A Little Taste of Harlem

Revdex.com: I have reviewed the offer and/or response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] , and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.I agree that we had a tight budgetHowever I find it interesting that I gave her a maximum amount that I was willing to spend and Mrs S [redacted] under bid by $I don't disagree that it was kind of her to work with us, the dispute lies in her professionalism and lack or preparation for a larger eventShe was late, I have provided texts and emails that state the time she planned to arriveThe copy of the receipt for the rehearsal dinner shows a time stamp of p.mwhen the food was delivered it was past and she still had not arrived, when she arrived she began to heat up the foodCausing dinner to be delayed furtherThe food was delicious, and I told her soOur guests enjoyed the food tooI never thought this would be a precursor to the main event The venue that held our wedding prepared for people, of which were employeesThose included from the venue to handle the bar, were the photographers, was the DJ and were from the catering companyNone of the employees ate, I included them all in my quote for dinnerI had 6' tables, each sat peopleThat is guests, that does not include the children between the ages of 2- That leaves guests, of which not all showedWe had at most 90% attendanceThe venue set out exactly chairs for both the ceremony and the wedding as they both took place in the same venue all they did was move the chairs from one area to the other once the reception beganFurthermore, I have a contract with the venue that I was to only have guestsI was not to have more guests than what was on our contract As far as the dishes go, we have a contract with a company that can attest that many were not usedI rented place settings that included china dishes eachfor dessert, for salad, and for the main courseThe dishes I rented were extremely heavy and to reduce breakage I also provided additional plastic sets for the children that also included plates eachI asked her to use these for all teenagers and kids so we could insure that every adult was served on the chinaMrs S [redacted] also had over disposable plates, cups, and forks at her disposal that I had provided from the rehearsal dinnerShe kept these items so that she could bring them with her for brunch, when I cancelled brunch she stated through text messages that she had all these items in her possessionThere was no point in which my guests could have been left with nothing to be served onAs far as the tables go, I advised her that if she did not have tables I could arrange to have some brought from Northern Virginia, she states that she would buy them because she would need them for her business at some point anywayI confirmed with her the night before my wedding, but at the event they were no longer needed as we had plenty from the venueWith regards to dinner, she clearly stated that in order to oblige our guests, she and she her staff served them both chicken and fish "The shortage of food seemed to be a result of the additional guest and many guest insisted they receive chicken and fishThe staff obliged the food request, in an effort not to upset any of the guests" She clearly states in her own words that they ran out of food because instead of politely letting people know they could not have both, they in fact gave in and served bothThis is a very clear violation of the contract as she is admitting it herselfThis was how she ran out of sides too, because she and her staff where in charge of serving the food in order to avoid a shortageI mentioned the cake not because I want her to pay for it, but rather to prove that she was over whelmed and not preparedThere was nothing wrong with the cake, except that it was tiered and she started from the bottom Instead of removing the layers one by one from the top, she cut from the bottom leaving it top heavy and it toppled over I thank her for not charging me a cake cutting fee, but that was her choiceShe was well within her rights to do soOur position remains that not all of our guests ate, and some that "ate", ate with no sides I would like my money back as she clearly violated her end of the contract Regards, [redacted]

I am saddened by the reality that [redacted] was unhappy with the services I providedI take great pride in my business and making sure my customers are happyThe contract we entered into was for rehearsal dinner and wedding reception not the brunch.The rehearsal dinner was for 7pmThere is no place within the contract that states I was to arrive at the dinner by 5pmI was very open and honest about my delayI let the coordinator know I was running being schedule and would arrive after 7pm.I arrived at the rehearsal dinner around 7:and apologized again for my late arrival and proceeded to provide the service I was paid for.I arrived on time for the weddingThe food and everything was ready on timeIt is my option that everything was set nicelyWe discussed preparing food for peopleThe contract states exactly how many pans of each item I would prepareI prepared more that the contracted amount, understood the bride and groom where on a very tight budgetI also provided tables as a courtesy which was also was to be provided by the bride and the groom per the contractI prepared additional pans of meat without adding any additional cost to the bride and groom as a safety precautionMy staff and I estimated the guest number to be more like 140-versus the discussedThe shortage of food seemed to be a result of the additional guest and many guest insisted they receive chicken and fishThe staff obliged the food request, in an effort not to upset any of the guestsIt was out goal to make the event as less stressful for the bride as possibleWe did the best we could under the circumstancesMy staff and I encountered many hostile guests that were angry about the shortage of plates and glassesWe tried to deal with the guests with respect and integrityOur contract clearly states that plates and glasses will be provided by the brideEven though running out of these items left a negative look on my business (as people assumed that was my responsibility); I did not assume the bride was unprepared, I simply tried to understand the shortage was simply a result of higher number of guest attending the wedding reception than planned.Lastly the cake cutting, I agreed to assist with the cake cutting, (I did not charge [redacted] for this service, nor did I charge for the corkage fee)I am in complete agreement the cake cutting did not go smoothlyThe cake was failing apart as it was being cutThe reverend saw the difficulty I was having and offered to help meWe didn’t not drop the cake on the reverend and nor did we butcher the cakeThe cake was falling apart on everything who attempted to cut the cakeThe discrepancy with the cake should be handled with the bakery the cake was purchased fromI believe I honored my contract with [redacted] ***I gave her many discounts on my services, simply to meet her budgetWe did a food sampling and we only received positive feedbackI do not believe [redacted] is due a refundReceiving such disgruntled messages from [redacted] was surprising and disheartening

