Mountainside Supper Club

Review: Several areas in contract were not fulfilled.From the beginning communication was lacking from this company.The person who managed the paperwork and organized meetings was fired over the course of our relationship with the business and our information was lost in the process.We discussed pricing at the first meeting and after that, a 10% management fee was added.The company did rightfully waive this fee.However, I believe they used this early fee forgiveness justify their lack of service that occurred the day of the event.** replaced the first manager and was just as scattered as the first.Not fulfilled in the contract includes: water station at the entrance to the ceremony, the salad in the contract and two dressing were not served, there was only decaf coffee and only available after dinner, there was no flavored tea for guests which was suppose to be available.Only drinks available were water during dinner and a pumpkin soda,which was gross and suggested,by the owner,last minute,the week of the wedding,but not supplied for tasting.Additionally,champagne glasses rented for event were not placed out by the caterers staff.There were suppose to be two bar tender stations and at one point one bar tender left their station to help serve meals. Meanwhile guests served themselves at the vacant station.** was notified by e-mail of the signature drink but did not relay this to the bartenders, as they arrived oblivious of how to make the drink.Food came out cold and burned and rolls were hard.My uncle waited over an hour and asked for his plate twice. While his whole table ate, he waited and ended up leaving without eating at all.** said they would arrive at the venue at 10am event day,and did not arrive until 1pm.Tables setting was delayed because the caterers had the table linen. I really wonder if this company is capable of table service and if they even had the five servers I paid for or if they tried to save by using less staff. I called and spoke with the owner [redacted] about my concerns.Desired Settlement: [redacted] replied with an e-mail that said they already worked with us waived some amount that he could not show how he came up with.He said that if we would have, during our wedding, stopped and asked our guests about their food,and noticed all the lacking details,while dancing and visiting, and told him about the issues, they would have corrected them at the time.I want a refund for the things that were in the contract and not fulfilled.I think a third off is fair: $1425.00.

Business

Response:

---------- Forwarded message ----------

From: Mountainside Supper Club <[email protected]>

Date: Thu, Nov 14, 2013 at 4:27 PM

Subject: Response to Complaint #[redacted]

To: [redacted]

Cc: [redacted] <[redacted]>

Dear [redacted],

There seems to be a large gap between fact and opinion with this client. Upon advice from legal council, we did not respond immediately. We cannot communicate with this client at this point in any form without documentation. We feel that it is necessary to provide the Revdex.com with a copy of the disputed contract (attached) and to address the complaints of this client. We will not resort to falsehoods or name-calling.

These are the facts:

FACT: Upon advice from legal council, we have ceased any and all undocumented communication with this client. Our company has received both emails and voice mails from this client threatening slander of our company. Since the day of the event, we, as a company and I as [redacted] have not had any verbal contact with this client.

FACT: In the first meeting with this client, the client stated that $20 per person was all that the client wanted to pay for a full-served, plated dinner reception with required staff including china, glassware, flatware and bar service. The client based this price upon the charge for an unstaffed, 2-hour buffet dinner that our company executes regularly during the Spring, Summer and Fall at a local winery. Flatware, china and glassware at these winery events are disposable and the guests serve and clean up after themselves.

FACT: The client added three appetizers to the event menu increasing the food cost to $22.50 per person.

FACT: After the initial meeting with this client and the agreement on menu items and cost, this client was emailed a contract showing cost of food, labor, sales tax and administrative fee (not a "manager's fee). At this point the client asked to meet with our company again to discuss the labor, sales tax and administrative fee. The client was surprised by these costs, although it was clearly stated verbally in the initial meeting with this client that these costs would be incurred.

FACT: The client expressed concern that the added costs would not be in line with the clients budget.

FACT: In response to the expressed concerns of the client, our company agreed to waive the sales tax charge and the administrative fee. The total of these costs were $555.75.

FACT: The client at this time was given a rental quote from a rental company for the .cost of linens, flatware, china and glassware.

FACT: It is our company policy that we do not handle rental for our clients. We state verbally that rentals are the responsibility of the client.

FACT: The client states in complaint #[redacted], in the desired outcome/settlement of the complaint that "they already worked with us waived some amount that he could not show how he came up with (sic)." This amount was approximate and included the waiving of the sales tax, administrative fee, additional incurred labor costs and rental of linens, glassware, flatware and a truck to transport all items.

