Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

To think this Bride Groom and PIL conned a free meal out of us?

27 replies

fatnfrumpy · 14/03/2013 23:37

We run an outside Caterers, based in Kent.We have always offered a tasting session to our Brides and Grooms.

Normally this is when we have had several chats, email back and forth, menu choices, quote in line with budget. ie when we are pretty sure that the Bride and Groom are going to book us.

Recently we had a Bride email for an indicative quote for their Wedding at a Wedding venue near us. Neither the Bride or Groom live in the county in fact they are three counties away but want a Kent Wedding. They came to visit on a Sunday lunchtime with the Grooms parents.

We felt during discussions that no one out of the four of them seemed very interested in what we had to offer. We asked for their wishes/requirements for the day but they did not have any particular preferences.

We offered complimentary canapes and a bespoke three course dinner within their budget. Since the meeting over a month ago we have not heard from them. Although they asked us to source circular tables for them and to visit the Wedding Venue on their behalf to ascertain if the two rooms were large enough for their guests. I have sent two emails with information they asked us to provide and have not had a reply.

We have now come to the conclusion they were in the Kent countryside for the day and thought they would have lunch on us!

We have never had a couple not proceed to a booking after a tasting or not answering emails when we have visited a venue on the behalf! How rude!!!

OP posts:

squeakytoy · 14/03/2013 23:40

They might have split up, the wedding might be off.. but yes there are some cheeky buggers who would do this too.

LaalRatty · 14/03/2013 23:41

Maybe you need to charge for this in future and make it free upon a secure booking? Isn't that business though?

GwendolineMaryLacey · 14/03/2013 23:46

Funny, I was just wondering about this. Just seen a Facebook update from my cousin who had her meal taster tonight (she loved it and has definitely booked with them!) and it struck me that presumably there was nothing to stop people booking tasters all over the shop. I guess it's a risk you take in that business. Not very fair though. I don't remember having one but that was in the olden days! (2000)

DonkeysDontRideBicycles · 14/03/2013 23:47

They were out of town and 3 counties' away? Your fame must have spread! People do take advantage but maybe there are genuine reasons for their silence, redundancy, bereavement, sudden break-up.

I'm sorry you are out of pocket.

WorraLiberty · 14/03/2013 23:49

It's a lot of hassle to go to just for a bit of grub.

My guess is they found someone else and are just too rude to tell you.

thebody · 14/03/2013 23:58

You are in business, that's business.

Some people book and some don't. You offered them the free meal.

Not sure what your complaint is to be honest.

Dh is SE and if he had a £1.00 for every meal he funded to get business we would be rich. I was a SE child minder and got pissed off with cheeky bastards accessing business and not paying.

That's the joy of running a business.

If its the first time you have been out of pocket then that's amazing.

Snazzynewyear · 15/03/2013 00:07

It's possible. Can see it is annoying but at least you are clearly successful if people always book after their tasting usually! It could also be that the ILs were paying and there's now a disagreement about budget or something like that. It does seem like a long way to travel for a free meal to me, but then some people will do anything. If it happens again I would think about the 'charge for tasting, to be taken off the cost when you book' approach, but as a one-off at the moment hopefully it will stay that way.

BerylStreep · 15/03/2013 00:14

When we were considering booking our wedding meal, we asked for a tasting menu. The company were quite surprised, and I don't think they had been asked before. However, they charged a nominal fee, I think it was about £15 per head, which we were happy to pay.

It would be a good idea to deduct this off the bill if the booking is made.

Original poster

fatnfrumpy · 15/03/2013 00:22

I agree with you all!
I don,t actually mind that we spent the time with them and gave them a nice meal.
My guess my real beef is the fact that although I spent over two hours at their Wedding Venue assesing it for them they couldn,t even bother to reply to my emails!
Fine if they don,t want to book but to ignore emails is plain rude.
We have never felt the need to charge for tastings as this is the first time we have not had a booking after the tasting session!
It has crossed our mind they were in Kent at the venue and thought lets have a meal! I would be very interested to find out if they have booked the venue!!!