I am saddened by the reality that *** *** *** was unhappy
with the services I providedI take great pride in my business and making sure
my customers are happyThe contract we entered into was for rehearsal dinner and
wedding reception not the brunch.The rehearsal dinner was for 7pm
There is no place within
the contract that states I was to arrive at the dinner by 5pmI was very open and
honest about my delayI let the coordinator know I was running being schedule
and would arrive after 7pm.I arrived at the rehearsal dinner around 7:and apologized
again for my late arrival and proceeded to provide the service I was paid for.I arrived on time for the weddingThe food and everything
was ready on timeIt is my option that everything was set nicelyWe discussed
preparing food for peopleThe contract states exactly how many pans of
each item I would prepareI prepared more that the contracted amount,
understood the bride and groom where on a very tight budgetI also provided
tables as a courtesy which was also was to be provided by the bride and the groom
per the contractI prepared additional pans of meat without adding any additional
cost to the bride and groom as a safety precautionMy staff and I estimated the
guest number to be more like 140-versus the discussedThe shortage of
food seemed to be a result of the additional guest and many guest insisted they
receive chicken and fishThe staff obliged the food request, in an effort not
to upset any of the guestsIt was out goal to make the event as less stressful
for the bride as possibleWe did the best we could under the circumstancesMy
staff and I encountered many hostile guests that were angry about the shortage
of plates and glassesWe tried to deal with the guests with respect and
integrityOur contract clearly states that plates and glasses will be provided
by the brideEven though running out of these items left a negative look on my
business (as people assumed that was my responsibility); I did not assume the
bride was unprepared, I simply tried to understand the shortage was simply a
result of higher number of guest attending the wedding reception than planned.Lastly the cake cutting, I agreed to assist with the cake
cutting, (I did not charge *** *** for this service, nor did I charge for the
corkage fee)I am in complete agreement the cake cutting did not go smoothlyThe
cake was failing apart as it was being cutThe reverend saw the difficulty I was
having and offered to help meWe didn’t not drop the cake on the reverend and
nor did we butcher the cakeThe cake was falling apart on everything who attempted
to cut the cakeThe discrepancy with the cake should be handled with the
bakery the cake was purchased from. I believe I honored
my contract with *** *** ***I gave her many discounts on my services,
simply to meet her budgetWe did a food sampling and we only received positive
feedbackI do not believe *** *** is due a refundReceiving such disgruntled
messages from *** was surprising and disheartening

