Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  08/03/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We hosted our wedding at Story on May 25, 2024. Our event was on the simpler side, but there were several items that we had discussed with Rich (the owner) in advance and had agreed that they would take care of. Many of these items were not delivered upon. When I approached Rich after the event, he refused to take any accountability. Many of the issues could have been let go on their own, but they stack up to clear malfeasance on the part of the owner. The situations with the bar and the way Rich has treated me since are really what has pushed me over. Below is a VERY abbreviated list of items that went wrong - more details and evidence in communications with Rich are attached. 1. Ceremony location was not ready 20 minutes before the ceremony - benches were dirty; an arch that they had agreed to remove was still present 2. Bar setup was a disaster in multiple ways - please see attached review, as there is not enough room to share the details here 3. Very under-staffed and unable to serve food in the manner agreed upon in advance - all food was hors d'oeuvres and agreed that it would be passed. The cost of food was doubled by deciding to do hors d'oeuvres - you expect that to go toward wait staff (which were guaranteed to be provided). 4. Did not receive several items and services that were agreed upon in advance 5. Poor treatment of multiple guests 6. Hosted another event at the same time - suspect this is where the wait staff that was intended for my event went 7. Venue event coordinator was unable to do her job because she had to bring out and serve the food with minimal assistance Rich has become hostile. We did receive a small portion of money back for an appetizer that was not received and the cocktails (only after the event coordinator convinced him). I entered a consumer complaint - his response to them contained many provable lies and cruel and unfounded attacks on my character.

  Customer response

  08/08/2024

  Hello,

  Attached is the email communication from the consumer complaint I entered. It contains Rich's response to the complaint and my followup. Within Rich's response he makes many statements that can be proven untrue by the other documentation I have shared. He also makes some nasty and untrue statements regarding things he claims my in-laws said to him. I am extremely close with my in-laws, my mother-in-law (****) even helped me write my requests/responses to Rich. I know that they would never make these types of remarks and they never met Rich, as he was not present for any of the wedding events. I believe that his event coordinator, Claire, would side with me on many of these items if asked without Rich being able to see her response.

  I know from all of my interactions so far that Rich will refuse to give any further reimbursement for the many services not received. My main goal here is to have this information and Rich's refusal documented to warn future potential customers. When I posted reviews to different sites, I received responses from others who had had similar experiences with Rich. Deep diving into other bad reviews and how Rich responded to them, gave more insight and matched closely with my experiences with him.

  I expect that Rich will respond to this complaint with another set of lies. Please take the time to review the documents I have shared (I also have other notes and documents I can send, if that ends up being helpful - and my in-laws have offered to write letters on my behalf if he makes similar claims about them). These documents with clearly show that much of what he is saying is direct lies.

  Thank you for taking the time to review this complaint. Dealing with all of this has been incredibly stressful, but I want to make sure others have an opportunity to see what they would be getting themselves into before working with Rich.

  Customer response

  08/08/2024

  Hello,

  Attached is the email communication from the consumer complaint I entered. It contains Rich's response to the complaint and my followup. Within Rich's response he makes many statements that can be proven untrue by the other documentation I have shared. He also makes some nasty and untrue statements regarding things he claims my in-laws said to him. I am extremely close with my in-laws, my mother-in-law (****) even helped me write my requests/responses to Rich. I know that they would never make these types of remarks and they never met Rich, as he was not present for any of the wedding events. I believe that his event coordinator, Claire, would side with me on many of these items if asked without Rich being able to see her response.

  I know from all of my interactions so far that Rich will refuse to give any further reimbursement for the many services not received. My main goal here is to have this information and Rich's refusal documented to warn future potential customers. When I posted reviews to different sites, I received responses from others who had had similar experiences with Rich. Deep diving into other bad reviews and how Rich responded to them, gave more insight and matched closely with my experiences with him.

  I expect that Rich will respond to this complaint with another set of lies. Please take the time to review the documents I have shared (I also have other notes and documents I can send, if that ends up being helpful - and my in-laws have offered to write letters on my behalf if he makes similar claims about them). These documents with clearly show that much of what he is saying is direct lies.

