To the Vendors 'Listening In'

susanlynn...since you have time...you may just want to cough up the deposit and find someone else...(and usually they give you the deposit back if they fill the date)

good luck

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I think it was rather rude and unprofessional. I think its your day and if you think you are going to be uncomfortable with this person, you should switch. All the best to you sweetie. I have never heard such crap before.

Happy planning

I think you should call the manager first. It is clear from your previous posts that you love Chateau Briand (there I said it, we all know anyway ) and you are excited about having your reception there. But if the manager doesn't make you feel better, then I am with yabbobay. Take your money somewhere that appreciates it and respects you more. The bottom line is that you should love your vendors and feel very comfortable with them. There are a ton of beautiful places to hold your reception in that area and I am sure that they will all treat you better. Besides, that place sounds shady. Preferential treatment for certain couples, listening in on our conversations (I don't think they are even affiliated with this site) and actually calling you based upon what they read! You sound like a very sweet person. Had it been me, I would have given them a piece of my mind, posted my experience all over the internet in warning and I would already be meeting with other places.

They deserve to get angry phone calls. How would any of us feel if we found out our photographers only gave the negatives to certain couples or that our videographers randomly threw in free pre-ceremony coverage. Its just ridiculous.

I JUST WANTED TO LET EVERYONE KNOW THAT THIS VENDOR IS NOT ON THIS WEBSITE! I APPRECIATE ALL OF YOUR SUPPORT!!! THANKS!

Susanlynn, I just wanted to let you know (as everyone else has already! ) that regardless of this one vendor's lack of professionalism, you will STILL have a wonderful day. Shame on him/her for making you feel bad! Now put on your best 'Bride-To-Be Smile', and go forth and plan!!!

Not to put a damper on things, but I have had personal contacts w/ the vendor in question and they are money hungry crooks. Ask to see meet the chef and see the kitchen next time you take a visit over there. Disgraceful!

Good luck! I do think the other facilities are very nice. I am sure you could work smothing out w/ them to switch locations.

Quinn,

I am getting married at CB in November, and I sincerely hope that you have something to base that kind of accusation on. Do you mean to tell me that you have seen the kitchen at CB up close and it was disgraceful? I would like for you to please post what ever evidence you have to back up a post like that. I am spending thousands of dollars to have my wedding there and am very unhappy about what you have said. If you have seen it, and you are standing by what you said, that's fine, and please be so kind as to specifically share what it was that you found so disgraceful. If you have not seen it with your own eyes, please know that I do not appreciate gossip about the condition of the kitchen in which the food that my guests will be eating is prepared.

Now I do not mean to start a big war, and if their kitchen is dirty, it is certainly not your fault, but I can't imagine that they let you in to see their kitchen and it was filthy. They have a glass widow that lets you see right in, they have to keep it clean.

If by personal contacts you mean you know someone who works there, and they said it was dirty, that's another story too. I just feel that you should elaborate on a statement like that because I am sure that you have upset alot of people.
Please elaborate.

You are so funny. I was dying to know who the vendor was but knowbody said it. Your post made me laugh

I am having my wedding there in 30 days so if you know something that you think we should know please let us know. I have never seen anything unacceptable there in all my visits. If you think the other Scotto Bros property are so great why would they have one standard for one place and a totally different standard for Chateau Briand. Please come back and let us know what you know.

Thanks

Susanlynn- Just wanted to say that I'm so sorry you have to deal with this. I really hope things get better for you, but I definitely agree that you should speak with upper management before making the decision to switch. I know 2 brides that have married there, and had nothing but wonderful things to say about them. I'm not trying to justify their HUGE mistake, but perhaps it was just one IDIOT, whom without getting the proper clearance, called you and didnt think twice about the consequences of their actions.

I think this whole situation just brings up an interesting point. I am a librarian, and in library school learning about the Internet is a very big deal. Not only are we taught about the history of the Internet, but one thing that is stressed is the fact that it is technically 'owned' by no one. Therefore, anything you do, say, buy, etc. is accesible by anyone. Including this board. I have slipped up NUMEROUS times by posting personal information, whether it just be my email address or a story about a friend. Either way, I always knew in the back of my mind that someone out there who knows me could find it and use it against me one day!! Many of us would be amazed if we went into a search engine, typed in our names, and saw how many 'hits' came up with information that we never chose to make public.

I had a big problem with a vendor, and the one thing I told them was that the power of the Internet is much stronger than they could ever imagine. I could have either badmouthed them or remain silent and just never recommend them again. I have chosen to just never recommend, which is powerful enough for me, UNTIL my wedding is over. At least not in a public forum like this. I said something negative about them once, but you NEVER know which vendor knows which vendor, etc...So I decided to let it go at that.

I am not saying that you did anything wrong by sharing your opinions - in fact, I think that you did exactly what this board is meant for - sharing ideas and experiences. I think it was unethical for this vendor to actually call you at home - all I'm saying is that I'm not completely surprised by the fact that they could.

Good luck resolving this issue - I truly hope your mind is put at ease soon.

