I really don't know what to do anymore. This has been the most nerve wrecking experience I have EVER had!!!! I live out of state and have been attempting to reserve leonards since June 2010. My banquet manager REFUSES to cooperate. We will reach an agreement and she will not call email me back for days. She has agreed to fax multiple reservations, which we ended up losing, due to her inability to honor her commitment in a timely manner. She has done this so many times, she will agree to fax the reservation, and end up not doing so for days, she even left on vacation for a month... after agreeing to send the fax right after she was done talking to me on the phone. Needless to say we lost that date as well. We called requesting another banquest manager, but no one calls back, no one seems to care. After comming back from vacation, she offered another date, and when we asked her to fax the reservation, she stated she forgot that they are closed on that day. We have changed our dates around multiple times because of her incompetency, and our families schedule. Now she is telling me she is unable to book any dates. Her manager called us back and said that they do not make reservations over the phone, and if we want to get anything done, we need to come in. This is a surprise to me, because that was the first concern I stated, and the banquet manager had no problem with it. This is really inconvenient for my family and I. I really don't know what to do. Does anyone have any upper management contacts for Leonards? Or does anyone know of another reception hall similar to leonards (theme, price, location, etc) preferably in Long Island.
angelscri
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Re: HELP!!!! Leonards- Communication Problem
Sorry you are going through this. My friend / Coworker is best friends with the owner of Leonards. I will ask him tomorrow and see if there is anything he can do for you. Did you try the Swan Club?
jcaramelprincess
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Re: HELP!!!! Leonards- Communication Problem
THAT is EFFFED UP!!! I think you should take your business somewhere else. You shouldnt be treated this way AND if they are like this BEFORE you book imagine AFTER you book. They dont care about you or your business. Try calling fox hollow, westbury manor, jericho terrace, ariana waterfall catering, etc
Good Luck!!
Prettiiiinpink
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Re: HELP!!!! Leonards- Communication Problem
Thanks I would REALLY appreciate that. This has been the worst experience ever. It's either one thing or another. This has caused a lot of stress in my life.
Swann Club was a place that I had in mind but I didnt get a chance to see. How is it? Is it as nice as Leonards? I will check it out when I make my next trip up there.
Oct2010Bride2Be
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Re: HELP!!!! Leonards- Communication Problem
Frankly I am surprised you're having this many problems. Who is your BM? The only BMs I met with at Leonards was Antonio and Ian Robbins (who finalizes the menu). The receptionists who answer the phone are not exactly the sharpest tools, but if you get a hold of either Antonio or Ian, they should be able to help.
Prettiiiinpink
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Re: HELP!!!! Leonards- Communication Problem
Thanks for your support. I know I am extremely upset over this, and I think I have had about enough. I have treated this woman nicely and respectfully, and I have tried my best to work with her, but enough is enough.
I didn't really like Ariana waterfall.
I will check out Fox Hollow, Westbury Manor, and Jericho when I come up to NY.
Prettiiiinpink
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Re: HELP!!!! Leonards- Communication Problem
My banquet manager is Melissa. I'm not sure if I have met Ian or Maurizio. I met the manager who is an older man, he's very blunt, I cant tell if he is being rude, or if that is just the way he talks. Is that Ian or Maurizio?
I am surprised myself at how many times you can mess up with one client. I am considering going up there and requesting to work with anyone else and just getting this done for good. I have made two trips up, and during the second trip she promised to be more responsible and communicate more efficiently using email, 5 days later, she left on vacation without faxing the reservation. :(
angelscri
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Re: HELP!!!! Leonards- Communication Problem
Posted by Prettiiiinpink
Thanks I would REALLY appreciate that. This has been the worst experience ever. It's either one thing or another. This has caused a lot of stress in my life.
Swann Club was a place that I had in mind but I didnt get a chance to see. How is it? Is it as nice as Leonards? I will check it out when I make my next trip up there.
I will ask him for you tomorrow, but I agree with the previous poster. I would not want to do business with them after being treated this way. Swan Club is beautiful, the grounds are amazing and the management is great. You should also check out thed Westbury Manor, their banquet managers are great there.
Oct2010Bride2Be
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Re: HELP!!!! Leonards- Communication Problem
Posted by Prettiiiinpink
My banquet manager is Melissa. I'm not sure if I have met Ian or Maurizio. I met the manager who is an older man, he's very blunt, I cant tell if he is being rude, or if that is just the way he talks. Is that Ian or Maurizio?