  Thank you for taking the time to review this complaint. Dealing with all of this has been incredibly stressful, but I want to make sure others have an opportunity to see what they would be getting themselves into before working with Rich.

  Business response

  08/08/2024

  Hi BBB folks,
  
  ******* has already received a full refund for the items in question.  She's filed a complaint with the Attorney General who at this point has also not asked me to do anything else.  ******* didn't get her desired outcome there, so she's trying this route.
  
  
  I am in business by virtue of doing the right thing, operating a hotel and restaurant, tavern and event venue in order to preserve the Story Historic District.  Me and my team feel ******* has already been more than adequately compensated for issues ******* has addressed.  That's frankly how she received her $1,682.04 refund in two separate checks which represent hors 'doeuvres that didn't get delivered at the specified time as well as their entire pre-batched cocktails order that did get delivered but ******* complained she didn't a larger quantity than what she paid.
  
  Prior to any refunds, ********* in-laws thanked us for hosting and providing for ******* and Ben's wedding specifically, it was said, because of how difficult ******* is to deal with.  This seemed surprising because all requests ******* made had been quickly addressed and things were running according to specification.  To a patient observer, this complaint could be considered a frivolous waste of time and resources with ********* false defamatory claims intended to damage the Story Inn business reputation.  I've asked that ******* rescind her public false attacks on me and the business, attacks which are bordering libel.  (Her complaints have already been addressed in the attached responses via the attorney general).  
  
  ******* made the specifications for her wedding.  Two weeks prior to the date ******* and Ben agreed to the order event sheet with our event director/day of manager, Claire.  The event sheet basically outlines the catering and venue order which was delivered to specification.  The only issue on the operational side was the timing of one horderve, which I was proactive about refunding since we missed their desired delivery time.  So I issued a check for $1,082.04 which Claire delivered at an appropriate time after their dinner.  That evening, Claire made sure everything else was going smoothly and followed up regarding any late requests.  ******* brings up several points and I've responded to each of her claims from her Attorney General complaint, attached.  Below is also an abbreviated response:
  
  
  1. Ceremony location was not ready 20 minutes before the ceremony - benches were dirty; an arch that they had agreed to remove was still present
  RESPONSE:  Deep cleaning was performed and ******* approved the venue at check in with Claire (more details about cleaning procedures in attachment).  ******* asked Claire to move the arch, which was done.  There are a couple arches and each was moved a couple times to get it just right per ********* request.
  
  
  2. Bar setup was a disaster in multiple ways - please see attached review, as there is not enough room to share the details here
  RESPONSE:  Claire set up a cash bar per the event sheet.  ******* thought she ordered more pre batched clarified cocktails than she paid for in the event sheet, however, didn't want us to make more batched cocktails when asked because of the increase in price.  Pricing for the batched cocktail was discussed with the beverage director and he assured the price/quantity that was originally paid by ******* was also received.  
  Story delivered the entire pre batched cocktails per their order but ******* wanted more, so I refunded the entire amount because of how much she was complaining to Claire.  ******* and Claire confirmed the quantity of batched cocktails in the amount $250 each, with 20% gratuity.  ******* received an additional $600 check for the batched cocktails that were in fact provided after she declined to have the beverage director make more.  This attempt at appeasement was made between Claire and ******* to achieve resolution.  While, ******* eagerly agreed to accept the refund she also continued to publicly bash the business after receipt. 
  
  3. Very under-staffed and unable to serve food in the manner agreed upon in advance - all food was hors d'oeuvres and agreed that it would be passed. The cost of food was doubled by deciding to do hors d'oeuvres - you expect that to go toward wait staff (which were guaranteed to be provided).
  RESPONSE:  I heard the conversation between Claire and ******* where it was agreed that at least one hors d'oeuvre would be passed and that a buffet station would be set up.  Therefore, Claire had a buffet set up.  Claire coordinated and scheduled her team who passed multiple hors 'doeuvres with more available at the buffet line.  
  The cost of food did not double:  We hold prices constant at the time of booking, despite any increase in inflation. The Story Inn made the appetizers/beverages per ********* requests, listed in the event sheet. 
  
