In May I contacted the Mansion at Judge's Hill about holding a small event. I spoke to Amy, with whom I'd speak with many times after this. She offered a luncheon and a library reservation, and when I confirmed how many people it would be, she mentioned no price requirements or minimum payments. In our conversation, she sounded like she would be doing /us/ a favor in reserving the space.
I contacted her again at the end of June for menus and for more information regarding the set-up and expenses. She sent me information regarding large scale events, like weddings, but I had clearly stated this was an event for 15 people, so none of those brochures applied.
When I contacted her again on July 3rd with the reservation date she mentioned that the library could only be reserved if a minimum payment was made, which was something she had never mentioned before. When I inquired about restricted diets (g.f., vegan, etc) not mentioned on the menu she merely said, "Oh, we can take care of that." I was skeptical and not assured about anything by such a casual attitude towards things people /cannot eat/.
She said she would e-mail me the information I'd need to proceed with the reservation. Instead, she sent me an e-mail addressed to someone else with no attachment. I responded right away requesting the form again and asked if I would need to contact the person she had addressed the e-mail to. I waited a week and got no response.
When I called to obtain the form and make a complaint regarding Amy’s lack of response, thoroughness, and poor customer service, I was told that she wasn’t available. When I asked to speak with the manager, I was informed that the woman on the phone was the manager and that Amy was very busy. Instead of hearing my complaint, the manager talked over me and wouldn’t let me finish a sentence.
I was shocked. If this was the manager's idea of proper customer service and tact, it was no wonder that Amy was entirely lacking in it as well. This woman wouldn't even /listen/ to me, and from her being so adamant about my speaking with Amy again, I wondered if she even understood how to provide service herself.
When I spoke to Amy again, she said she didn't know why I didn't get the form. I didn't inquire as to why she completely ignored my e-mail requesting the form again, after all, she had expressed how /terribly busy/ she was. So, the Director of Sales and Events is too busy to respond to e-mails of people trying to plan events? I inquired again about the diets, expressing that I didn't want people to have paid so much money only to arrive with very little to eat. She said she could offer me no alternatives until the day of and she'd notify the chefs then. Her ignorance and lack of thoughtfulness to these guests was astonishing. I clearly expressed a desire to know at least an idea of what they'd be served, and she said it would be the food on the menu with alterations made for the diets which was next to impossible without giving specifics. The only thing she did promise me was that it would be "lovely".
When I did finally get the form, I had a question concerning the charges before I gave them my credit card. She didn’t respond. I sent her the e-mail on a Thursday and then waited five days before sending her a follow up with specific questions about the charges.
She finally responded saying she had been out of the office for the past four days. Wow. There was no one else to be forwarded the e-mails? How important are your customers? How important is it to you to ensure that your events are planned, made, and paid for?
I attempted to fax the form for the reservation the very next day and kept trying for three days on two separate fax machines. I even contacted her and stated that their fax machine wasn’t picking up anything. “I don’t know why” was her response. She suggested that I drive to the location or scan the form. At no point did she mention checking on her own fax machine or admitting any sort of guilt or blame for anything.
Finally, she sent me an invoice of the full amount due. I had already e-mailed her to clarify /exactly/ what I would be charged prior to the event, and she wrote back telling me what I needed to mark on the form. Needless to say, when I obtained the invoice it was far more than originally stated. I had sold tickets that covered the food, reservation, and the tax, since the gratuity was separate. She had once again just left something out altogether. Had Amy been more thorough in dealing with her customers, perhaps this “misunderstanding” wouldn’t have happened. She was not thorough or attentive, but was disrespectful and in no way did I ever feel like she or the Mansion at Judge’s Hill actually wanted my service.
To those of you planning an event, here are some other venues with amazing customer service and very beautiful locations: Green Pastures, The Driskill Hotel, The Page House, The Allan House, and The Tea Embassy.
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