An email from an Iowa vendor to wedding planning website The Knot is both succinct and expressive.
“I don’t want a phone call. I don’t want to talk through it. I’m drowning in bills from your company for leads that were promised but never received. I’m unimpressed and dissatisfied,” the author wrote. “I don’t feel ‘supported’ ― I feel deceived. I don’t want a refund. I want my contract cancelled immediately and to never pay The Knot, Wedding Wire, or Wedding Pro another dime.”
The vendor, whose name was redacted, was eventually released from the contract. But the complaint has U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa renewing his pressure on the Federal Trade Commission to investigate allegations of fraudulent and deceptive business practices by The Knot.
The Republican’s effort to address complaints about the widely used service dates back to March 2025. That October, he asked FTC Chair Andrew N. Ferguson for an investigation, saying he had received complaints of “repeated failures to honor contracts and deliberate attempts at fraud.”
His office on Monday, May 11, put the total number of complaints received at more than 200, including some from small businesses in Iowa. Like the one Grassley cited, many allege that The Knot, which connects wedding services providers with potential clients, has charged them for providing leads that turned out to be false.
The providers, such as caterers and venue operators, also complain about failure to provide promised advertising and discounts.
In his latest letter to Ferguson, dated April 29, Grassley included the emails between the Iowa vendor and The Knot and reiterated his request for an investigation. He asked the FTC chair to “provide me with what steps you’ve taken to investigate all of the allegations you have received concerning The Knot’s alleged deceptive and fraudulent business practices.”
“Accordingly, I’m referring for your review records I received from an Iowa small business owner recounting the alleged fraudulent and deceptive business practices they were subjected to by The Knot,” he wrote. “The records enclosed with this letter include emails between the Iowa small business owner and The Knot representatives detailing an alleged bait-and-switch scheme perpetrated by The Knot and screen shots of messages from allegedly fake leads. “
The FTC did not respond to an emailed request for comment.
The Knot says complaints are relatively few and it work to address them
In a prepared statement provided Monday, The Knot responded that the complaints represent only a very small fraction of the 900,000 wedding professionals it counts as clients worldwide.
“For over 30 years, we have built trusted relationships with our vendors, couples, and local communities, including more than 1,500 wedding professionals in Iowa alone. We work hard to deliver positive experiences on our platform, and when issues come up, our teams work quickly to address them,” The Knot’s statement said.
“In this case, we worked directly with the vendor to address their concerns and, at their request, cancelled their contract and issued a refund. While we are always disappointed when a vendor has a negative experience, we remain focused on helping wedding professionals connect with couples and grow their businesses as we work toward our mission of making it easier to plan life’s most meaningful moments,” the statement said.
The Knot’s website says it has operations in New York; Washington, D.C.; Barcelona, Spain; Delhi, India; Galway, Ireland; and London and has more than 4 million users.
The Knot also provided a social media post from Republican U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee that referenced working with The Knot in promoting small businesses.
At least one court case filed in Iowa, alleging fraudulent practices and breach of contract, resulted in a default judgement against The Knot.
In August 2021, Q Squared Systems LLC of Des Moines filed the lawsuit in small claims court seeking restitution for $3,050 in advertising fees it said it had paid, $2,550 in statutory damages as defined by Iowa’s Consumer Fraud Act and $900 in attorney fees. The Knot never responded to the suit, resulting in the court issuing a judgment of $6,500 plus interest to Q Squared.
Cornelius S. Qualley, who is listed as both attorney and an owner of Q Squared Systems LLC in court documents and on the company’s website, did not respond to numerous requests for comment.
Kevin Baskins covers jobs and the economy for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at kbaskins@registermedia.com.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa’s Grassley urges probe of The Knot’s alleged deceptive practices
Reporting by Kevin Baskins, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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