  4. Did not receive several items and services that were agreed upon in advance
  RESPONSE:  Our event team made all accommodations per ********* requests and performed what was agreed on the event sheet. 
  Basically everything we have was made available to wedding guests, from tables and chairs, to yard games, from linens and plates, to glassware and silverware.  These are all provided at no charge and set up by our event team per guests' requests/specifications.
  
  5. Poor treatment of multiple guests
  RESPONSE: The Story Inn business employs 20 or so staff and is recognized by The Republic newspaper as the best wedding venue in Brown County.  Story staff are aware of this and strive to treat people with dignity, respect, and kindness.  This is how such a successful reputation is built.  We don't employ people, within the service industry, who treat guests poorly.  False accusations without evidence seem rude to me.
  
  6. Hosted another event at the same time - suspect this is where the wait staff that was intended for my event went
  RESPONSE:  Claire has a dedicated event staff that is scheduled to execute the plans to specification.  There are different teams for private and public events.  The folks that put on the monthly public comedy shows do not work private events with Claire, nor have they ever to my knowledge.  The comedy show did not conflict with ********* wedding as it was held indoors in the banquet hall; a different location than the barn venue.  Story would not put on two events if there was a possibility to conflict with one another.  At no time were staff pulled from Johanna's 
  I've included communication with Sean Fox, ********* guest who stayed in the Mill.  At no time was there any mention of any issue with hosting the comedy show, until ********* recent complaint.  ******* wanted a refund because she said Sean had to leave early.  The attached emails/responses via attorney general show this to be false; Sean never had an issue with the comedy show and left to get closer to his destination. 
  
  7. Venue event coordinator was unable to do her job because she had to bring out and serve the food with minimal assistance Rich has become hostile. We did receive a small portion of money back for an appetizer that was not received and the cocktails (only after the event coordinator convinced him). I entered a consumer complaint - his response to them contained many provable lies and cruel and unfounded attacks on my character.
  RESPONSE:   The event coordinator coordinates the event team.  The job requires bringing food out to serve because that's what ******* ordered.  
  I think it's unhealthy for ******* to call me names, especially when unfounded and undeserved.  I feel personally attacked obviously and I'd like a resolution where ******* quits bashing me and the business.  In my previous response to the attorney generals office I repeated ********* in-laws claim that ******* is difficult to work with.  That statement was not intended as a personal attack unto her but simply to bring context to the situation. 
  I support my team who agree that ******* has been more than fairly compensated for her perceived issues. I request your review of the complaint & corresponding responses made to attorney general as well as a speedy dismissal of ********* complaint with the BBB.
  
  
  I welcome any further questions or if there's anything else I can do for you all!

  Customer response

  08/12/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined the response would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below. I have also attached a pdf of my response, which may be easier to review (my responses are in blue).

  Hi *******,
  
  Thank you for reviewing my complaint. Please see my responses below.
  
  *Has the company addressed the issue of the dispute? - No.
  
  *If not, why? - Rich’s response is full of provable lies. I will address each item below, within his response. The items I previously shared prove that many of his statements are false - I will do my best to name which attachment includes evidence as I address each item. Apologies for how long these responses are becoming. I hope you will recognize that I would not be spending so much time and energy on this if I did not truly feel that Rich’s actions have been unacceptable and that future potential clients should be warned.
  
  *Has the company met the agreement they outlined in their response? - N/A
  
  MESSAGE FROM BUSINESS:
  
  Hi BBB folks,
  
  ******* has already received a full refund for the items in question.
  
  ********* Response:
  Refund received was for one appetizer that was not provided and for a portion of the pre-batched cocktails that were not provided. Cocktail refund was provided after his event coordinator, Claire, spoke with Rich and convinced him to provide it.
  When I approached Rich, I requested reimbursement of an additional $2000 to cover a portion of the other items and services that had been guaranteed and not received. If you review the document titled ‘Cost of Services Not Received’ with my low-end approximations of costs, you will see that this is far less than the amount lacking. At the time of this request, I still believed that Rich was acting in good faith, and I expected that he may negotiate to reimburse a smaller amount. Rich has been unwilling to show any accountability for these missing items and services and has begun telling direct lies to get out of his responsibility as a business owner. Fortunately, many of these lies can be proven as such by the documents I have provided.
  