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the offer and/or response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
I agree that we had a tight budget. However I find it interesting that I gave her a maximum amount that I was willing to spend and Mrs S[redacted] under bid by $200. I don't disagree that it was kind of her to work with us, the dispute lies in her professionalism and lack or preparation for a larger event. She was late, I have provided texts and emails that state the time she planned to arrive. The copy of the receipt for the rehearsal dinner  shows a time stamp of 8 p.m. when the food was delivered it was past 8 and she still had not arrived, when she arrived she began to heat up the food. Causing dinner to be delayed further. The food was delicious, and I told her so. Our guests enjoyed the food too. I never thought this would be a precursor to the main event. The venue that held our wedding prepared for 120 people, of which 11 were employees. Those 11 included 3 from the venue to handle the bar, 2 were the photographers, 1 was the DJ and 4 were from the catering company. None of the employees ate, I included them all in my quote for dinner. I had 13 6' tables, each sat 8 people. That is 104 guests, that does not include the 5 children between the ages of 2-8.  That leaves 109 guests, of which not all showed. We had at most 90% attendance. The venue set out exactly 120 chairs for both the ceremony and the wedding as they both took place in the same venue all they did was move the chairs from one area to the other once the reception began. Furthermore, I have a contract with the venue that I was to only have 130 guests. I was not to have more guests than what was on our contract. As far as the dishes go, we have a contract with a company that can attest that many were not used. I rented 100 place settings that included 3 china dishes each. 1 for dessert, 1 for salad, and 1 for the main course. The dishes I rented were extremely heavy and to reduce breakage I also provided 25 additional plastic sets for the children that also included 3 plates each. I asked her to use these for all teenagers and kids so we could insure that every adult was served on the china. Mrs S[redacted] also had over 200 disposable plates, cups, and forks at her disposal that I had provided from the rehearsal dinner. She kept these items so that she could bring them with her for brunch, when I cancelled brunch she stated through text messages that she had all these items in her possession. There was no point in which my guests could have been left with nothing to be served on. As far as the tables go, I advised her that if she did not have tables I could arrange to have some brought from Northern Virginia, she states that she would buy them because she would need them for her business at some point anyway. I confirmed with her the night before my wedding, but at the event they were no longer needed as we had plenty from the venue.With regards to dinner, she clearly stated that in order to oblige our guests, she and she her staff served them both chicken and fish "The shortage of food seemed to be a result of the
additional guest and many guest insisted they receive chicken and fish. The staff obliged the food request,
in an effort not to upset any of the guests" She clearly states in her own words that they ran out of food because instead of politely letting people know they could not have both, they in fact gave in and served both. This is a very clear violation of the contract as she is admitting it herself. This was how she ran out of sides too, because she and her staff where in charge of serving the food in order to avoid a shortage.I mentioned the cake not because I want her to pay for it, but rather to prove that she was over whelmed and not prepared. There was nothing wrong with the cake, except that it was tiered and she started from the bottom.  Instead of removing the layers one by one from the top, she cut from the bottom leaving it top heavy and it toppled over.  I thank her for not charging me a cake cutting fee, but that was her choice. She was well within her rights to do so.Our position remains that not all of our guests ate, and some that "ate", ate with no sides.  I would like my money back as she clearly violated her end of the contract.
Regards,
[redacted]

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the offer and/or response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.I agree that we had a tight budget. However I find it interesting that I gave her a maximum amount that I was willing to spend and Mrs S[redacted] under bid by $200. I don't disagree that it was kind of her to work with us, the dispute lies in her professionalism and lack or preparation for a larger event. She was late, I have provided texts and emails that state the time she planned to arrive. The copy of the receipt for the rehearsal dinner  shows a time stamp of 8 p.m. when the food was delivered it was past 8 and she still had not arrived, when she arrived she began to heat up the food. Causing dinner to be delayed further. The food was delicious, and I told her so. Our guests enjoyed the food too. I never thought this would be a precursor to the main event. 
The venue that held our wedding prepared for 120 people, of which 11 were employees. Those 11 included 3 from the venue to handle the bar, 2 were the photographers, 1 was the DJ and 4 were from the catering company. None of the employees ate, I included them all in my quote for dinner. I had 13 6' tables, each sat 8 people. That is 104 guests, that does not include the 5 children between the ages of 2-8.  That leaves 109 guests, of which not all showed. We had at most 90% attendance. The venue set out exactly 120 chairs for both the ceremony and the wedding as they both took place in the same venue all they did was move the chairs from one area to the other once the reception began. Furthermore, I have a contract with the venue that I was to only have 130 guests. I was not to have more guests than what was on our contract. 
As far as the dishes go, we have a contract with a company that can attest that many were not used. I rented 100 place settings that included 3 china dishes each. 1 for dessert, 1 for salad, and 1 for the main course. The dishes I rented were extremely heavy and to reduce breakage I also provided 25 additional plastic sets for the children that also included 3 plates each. I asked her to use these for all teenagers and kids so we could insure that every adult was served on the china. Mrs S[redacted] also had over 200 disposable plates, cups, and forks at her disposal that I had provided from the rehearsal dinner. She kept these items so that she could bring them with her for brunch, when I cancelled brunch she stated through text messages that she had all these items in her possession. There was no point in which my guests could have been left with nothing to be served on. As far as the tables go, I advised her that if she did not have tables I could arrange to have some brought from Northern Virginia, she states that she would buy them because she would need them for her business at some point anyway. I confirmed with her the night before my wedding, but at the event they were no longer needed as we had plenty from the venue.
With regards to dinner, she clearly stated that in order to oblige our guests, she and she her staff served them both chicken and fish "The shortage of food seemed to be a result of the
additional guest and many guest insisted they receive chicken and fish. The staff obliged the food request,
in an effort not to upset any of the guests" She clearly states in her own words that they ran out of food because instead of politely letting people know they could not have both, they in fact gave in and served both. This is a very clear violation of the contract as she is admitting it herself. This was how she ran out of sides too, because she and her staff where in charge of serving the food in order to avoid a shortage.
I mentioned the cake not because I want her to pay for it, but rather to prove that she was over whelmed and not prepared. There was nothing wrong with the cake, except that it was tiered and she started from the bottom.  Instead of removing the layers one by one from the top, she cut from the bottom leaving it top heavy and it toppled over.  I thank her for not charging me a cake cutting fee, but that was her choice. She was well within her rights to do so.
Our position remains that not all of our guests ate, and some that "ate", ate with no sides.  I would like my money back as she clearly violated her end of the contract.
Regards,
[redacted]