I spoke to a couple of colleagues who have used Scotto Bros for their receptions. They heard the same thing I did on the dinner. It is not manditory or discriminatory its a nice gesture that they provide because WE and they asked for it. That was one of my questions on my list. I used this to negotiate the contract before we signed. YES they don't normally do this. This is like saying well since your photographer gave you 100 thank you cards, he HAS to give them to everyone else. People use this to negotiate the photography package if you choose to. I will because I don't like them!

I plan on staying with CB. I have no worries and am not getting all worked up over this b/c quite frankly, I did what I had to do to make sure I received that dinner before signing the contract. If they later say well now you can't because of all of this, then Oh well! I know from their reputation and service, their food is awesome! I don't need a complimentary dinner to prove that.

Quinn please clarify by disgraceful. Whatever it may be, there are plenty of upscale restaurants in NYC that have had citations during sanitation inpsections because of creepy crawlies in food, re-using spoiled food, and many other disgraceful things I have read. So if CB did not have any of the above, I am not worried. PLUS you can see CB's kitchen that is the key here.

And also just so you know, the entire bridal industry are a bunch of CROOKS! Not just CB or any other Scotto Bros property. Each and every vendor we are or will be using inflates their rates b/c you are having a wedding. That is just a proven fact over and over again, especially on this board.

Susanlynn-I know many have said to leave CB. IF you feel strongly that you should by all means go for it. But I think you should talk to higher management before making that decision. I am pretty sure that once they hear your side of the story, in order to accomodate you more and appease yourself and mind, they may help you out in someway. They don't want to ruin their reputation b/c of one bad incident a bride had to deal with one of their employees. We all have to understand that all these vendors are not perfect. Yes we should be treated wonderfully and special b/c we are paying a lot of money. But they all have a bad day. Susanlynn experienced that.

There have been plenty of you that have mentioned photographers, videographers, florists and others on their negative behavior, actions and more. I take all the opinions and see it through my own eyes. I don't assume I may not like this vendor until going through the experience myself. But many jump on the negative vibe and go with it. They eliminate that vendor from their list, b/c of the bad comment. Truth of the matter is, is that not all vendors are 'perfect'. There is no such thing. We all need to remember that. Of course we all want our day to be perfect. So do I!! But I refuse to let myself get all worked up about a negative comment until I speak to the vendor directly. Now if there are continous negative comments like say AlexaRae Limos-who is definitely a NO NO!!! I would turn my back and keep walking away!

Susanlynn-keep your head up girl. Your day will be beautiful regardless of where it is!!

I think its pretty sad that Quinn can't come here and express her opinion without incident. (She clarified what she meant on the other thread in case you missed it.) Of course, its not nice to hear less than raves about our vendors but try not to attack the messenger. Quinn did not tell anyone to cancel with CB - she just shared her experiences. You are free to make your own decisions.

PLEASE REMEMBER THAT NEGATIVE VENDOR REVIEWS ARE JUST AS INFORMATIVE (usually more so in fact) THAN THE POSITIVE. We need to hear it all to make better informed decisions. Lets NOT scare away everyone who doesn't have pleasant things to say.

PS: If indeed CB does have a dirty kitchen, the fact that upscale NYC establishments have health code violations is not an excuse. All food service businesses should be held to rigouroug standards - particularily when serving food to hundreds in one sitting.

I missed the other thread on Quinn's comment. Now I am clearer on her opinion. CB has changed a lot since she has been there... All I am saying is that there are many things we don't SEE in kitchens at restaurants we all eat at. Its scary but true. I haven't heard any citations on CB from the Sanitation Dept. Not even for any other Scotto Bros establishment either. PLUS if any location has a negative sanitation inspection, it is posted on the front door for ALL to view. What catering hall wants that?!?!?!

My comment on cancelling CB is with plenty of other brides that have mentioned it. We all have our own opinions. Whether we take the opinion to heart and use or not is each one's choice. Personally, once I see a bunch of threads saying negative things on a vendor, I begin to question myself whether I should visit or not. I can mention those on my don't call list because of many of you. And I thank you for that. But I refuse to eliminate a possibly amazing vendor b/c of one bad experience a bride has. I was told that Scotto Bros does over 3,000 weddings a year. That says something there. That doesn't even include all the other events they hold there. All I am saying is if you feel you need to re-think on using CB or any other vendor, now or in the future, that is your own choice.

I posted this on another thread, but feel that it needs to be addressed here. --> thanks Sonicstef! _________________________________________

I can't get into specifics, but my statement is not based on hearsay. My intention was not to upset anyone. As I mentioed, I have had personal contacts there and was not at all impressed with there business practices. This was several years ago and maybe things have changed, but the chef was a unkept man (perfusive sp?) sweater and seemed to care more about getting the food prepared on schedule then the quality of the food. The kitchen (again at the time) was dirty and not up to par. Yes, I saw this w/ my own eyes. The managers were rude and only cared about brown-nosing the bosses more than meeting the needs of their guests.

The facility is always clean (lobby, bathroom, reception rooms, but make sure you get to see the behind the scene room -> kitchen.

Again this was a few years ago and hopefully things have improved. Sorry if I upset you, I am sure things will be fine!

*** I am glad to here that things have changed. Good luck w/ everything. Sorry again for upsetting anyone, just stating my experiences.******