Ibrahim Alawi
JEDDAH — The clients of the ceremony halls that were shut down by the municipality complained against the municipality and threatened to file a lawsuit against the municipality for the losses and emotional trauma it caused.
Ibrahim Al-Ameer said his wedding was scheduled for next week in one of the halls that were shut down on Tuesday. “I am suing the municipality for the losses incurred by me due to this closure. I had already scheduled and prepared for everything and now I have no idea how to deal with this situation. The municipality has caused a lot of damage by its sudden and unprofessional conduct,” said Al-Ameer.
Mohammad Al-Jahdali blamed the municipality for ruining his joy on his wedding. “The decision to shut the halls down has turned a happy occasion for me into a complicated one. Spring break is here and there are no places available in such a high season. I had already paid thousands for dinner, the dancing performance and the hotel reservation. Now the date of my wedding will change and ruin all of the plans,” said Al-Jahdali.
Abdullah Al-Sahafi said he lost SR22,000 in early payment that he will not be able to recover because of what the municipality has done. “The municipality did not give us any early notice. If we had known that these halls were under threat of closure we would have prepared ourselves with alternative solutions,” said Al-Sahafi.
A manager at one of the halls said they have blocked the entrance of the hall to prevent more clients from coming in. “The clients who already had reservations will still have their ceremonies according to plan. Our clients are very angry and we received a lot of threats. Many of them don’t understand that the matter is out of our hand,” said the manager.
Another manager of another hall said the municipality’s shutdown caused them to cancel 13 ceremonies. “A total of 26 grooms are now lost with no other place to go to after reserving for their wedding with us. Our clients do not understand that the decision is not within our hand and many of them are not willing to forgive us or understand our situation,” said the manager. He added the municipality is not being flexible and understanding and he is now being sued by many clients.
