WasIBU to think the party wasn’t going ahead?

[TruJay]

About a month ago I called the place my DS desperately wanted his birthday party at to book. Gave all details over the phone, guy said the date I wanted was available etc he then said that they were in the process of changing their website and stuff and that he wasn’t at the venue at that moment so he wasn’t in a position to fully confirm or take a deposit but he would call me the following week (when he was at the venue) to take a deposit and confirm and arrange for me to get invitations from them etc etc Ok no problem.

I never heard anything the following week so I called them, no answer. Called again, no answer. Dh an I both called the venue around 10 times in total and I drove to the venue 3 times to do everything in person, each time venue was closed.

As the party date was getting closer and we’d need to start to invite ds’s friends soon we decided there was nothing else we could do and assumed the place had closed or something, no idea really
We didn’t send out any invites and explained to an upset ds that the place had never got back to us and we couldn’t get through to them so the party wasn’t going ahead. We just thought how on earth can we invite 15 kids to a party, have them all turn up with no certainty that the party was even happening.

Fast forward to the day that the party was supposed to be we get a call from an unknown mobile number and a very angry person on the other end asking where the hell we were and that he’d got staff here as they’re expecting a party and being really aggressive down the phone!

Dh and I totally baffled by the call as apart from that initial call of “yes that date is available but I’m not at the venue right now and our website is being revamped so I can’t confirm just now but give me your number and I’ll call you next week and we’ll finalise the booking, take deposit...” that was our only contact. I really feel we did our best to confirm this party and we were met with a brick wall each time. Have we BU here? Feel gutted for DS and he so wanted this party and all along it could have gone ahead had they been contactable/venue open when their stated times said they should have been. Totally pissed off at the whole situation tbh

[PrawnOfCreation]

They've got a cheek. Sounds like you went to lots of effort to confirm a booking and use their venue. Not your fault at all.

[ChocChocButtons]

Not at all, when you book a venue you usually pay a deposit etc also you tried to contact them and heard nothing. Sounds like the person who took your call wrote down your booking but forgot to actually follow up.

[NuffSaidSam]

YANBU

I think you've had a lucky escape though. It doesn't sound like the party would have been very well organised. I hope it wasn't anything where health and safety is important (go karting/paint balling/climbing)!

[AlmostAJillSandwich]

Not your fault at all, if they're uncontactable and physically closed when it's meant to be open what are you meant to do?
There was no deposit, no confirmation, if they've booked staff it's their own fault!

[PuzzlingPuzzle]

Of course YANBU. The only way I’d see it from their point of view is if you’d called/went there at stupid times when it was unlikely to be open e.g. late at night but even then they explicitly said that it wasn’t confirmed and that they would call you back but then obviously didn’t.

[squeezysparklyballs]

Did you pay a deposit,

[Hamsternauts]

You've done absolutely nothing wrong.

[Bambamber]

Why on earth would they have set up for a party without confirming or even taking a deposit? I would avoid doing any future buisness with them

[TruJay]

Thank you for replies.

I think that’s what happened @ChocChocButtons because they were in the middle of this revamp or whatever, my ‘booking’ had just got completely lost/forgotten about

@NuffSaidSam no health and safety issues thankfully and we’ve been to the place before for ds’s friend’s party which is when he fell in love with it. It ran pretty smoothly, some kid having to wait around to use the equipment there but otherwise ok.

@PuzzlingPuzzle yeh I could see it from their POV too if that was the case but we called either in the morning, after dinner time and then early evening - all within their stayed opening times. This is also when I physically went to the venue too.

He was so arsey though, dh could barely get a word in edgeways and he shouted “your number will now be banned and you will never use our service” before slamming the phone down! He claimed they never ring anyone back and we should be there —atapartythatwasn’tevenbooked—

[TruJay]

Oops strikethrough fail

No deposit @squeezysparklyballs on the first and only call he said he would be calling the following week to take the deposit and confirm everything only he never did

[OnlyFoolsnMothers]

I’d take this to their social media! No way to run a business!

[squeezysparklyballs]

Well they're a bunch of nutters then!

[Mosaic123]

What a ridiculous company. You need have no worries that you have done anything wrong.

[humblesims]

Yeah, I think he can fuck off to the far side of fuck and then etc etc. YANBU. What a way to run a business. Ignore.

[Sparklesocks]

You did nothing wrong, I don’t understand how they could’ve thought everything was confirmed when they hadn’t confirmed with you or taken a deposit.
Sounds like you dodged a bullet, I don’t think a business which barely answers the phone and has such haphazard booking processes would deliver a great party in all honesty.

[Pinkyyy]

Please keep records of all the times you called them! People like this always try their luck and may try and make a claim, although I'm certain (as I'm sure they are too) that they won't get a penny.

[EnglishRose13]

What kind of venue was it?

[TruJay]

@OnlyFoolsnMothers I’m tempted honestly, I wish I’d taken the call but dh did as I was in the bathroom. I really wanted to call back and have our bloody say! Dh was just being cut off at every sentence he started.

I’m so glad you agree with me, I didn’t think weWBU but he was so adamant we were I thought I’d check!
Gutted for DS

[TruJay]

@Pinkyyy I’d love to hear their case to be honest. If I’d paid a deposit on that first call then even with me calling/visiting all those times and getting no response I’d agree they’d think we’d be coming although I’d think they were beyond unprofessional.

@EnglishRose13 don’t want to out myself but it’s quite a niche venue, think technology based

[Mummyoflittledragon]

Good point about them possibly taking you to court. However they have no confirmation / booking signed / deposit etc. If you are concerned about that, you could scroll down your mobile and screenshot every attempt made to call.

What kind of business isnt staffed during opening hours and has no answer phone? Idiots.

[EmperorBallpitine]

They were very unreasonable! I have booked loads of kids parties at all sorts of venues and ALL have expected a deposit and sent a confirmation email/invoice for rest of payment. Big and small companies. This brush with insanity is not your fault.

[Puzzledandpissedoff]

He was so arsey though, dh could barely get a word in edgeways and he shouted “your number will now be banned and you will never use our service” before slamming the phone down!

That sounds to me like someone who knows they're in the wrong and hopes to cover it with bluster. If this "manager" has bosses of his own - and if he's always this disorganised - he's probably getting it in the neck for the lack of revenue and looking for someone else to blame

It'll be fun if he tries to invoice you for the hire, won't it??

[Beeziekn33ze]

OP - poor DS. They sound like total incompetents with no idea how to relate to customers.

[Hellohappy]

Venues would normally take a deposit and confirm numbers before the date so more fool them.

[CinammonPorridge]

I would review them on Facebook.