I was invited by a friend to attend a financial planning dinner as their guest. Everything seemed…read morefine at first. Yasmin, who handled communications, confirmed my name, phone number, and email, and even texted the day before to confirm that the event started at 6:00 PM. Great, or so I thought.
That's where things went downhill.
The event was supposed to take place at a well-known restaurant, which sounded straightforward enough. I got stuck in westside traffic and arrived at 6:05 PM, only to find that the restaurant host had no idea who Yasmin was. He searched through all their reservations while I double-checked my texts to make sure I was at the right place. That's when I noticed a new message from Yasmin, sent three hours before the event, saying that guests should arrive by 5:45 PM because "doors close at 6:00." There was still no check-in instructions or company name provided, which made it all the more confusing.
When the host finally figured out where the event was happening, he escorted me to Yasmin at 6:09. I explained the situation, but instead of understanding, she was incredibly rude and dismissive. She told me that the doors closed and I couldn't come in. When I tried to explain that I had been at the host stand asking for her and that the staff didn't know who she was, she cut me off and said, "You're just the guest" and your friend who was invited is already here, "you'll have to leave".
That comment was uncalled for. I had driven an hour in traffic to attend, and, ironically, I wasn't "just the guest." I was actually the lead, ready to move my financial portfolio to a new advisor. Yasmin's unprofessionalism and lack of communication cost them a real opportunity.
To make matters worse, when my friend tried to explain I was the lead, Yasmin lied and said being "20 minutes late was unacceptable", which is completely false. I was five minutes late, and the restaurant confusion was entirely due to her poor organization.
In short, this was a colossal waste of time. If this company treats potential clients this poorly, I can only imagine how they handle actual client relationships. Communication, professionalism, and integrity are everything in financial planning, and Yasmin demonstrated none of those qualities.
If you're invited to one of these dinners, save yourself the trouble.