Beware of Wedding Scams
Weddings are a very big deal, and they require a lot of hard work and planning to setup. This can put a lot of stress on a couple. The last thing couples want to deal with when planning a wedding is a scam. Unfortunately there are scammers out there who like to take advantage of engaged couples.
Scammers know that the best time to trick someone is when they are under a lot of stress. Planning a wedding can be very stressful, and as such, scammers like to target these couples with a few different scams.
Wedding Dress Scams
There are so many different parts to planning a wedding, and scammers have figured out ways to worm their ways in to most of them. Take for instance the very important aspect of buying a wedding dress. There are thousands upon thousands of websites out there that sell wedding dresses. Unfortunately, not all of them are on the up and up.
When looking for wedding dresses, a person should be wary of prices that are too good to be true. A good rule of thumb is that any dress under $200 is probably a scam. Also keep an eye out for terms and conditions in the sales agreement. If there aren’t any, then the person will have little to no chance of getting a refund in the event that a dress is never received. This is especially true if the company is from overseas.
Wedding Planner Scams
Often times, people will hire wedding planners to help reduce the stress of planning the event. Unfortunately, there are some scammers out there who like to pose as wedding planners. These people will often advertise on social media or Craigslist and will often not have any references to prove that they are good at their job. They will often only provide a phone number to contact them with, which is not great for wedding planners.
Another sign that a “wedding planner” may actually be a scammer is if they demand cash payments upfront. Cash is a favorite method of payment for scammers because it can’t be traced. Another good rule to follow is to only pay for wedding expenses with credit cards or checks so that the money can be traced and returned if something goes wrong.
Service Scams
Scammers will also do roughly the same things for different services for weddings, such as photographers, transportation, and catering. Often time, scammers pretending to be one of these will offer rates that are too good to be true. They will be super cheap, ask for a large cash deposit upfront, and then not show up the day of the wedding.
Don’t Get Scammed Planning a Wedding
In order to avoid getting scammed like this, a person should always ask for references before hiring anyone for a wedding. Also check for reviews of the company online. Doing this can not only protect a person from getting scammed, but it can also save them from hiring someone that they wouldn’t have worked well with.
Some other tips include:
- Asking for a signed contract.
- Looking the business up on Better Business Bureau website.
- Meet at the business’ office location.
As long as a couple does these things while planning their wedding, they should be okay. Just knowing that these kinds of scams exist can help a person avoid them. Avoiding these scams will definitely help a couple have a great wedding day, which is all any normal person wants.
Did you have to deal with a scam like this when planning your own wedding? If so, share it in the comments below and help others avoid a similar fate.