FACT: Upon the termination of our original sales person and the resulting restructuring of our company, we requested a copy of the original event contract from this client explaining that our copy had been deleted from our company computer and email.

FACT: The client had been emailed an original copy of the first contract. The sales tax and administrative fee that were waived were on the original contract.

FACT: The client did not send us a copy of the first contract and denied its existence although the client was disputing the sales tax and administrative fee that are missing from the final contract (attached)

FACT: Approximately one month prior to the event date, in response to the rental quote that the client had received from a rental company, the client requested to see the inventoried linen, china, flatware and glassware (water glasses, wine glasses, pilsner glasses and coffee mugs) that our company had recently acquired. These are items that our company possesses, but does not rent to clients. Since our company does not rent these items, the items were offered free of charge to the client AS IS and our company could not guarantee the full event count on any of the items.

FACT: Labor costs included 5 servers for 8 hours each. The day of the event, our company provided 5 servers for 14 hours each; absorbing yet another cost that was not passed on to the client in trying to work within this client's budget.

FACT: Our company provided 2 bartenders for 12 hours each. The client was charged for 2 bartenders for 6 hours each. This cost was absorbed by our company and was not passed on to the client.

FACT: The client is correct in stating that we closed down one of the bars during dinner service and that bartender was utilized as a dinner server to expedite dinner service. The bartender returned to bar immediately after dinner service.

FACT: Dinner service was executed in 20 minutes, beginning to end. The client stated in the first complaint to the Revdex.com that dinner service was 45 minutes. In the second complaint to the Revdex.com, the client stated that dinner service lasted "over an hour."

FACT: The evening of the event, the client stated to our sales person, that everything was to the client's liking except for the salad. Our company admits this oversight, but does not consider this to be a breach of contract.

FACT: Food was properly prepared, served hot and was not "burnt and cold"and the rolls were not "hard" as is now stated by the client. This fact can be validated by the venue owner who was served last, immediately after dinner service off of the same serving line as the event guests.

FACT: Water and flavored iced tea were available at the bar directly inside the venue's entrance. This was done so as to not constrict the flow of guests into the venue as inclement weather had ensued and the guests were forced into the venue earlier than expected from the outdoor ceremony. The client had ignored our company's advice to have a plan in place for the ceremony in the event of inclement weather.

FACT: The client had been told that our company would take care of all set up of the reception tables. However, the client vehemently insisted that the client's friends and family would do the table set up much earlier than our 5 servers, 2 bartenders, and 3 kitchen staff were physically able to arrive at the venue at 2pm.

FACT: On the morning of the event, the client vehemently insisted that all items needed for the reception table set up be delivered to the venue by 10am. Our company was able to send a representative with said items in AS IS condition by 11am. This was 3 hours before our crew's scheduled arrival to execute the set up of the reception tables. This table set up could have been easily executed in 1 hour by our crew of 10 trained personnel.

FACT: The flatware, glassware, etc that were provided free of charge to the client resulted in our company having to rent a truck to transport the items to the venue at our cost. Additional mileage on the rental truck was incurred when the client insisted the morning of the event that these items be delivered hours before the arrival of the crew. None of these costs were passed on to the client.

FACT: The client was unhappy the morning of the event with the table linens provided free of charge by our company. Our company rented table linens that satisfied the client the morning of the event. These rental costs were not passed on to the client. Because of the renting of these linens and the distance required to pick them up, our representative was unable to arrive at the venue until 11am. Again, this was 3 hours before our crew's scheduled arrival at 2pm.

FACT: Refunding $1475 to this client would result in the final event price being $20 per person for a fully bartended, fully served dinner including china, flatware and glassware. This is the price that the client originally wanted to pay and was told by our company would be impossible.

FACT: The monies payed by the client and the amount asked to be refunded from our company is no coincidence as stated immediately above.

FACT: The client made one full payment on 9-30-2013, 6 days before the event. Refer to the contract as to our payment policies. Our company chose NOT to enforce the contracted payment policies in order to foster goodwill between the client and our company.

Professional references for our company can be provided from several venues, including Sweet Water Farm, where we are considered to be the preferred caterers. Additional references can be provided by numerous pleased past clients, including the Executive Director of FarmAid.

Very truly yours,

[redacted]OwnerMountainside Supper Club, LLC.