  
  She's filed a complaint with the Attorney General who at this point has also not asked me to do anything else.  ******* didn't get her desired outcome there, so she's trying this route. 
  
  ********* Response:
  Yes, as mentioned in my BBB claim, a complaint has also been filed with the attorney general. Rich has sent a similar response to them and I have shared the same evidence, proving that his response is riddled with lies. I initiated this BBB claim prior to any finalization from the attorney general consumer complaint and intended to do this regardless of what the outcome from the attorney general ends up being.
  
  
  I am in business by virtue of doing the right thing, operating a hotel and restaurant, tavern and event venue in order to preserve the Story Historic District.  Me and my team feel ******* has already been more than adequately compensated for issues ******* has addressed.  That's frankly how she received her $1,682.04 refund in two separate checks which represent hors 'doeuvres that didn't get delivered at the specified time as well as their entire pre-batched cocktails order that did get delivered but ******* complained she didn't a larger quantity than what she paid.
  
  ********* Response:
  I have included text message communications with Claire in the attachments that show she at least agreed to some extent and she is the reason for any reimbursement that I have received. (Text messages are shared in the already attached document titled ‘Text Messages with **** and Claire’.) One of his other employees did respond to a review I left in a wedding Facebook group, apologizing for my dealings with Rich and explaining that they have been consistently understaffed for at least the last two years. Screenshots of this are included in the document titles ‘Facebook Messages’, that I will include now (I have blocked pit the namw of the employee, as I do not want to get them into any trouble if it gets shared with Rich but can share it if helpful). This document also contains a response from a DJ who recently worked another event there and noticed similar under-staffing issues.
  I have received a portion of the refund for the appetizer and cocktails, as already noted. The cocktails were not delivered as agreed upon. All communications from my end very clearly stated 2 gallons of each cocktail - 4 gallons total. This was based on the recommendation of Wes, the beverage manager. Wes also noted that each gallon would contain 5 bottles of alcohol and serve 32 drinks. When the cocktails were already gone by the time that we arrived at the bar right after the ceremony, I asked the bartender and was told that she received 2 bottles (fifths) of each cocktail. This adds up to less than 1 gallon total between the two cocktails. Even if Rich had believed that we only wanted 1 gallon of each cocktail as he states, we would have still received less than half of what was ordered. Claire also confirmed that Wes told her that each cocktail only contained 2 bottles of alcohol. We should have had approx 128 cocktail servings (on top of the case of wine, 2 kegs of beer, and 4 bottles of sour beers), which would have been more than plenty for my guests to not feel a need to purchase any drinks from the bar.
  We had the cash bar set up because we wanted it for Friday evening (even Rich had agreed that it was not needed based on how many drinks we had pre-purchased) but once set up, it was included for the weekend. The previously attached documents titled ‘Story Cocktail Notes Ap’, ‘Story Cocktail Emails’, ‘Gmail - Food and Bar Breakdown’ clearly show that 2 gallons was requested. Rich falsely stated in his response to my request (in ‘Story Reimbursement Request Email Chain’) that I was aware that we were only supposed to get 1 gallon of each and chose not increase the amount - we were never told a quantity and the invoice does not state one, we were simply told that the cost of the cocktails we requested would be $500 ($635 total of which only $600 was reimbursed) and that this quantity would be enough for our guests. We had no way of knowing this theoretically was not intended to cover the amount that had been discussed the entire time - and again we did not even receive what he claims the $500 was intended to cover.
  
