TLDR: Not tech savvy, disorganized emails, requires a lot of management, canceled on us but still…read morecharged us cancelation fees, won't refund day-of-service fees.
She is a very strange and frustrating person to work with. She doesn't seem very tech savvy. She chooses to use Venmo but doesn't seem to understand how the platform works. We venmod her payment and she rushed delivered the amount into her account instead of waiting 24 hours. It cost her $25 for the rush delivery and she scolded us for it. We felt bad for her because her response seemed over the top for $25, so we venmod her $25. I know people are struggling right now. Her email chains are also very confusing and all over the place. Most planners use a planning module to help stay organized with clients, but with Theresa, it was a lot of emails and very hard to keep track of. She even got the start time of our baby shower wrong .. the disorganization with the emails might have been the cause.
Now onto the primary complaint. We had hired her because she was local to the area that we wanted to have our baby shower. Unfortunately, we were not able to find a venue in the San Diego area. We ended up planning to have the shower at our home.
As fate would have it, the shower was scheduled on the day of the tropical storm. Our guests and us felt comfortable as it was going to be at our home. The day before, I had reached out to Theresa to solidify the plans and set-up times for the shower and she stated that everything was good to go. Then, a few hours later, Theresa reached out and stated that the other vendor canceled and that she (Theresa) also felt uncomfortable due to the storm. I understood their concerns. I had two options moving forward - drive to pick up the decor and catering OR cancel the baby shower. We didn't feel confident in our abilities to decorate and set up the baby shower on our own, so we canceled for the time being. In the following week, we discussed a possible new date with family and agreed on 9/2.
Because the cancellation was so last minute, we incurred fees with the furniture rental company. What was strange was that even though she and the other vendor canceled on us, they were both still charging us cancellation fees and the costs for flowers. We did some investigating and contacted the other vendor. She stated that Theresa told her that we canceled first, while Theresa told us that she canceled first. When confronted, Theresa stated that she "strongly suggested" canceling but didn't actually use the words cancel. It was very manipulative.
I wish Theresa was more transparent. I wish she would have communicated with me and told me her concerns, so we could have come up with a plan. We knew the storm was coming and could have made arrangements to avoid incurring extra costs. Instead, she waited until the last minute to cancel on us. She was dishonest, too, which is really disappointing. My assumption is that she knew what she was doing (telling us the vendor cancelled first, then telling the vendor that we canceled first) so she couldn't be blamed for anything.
As of right now, I told Theresa that based on the dishonesty and the fact that I am being billed for cancelation fees due to her decisions, I don't feel comfortable having her move forward with the new baby shower date. I told her that the best course of action is to cut ties. I requested a refund for her hourly rate for day-of services and the grazing table, as the event hasn't happened yet. She declined stating that now, "I canceled." The irony.
All in all - I do not recommend her as planner for the disorganization, dishonesty, and lack of customer service. She is not out any money. In fact, the day-of services and grazing table cost $2000, so she made out like a bandit without having to do any work. (Keep in mind that I already paid her $1000 for planning, which of course, I am not requesting a refund on.) I, on the other hand, am being billed cancellation fees and am out $2000. I'm about a month away from our due date but do plan on having this reviewed in small claims.
