Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  11/08/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We signed an agreement with The Roosevelt Library, and the owner ***********************, to provide various services for a Wedding Event. The final invoice included several charges that were meant to be included in the venue fee (and now were being charged separately) and there were many other changes in the final invoice that were different than what we agreed to and have not been supported. In addition to that, when I attempted to contact him to ask him to reconsider some of these charges he refused to deal with me despite the fact I was one of the parties that helped pay for the wedding. We noted several unprofessional and also inappropriate actions prior to and during wedding but he is refusing to address our concerns and will not even reply to my emails.

  Business response

  11/14/2022

  It should be noted that ************ submitted to the BBB a proposal dated September 13, 2022 and was in the amount of $39,254.49.  The final proposal that was signed by ***********************************, the bride, was dated August 30, 2022 and was in the amount of $41,196.44 which was paid in full prior to the event.  ************ has, therefore, submitted inaccurate documents to the BBB.
  
  I will address each of ************** grievances:

  
  CLEANING FEE: The number that was agreed upon was 100. I'm not sure where 114 came from and if you have any supporting evidence to document please provide to us. Until then we request only 100. 

  The quote that was signed and funded stipulated 100 occupants and food and beverage services for 86 people. The guard at the front door counted 114 occupants (not including babies).  I had a member of the staff also count and he also counted 114 guests.  According to the brides mother, ********, many people did not RSVP and those that did RSVP did not say that they were bringing their children.  We have a video of the front entrance from about the time when most of the guests entered. This affected the additional fees: (1) cleaning fee $45.00 ($3.50pp, 100 to 114), (2) bar fee of $480.00 ($12.00pp, 86 to 114), and (3) place setting fee $420 ($420.00, $15pp, 86 to 114).   
  

  MANAGER: When I saw this I immediately thought wedding coordinator, a designated person responsible for making sure the wedding day is executed perfectly. Their roles include overseeing vendors, managing the timeline, and overcoming any last-minute challenges that arise during the festivities. There were many times when no one representing the venue, or acting as wedding coordinator/event manager was even available. Most of the timeline was left to the bridal party or friends and family, to include the introduction of the bridal party, their parents, the introduction of the cake cutting or even the bride and groom's first dance. This should have been someone other than the venue owner and the lack of a dedicated manager for this event definitely negatively impacted the smooth running of the reception. Without the bridal party's friends and family pitching in, the unprofessional and at times in appropriate behavior of the venue coordinator would have ruined the entire event. I saw your rebuttal to this and while I'm sure providing water and clearing tables was appreciated, it wasn't what we were hoping for when we paid for the "dedicated and experienced manager". Bottom line, I guess we expected the event manager to be sober and helpful. 

  *********** made the assumption that manager was a wedding coordinator.   He was mistaken.   His statement There were many times when no one representing the venue is false.  I worked the entire event and was certainly sober but the event was eight hours and I started at 8AM getting ready so, understandably, I was probably exhausted.
  

  RENTALS, ETC: Simply put, the initial agreement stated "tables, chairs, bartenders, and security persons are provided as part of the ** Rental agreement" and this was only added to future proposals a couple of weeks before the event was to take place, after the invitations had already been sent, giving the bride and groom little option to change due to these changes being made so close to the event. The initial plan was to include these in Venue Payment and therefore it should be included and not added as an expenese to future proposals. 

  Two weeks before the event, ******** asked that the large 20 table be removed, and round tables installed.   The proposal was written, approved by signature, funded in full, and executed as written.
  

  MOVING OF FURNTIURE: Six hours, 360 minutes, to move and set up a total of 16 tables, with chairs, allows more than 20 minutes per table. That's ridiculous.

  The proposal was written, approved by signature, funded in full, and executed as written.
  

  MOVING OF LARGE TABLE: Please provide invoice for this move so we can verify cost.

  The proposal was written, approved by signature, funded in full, and executed as written.
  

  BEVERAGE CONSUMPTION: We were charged for more alcohol beverages than we could have possibly copnsumed. Based on this invoice, about **** drinks which would be 10 per guest. For bottled beverages, we were only meant to be charged for opened bottles, not bottles they weren't opened but were likely defaced by being left in chilled water. Please provide documentation as to how you concluded there were 710 cocktails served. 

  ************ is mistaken.  They were charged for ************************** the invoice.
  

  UNINVITED GUESTS: I wasn't sure about this until I spoke with my son and he spoke to other guests but it seemed like there was a separate party going on in the billiard room. I'm not sure if they were invited guests but we do know we had no control over the music comgin from that room and it was disruptive to the rest of the wedding party. 

  This was a private event and, as far as I knew, all of the guests were invited by the host.  However, the day of the wedding and reception was the first time that the brides mother said that she met ************ so, perhaps, he did not know or recognize all of the guests.  As for the music, anybody could have told me that the volume needed to be reduced and I would have done so.
  

  BUFFET: Regarding the buffet, it opened late, closed early, and ran out of several food items (asparagus and potatoes) almost immediately. You responded to our complaint saying the buffet stayed open until all guests had dined. This was not our deal, as the proposal clearly states: Buffet dinner served in the library from 7:00PM to 10:00PM. You also acknowledges that we had not run out of salmon or beef tenderloin, [] it was fortunate that we did not run out of the salmon or the beef tenderloin. Since main course was still available (along with plenty of salad), the buffet should have stayed open until 10:00PM. In our meetings, we stressed over and over again that we didnt want the buffet to run out of anything and to be sure to purchase enough food (this is why we had him include the 35 lbs of salmon and 35 lbs of beef). We wanted a full buffet for 3 hours and we didnt receive anything close to that. 

  Considering that there were 114 guests, not 86 as planned, I was surprised that the salmon and tenderloin lasted for the entire group.   Nothing ran out immediately but the buffet was restocked several times since, understandably, the chafing dishes had limited capacity.  The buffet was only cleared after everybody had been served and there was nearly nothing remaining.  I checked the video and everybody was on the lower level after dinner.  Perhaps ************ was thinking people would return the buffet later in the evening to have seconds or thirds. 

*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. ↩