Party in the south?
צילום: index open
State urges southern event halls to refund cancellers
Industry, Trade, Labor Ministry's Consumer Protection supervisor and Consumer Council head urge southern event hall owners to allow customers booking events before Gaza op to back out without paying cancellation fees
Southern residents who had booked event halls for weddings, bar mitzvas, or brits before the start of Operation Cast Lead in Gaza can ask to withdraw from their contracts without any penalties.
The Industry, Trade and Labor Ministry's Consumer Protection head and the Israel Consumer Council urged event hall owners on Monday to release southern residents of any contracts signed before the operation, since the emergency situation in the area has prohibited public gatherings in towns in the line of fire.
Trade Ministry's Supervisor of Consumer Protection Yitzhak Kimchi and Consumer Council Director General Ehud Peleg called on event hall owners not give the consumers a hard time, and to free them of their contracts within a reasonable timeframe of at least two weeks, so that they can begin preparing to hold their event in a safe place.
The two also asked consumers have their deposits refunded as long as the emergency situation in the south is valid. If the current situation continues, hall owners won't be able to provide the services they committed to, and will therefore not be able to demand consumers uphold their contracts or be able to charge cancellation fees.
The Home Front Command has prohibited public gatherings in all southern communities in a 10km range from Gaza. Gatherings of up to 100 people are allowed in areas in a 10km – 20km (6.2 - 12.4 miles) range from the Strip, and groups of up to 300 people are permitted in the range of 20km – 40km (12.4 - 25 miles)from Gaza, as long as they are held under a concrete ceiling.
Despite the Ministry's plea, many customers wishing to cancel events that were booked before the start of the Gaza operation were met with refusal.
In some instances customers' requests were granted, but at very late dates, making it more difficult to find alternatives spots to hold their events.
If such a case is to be taken to court, the ruling may be in favor of the consumer, since the circumstances leading to the cancellation of the event are sudden, unexpected and external.
