******Update in response to the owner's reply:…read more
I appreciate the response, but I need to correct a few factual inaccuracies.
I spoke with Laura on Thursday, July 30, not Sandra. During that conversation, I was never told there was "one remaining opening" for my date or that I needed to place a deposit immediately because another customer could take the time slot. If that had been communicated, I would have understood the urgency and made a decision that day.
I did tell Laura that my mom and I expected to finalize everything by Friday. Unfortunately, we weren't able to make our final decision until Saturday morning, August 1, when I called back ready to book.
At that point, I was told the original service window was no longer available. The alternatives offered were 12:30 PM-3:30 PM or 1:00 PM-3:30 PM. Since my baby shower begins at 1:00 PM, starting service before guests arrive was not practical, and the 1:00-3:30 PM option reduced the service time while the quoted price remained the same.
My disappointment has never been that another customer booked before I paid a deposit. My concern is that the urgency described in the owner's response was not communicated to me during my conversation, and that made the situation very different from what is now being presented publicly.
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I strongly caution anyone against relying on Tacos & Gorditas for an important event.
I called on Thursday, July 30, and provided all of the details for my baby shower, including the date, location, guest count, event start time, and requested service. I received a verbal quote and an emailed written quote that same day for my August 15 event. The quote listed a 1:00 PM serving time and stated that service was for three hours.
I called back on Saturday, August 1, only two days later, ready to move forward. At that point, I was told they had booked another event later that afternoon and could no longer accommodate the service window connected to my quote. They offered 12:30 PM to 3:30 PM instead, even though they knew my event did not begin until 1:00 PM.
I was then told that they "do not save dates." That policy was never made clear to me when I called on July 30 or when the quote was sent. Had I been plainly told that the date and time could be given away at any moment unless I paid immediately, I would have either paid then or continued searching.
Instead, I reasonably believed I had received a valid quote and had a normal opportunity to review it and call back. Their own written terms also referenced a five-business-day period for submitting the deposit, which made the sudden loss of the workable time slot even more frustrating.
This left me scrambling to replace catering for 50 guests only fourteen days before my baby shower. Offering service before guests were even scheduled to arrive was not a realistic solution.
The problem is not simply that another customer booked. The problem is the lack of transparency and professional communication after they had already quoted my event. Their pricing may be attractive, but a low quote is meaningless if the company will not clearly explain how quickly availability can disappear.
I would not trust them with an event where timing and reliability matter.