  
  Prior to any refunds, ********* in-laws thanked us for hosting and providing for ******* and Ben's wedding specifically, it was said, because of how difficult ******* is to deal with.  This seemed surprising because all requests ******* made had been quickly addressed and things were running according to specification.  To a patient observer, this complaint could be considered a frivolous waste of time and resources with ********* false defamatory claims intended to damage the Story Inn business reputation.  I've asked that ******* rescind her public false attacks on me and the business, attacks which are bordering libel.  (Her complaints have already been addressed in the attached responses via the attorney general). 
  
  ********* Response:
  My in-laws have never met Rich and do not have any idea what he even looks like. I also have an extremely close relationship with both of them and know that they never would have said such a thing if they had met him. Rich was not present for any of the events of the weekend - Ben and I saw him when we checked in on Friday and then never again. This is an attempt by Rich to paint me as hard to work with and never satisfied in order to discredit my claim. This statement has made my mother-in-law extremely upset and she has written a letter stating her view of the situation, which I am attaching.
  All statements I have made are entirely true and can be backed up by the documents I have attached. Any conjecture in my reviews is stated as such. Irrelevant, but to show a pattern of mistruth Rich has also never reached out to me to remove the reviews. These reviews are intended to warn others so that they will know what they are getting into before agreeing to work with this venue - I even stated recommendations for how to deal with things if someone does still want to work with them after reading the review.
  
  
  ******* made the specifications for her wedding.  Two weeks prior to the date ******* and Ben agreed to the order event sheet with our event director/day of manager, Claire.  The event sheet basically outlines the catering and venue order which was delivered to specification.  The only issue on the operational side was the timing of one horderve, which I was proactive about refunding since we missed their desired delivery time.  So I issued a check for $1,082.04 which Claire delivered at an appropriate time after their dinner.  That evening, Claire made sure everything else was going smoothly and followed up regarding any late requests.  ******* brings up several points and I've responded to each of her claims from her Attorney General complaint, attached. 
  
  ********* Response:
  The event sheet has almost no details other than line items that are specific costs. We had actually asked multiple times to have the items that were stated as ‘included’ added to the sheet. At the time, I thought that Rich was well meaning and just too lazy to write things on the event sheet. I incorrectly assumed he was a man of his word. Rich even had the nights that were staying on site incorrect on the event sheet, he corrected them in the booking system but never on this sheet, therefore this document cannot be considered as a complete and accurate statement of what was agreed? We explicitly discussed the catering with both Rich and Claire 4 weeks before the wedding (see ‘Photo of Meeting Notes’) and agreed that all items, except a charcuterie setup, would be passed out to the guests. We had even been flexible when we asked, I was open to having a mix if they did not have the staff to support but told them our preference would be passed and they told me it would be no problem. When I went back 2 weeks before the wedding Claire told me she knew who she planned to use as wait staff to be able to accomplish this. On Friday evening, Claire and I again discussed this while talking about how many food tables to keep out - we both agreed that only 1 table would be needed (vs the 2 I originally had on the layout I sent them) because only the charcuterie would need a table. On Saturday, I found that an additional table had been brought out and warming trays set up on it. Claire’s response to my original email requesting reimbursement states that 3 items were passed and does not make any claim to us agreeing to a portion being left out as buffet. I believe, if asked, she would state that she had agreed to everything being passed.
  The initial check was not delivered at an appropriate time. It was brought out at around 11PM on our wedding night while we were still socializing with our guests. Claire pulled Ben away from his friends to discuss with him and told us that the check was for both the appetizer and the cocktails - we later found that it was not. From speaking to others after the fact, I have been told that this is a common predatory practice - pull us away while we are far from in a proper state of mind (also pulled aside the person that had not been their main contact or paying them) and make untrue claims about what the check was for.
  There were no late requests. I asked Claire about the cocktails when I noticed that issue and she said she would look into it, but nothing else was ever done.
  
  
  Below is also an abbreviated response:
  
  1. Ceremony location was not ready 20 minutes before the ceremony - benches were dirty; an arch that they had agreed to remove was still present
  RESPONSE:  Deep cleaning was performed and Johanna approved the venue at check in with Claire (more details about cleaning procedures in attachment).  ******* asked Claire to move the arch, which was done.  There are a couple arches and each was moved a couple times to get it just right per ********* request.
  
