Unfortunately I cannot give less than 1 star.
On May 23, my mother and I held a graduation party at the Days Inn Oromocto in order to celebrate the completion of my nursing degree. We decided upon the gourmet soup and sandwich buffet.
This is what you get for $13/person.
It's the type of 'gourmet' soup and sandwich 'buffet' where nothing is gourmet and no one ever comes back to the room. I took photos of the 'gourmet' cheese slice and deli ham slice on dried white bread with a splash of mustard.
It was all obviously wrong. The mistake was pawned off - by the manager Katrina - on the servers/kitchen etc. Nevermind that she was the one who brought the food into the room.
After waiting to see if anyone was ever going to come to the room to see how everything went, a complaint was made. No one called for over a week! I had to call June 1st and make the complaint again! At this point I speak with a defensive manager who tells me that the dinner was described as 'great' and 'perfect' by the person who signed the contract. I had to hold back laughter. I recorded the conversation so I can say that truthfully. The manager informed me that no refund will be given because the mistake was fixed right away.
Not even close.
Well after the dried sandwich corners - of which there was not even enough for each guest to have a full sandwich - had been dunked in the quickly depleted soup and the plate of dried veg sticks were choked down before 'enjoying' past their prime Costco Two Bite brownies, we were given about 8 portions of what we ordered and actually paid for. Not nearly enough for half of the guests - who had already filled up on dried school yard style lunchables. As the guest of honor, I ate a bowl of soup to help ensure the sandwiches could stretch farther ... And because the tuna fish and ham and cheese were totally unappetizing.
We were left on our own with about $60 worth of groceries on the 'buffet' table. No replenishment, no one taking plates or garbage, etc. My mother had to make half a dozen trips to find items that were needed for the 'gourmet meal'.
Where the food that was given to us came from also bears speculation. Firstly, the restaurant (O'Town) was having a lunch buffet for patrons for 8$ per person. What were they serving? You guessed it - cheese slice and ham sandwiches. We were given left-overs! The food ordered for our small event was not even prepared! Secondly. The 'remedy' that was given to us 'as soon as the mistake happened' was an odd pairing of gourmet sandwiches and wraps. Down the hall a very large event was having an actual gourmet soup and sandwich buffet. Were we given portions from that event as well? Very possible but impossible for us to prove.
As a side note... We were told the kitchen had ran out of turkey because it had to be ordered in ahead of time - that's why there was none for our event. But! We did order turkey sandwiches. If our event had been prepared for at all, at least the supplies would be in the building.
These facts are just the highlights of the day.
The response of the Days Inn Oromocto was as equally lackluster. Katrina - who is in charge of booking events - reported to management that she was told the dinner was perfect and everything was great when she informed my mother that she was leaving shortly on the day of the event. Are you serious!? My mother, myself, and another guest who could attest to the awful service and food waited until 6pm to speak with Katrina about what had went wrong only to find out from a waitress in the restaurant that she had left 2 hours prior. We were totally floored. Immediately after making our complaint known to the waitress, we made a complaint at the front desk. Certainly the actions of customers who were 'happy with everything' isn't it. The kitchen also reported that they had fixed the mistake as soon as it happened. I have a long list of guests who would dispute that 'fact'.
Bottom line, the Days Inn Oromocto has flat out refused to refund ANY money or even meet with us. Because Katrina didn't charge a rental fee for the room and because my guests ate the sandwiches that prevents us from having a refund of any sort. Nevermind the room rental was waived without even asking for it because the venue was trying to 'break in' to the catering business. And according to management at Days Inn Oromocto, I should have told my guests not to eat anything.
I have never seen such unashamedly poor customer service in my life.
Beware paying in good faith for an event at Days Inn Oromocto and forget about being treated like a customer who paid money for an agreed upon service - with signed contract. The management seem oblivious to the fact that their actions can negatively effect the special occasions and moments that are celebrated at their venue.
Nonetheless, we celebrated - even if it was amongst two tables piled high with dirty dishes, cutlery, and garbage. read more