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Hotel cancels couple's wedding
When bride-to-be Avril Chang contacted the Consumer Champion over problems she was having with her wedding venue she couldn't imagine the situation would get any worse – but that's exactly what happened.
Avril Chang hoped to have her wedding to fiance Craig Scholes at the Quality Hotel in Croston, including the ceremony, reception and accommodation for her guests.
However the couple decided to switch everything except the exchange of vows to another hotel because of a difference of opinion with the Quality Hotel.
The couple, who got engaged at Christmas 2006, forked out an extra 1,200 to relocate to the Next Generation gym and adjoining Malt House Farm and Premier Inn in Whittle-le-Woods after being told there wasn't enough room for all their guests.
Avril, 44, said they booked a year in advance and although they never received written confirmation they assumed everything was okay.
The said she met with the wedding co-ordinator in February and says she asked for confirmation for 18 rooms.
Ms Chang added: "When we contacted them to inquire about a further four rooms for some more guests, they told us we couldn't have them because of a provisional coach party booking."
She said she had no problem with other people wanting to use the hotel but claims that nobody from the hotel phoned her.
The not-so-happy couple, from Euxton, say they were then given three options by the hotel.
One was to accommodate the overspill at the Mawdsley Hotel. The second was to pay 2,500 for the loss of the coach party booking. Finally the third option was to change the date of the wedding.
Ms Chang said: "We can't change the day and the flights for our honeymoon are already booked.
"My partner Craig is just as cross. There are so many things to organise for the wedding and this has been a disaster."
Irfan Chaudhary, director of the company that owns the Quality Hotel, said: "We did try to work with Ms Chang and offer an alternative. It was her choice to cancel the booking, we never ended the booking or forced her into it.
"We tried everything, including offering her a coach to transport her guests to and from the other hotel.
"Ms Chang gave us a rooming list of 18 or 20 bookings and said there might be more. But we cannot hold the whole hotel and by the time she got back to us we had another booking.
"She wanted another two or three rooms, nothing major."
Unfortunately things developed at an alarming pace after the Champ spoke to Mr Chaudhary.
An upset Ms Chang rang the Guardian to say: "The owner of the hotel, Mr Chaudhary, rang me and said he wasn't prepared to have my wedding ceremony there at all. I'm in a state of complete shock. I cannot believe they've done this. It is our wedding day."
The Champion got straight back on the phone to Mr Chaudhary but he said the customer had gone to the papers and the position was 'untenable'.
He added: "Yes I have cancelled her ceremony. I do not think there's any point in holding an event for her if she is going to the local press and making accusations about the hotel.
"Why should we provide her with a service? All the staff know what's happened. It is an unfortunate end."
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Friday 10 February 2012
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