Whatever you do, DO NOT, DO NOT pay the manager of this place a penny. He is a crook and sadly we found out too late, but thanks to reports to BBB and Yelp, we'll be able to get the word out.
My dad is a veteran of the Air Force and fought in the Korean War, so naturally we thought of the VFW for my mom's retirement/65th birthday bash. We were looking for something a little more affordable and wanted to support the VFW, as an association, as well. What a mistake.
Having been to a wedding here previously, I made the huge mistake of mentioning this place to my mom, since its centrally located. It's under new management, which we didn't find out until the night before the party, literally as we were setting up. An employee told us that the new owner is the only person who handles the contracts now. The bartenders used to have access to them as well, in case people had questions while they were setting up, since the manager is nowhere to be found. This employee said he has since prevented anyone else from being able to view these contracts. Employee also said it's members were having a meeting about GETTING RID OF HIM!! Hmmmm, I wonder why?
1. That dance floor that was promised to you when you visited the place - Ripped out several days before the party. Were we told in time so we could rent another one? NO!! Did the manager apologize or even answer the phone when we called him 4 times about it? NO! Did he already have my mom's money? YES!
2. That clean venue that was promised in the contract and $160 cleaning fee associated with it - This is laughable. Dead flowers from previous parties were left in the bathroom, FILTHY bathroom mirrors that looks like they had grease smeared on them, by hand, I had to PERSONALLY clean myself with our own cleaning supplies.
The A/C units were leaking water over the dance floor ON OUR GUESTS and in a couple other places.
This crook promised to fix the overhead fans and replace the missing bulbs and broken fixtures. Didn't happen!!!
The place reeked of chemicals that were burning our eyes. Did someone die here?
Did he already have mom's money by this point? YES!
3. That professional security guard that was promised, which WE paid for nonetheless - walked around aimlessly all night in a hoodie and sweats, ate from our caterer about 5 different times (taking food home to the family on our dime?), and was a complete a** to our guests!Finally one of our guests told him that and the baby in the hoodie showed us just what a baby he was, after a few more plates from our caterer, mind you. If you want your "security guard" to be taken seriously, dress him like a security guard at least!! I can guarantee this was some random guy the crook paid (off the street) and pocketed the remainder of the money. Then, the "security guard" calls the cops, saying he wanted them there when it was time to leave because we were rowdy!!! Yes, mostly 60+ elders pose a threat? The cops were super cool and said to us they had no idea why they were called. Great use of taxpayer money! I'm sure these cops had nothing better to do in AZUSA on a Saturday night than watch us calmly walk to our cars after cleaning the place and making it look better than the way they left it for us.
Of course he had mom's money by this point.
If this isn't enough of a deterrence, here's the worst part. He's not giving my mom back her refundable deposit! Well, he'll be giving it back, but not by choice.
1. He said "someone" was drinking in the parking lot, in their car. Okay, our guests paid our bartender a ton of money that night, plus great tips, INSIDE the venue. Was this person in the parking lot even our guest? We're in a not-so-great part of Azusa after all. Is there anything in our contract about this any way??? No! You can't control what people do in a parking lot. The only thing in the contract is that we can't bring liquor into the hall. We didn't!! We paid extra for a bartender.
2. He said someone called the "security guard" a name. They probably did because he was horribly rude to our guests, talked down to them, and continued to eat from our caterer and put plates aside when he wasn't invited to. There's nothing in the contract about calling out the "security guard" for stealing from us and not doing his job.
3. He said there was damage to the mural in the bar area. We took a ton of pictures, before the event and after cleaning. They're time-stamped. There was no damage. They had a steak and eggs breakfast there the morning after. If there was damage, that's when it happened. The only thing I saw even fall was a flagpole because said "security guard" walked into it, knocking it over.
While we will get mom's $300 deposit back and then some, it's going to take our time and effort to do so. This is her first few days after retirement, which should be relaxing. Now, we'll have to fight this crook in court!
Please spare yourself the stress. He WILL rip you off too. Avoid at all costs read more