The company seems to be pretty new. While they have some nice setup items and a trailer with bathroom that was pretty cool, they are lacking in customer service and did not seem professional. They offered Korean BBQ with my birthday picnic experience but could not deliver on it.
We picked the event date over a month before. Van did not have much availability because they do not do Sundays and she is busy with a second business. The permit requires two weeks but they only told me two weeks before the event that I needed to get a permit from the city. I asked how much, she estimated it would be a minimum of $120. I contacted the city and they said the company was responsible for the permit. I kept asking the company to provide the permit as the city told me but they refused.
The night before the event, they revealed that it was in fact their responsibility to get the permit but now it was too late to get food with the setup. I would expect a company that provides a service to be aware of regulations and requirements insofar as permits, give ample time to make payments or get permits and communicate requirements up front. Everything was very last minute with the company.
They said I needed to pay a $500 deposit about a week before the event and only gave me payment information two days before. The service was supposed to have been provided "free" because I won a contest, but it seemed like there were always last minute charges they added.
Regardless of the fact that they were very disorganized, and kept asking for payment, last minute, for an event they had offered "free", what really put a damper on my celebration was the night before my event, Van called me and accused me of lying to her husband about the event details. He had sent me a confusing email saying he spoke to the city and they didn't need a permit after all and could "cater to" my group. I took that to mean they were going to cater KBBQ after all. I was really happy and said that's great news and thank you.
When Van called the night before the event, she immediately started in on me saying how dare I lie and say she was going to cater. I kept asking her to calm down and not to yell at me, and saying it was a misunderstanding. She said "Show me that email! There's no email! How could you say that he sent you that email!". She even texted me after we spoke when I sent her a screenshot of the email saying yes I can see how that's confusing since he said "cater", without apology. I kept asking her to calm down and to move forward, and I didn't mean to upset her but she wouldn't stop yelling at me and complaining that I was so last minute with everything, even though I finalized the date with her over a month ago, and they requested the payments and provided details very late on their part. I even tried to provide feedback on the phone, suggesting they provide all the information up front because everything was last minute on their end but her response was to castigate me further and blame me for the delays.
The event was supposed to be a happy birthday celebration, but her harsh phone call, blaming me for the last minute nature of the event which was really due to the company's lack of clarity, forthrightness and general disorganization brought me close to tears and put a big damper on my birthday party. Their lack of knowledge in their own field on permits denied me the chance to get the catered experience they promised me when I won the free picnic prize. What's more, if a company offers a free giveaway, they should reveal upfront even while they acquire submissions to the giveaway that it is not actually free.They should not promise catered food if they will not provide it.
I'm so disappointed with the service I received from this party business. Even given their general disorganization, it would have gone a long way if they had shown simple kindness. I find it shocking that a "professional" service would call the client the day before their party and yell at them, blaming them for their own disorganization and refusing to listen to reason, even while I remained calm the whole time and asked to not dwell on the miscommunication. It all put a sour taste in my mouth.
The setup was very nice, but they went back and forth on what they would provide. They didn't even bring plates and cutlery and asked me to bring ice for the sodas they provided. Paul, Van's husband, was very polite and professional, even taking the phone to speak with me when Van was yelling at me, even as I told her "I feel attacked".
If the company can become more professional, figure out their permit requirements and be clear upfront on requirements from the client, it would be a vast improvement. Their setup is nice and the trailer with bathroom is convenient and cute. Their lack of service just put a damper on my whole event. I would advise if you book them to ask for clarity upfront and be aware that they are new and seem to still be figuring things out. read more