I am saddened by the reality that [redacted] was unhappy
with the services I provided. I take great pride in my business and making sure
my customers are happy. The contract we entered into was for rehearsal dinner and
wedding reception not the brunch.The rehearsal dinner was for 7pm. There...

is no place within
the contract that states I was to arrive at the dinner by 5pm. I was very open and
honest about my delay. I let the coordinator know I was running being schedule
and would arrive after 7pm.I arrived at the rehearsal dinner around 7:45 and apologized
again for my late arrival and proceeded to provide the service I was paid for.I arrived on time for the wedding. The food and everything
was ready on time. It is my option that everything was set nicely. We discussed
preparing food for 115 people. The contract states exactly how many pans of
each item I would prepare. I prepared more that the contracted amount,
understood the bride and groom where on a very tight budget. I also provided 2
tables as a courtesy which was also was to be provided by the bride and the groom
per the contract. I prepared 2 additional pans of meat without adding any additional
cost to the bride and groom as a safety precaution. My staff and I estimated the
guest number to be more like 140-150 versus the 115 discussed. The shortage of
food seemed to be a result of the additional guest and many guest insisted they
receive chicken and fish. The staff obliged the food request, in an effort not
to upset any of the guests. It was out goal to make the event as less stressful
for the bride as possible. We did the best we could under the circumstances. My
staff and I encountered many hostile guests that were angry about the shortage
of plates and glasses. We tried to deal with the guests with respect and
integrity. Our contract clearly states that plates and glasses will be provided
by the bride. Even though running out of these items left a negative look on my
business (as people assumed that was my responsibility); I did not assume the
bride was unprepared, I simply tried to understand the shortage was simply a
result of higher number of guest attending the wedding reception than planned.Lastly the cake cutting, I agreed to assist with the cake
cutting, (I did not charge [redacted] for this service, nor did I charge for the
corkage fee). I am in complete agreement the cake cutting did not go smoothly. The
cake was failing apart as it was being cut. The reverend saw the difficulty I was
having and offered to help me. We didn’t not drop the cake on the reverend and
nor did we butcher the cake. The cake was falling apart on everything who attempted
to cut the cake. The discrepancy with the cake should be handled with the
bakery the cake was purchased from. I believe I honored
my contract with [redacted]. I gave her many discounts on my services,
simply to meet her budget. We did a food sampling and we only received positive
feedback. I do not believe [redacted] is due a refund. Receiving such disgruntled
messages from [redacted] was surprising and disheartening.

Review: I entered into contract with Nichelle S[redacted] for both my rehearsal dinner as well as my wedding. Our wedding was a budget wedding as she was well aware of. Everything was done professionally at the beginning, the tasting was delicious and she responded quickly to any and all inquiries. Our issues did not begin until rehearsal, she was 3 hours late. She was to come to the venue at 5, as dinner was to begin at 7. She showed up at 8. For 3 hours she texted my coordinator and myself that she was close and on the way. We were forced to purchase food from a nearby restaurant.