  ********* Response:
  When we arrived on Friday afternoon, the reception area was partially set up - but with the incorrect chairs. They had brought out white plastic chairs even though we had discussed multiple times using the mismatched wooden chairs in their barn. Rich had assured me that these chairs would be brought out and wiped down for us. They were all still in the barn when we arrived and extremely dirty/dusty/cobwebbed and many were in hard to reach places. Ben and I spent over 1.5hrs pulling these chairs down from the barn loft and setting them up and packing up the white plastic chairs without finding a single employee to help. We later found out that Claire was not there because she was trying to find us the sour beers that had been discussed a month prior and had gone into town to try to buy some. When we finally did see Claire, she said that she had been aware and would have had the chairs swapped out for us. I do believe that she meant this, but they were still working on the agreed upon set up late into the evening on Friday far after my guests for the Friday dinner had arrived, so I do not think it would have been possible for them to do this in time if we had not taken it upon ourselves to fix. There was a single maintenance person working alone on the setup.
  As far as the arch situation: There were 2 arches at the ceremony location - 1 at the entrance that I did not even think could be moved and never asked for it to be. The other was a very wobbly wooden arch that was intended for couples to be married in front of. My preference was to have NO arch at all and be married under the trees. At least 6 months before, I asked if it was possible for this arch to be removed for our event and was told that would not be a problem. This was reiterated and agreed to several times leading up to our wedding weekend. On the Friday afternoon, I went back to check and found that the arch was still there. I mentioned this to Claire and she said she would have it removed for us and that the benches in the ceremony location would be wiped down. On Saturday, quite literally 20 minutes before our ceremony, our officiant went to double check that the arch was gone and saw that it was still there and that the benches looked very dirty. She had to rush to have the arch moved and it was still left in the ceremony location, just pushed to the side. I wanted no arch at all, so to say that they moved multiple arches multiple times to get them just right for us is blatantly untrue. I will share a photo from our ceremony that shows that we had no arch behind us (‘Ceremony Photo’).
  
  
  2. Bar setup was a disaster in multiple ways - please see attached review, as there is not enough room to share the details here
  RESPONSE:  Claire set up a cash bar per the event sheet.  ******* thought she ordered more pre batched clarified cocktails than she paid for in the event sheet, however, didn't want us to make more batched cocktails when asked because of the increase in price.  Pricing for the batched cocktail was discussed with the beverage director and he assured the price/quantity that was originally paid by ******* was also received. 
  Story delivered the entire pre batched cocktails per their order but ******* wanted more, so I refunded the entire amount because of how much she was complaining to Claire.  ******* and Claire confirmed the quantity of batched cocktails in the amount $250 each, with 20% gratuity.  ******* received an additional $600 check for the batched cocktails that were in fact provided after she declined to have the beverage director make more.  This attempt at appeasement was made between Claire and ******* to achieve resolution.  While, ******* eagerly agreed to accept the refund she also continued to publicly bash the business after receipt.
  
  ********* Response:
  Much of this is already addressed in my response above. I was never asked if I wanted more cocktail batched and never said that I did not. Again, I did not even receive what he claims I was supposed to. From Claire’s texts and the emails I have already mentioned, it is clear that Claire agreed that I was in the right regarding the cocktail amounts. The amount he refunded did not even include the tax. Of course I was going to take whatever money he was willing to refund. Just because I accepted the partial reimbursement for an item I did not receive, does not mean that Rich made the situation right - otherwise, I would not be writing this.
  They received a significant amount of money from my guests by not providing the cocktails that we had agreed to. Tips were solicited from my guests even though I had already paid 20% gratuity on the entire bill. I had directly asked Rich in advance about the ability to pay with credit card at the cash bar and he assured me both card and cash payment would be accepted. He did not mention that in order to pay by card, my guests would have to allow someone to write down their credit card info and bring it to another building later to charge it.
  
