#A world of pain full#

The only possible solution is for both sides to have an honest discussion and then agree to some arrangement - a deposit repayment plan over several months, or the offering of some other form of service in lieu of a refund. In reality though, in most, if not all cases, the Covid-crippled business has spent the deposit to pay their utility bills and/or staff, and with no new deposit payments for bookings coming in, they just do not have the money. Ideally, consumers should consider accepting a postponement, but in the case of many wedding cancellations, the couple, exhausted from all the on-off uncertainty, and the impossibility of knowing whether guests, especially those travelling from overseas, will be able to attend, have given up on the idea of a wedding and have married by means of a private ceremony instead. One hotel told a family with a booking during this fortnight that itвЂ™s closing for the two weeks, and no, they couldnвЂ™t get a refund because they simply donвЂ™t have the money. Nevertheless, many function venues and guest houses are telling consumers that they will not be getting refunds.

#A world of pain full#

And that means consumers are legally entitled to a full refund of their money - the вЂњreasonableвЂќ cancellation penalty doesnвЂ™t apply when the consumer has no choice but to cancel.

Only this time, they are not voluntary cancellations they are sparked by a legal prohibition. President Cyril Ramaphosa's Sunday night announcement that, at least for two weeks, functions and events are not allowed and that gyms must close, has predictably led to a fresh round of cancellations. In this weekly segment of bite-sized chunks of useful information, consumer journalist Wendy Knowler summarises news you can use: Lockdown cancellations - a world of pain all round