A COUPLE forced to pay out hundreds of pounds after a suit hire company went into administration claim they were then sent clothes that did not fit.

Toni and Andrew Brown, from West Auckland, endured a week of stress on the run up to their wedding, paying out £276 on top of the £518 already paid to Greenwoods to release the suits from its supplier ASC Clothing.

But they claim this was only the start of their problems. For when the suits for the groom and his five groomsmen arrived, the couple say only the jackets fitted.

With just four days until their wedding last Saturday, the couple were faced with shirts that were far too long and trousers almost twice the size of the person they were intended for. They also claim Mrs Brown’s 11-year-old nephew was sent a shirt for a three-year-old, while several of the waistcoats did not have backs. Replacements were sent but the couple said many of these did not fit, and Mrs Brown’s mother, Gillian Morris, eventually spent a further £120 on new waistcoats.

“Every time we called them we spent more than an hour on hold,” said Mrs Morris. “It was very stressful and Toni was panicking. I’m now refusing to send back the suits until the money is refunded.”

ASC Clothing was left with a backlog of 10,000 orders after Greenwoods went into administration earlier this month, which it claims it received no payment for.

A spokesperson for the Glasgow-based company reassured customers it was not trying to make a profit from the situation and was honouring all orders but required those who paid in full by cash or by debit card to pay 50 per cent of the fee

She said staff were looking into the sizing complaints but said the company would only have sent what Greenwoods had ordered, adding: “The only reason outfits are sent out in advance of the function are to address any sizing issues as men do typically change size in the lead up to the wedding. We’ve offered all Greenwoods customers free replacements.”

The spokesperson explained the company has only ever provided backless, elasticated waistcoats in certain sizes, and urged the couple to get it touch so the issue could be resolved.

“We send in the region of 400,000 orders out every year and have done for 20 years and I’ve not heard of any party with so many problems.”