--

Mountainside Supper Club, LLCSpecializing in Local Farm to Table Catering860 Valley RoadMarysville, PA 17053[redacted][email protected]

Consumer

Response:

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because:

[To assist us in

bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are

rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed

Administratively Resolved]

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because:

The majority of the responses from [redacted], owner of Mountainside Supper

Club, LLC are flat out untrue statements. Starting a statement with"Fact:" does

NOT make the statement truth. I will also not resort to name-calling. While

[redacted] claims to not resort to falsehood, he did just the opposite throughout

his reply. In response to the lies made by [redacted], I do not want others to go

through the anguish that my family and I have experienced with this company and

so I do intend to let others know about my experience, as a right of freedom of

speech. In addition , I have the right to review this company based on my

experiences with them as a consumer. [redacted] made assumptions and put words into

my mouth with his statement, "In the first meeting with

this client, the client stated that $20 per person was all that the client

wanted to pay for a full-served, plated dinner reception with required staff

including china, glassware, flatware and bar service. The client based this

price upon the charge for an unstaffed, 2-hour buffet dinner that our company

executes regularly during the Spring, Summer and Fall at a local winery."

The fact is that I NEVER said this and did not base my first numbers for budgeting on some side job pricing they have. Our suggested budget was $24/person and we planned for this to include ALL costs. In response to: "After the initial

meeting with this client and the agreement on menu items and cost, this client

was emailed a contract showing cost of food, labor, sales tax and

administrative fee (not a "manager's fee). At this point the client asked

to meet with our company again to discuss the labor, sales tax and

administrative fee. The client was surprised by these costs, although it was

clearly stated verbally in the initial meeting with this client that these

costs would be incurred". In reality, in the first meeting the manager's

fee was NEVER disclosed. Additionally, I have attached the one and ONLY

contract I was ever sent. CLEARLY there is not breakdown for labor,

sales tax and administrative fee on this contract from March, 13 2013.

Therefore, one could imagine my surprise at the added fees. Further, I never requested to meet to discuss labor, sales tax and administrative fees because I was unaware these fees existed. The only four meetings that occurred with this company were the initial meeting when we met to have a consultation and discuss our budget, the second meeting to do tasting, the third meeting to look at dishes and flatware, and the last meeting week of the wedding to do the contract. The second meeting, to our surprise, also involved learning of the additional fees. In response to, "The client expressed concern that the added costs would

not be in line with the clients budget." Probably true because this was

never disclosed and re-figuring of the budget was now necessary. It is true

that the company waived the manager fee. This is not true: [redacted], "We requested a copy of the original

event contract from this client." Although this is true: [redacted], "our

copy had been deleted from our company computer and email."

True: [redacted], "The client had been emailed an original copy of the first contract."

NOT TRUE: that the sales tax and administrative fee that were waived were on

the original contract. As can be proven in the attached only contract I ever

received.

In response to [redacted], "The client did not send us a copy of the first

contract and denied its existence although the client was disputing the sales

tax and administrative fee that are missing from the final contract

(attached)." I did not send them the only contract I had because we

([redacted], **, [redacted] and I) all verbally agreed it would be easy to write up a new

contract because I remembered our selections, which is what we all met and did

the week of the wedding. I NEVER denied the existence of the initial contract

as claimed by [redacted].

If the servers and

bartenders worked longer hours than the contract was written up for them to

work as claimed, the cost should not be passed to the consumer because the contract had no

statement that these supposed additional hours would be charged for. Also, where

were these servers and bartenders working for these additional hours? I have

eye witnesses that can first-hand account for them showing up at 3:00 pm. The

wedding was over at 10:30 pm. Therefore, they could not have worked the 12 and

14 hour shifts [redacted] claims. Also, [redacted] knew the hours of the reception were

5:00-10:30 pm, as he received a schedule via e-mail which is attached. If he

thought more hours should be paid for, he should have put them in the contract.

These supposed costs that were absorbed by the company should not be construed

as a favor to the consumer but rather a lesson to the company to better plan

for the future. Additionally, if [redacted] claims dinner service took only 20 minutes, what did the servers do for the other 13 hours and 40 minutes he is claiming that they worked?

[redacted] agreed with me

that the bartender left their station for dinner service to help serve dinner.

Therefore, I should be reimbursed for that lack of bartender service time

which I paid for because it was never agreed that the bar would be shut down at all.