  
  3. Very under-staffed and unable to serve food in the manner agreed upon in advance - all food was hors d'oeuvres and agreed that it would be passed. The cost of food was doubled by deciding to do hors d'oeuvres - you expect that to go toward wait staff (which were guaranteed to be provided).
  RESPONSE:  I heard the conversation between Claire and ******* where it was agreed that at least one hors d'oeuvre would be passed and that a buffet station would be set up.  Therefore, Claire had a buffet set up.  Claire coordinated and scheduled her team who passed multiple hors 'doeuvres with more available at the buffet line.
  
  ********* Response:
  This has already been addressed above. Rich was included in the conversation on 4/27 where we agreed that everything would be passed to the guests by a server. They were so understaffed that Claire spent most of her time bringing out and setting up food as buffet. This meant she was unable to coordinate and ensure that we got the other items we had agreed upon - like the fire and lawn games.
  
  
  The cost of food did not double:  We hold prices constant at the time of booking, despite any increase in inflation. The Story Inn made the appetizers/beverages per ********* requests, listed in the event sheet.
  
  ********* Response:
  I may have stated this in a confusing manner. The original option we had considered for dinner was a taco bar. This option would have been approx $40-50 per person. When we decided to move to appetizers, the cost increased drastically to over $100 per person. I decided to move forward with this because we had many guests with dietary restrictions (this would allow us to have a variety of items that would suit all of our guests) and I wanted to have a chance to eat while still getting to mingle with as many guests as possible (we expected that food items being passed would mean they would be walked around and I and my guests could easily grab them as they went by - I never saw a single item passed and ended up eating very little and not trying the majority of the food).
  
  
  4. Did not receive several items and services that were agreed upon in advance
  RESPONSE:  Our event team made all accommodations per ********* requests and performed what was agreed on the event sheet.
  Basically everything we have was made available to wedding guests, from tables and chairs, to yard games, from linens and plates, to glassware and silverware.  These are all provided at no charge and set up by our event team per guests' requests/specifications.
  
  ********* Response:
  Many of these items were requested but were never set up. We received the tables and we set up the chairs. They offered linens during discussions, but we provided our own. They set up string lights for us as requested. We had also requested use of the lawn games and were told that the fire pit would be set up, lit, and manned and a s’mores station set up for us. Please see documents titled ‘Gmail - ******* - Yard Games’, ‘Gmail - Rich - Games & Fire Pit’, and the text messages with Claire.
  
  
  5. Poor treatment of multiple guests
  RESPONSE: The Story Inn business employs 20 or so staff and is recognized by The Republic newspaper as the best wedding venue in Brown County.  Story staff are aware of this and strive to treat people with dignity, respect, and kindness.  This is how such a successful reputation is built.  We don't employ people, within the service industry, who treat guests poorly.  False accusations without evidence seem rude to me.
  
  ********* Response:
  All employees we worked with were wonderful.
  Unfortunately, one of my guests had an employee walk into her room without knocking late in the evening, who then realized they were in the wrong room.
  As far as I know, none of the onsite guests received the breakfast baskets that were promised as part of the Inn stay (so that they can call themselves a bed and breakfast). Multiple even requested them directly when they realized they were missing and still never received them.
  My partner’s cousin, Sean, and his wife booked to stay in the room named The Old Mill Loft. When they arrived on site, Rich informed them that there would be a comedy show happening at the Old Mill, directly below their room. This is in a building that would not block much sound from flowing up to their space. Sean and his wife intended to go to bed to get rest before an early morning flight and found that it would be impossible to sleep based on the noise. They left in the middle of the night to find another hotel. Sean’s mother paid for the room and he is very kind and conflict averse, so said it was fine and did not request a refund. Regardless, this is not an acceptable way to run a business - Rich is now lying and saying that he told Sean when he booked, which is not the case. He is using his email with Sean stating it was ok as his proof that he is in the right - Sean does not mean that the room was ok, but that he figured everything out. Sean did not know at the time of the email that we were experiencing issues with Rich and did not want to cause any problems. Please see the texts with **** and the letter from ****. I believe Sean would be willing to write about his experience as well, if you would like his first-hand experience of what occurred.
  
