Disappointed does not begin to describe this experience.
We did not simply book a 3:30 p.m. appointment at the hat bar for Father's Day. We paid to reserve that specific appointment time. The reservation required a nonrefundable $10 fee that does not apply toward the final purchase. Naturally, we assumed that paying to reserve a specific time meant the business would honor that time.
Instead, when we arrived, we were told they were "running behind" and that it would be another 30 to 45 minutes before they could even begin our appointment. We ultimately waited more than an hour past our scheduled appointment time. The appointment we paid to reserve at 3:30 did not begin until after 4:30.
Delays happen. Most reasonable people understand that. Fifteen minutes? Annoying, but understandable. Even thirty minutes on a busy holiday weekend might be something many customers might overlook. But more than an hour late for a paid reservation is not a minor delay. At that point, the business is simply failing to honor the appointment it sold.
The obvious question becomes: what exactly did we pay to reserve? If a business is going to charge customers to reserve specific appointment times, it should be prepared to honor them.
What makes this especially disappointing is that this was not just another afternoon out for our family. Not only was it Father's Day, but my father in law recently underwent emergency brain tumor surgery and we had just learned that his tumor had returned. We wanted to give him a special Father's Day despite that news. Instead, he spent more than an hour standing around the store waiting because the staff could not honor the appointment time we paid to secure.
What was most frustrating was the complete lack of urgency, accountability, or concern from the staff. Nobody seemed particularly bothered that customers who had paid to reserve appointments were left waiting for more than an hour. Nobody appeared interested in making things right. The message was essentially: we're behind, you'll wait however long it takes, and that's your problem now.
I do not recall receiving a meaningful apology. There was no genuine effort to make things right and no acknowledgment that our time had any value. The only compensation offered was $25 off, which turned out to be the exact same coupon already available on their website to anyone who looked for it. In other words, they did not actually do anything to address the situation they created.
By the end of the visit, we had spent $771 on the hat and on one round of drinks we purchased largely to pass the time during a delay that was entirely of their making. We also did not receive a box for the hat.
Time is valuable. In our case, it was time with a family member who is once again facing a brain tumor diagnosis. We planned part of Father's Day around this reservation, paid to reserve a specific appointment time, and spent more than an hour waiting anyway. It reflected a complete disregard for our time, and more importantly, for his.
Had this been a walk in experience, the wait would have been disappointing but understandable. The issue is that this was not a walk in experience. It was a paid reservation for a specific time slot. If appointment times are optional, stop charging customers to reserve them.
If you choose to book here, understand that the appointment time you reserve and pay to reserve may mean absolutely nothing. Based on our experience, the reservation fee guarantees only that your credit card will be charged, not that your appointment will begin anywhere close to the time you reserved.
I would think carefully before booking here for any special occasion. There are plenty of businesses in Colorado that can make you a custom hat. I would recommend choosing one that values your time as much as it values your money. read more