Hmmm...since you can't read my mind...I'm giving them a 2.5 rating!
How do I do this - I want to rate this on my experience with them as a business and my experience on the day of our wine trip to Amador. I guess I will do just that.
Company:
Lacking all types of business professionalism. I understand first hand, that if you advertise on Living Social, you aren't making a huge profit, rather trying to attract new customers to your business. That being said, whoever my friend was dealing with, in regards to setting up our trip and using our LS discount, was lacking tact.
She wanted to make sure there weren't any hidden charges, as have been in the news lately. Said person wrote back that we had to pay tax (okay), demanded 20% gratuity, and gas funds (never heard of this before). The last time I checked, and the four or so other wine tours I participated in, we tip according to the service. Yes, they do mention that generally its 20%, but no one has ever outright demanded their gratuity. If you have faith in your employees, you should let their work do the talking. Also, build gas into your pricing model, come on, Business 101!
That being said - I already had a bad taste in my mouth for this company. With a few weeks to let this stew, I was already slightly hostile, in my mind of course.
Day of Trip:
Its 12PM, we see no sign of our limo. We made a call and the person working there said, "Isn't your appointment at 1PM?" Um no, there is email documentation stating 12PM sharp, buddy. Well, they got their act together and were there, albeit 15 minutes late.
I feel like we got played a bit. Read on for details! Phil was our driver, who I also noticed via Yelp (just right now) is also the manager. Is this a one man show, kind of interesting. So, sweetly, in the limo was a bottle of Convergence Winery's Mr. Bubbles, sparkling wine. He said we'd be stopping there eventually, which was okay because we all actually really enjoyed this beverage :)
So once we got to Convergence, he promptly took my friend aside and asked her for the tax/tip/gas money. Right then and there. He didn't have the decency to ask when we arrived home, like any professional would. He took it before we even stepped foot in our first winery. How offensive...
Let's just say we wine tasted of the beaten path. I'm actually okay with this, because I've stopped at all the recognizable ones before. After yelping, it looks like he takes the same path every time. Our group really loves the Almond Champagne from somewhere out here and we asked him if we could go there. He was adamant that it was out of the way, we needed a reservation, and they charged a fee. There was no consideration of even going there, which was slightly rude.
Maybe my standards are too high, but I thought it was very unprofessional of Phil to pick up his membership allotment at SeraFina winery when we were there. I understand its convenient, but I just think its rude to do personal errands while we are spending our money for his service. Maybe I'm over sensitive on this matter, but whatevs.
This is also the first time I've only been to 3 wineries on a four hour wine tour. I think that Phil should have kept us on a better schedule so we could visit four wineries.
Overall, being surrounded by 8 of your closest girls makes ANY situation better. Also, an abundance of snacks and calories doesn't hurt either. I truly appreciate supporting the local wineries and visiting every once in awhile, it just doesn't sit well with me when I don't feel like your business is being professional or honest.
Living Social can be a gamble...lesson learned! read more