Lack of enforcement of “standard terms and conditions” leaves couples to pay wedding venue cancellation fee

[Anchor]

A couple, who are set to marry in over a year's time, signed a contract for their wedding venue, but when trying to cancel their contract in just five days of signing, have found themselves in a situation where they have to pay a cancellation fee.

According to the 'standard terms and conditions' set by the government, if a cancellation is made up to five months before the wedding, the entire deposit must be refunded, but there is no enforcement, making it ineffective.

Reporter Lee Soo-min has the story.

[Report]

A prospective bride, Ms. A, is scheduled to marry at the end of next year.

In September, with more than a year before the wedding, she paid a deposit of 3 million won to secure a wedding venue.

[Ms. A/Prospective Bride/Voice Altered: "The hall was really beautiful. (The price) seemed reasonable, so I decided to sign the contract..."]

However, while searching for photos online, she discovered a large pillar that she had not noticed during her venue tour.

[Ms. A/Prospective Bride/Voice Altered: "(The pillar) is on the groom's side, but they guided me to enter from the bride's side, and since I was sitting there, I completely missed it."]

Ultimately, she decided to cancel the contract just five days later, but the venue demanded a cancellation fee based on their contract.

If the cancellation is made within a month of signing, a fee of 500,000 won is required, and after that, a penalty of 2 million won must be paid.

The Fair Trade Commission's 'standard terms and conditions' state that the entire deposit must be refunded if canceled up to five months before the wedding, but since it is a recommendation, the contract included a cancellation fee clause.

[Ms. A/Prospective Bride/Voice Altered: "This is a one-on-one contract, and since it is written in the contract, regardless of what the (standard) terms say, they cannot uphold it."]

The venue stated, "The penalty is a kind of 'safeguard' considering the rental fees, and without such clauses, there is a high possibility of consumers abusing the system."

"However, similar cases have been reported to the Korea Consumer Agency," they added, "and we plan to reflect the results in the contract as soon as they are available."

In September alone, there were 250 consultations related to wedding services reported to the Consumer Agency.

Most of these involved complaints about companies demanding excessive penalties for contract cancellations.

This is KBS News, Lee Soo-min.