  
  6. Hosted another event at the same time - suspect this is where the wait staff that was intended for my event went
  RESPONSE:  Claire has a dedicated event staff that is scheduled to execute the plans to specification.  There are different teams for private and public events.  The folks that put on the monthly public comedy shows do not work private events with Claire, nor have they ever to my knowledge.  The comedy show did not conflict with ********* wedding as it was held indoors in the banquet hall; a different location than the barn venue.  Story would not put on two events if there was a possibility to conflict with one another.  At no time were staff pulled from *********
  
  ********* Response:
  In general, I would have no problem with them hosting another event. I found out on the Thursday before from Instagram, but did not complain because I assumed they were used to hosting multiple events at the same time and knew what they were doing. I knew that the Inn and restaurant would continue to operate as normal. However, based on the issues with staffing for my event, they do not seem to have enough staff to host more than one event at a time (not sure they have enough to properly host 1 event). I was also told later that this event caused issues with parking for multiple guests - I cannot validate this.
  
  
  I've included communication with Sean Fox, ********* guest who stayed in the Mill.  At no time was there any mention of any issue with hosting the comedy show, until ********* recent complaint.  ******* wanted a refund because she said Sean had to leave early.  The attached emails/responses via attorney general show this to be false; Sean never had an issue with the comedy show and left to get closer to his destination.
  
  ********* Response:
  Addressed above. I did not request a refund for myself but stated that I believed that Rich should give Sean a refund for the room that was unusable. While Sean is not concerned with money, he would never book a room with the intention not to use it - he did not already have another room booked elsewhere but had to find something last minute in the middle of the night.
  I have already sent the back and forth with the attorney general’s office but will reattach it. (Titled ‘Consumer Complaint Emails’.)
  
  
  7. Venue event coordinator was unable to do her job because she had to bring out and serve the food with minimal assistance Rich has become hostile. We did receive a small portion of money back for an appetizer that was not received and the cocktails (only after the event coordinator convinced him). I entered a consumer complaint - his response to them contained many provable lies and cruel and unfounded attacks on my character.
  RESPONSE:   The event coordinator coordinates the event team.  The job requires bringing food out to serve because that's what ******* ordered. 
  I think it's unhealthy for ******* to call me names, especially when unfounded and undeserved.  I feel personally attacked obviously and I'd like a resolution where ******* quits bashing me and the business.  In my previous response to the attorney generals office I repeated ********* in-laws claim that ******* is difficult to work with.  That statement was not intended as a personal attack unto her but simply to bring context to the situation.
  
  ********* Response:
  All of this has already been addressed above. I do not consider stating that he has become hostile as calling him names - but I do feel it is an appropriate term for the many lies he has made, including attacks on my character. I see this lie about having words with my in-laws as a way to try to discredit any complaint I have made by portraying me as unreasonable. Again - please see the note from **** Evenson (my mother-in-law).
  
  
  I support my team who agree that ******* has been more than fairly compensated for her perceived issues. I request your review of the complaint & corresponding responses made to attorney general as well as a speedy dismissal of ********* complaint with the BBB.
  
  
  I welcome any further questions or if there's anything else I can do for you all!
  
  
  Regards,
  
  ******* Strul

  
  

  Customer response

  08/12/2024

  Our wedding officiant just sent a note to share her experiences during the wedding weekend. Attaching her thoughts as supporting documentation. 

  Customer response

  08/12/2024

  An additional example of poor treatment of one of my guests:

  *** and I decided to stay in the Treaty House onsite during our wedding weekend as soon as we booked the venue. This was discuused with the Story Inn team and added to our invoice sheet. 5 or 6 months before the wedding, one of my guests decided to book her room. She spoke with Rich who booked her into the Treaty House. Fortunately, she was talking to me right afterward and realized that he had booked her into our room. When she called back, he gave her a difficult time about giving her money back for the room he booked accidentally. He eventually repaid everything except the booking fees. When she pushed to get this repaid as well, he again gave her a hard time. She had to dispute with her credit card company to get the remainder of her refund. For an issue that was entirely his mistake and, as the owner, in his power to address.

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