Scam Type
Online Purchase Scam
Business Name Used
Delivery
Date Reported
October 25, 2024
Postal Code
94089
Total Dollars Lost
$ 660
Scam Description
I reached out to Wedding Works after finding their business on The Knot back on March 09, 2024 looking for services for our wedding on 09/21/2024 and the communication was great. We were messaging back and forth on The Knot via their vendor messaging system. I was provided a pdf brochure of their services, and we set up a telephone meeting with Vanessa Roy on 03/11/2024. During the phone call we discussed that my fiancé and I were looking for a vendor to assist with setting up our wedding decor as I had done most of the planning for the wedding already. That same day we were sent an invoice for $660.00 for a “set-up” only package and service charges. We signed our contract via e-signature and made our payment on 03/13/2024.
On 03/13/2024, Vanessa emailed us back confirming she received our payment and signed contract. She also advised we would connect on or before 08/21/2024 to go over the wedding details.
On 09/12/2024 at 7:46pm, I sent Vanessa an email to try to touch base with her and included a pdf copy of the entire wedding decor planning itinerary. I also sent her a text message at (650)-636-6848 – the number used on our initial call, our contract, her email signature, and also online.
The next morning of 09/13/2024, around 10:06am I attempted to call the number to which it gave the automated message of, “Welcome to Verizon Wireless, the number you dialed has been changed, disconnected, or no longer in service.” At this moment, I believed I was scammed. I began to search the internet to see if this was a legitimate business. The websites listed on her email signature and Instagram page were all non-existent. I then started to browse on Instagram and search for “Wedding Works” to find a page with the profile picture matching the exact same logo on the contract I signed (@v.weddingworks) , yet there were zero posts and again the same non-existent website link was in the bio. There was a second account under @wedding_works.sf with the most recent post from 2022. However, there were two tagged posts from other vendors mentioning @wedding_works.sf indicating this business was active recently. Those posts were from 02/09/2024 and 08/14/2024.
I went back to The Knot and tried to see if I could message her via their messaging system that we had originally used to communicate and the message thread was gone, the vendor account page was not there anymore.
At this point I had googled basically everything I possibly could to find a good contact information, I saw on a different website that the number for the business was different and showed (415)214-3238 which also gave the same automated message, “Welcome to Verizon Wireless, the number you dialed has been changed, disconnected, or no longer in service.” On Yelp it showed that their paged had recently been updated August 2024 but still showed the disconnected number.
I decided to reach out to the vendor that tagged Wedding Works on their Instagram post, as well as the bride they worked with. I asked if they had a different contact number or information for Vanessa as all my information was no longer good. The vendor advised they only had Vanessa’s email (vweddingworks@gmail.com) which was different than the email I was communicating with in the past (vanessa@weddingworks.love). In addition, while browsing the internet, I located another email associated to the business (varoy2@yahoo.com). All three which I had then emailed trying to get in touch with Vanessa.
After messaging the bride who just worked with Vanessa in August 2024 based on the Instagram post she was tagged in, she was able to provide me with an updated cell phone number (415)410-3784. I called and it rang once and went to voicemail. The second time I called she answered saying, “Hi, this is Vanessa.”
I let her know that I was trying to get in touch with her and the number she provided me was no longer in service. She said she had sent me and email sometime in August saying they changed their number. However, looking at the email thread I never received that email, nor did I receive a phone call from them advising of their updated contact information. She then said she got my email from the night before and still needed time to look it over. I expressed my concerns of possibly being scammed and she said she sent me an email. Obviously, an email which I never received, I asked her to forward me the email She asked if I would like to be refunded, and I let her know I needed to speak with my fiancé about it.
Later that afternoon around 12:45pm, she sent me an email on a brand new email thread going over the wedding details and again mentioning she had sent an email with the new contact information that I never received. At the bottom of the email was a copied and pasted version of what was “sent” to me. However, it was missing the —Forwarded message—, subject line, and email address she sent the email to.
Based on all of this information, and how much of it seemed like a scam to me, I asked for a refund as I could not trust that they would have proper communication with me or even show up on the day of the wedding.
She then responded back with,
”
Vanessa Roy
11:30?AM (8 hours ago)
to me
Hi Reina,
I understand your previous email as you no longer would like to receive our services for your wedding day.
Our website was taking down temporarily for upgrading purposes on our services. Our vendor page on the knot is active, we just work under a new location. So you may not be able to find us under the SF Bay Area. We never had an active instagram or yelp page, even when you initially booked with us. We do use other planforms and again, it may not be searchable for you in the Bay Area as we are based in a new location for 2025.
Unfortunately, all our payments are final and will not issue a refund on this matter. Although my emails were sent 30 days prior without a response from you. I don’t guarantee we reach out, but for you to contact us within that time window to discuss. We never received any email from you (regardless if we had an update to the phone number) only a few days ago. Leading to our communication only being one week prior. Which I would like to mention, is still plenty of time as we were just booked for “set up only” not for any wedding day coordinating.
Regardless of the fact, I truly wish you the best on your wedding day!”
The day after our wedding she issued a refund that was still processing before she took it back. I sent in a bank fraud claim and a couple days later received fraud charges for the DMV and amusement park tickets. The other bride who had a similar experience with her had the same issue with her credit card getting fraudulent charges