I am surprised myself at how many times you can mess up with one client. I am considering going up there and requesting to work with anyone else and just getting this done for good. I have made two trips up, and during the second trip she promised to be more responsible and communicate more efficiently using email, 5 days later, she left on vacation without faxing the reservation. :(
Both Antonio and Ian are older gentlemen. Ian has the gray-ish hair, Antonio has a bit of an accent and dark wavy hair.
The only other RH that came close to Leonards was Swan Club - the only reason I didn't book with them was location (Leonards is right on Northern and accessible by mass transit and many guests are coming from Queens). Otherwise Swan Club was a very close second.
Sorry you had a bad experience w/ Leonards. I think if you want to book with them, you really do need to appear in person since that's where you fill out basic paperwork and put down a min of $1,000 deposit. I never met with Melissa or any female BM so I can't comment on what they are like.
Prettiiiinpink
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Re: HELP!!!! Leonards- Communication Problem
thank you so much!
I know you are right, I should just move on after being treated this way. But I really have my heart set on Leaonards, I can't seem to let it go :/
I wish there was something that I could do to make this entire situation better.
Prettiiiinpink
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Re: HELP!!!! Leonards- Communication Problem
It was most likely Ian. I think my fiance has his card, so I will double check, I think he is the one that called and said there was nothing he could do over the phone :(
How is Swan Club pricing in comparison to Leonards? I was reading online reviews, and I read Leonards has the best price, so that was another reason I wanted to go with leonards rather than any other venue.
I am going to try my best to make a trip this weekend or next weekend and reserve the dates with whichever reception hall I end up going with.
April_Luv
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Re: HELP!!!! Leonards- Communication Problem
Sorry your having so many issues.. But def call Antonio! I've never had a problem with him...
luvly73
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Re: HELP!!!! Leonards- Communication Problem
okay i absolutely know what you are talking about. they do not return calls...you really have to get an attitude with them before they make an attempt to contact you. If I were you I would demand to speak to a GM, not a BM.
ALSO, I think it helps to have FH call because I felt I was never getting through when I called. I had DH call and even he called constantly to get what we wanted..
With all this said, they did a fabulous job on the day. I was really worried but everything was awesome but I had a lot of issues with them prior,
Oct2010Bride2Be
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Re: HELP!!!! Leonards- Communication Problem
loved Swan Club and their quote was reasonable - only around $5 more per person for the same day and time.
The only thing that made me hold back w/ Swan Club was location (not readily accessible via mass transit) and the menu selections - Leonards for some reason, seemed to offer more variety re: food. Since I'm having a ton of multi-cultural guests, we needed to have different types of food ranging from Latin, Italian, Indian, etc. The food at Swan Club had a little of those dishes but not as many as those offered at Leonards. Other than that, the grounds at Swan Club are absolutely gorgeous and you could take all your wedding pics outside..
allornil
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Re: HELP!!!! Leonards- Communication Problem
personally I like swan club better but that's just my taste. It doesn't mean Leonard's isnt as nice.
Anyone who has dealt w swan club has had a good experience.
Personally i wouldn't book w them after dealing w that BS.
Notwedyet08
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Re: HELP!!!! Leonards- Communication Problem
it seems like you have your heart set on leonards; but for me personally-i'd be VERy annoyed by them not returing my calls/getting back to me in a timely fashion...just think it's this way BEFORE you've even booked...before you've even given them a dime...just wait how hard things might become further down the line planning from out of state and not being able to get a hold of your bM.
ready2wed
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Re: HELP!!!! Leonards- Communication Problem
I know how it is when you have your heart set on something. The problem is you don't want to have to deal with this situation through the entire planning process. If you do decide to book with them, I would stress how unhappy I am with the way you have been treated thus far. If they still treat you like this, I think you should take your business elsewhere. There are too many RH's that would appreciate your money!!
Positanochick
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Re: HELP!!!! Leonards- Communication Problem
Personally I wouldn't book with them considering how they treated you, they should be going above and beyond not you! I would try the Jericho Terrace - it has a similar look to Leonards. Good Luck with Everything!
stx29kls
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Re: HELP!!!! Leonards- Communication Problem
I am sorry this is happening to you. Why are vendors crazy>>>>
BellaRegina
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Re: HELP!!!! Leonards- Communication Problem
I know you have your heart set on this RH....but if they are THIS unreliable and treat you this bad BEFORE you even book with them...what will happen when it comes to the day of your wedding and you need something done last min? It seems like they have absolutly no respect for you! They should be bending backwards for you to get your buisness. IMO, my parents really didnt like Leonards becasue they felt that it was a wedding factory and really dont bend overbackward for you. I know its rough to find a place since your outta state, but it looks like you should just start over and find a place that will make your wedding as special as it truely is!!
