Debt-ridden wedding ceremony company took just about £50,000 from {couples} regardless of already having long past BUST

A marriage leisure company left ‘heartbroken’ {couples} hundreds of kilos out of pocket by way of taking bookings after it had already long past bust, an investigation has discovered. 

Frederick Reeves, 49, often referred to as Jamie, and Claire Reeves, 41, ran ‘The Best Singing Waiters’ – an organization that employed ‘servers’ who would all at once burst into track at weddings and different giant social occasions. 

However, brides and grooms have been left ‘devastated’ when the performers didn’t flip up on their special day – regardless of them having paid for the provider in complete. 

One mom of the bride final yr informed MailOnline how she misplaced £1,400 after reserving two waiters from the company as a wonder for her daughter’s wedding ceremony. 

Kathryn Dean, elderly 60, from Liverpool, paid Mr Reeves in two installments in 2021 and best came upon the company had long past bust on social media. 

Now it has emerged that the Wigan-based corporate persisted to take bills totalling £43,590 from 43 shoppers, regardless of being in critical monetary issue. 

A probe by way of the Insolvency Service discovered that the husband and spouse duo knew there used to be ‘no affordable expectation they may give you the products and services they introduced’. 

Mr and Mrs Reeves have now been banned as corporate administrators for 8 years by way of the federal government company. 

The Best Singing Waiters, which used to be often referred to as Solfan1, ultimately went into liquidation with money owed of greater than £700,000 and property of simply over £168,000.

Rob Clarke, Chief Investigator on the Insolvency Service, mentioned: ‘Couples have been left heartbroken after studying the making a song waiters they’d paid to accomplish at their weddings would no longer display up. 

‘Several of the shoppers who misplaced out financially have been even introduced reductions by way of the corporate to make their fee in complete on the time of the reserving. 

‘The critical misconduct that each Frederick and Claire Reeves displayed falls in need of the criteria we predict of corporate administrators which is why they have got each been disqualified till May 2033.’

Speaking to MailOnline about her revel in final yr, Ms Dean mentioned she used to be satisfied she would by no means get her a reimbursement. 

She mentioned: ‘The making a song waiters have been going to be a wonder for the entire visitors.

‘My daughter used to be devastated after we came upon.

‘I felt ill – this used to be my daughter’s wedding ceremony day in any case.

‘I nonetheless simply can not imagine that any individual may just do that to anyone else.

‘If Jamie actually sought after to, he will have coated our wedding ceremony for himself – he has the entire apparatus.’

She mentioned that she first were given in contact with The Best Singing Waiters in February 2021 and paid a deposit of £800.

Ms Dean mentioned: ‘I used to be useless excited – it used to be the very first thing that we booked.

‘I used to be considering on the time “what a way to get a wedding started”.

Photo shared by way of The Best Singer Waiters to put it on the market their corporate on their Facebook web page 

‘I paid the second one instalment of £800 in November 2021 and I believed it used to be all taken care of. Jamie saved in touch and he would ship me movies of his paintings.

‘Then on March 8 of this yr [2024] I gave him every other name and spoke to the administrative center supervisor. We went throughout the track record.

‘She mentioned we might wish to supply lunch for the 2 singers – this used to be high quality so I rang up the catering corporate and paid for this.

‘She then mentioned thanks very a lot and there may be not anything else we wish to do now.

She additionally despatched me movies of the 2 making a song waiters have been going to have at the day.

‘Then I heard not anything else till I simply noticed on social media that they’d closed down.

‘On May 10 [2024], I were given one automatic e-mail announcing that they’d long past into management.’

Ms Dean mentioned it used to be impossible that she would get her a reimbursement via insolvency products and services and that given greater than 150 days had handed she would not be capable to get money back on her bank card.

Dozens of {couples} have been suffering from The Best Singing Waiters going bust and a number of other hit out on social media on the time. 

One bride-to-be posted on Facebook: ‘Our wedding ceremony is in 4 weeks. We’re completely gutted.

‘My aged mom had purchased this for a wonder and can not get a penny again!’

Another mentioned: ‘I’ve booked and paid in complete for April subsequent yr, gutted. Hopefully one thing will also be finished.’

A 3rd added: ‘Same corporate have taken a £1000 from us.’  

Solfan1 used to be integrated in November 2015 and Ms Reeves used to be appointed as director in April 2018.

Frederick Reeves used to be by no means formally indexed as director of the corporate however didn’t dispute that he acted within the capability of a director when accepting his disqualification following Insolvency Service investigations.

The corporate used to be in monetary difficulties in early 2024, having been served a winding-up petition from HM Revenue and Customs for tax money owed of greater than £200,000 at the beginning of February.

Following discussions with a personal insolvency practitioner, the couple agreed on 28 March that Solfan1 must be positioned into liquidation.

However, from then till the corporate went into liquidation on 1 May 2024, they persisted to take deposits and whole bills from new shoppers.

Analysis by way of investigators published that an estimated 43 shoppers made bills totalling £43,590 to the corporate all over that length.