Part 2:
Quick Note: I'm not upset with the staff. My…read moreconcerns are with the management/owner and the lack of accountability. Instead of taking responsibility, the blame was shifted onto the staff. There was also a lack of clear, effective communication throughout the situation, and I found the owner's (Haydee's) responses on Google and Yelp to be petty and unprofessional.
The owner also claimed that we arrived early. I walked in around 4:26-4:27 p.m. for a scheduled 4:30 p.m. setup time, so we were only a few minutes early. In hindsight, it's fortunate that we were, because we ended up helping her only staff member clean and organize the venue before my event. Had we arrived exactly at our scheduled setup time, the venue would have still been dirty and disorganized, which would have been embarrassing for me as the host.
When I mentioned that the decorations didn't match the theme beyond the paper plates, she didn't seem concerned. She asked me, "Well, is the place not ready for the event?" I replied, "It is now, after we helped clean it." Her response was simply, "Well okay then, the place is ready. I don't know how else you want me to help." At that point, I realized the conversation wasn't going anywhere and ended the call.
Afterward, I asked the employee who the owner was, and she told me it was Haydee, the same person I had just spoken with. That was the most disappointing part of the entire experience. I expected the owner to care about both her customers and her employees. Instead, I felt my concerns were dismissed, and it seemed like no accountability was taken for the poor communication, lack of preparation, understaffing, or overall experience.
The kids had fun, which is ultimately what mattered most, but the customer service, communication, organization, cleanliness, and attention to detail did not match the premium price. Between the disorganized booking process, poor communication, incomplete decorations, having to clean the venue ourselves before guests arrived, conflicting information from staff, and the dismissive response from the owner, this experience fell far short of expectations. For over $500 for a two-hour event, I expected a much smoother, more professional experience.
One final concern was the cleanliness of the facility. Considering how much food, popcorn, sand, trash, and even a used diaper were still out when we arrived, it did not appear that the venue had been thoroughly cleaned or sanitized between events. Since there were two parties before ours, I expected the space to be fully cleaned before our guests, especially young children, arrived. I sincerely hope none of the children who attended our party get sick, because the condition of the facility when we walked in did not give me confidence that it had been properly sanitized before our event.