Wedding Etiquette Forum

Venue coordinator seems incompetent

We've picked a venue that we love (the William Tell in Countryside, IL) and have been working for about a month to sort out all the details of our contract.  The wedding coordinator at the venue has been difficult to work with.  The first draft of the contract had the wrong times on it.  Then, she told us we could revise the payment plan and a few of the other policies they have.  The big issue we have is that they reserve the right to move us to a different room.  She assured me they would only move us if our room was uninhabitable.  We requested that she write that into the contract so that if they try to move us for any other reason, we'll be protected.  Two weeks later, she finally sent over the contract.  She ignored all of our requests in regards to payment, and she put in a stipulation that they would only move our reception if the room was "inhabitable" - which is the opposite of what we'd like to see in the contract!

I know that we're picking at minor details that probably won't come up.  The place is pretty expensive though (it'll be $25,000 at least), so we just want to make sure that we're covered if anything weird happens.  She's sent us three versions of the contract over the past month, and none have included the things she said she would put in for us.  I'm getting fed up and frustrated with her.

So here's my question.  Is it appropriate to request to work with a different venue coordinator?  I'm generally a people-pleaser, so I would have a hard time telling her that I don't like working with her, even though she seems incompetent and unprofessional.  What would be the best way to handle this?  Should I talk to her about working with someone else?  Get in touch with her supervisor?  What should I say?

Any advice is appreciated!

Re: Venue coordinator seems incompetent

  • MattsPenguinMattsPenguin member
    Knottie Warrior 2500 Comments Combo Breaker
    edited April 2011

    Are there other event coordinators to use?  I would point out the errors to her and ask her to revise again.  If that doesn't work, then yes go to her supervisor.

    I asked the same question about changing rooms when we signed the contract for our venue.  The coordinator assured me that it would be one of those "acts of God" type things that has never ever ever happened.  So I don't know that I would worry about that actually happening.  Although, yes "uninhabitable" and "inhabitable" mean exactly the opposite. 

  • aragx6aragx6 member
    2500 Comments 5 Love Its Combo Breaker
    edited April 2011
    I'd ask for a supervisor. Sounds like you've already had a lot of back and forth.
    Lizzie
  • Can you go down and meet with her in person and physically sit there while she makes those changes?  It seems like that's the only way you are going to get anything done.

    Although, with her being so difficult on just the contract, how is she going to handle the rest of your event?  I would definitely talk to her supervisor about your concerns, but honestly, I might even start shopping for other venues, just in case....
    Anniversary
  • Is it possible that she missed the "un" part in uninhabitable. She is human. That could honestly be a typo.

    If she hasn't resolved your other concerns though regarding payment then yes, I would contact her supervisor. There may not be another coordinator.

    From someone who's worked in the industry, that clause about having the right to move the room is standard in most event contracts. It mainly applies to conference groups because they're a little more flexible in their meeting space. I've never seen a wedding moved, just because. Actually I don't think I've ever seen a wedding moved, ever.
    image
  • I would give her another shot.  Can you explain to her that you know you seem a little paranoid, but you are spending a lot of money and you want everything to be spelled out in the contract?  Be a little self-deprecating, and tell her that you'd really like to get these changes made and book the venue.  When we did all of our vendor contracts, we made sure the clauses were as unambiguous as possible, even if the events were very unlikely to occur or the ambiguity was unlikley to be interpreted against us. 

    If she doesn't get more responsive, I would look for another venue.  Sure, people can make typos, but read over what you write before you send something to a potential client.  If she's not detail-oriented enough to get the contract right, I would be worried about relying on her when you're actually planning things.  Unless your venue is huge and has a whole slew of coordinators, I wouldn't bother asking for someone else.  Even if there are a couple others, we had the coordinator we started with take a leave of absence, so I wouldn't book the venue unless you were ok working with her if that's what it came down to. 
  • I would send her another message and tell her that you love the venue, and are anxious to book, but you require certain things to be in the contract before you hand over any money. Then, detail every single thing you have told her before. Let her know that if she is unable to provide those things for you in the next draft, then you will be forced to reconsider providing them with your patronage. This is a significant amount of money and you are absolutely 100% right to feel nervous about interacting with someone so completely unprofressional. Don't sign it just get to get it over with, either. This is a legal document and needs to reflect everything you are looking for so you don't get screwed. If you just HAVE to have the reception at this site and this coordinator can't get it together, you should absolutely go over her head to her supervisor and discuss your concerns. She will be a major player in your planning process later on down the road and her lack of professionalism will really add to an already full plate and stress level. You will need someone on your team you can rely on and trust. Good luck!
  • If you feel nervous about working with the coordinator, I would think about changing venues. If you don't want another venue, I would definitely ask to work with someone else.

    For what it's worth, I looked into the William Tell also and liked it but didn't love it so I've been searching for other venues. If you do decide to change venues, feel free to PM for suggestions.
  • I agree with the others that you should see if there are other coordinators to work with, talk with her supervisor, and then sit down with her one more time.

    The one thing I definitely encourage you to do is to follow your gut on this.  If you aren't comfortable after trying to take care of things, walk. 
  • I'm curious as to who you are currently working with because the person I was dealing with seemed good. Can you give me her name? You can PM it to me if you don't want ot post it here.
  • I'd love to meet face-to-face with her, but currently I'm unable to.  I live in Cincinnati, Ohio now, and it's very difficult to make trips back to Illinois.  Planning the wedding across two state lines will be difficult enough; I really need a coordinator who will be supportive and responsive.  The William Tell has a number of other coordinators who work there.  I'm not sure what it would take to switch to someone else, but for the sake of my sanity, it sounds like it could be our best bet.  My dad says we should give this coordinator one last shot before talking to a manager.

    One thing that has struck me as odd through this whole process is that she doesn't retype the contract with changes.  She just writes things in pen in the margins.  Is that normal?  It seems odd to me, but maybe I'm just paranoid.  :)

    Thanks for the advice!
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