OP posts:

WorraLiberty · 15/03/2013 00:26

See I can understand you being annoyed at the lack of email telling you they don't want to book you.

But what I can't understand is why you've said twice now that you've never not had a booking after a tasting session?

Well you have now...and surely that's just business for you?

So they've chosen another company (maybe) and were very rude in not returning your emails.

But that doesn't mean they've gone to great lengths to eat for free....I mean why would you assume that rather than assume they chose another company?

Snazzynewyear · 15/03/2013 00:39

Thinking about it, we got a tasting menu for our wedding - was lovely, in fact I think I actually enjoyed that version of the meal more because we could relax and enjoy it, just the two of us, whereas on the day it was all hectic! - and we didn't ever have to pay for that. But I'm pretty sure we had it after we had booked. It wasn't to convince us to book there, more to let us try our options and decide exactly what we wanted on the menu IYSWIM.

Allalonenow · 15/03/2013 01:00

You need to factor the cost of the taster meal and any additional costs into your prices, sometimes you will win and sometimes you will lose.

Or you should charge for the taster, possibly refunded on the final invoice, if a booking is made.

As to spending time on the details of the venue, that is for the venue to provide, directly to the Bride. As you get to know and to be known, you might have local knowledge or contacts that will help the Bride, but in the main it is the Bride's responsibility to ensure that the venue is suitable.

KobayashiMaru · 15/03/2013 12:30

There is the possibility that they just didn't like your food?

snuffaluffagus · 15/03/2013 12:36

We had to sign something that said we would pay a fee for the tasting session if we didn't go ahead and use them.

lottieandmia · 15/03/2013 12:36

I think YABU because as others have said, there could be any number of reasons why they didn't book.

If you offer free tasting sessions then I think you have to be prepared to take the rough with the smooth in that some people may get a free meal and then not book. It is possible they didn't like the food as well. As others have said - it's business. But they should have had the courtesy to tell you afterwards, certainly.

freddiefrog · 15/03/2013 12:40

I used to make wedding cakes for a living and came across this sometimes. I used to spend hours with brides going through designs, providing tasters, etc.

In the end I charged a set fee for the design work and tasters, then knocked it off the bill when they confirmed their order

Pickles101 · 15/03/2013 12:46

I think they probably didn't realise that they were so far down the line in terms of picking your company I wouldn't have. I would have assumed I wasn't bound to a company if I hadn't signed anything, despite how many emails had been sent or tasters tasted.

Maybe you should start charging for tasters or only offer them assuming a deposit is given on that day should everything be fine.

I agree they either don't want your services and just haven't told you (rude), or something has happened within the family.

ajandjjmum · 15/03/2013 12:54

Have they actually booked the venue? If they have and needed the services of an outside caterer, they have presumably not selected yourselves, for whatever reason. Why not phone and say that you realise that they are taking their business elsewhere, but for business research reasons, you would appreciate them telling you why they chose not to use you? Obviously very pleasantly!!!

Trills · 15/03/2013 12:55

We have never had a couple not proceed to a booking after a tasting

That seems unusual. Did you expect that to always be the case?

Maybe a friend recommended a different company, so they had a tasting session with the other company and went with them.

PureQuintessence · 15/03/2013 12:56

They did not con you. You offer free tasters. They tasted your food and were probably not impressed!

Trills · 15/03/2013 12:59

They are rude to not let you know properly though.

LandofTute · 15/03/2013 13:58

They should have replied to your emails, but I don't think you should assume people will always book with you if it is a taster session. Surely the idea of a taster is so that people can decide whether they want to use you or go elsewhere.

EuroShaggleton · 15/03/2013 14:01

They were rude not to let you know, but this is just marketing (or should be seen that way). Sometimes it will be successful and sometimes not.

Inertia · 15/03/2013 14:21

Well, they didn't really act fraudulently. You offered a free meal and they took it.

Maybe you could look at adopting a policy of customers paying for the meal but this is refundable when they book and pay a deposit?

dawntigga · 15/03/2013 14:24

Use to run a catering co and yes, this happened to me more than once.

WillOneDayWriteABookAboutItTiggaxx

Flip

1 2

Swipe left for the next trending thread