[redacted] stated that I made two complaints to the Revdex.com with conflicting times for service. This is false. I only made one claim to the Revdex.com and stated that my uncle waited over and hour for his meal and after asking a server about it twice, he left without eating.

This is an untrue statement from [redacted], " The evening of the event, the client stated to our sales person, that

everything was to the client's liking except for the salad. Our company admits

this oversight, but does not consider this to be a breach of contract." Truthfully, I just arrived into the reception and was just being served a salad when I was asked how everything was. I had not been able to try the whole meal, see if guests were taken care of, if drinks were available that should have been, bartenders were actually serving, or if any of the service was as it was suppose to be. I only got the salad at that point, so how could EVERYTHING be to my liking but the salad? The salad was not the same as the salad on the contract, how can this not be a breech of contract?

I have several guests who came to me and told me that their dinner was cold, or burned, and/ the rolls were hard. Why would they make that up?

After getting home from our honeymoon, my husband, [redacted] and I called and spoke to [redacted] explaining our concerns and issues. He agreed that the tea probably was not served because he wondered why all of the pitchers were not used. The staff failed to put the tea out limiting the non-alcoholic drinks to water and undrinkable pumpkin soda. Coffee was only available after dinner and only decaf. [redacted] also stated during this phone conversation that he felt terrible and would do something for us to make up for our experience. The next message we received from [redacted] was an e-mail in which he denied any responsibility.

This statement from [redacted] was not true,"Water and flavored iced tea were available at the bar

directly inside the venue's entrance. This was done so as to not constrict the

flow of guests into the venue as inclement weather had ensued and the guests

were forced into the venue earlier than expected from the outdoor ceremony. The

client had ignored our company's advice to have a plan in place for the

ceremony in the event of inclement weather." What is [redacted] even talking about? This makes no sense. If this then that does not apply here. We had alternative plans for inclement weather which Jill the venue owner was aware of. Plans for inclement weather were not needed for the catering because everything was to be inside the barn except an additional water drink station that was suppose to be at the entrance to to seats for the ceremony outside. This water station was never put out by [redacted] and his company. The weather was clear until right at the ceremony time it sprinkled lightly and right after the ceremony it rained heavily and guests went directly into the barn. However, this could not have been more than 30 minutes earlier, if at all earlier, than the scheduled time for the guests to arrive into the barn. Further, [redacted] made no such suggestions for establishing back up plans for bad weather, as the catering would not be effected with or without rain.

Because there was more to set out than just flatware and linen (napkins and favors), [redacted] asked ** to arrive at 10:00 a.m. so that while we had friends and family to help, they could get everything on the tables how it was suppose to be. Additionally, the florist had to place flowers in all of the vases on each table after the linens were out. So, although [redacted]'s staff could have set the tables in one hour, this would have left minimal time for the florist to set up. ** did not arrive until 1:00 pm when she was requested (not vehemently insisted, as stated by [redacted]) to arrive at 11:00am. [redacted] stated that the scheduled arrival time was 2pm. This time was determined by him the night before the event. The original plan was for him to drop off and set up the night before. The venue would not allow set up the night before but would allow drop off. Because the venue did not allow set up, [redacted] decided he would change the arrival time to 2pm on the day of the venue. He decided this the day before the wedding even though I had told him six days before when signing the contract that drop off only was allowed the day before. I thought we were not name-calling [redacted]. Still you describe me as vehement? Professional.

[redacted] offered for [redacted] and I to use his linen, flatware, and dishes for no charge but then complains about it. Additionally [redacted] lied in his statement, "The client was unhappy the morning of the event with the table

linens provided free of charge by our company." In reality, I did not arrive to the venue until 3pm because I was an hour away getting ready for the wedding. I had no conversation about linen that morning with anyone. If [redacted] rented other linens it was without my asking or even knowing.

It is a lie that refunding us $1475 would bring the cost down to $20/person. It is interesting that [redacted] managed to construe this from nothing. We had no intention of reducing the cost per person to any amount but whatever. The math brings the cost per person to $18.67 which is irrelevant. Just making the point that again [redacted]'s statement is false.

Not True stated by [redacted], "The monies payed by the client and the amount asked to be refunded from

our company is no coincidence as stated immediately above." [redacted] makes this statement based on his own opinion, but not based on anything I have ever said.