ConsumerWatch

• Oct 2, 2006 7:35 pm US/Pacific
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  SF Couple Pays For Wedding Rip-Off

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SF Couple Pays For Wedding Rip-Off

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5) ― A San Francisco couple had their hearts set on a dream wedding in Hawaii, but the whole thing almost turned into a disaster after their wedding planner apparently didn't plan a thing.

James and Bernice Custodio called Atlanta-based Wedding Vows in Paradise to help them tie the knot. What they saw online looked picture-perfect.

"There were like people on the beach partying -- it's like ooh, this is how I want my wedding to be," said James Custodio. "We wanted to get married in Hawaii you know, something small, something affordable, so we could put money aside for the future."

Their planner said she could take care of everything -- from cake to honeymoon. The cost? $11,000.

Just two days before the ceremony, Bernice called the wedding site to confirm where to go.

"She says, 'You're Eleena's client,' goes, 'Haven't heard from her, what's going on?,' " Bernice Custodio said. "I said, 'What do you mean what's going on. I have the wedding with 55 guests coming this Sunday.' She never sent me the money. We discussed it, but she never booked it."

In Hawaii, everybody scrambled to make the Custodio's wedding come together. But the couple wound up paying for just about everything -- again.

"This is a problem where these folks trusted their entire program to unknown people 3,000 miles away," said Pat Wallace of the Better Business Bureau. "That's just simply not good sense."

After several calls, CBS 5 did hear from the wedding planner. She said James and Bernice deserve a refund.

But so far, they have not gotten their money back. The Custodios are pursuing legal action.

But mostly, they say, they feel betrayed.

"She made me feel like she was somebody I could trust, but in the end, she was the one who we needed to look out for," Bernice Custodio said.

The Better Business Bureau recommends using a credit card rather than writing checks so it is easier to dispute the charges if necessary.

Editor's Note:
To check out a business with the Better Business Bureau, see Related Links on the right side of this page.

(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)