Since my son's engagement, I have been swept into the excited discussions with him and his bride-to-be on wedding plans and, particularly, venues. One of the venues under consideration is a beautiful Victorian mansion in the sprawling grounds of an historical country estate in the heart of a neighboring city which greets you with a magnificent porte-cochere and old world charm. The massive bold and impressive doors open to a stunning ballroom of crystal chandeliers and round tables dressed in elegant floor length linens and complimented with gold Chivari chairs. An idyllic setting except for the customer service.
I was asked to take a look at this charming place and called yesterday for an appointment. The receptionist told me that the wedding coordinator was in a meeting but that she would ask her to call me at around 1.30 to 2.00 p.m. At 3.30 p.m. I had still not heard from her so I called again. The receptionist was flustered when she heard my voice which is quite distinctive given I have not got an American accent and without apologizing for the coordinator's discourtesy in not getting back to me, she put me through to her.
Nor was there any apology from the coordinator herself and so I graciously assumed that she hadn't got the message from the receptionist. I made an appointment for 12.30 p.m. to-day to tour the facility. We arrived on time and once again, the receptionist was flustered. It appears the coordinator had not returned from a dental appointment and the receptionist hurriedly alerted the Director of Sales who came across immediately to show us around.
She was charming and pleasant as she guided us through the grand ballroom and told us how their award winning chef would meet personally with the bride with samples of the various dishes so that they could taste them and decide on what they liked. She was happy to call the bride's mother in Georgia and work with her on an individualized wedding package. There was no doubt that she was passionate about the venue and the cuisine and how much effort they put into weddings.
I came away feeling that it would be a lovely place for my son's wedding despite the hiccup of shoddy customer service at the beginning of our encounter with the facility. The professional thing to do would have been for the coordinator to call me this afternoon to apologize for not being available due to an unavoidable extension to her dental appointment.
In the meantime, learning about the traditions and nuances of an American wedding up close is a new experience for me and it is both intriguing and exciting.
Note: Since my view on the poor service in the above article and without mentioning it to my son and his fiancee, they too received poor service when they went to view the place. Not only that, but in the week that followed, the written quotation via email did not arrive even after three promises on different days. We finally gave up and looked for another venue. Also, a friend who had dined there told me that he felt the service had slipped from when it first opened. When will business owners learn that customer service is a key component in running a successful business!