The wedding was a disaster. She was about 2 hours late to my wedding and she and her employees wore jeans, one person even wore a rag on her head. Our contract was for 115 people. Under 100 people attended, she ran out of food and some guests did not eat. She pulled us aside and told us that "she has prepared for 200 people but our guests devoured the food" Which I thought was odd as she and her employees were in charge of serving the food. She then got into a verbal altercation with my sister in law and stated that I never gave her a count of the guests that were attending (it's in our contract), and then she stated she "came out of pocket and went above and beyond". They were in charge of cutting the cake, they butchered it. The cake was served in pieces. They then dropped it on my Reverend leaving her covered in frosting. The food she brought in was under cooked and a semblance of what we had agreed on. Her employees had an attitude with our guests, and I had that same complaint from a number of them. We had a verbal agreement, as I had yet to pay for brunch on Sunday as well. We cancelled that right after the ridiculous show they put on.

Since she did not fulfill her end of the agreement, I would like my entire money back. $400 for the rehearsal and $800 for the wedding.Desired Settlement: We would like our money back, at the very least for the wedding.

Business

Response:

I am saddened by the reality that [redacted] was unhappy

with the services I provided. I take great pride in my business and making sure

my customers are happy. The contract we entered into was for rehearsal dinner and

wedding reception not the brunch.The rehearsal dinner was for 7pm. There is no place within

the contract that states I was to arrive at the dinner by 5pm. I was very open and

honest about my delay. I let the coordinator know I was running being schedule

and would arrive after 7pm.I arrived at the rehearsal dinner around 7:45 and apologized

again for my late arrival and proceeded to provide the service I was paid for.I arrived on time for the wedding. The food and everything

was ready on time. It is my option that everything was set nicely. We discussed

preparing food for 115 people. The contract states exactly how many pans of

each item I would prepare. I prepared more that the contracted amount,

understood the bride and groom where on a very tight budget. I also provided 2

tables as a courtesy which was also was to be provided by the bride and the groom

per the contract. I prepared 2 additional pans of meat without adding any additional

cost to the bride and groom as a safety precaution. My staff and I estimated the

guest number to be more like 140-150 versus the 115 discussed. The shortage of

food seemed to be a result of the additional guest and many guest insisted they

receive chicken and fish. The staff obliged the food request, in an effort not

to upset any of the guests. It was out goal to make the event as less stressful

for the bride as possible. We did the best we could under the circumstances. My

staff and I encountered many hostile guests that were angry about the shortage

of plates and glasses. We tried to deal with the guests with respect and

integrity. Our contract clearly states that plates and glasses will be provided

by the bride. Even though running out of these items left a negative look on my

business (as people assumed that was my responsibility); I did not assume the

bride was unprepared, I simply tried to understand the shortage was simply a

result of higher number of guest attending the wedding reception than planned.Lastly the cake cutting, I agreed to assist with the cake

cutting, (I did not charge [redacted] for this service, nor did I charge for the

corkage fee). I am in complete agreement the cake cutting did not go smoothly. The

cake was failing apart as it was being cut. The reverend saw the difficulty I was

having and offered to help me. We didn’t not drop the cake on the reverend and

nor did we butcher the cake. The cake was falling apart on everything who attempted

to cut the cake. The discrepancy with the cake should be handled with the

bakery the cake was purchased from. I believe I honored

my contract with [redacted]. I gave her many discounts on my services,

simply to meet her budget. We did a food sampling and we only received positive

feedback. I do not believe [redacted] is due a refund. Receiving such disgruntled

messages from [redacted] was surprising and disheartening.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the offer and/or response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

I agree that we had a tight budget. However I find it interesting that I gave her a maximum amount that I was willing to spend and Mrs S[redacted] under bid by $200. I don't disagree that it was kind of her to work with us, the dispute lies in her professionalism and lack or preparation for a larger event. She was late, I have provided texts and emails that state the time she planned to arrive. The copy of the receipt for the rehearsal dinner shows a time stamp of 8 p.m. when the food was delivered it was past 8 and she still had not arrived, when she arrived she began to heat up the food. Causing dinner to be delayed further. The food was delicious, and I told her so. Our guests enjoyed the food too. I never thought this would be a precursor to the main event.