer, but the price will be much higher. The caterers said they had prepared most of the food and they will not survive if they give a refund.

The couple, who marked their planned wedding day with drinks in the garden and a Zoom call with friends and family, made a claim for just under 10,000 to cover costs they cannot recover. Emails seen by Guardian Money show they were told they could make a claim if the wedding had to be cancelled as a result of an infectious disease. The rejection says they wont pay out because the venue was closed as a result of a government act, she says. But the cancellation was made before the legislation went through.

Others have had their claims turned down. Debenhams wedding insurance customers appear to be in the same position, as both brands are operated by UK General. Many bought their policies last year but others paid on the basis that they would get coronavirus cover.

The competition watchdog has warned venues over refusing refunds, but some of those claiming have been told that expenses already accrued cannot be reimbursed.

Screengrabs suggest WeddingPlan changed its advice. In an FAQ section on its website in late March, it said: If the government or relevant body cancels all public gatherings due to coronavirus, would the cancellation or postponement of my wedding be covered?. The response is: Yes, if the venue was closed due to general outbreak of infectious disease, where the government issues a notice, this would fall under closure of the venue by the relevant authority.

Many, like Lidia, had also been reassured by email and phone.

Annie was due to get married on Saturday 21 March before the lockdown began but the day after the government announced pubs and hotels would have to close. The photographer pulled out because he was in the vulnerable group, and the guests were dropping like flies, she says. So they checked with WeddingPlan, and were assured they would be able to claim.

After setting up the venue on the Friday, they watched the press briefing announcing the first round of closures, and at 7pm got a call to say the venue would have to close. The couple had planned a church wedding and, with family gathered for the event, they called the insurer to ask if they could still claim for loss of the reception if they went ahead with the legal part of the day. Thanks to a vicar with a tape measure, they were allowed to marry, but with none of the celebrations.

We arent claiming for a photographer, because we had pictures of the ceremony. We are claiming for flowers for the table, but not for the bouquets. But it was too late to postpone, so we had to pay for the food and the venue.

Their 20,000 claim has also been rejected because the insurer said the venue was forced to close by a government act. They contest that, saying the law did not come into effect until after their wedding date, and that the insurers website initially said it would take claims in these circumstances. We havent had the wedding we planned, and we have paid full price for it.

UK General says it did not underwrite the policies and was a distributor of a number of insurance products so we do not have the final say in whether or not a claim is paid.

It adds: We acknowledge that our customers expect to be able to make a claim on their wedding insurance policy as a result of having to postpone their wedding, and when their claim is turned down it is extremely upsetting ... A pandemic cover, for situations such as for Covid-19, was not written into wedding policies, and policies were thus not priced to cover pandemics. The policy is intended to cover localised issues, such as a local authority closing a specific venue following an outbreak of food poisoning. A government-imposed lockdown is not, and was never intended, to be part of the cover provided under this policy.

UK General says anyone who has had a claim turned down can use its complaints process and the Financial Ombudsman Service.

Couples who put down deposits for weddings that have had to be cancelled due to the lockdown have faced aggressive demands from venues to pay their final bills which can easily be 12,000-17,000 for a wedding that can no longer take place.

Faced with such a demand what should you? James Cronin, a director at the Cheltenham law firm Eight Legal, advises couples against handing over any more money. Instead, he says, they may want to argue that the original contract to provide the wedding venue has been frustrated.

If a contract exists for a wedding or holiday which is now impossible to perform in a way that resembled the original terms agreed between the parties in any meaningful way, a letter arguing that the contract has been frustrated and referring to the Law Reform (Frustrated Contracts) Act 1943 may well help, he says.

Frustration applies when an unforeseeable event would make it impossible to perform the contract at all or on terms which bore any real commercial resemblance to those agreed between the parties. If one party has benefited considerably prior to the frustrating event covid cancellation - a judge is allowed to apportion some or all of the benefits to the other party if this would result in a fair outcome.

Consumer rights group Which? says it has received complaints from couples about wedding venue cancellations.

It is unacceptable that some venues are refusing to provide any refund of couples significant upfront deposits or charging customers extortionate fees, particularly when it is not the couples decision to cancel, said Adam French, consumer rights editor at Which?.

While many businesses will be struggling during this difficult time, it does not seem fair for customers to be charged fees or left thousands of pounds out of pocket for a service the venue cant deliver.

Miles Brignall

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Weddings and coronavirus: couples forced to cancel but face massive bills - The Guardian