In November 2019 a happy young couple was beginning their wedding preparations for the following spring. They were excited to be starting a new chapter in their lives together and couldn’t wait to live the happiest day of their lives in May.
Part of the preparations was booking the videography company that would film their big day. So, they made appointments with Copper Stallion Media and arranged everything, paying a $1,800 deposit.
Unfortunately, a tragic event canceled the couple’s plans in the most heartbreaking way. The young woman, Alexis-Athena Wyatt, was killed in a car accident in February.
The woman lost control of her car on the icy road and drifted into the oncoming lane.
This left everyone in her family, along with her fiance, Justin Montney, devastated. The woman’s family also started a GoFundMe at the time to help them with funeral expenses.
Apparently, along with the shock came the realization that much of the money the couple had spent on deposits for the wedding preparation would be now much needed in light of the events. Most of the companies they had contracts with, agreed to refund the deposits they had received given the special circumstances. Apart from one.
Copper Stallion Media refused to refund the deposit, claiming that it was a standard policy of the company as, in case of cancelation, it wouldn’t be possible to book another client for the same date and therefore they had to pay the employees using this amount.
“We replied and expressed our sympathy and explained to him that all of our wedding contracts are non-refundable,” the company states. “He kept emailing us trying to get a refund and we kept reiterating that the contract is non-refundable. We eventually stopped responding since the issue was moot.”
But the company didn’t stop there. When they realized the man insisted on getting a refund, they created a website under the man’s name, the content of which has by now been removed, in which they tried to “build their case against” Montney, accusing him of running a “smear campaign”.
All of this was the result of numerous negative reviews the company received on The Knot, a popular wedding website, and other websites. People, after hearing the story the man told the local news, felt sorry for him and severely criticized the company for being so insensitive over a tragic loss.
The company’s answer to all the backlash they received was that they would never refund the man no matter what his actions because this is just their policy.
“It is not right that people can go online and trash a company. The contract was non-refundable. We will NEVER refund Justin Montney even with the online threats and harassment,” the website stated. “If we knew he was going to shake us down, we would have charged a higher deposit.”
On top of it, they reportedly mocked Montney and his suffering, by posting the following on social media:
“[We] hope you sob and cry all day for what would have been your wedding day.”
By now, the company’s details have been removed from The Knot, as it was found that they had registered on the website using a false identity. The company owner could be associated with a man who has been accused of scamming numerous couples out of payments for wedding videos that were never delivered, and the case is still under investigation.
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