Handling a cancellation...

Pretty Parula · December 2009

Hey girls, I could use some advice.

I made an appointment for a consultation with a florist, and during our initial conversation the guy kinda said outright that he didn't think my floral budget would be sufficient for my wedding (I'm NOT asking for anything outlandish, btw, and it's not a huge wedding) but I went ahead and made the appointment with him anyway. The more I thought about it, though, the more I disliked his attitude. Their website is incredibly fabulous, like, they had to have spent loads of money getting it done... so I started thinking, if they have that much money to blow on a website, how much are they charging people? And then I noticed that a HUGE proportion of their examples were from large-scale events and corporate parties, so I just felt like they were catering to more upscale clients than myself and that he wasn't that interested in working with a smaller event/budget. So I left a message yesterday saying that I wanted to cancel the appointment. Today I get an e-mail from the guy asking why I'm canceling.

Should I tell him the truth?

I know vendors need to be aware of the perception they're giving their clients, but I don't want to get into a drawn-out back-and-forth with him about it. Thoughts? TIA.

SRivera09 · December 2009

I'm actually going through something similar. I had hired him, and now have decided not to use him. and he did ask why. I was hesitant at first but I went ahead and told him the truth. It will help him hopefully in the future to handle things different.

and I wouldn't allow a back and forth like you where talking about. You don't really owe him anything.

cherriterri519 · December 2009

You don't owe him anything, especially since all you're doing is cancelling an appointment. He sounds kind of like a florist I had dealt with previously. Now I'm curious if this is the same guy.

Pretty Parula · December 2009

Cherri, it was Tommy at Greenery Productions. Same as yours?

I told him that I got the impression he didn't think my budget was workable for them and that I didn't want to waste his time. I doubt he'll write back and try to convince me to still meet with them, since I don't think he cares that much, but if he does I'm not sure whether I'd want to. I just didn't like his 'tude. Even when he wrote back to ask why I was canceling, he just had this tone like he didn't really care. He didn't even address me by name. All the e-mail said was "Why is that?" I could be reading too much into it, but whatev. I set up appointments with Dream Designs and Carly Ane's instead, and they both seem much friendlier.

SRivera09 · December 2009

I just got my quote back from Carly anes and I'm pretty happy with it. Both of those florist are good. I think you be happy with either one of those.

Pretty Parula · December 2009

Ok good to know. I already met with Lee Forrest as well, who will probably be out of my price range, but I think it was still helpful because now at least I have some idea of what I like and don't like.

Does anyone else ever get this skinny reply box where you can't really type or see what you're typing? Gah, this new format blows sometimes. I don't even want to get on the boards anymore because it's such a PITA if you don't use Internet Explorer. *snarl* Ok, I'm done complaining now.

cherriterri519 · December 2009

No, that wasn't the one. I had a bad experience with another guy. He got an attitude with me and was very rude about something that was his fault. I ended up going with Lee Forrest and I absolutely adore him and his work! Plus, he is great with keeping in touch with me.

Theresa626 · December 2009

Oh my god, I KNEW it was Tommy! He called me and asked me why I didn't use him. I wanted to tell him because he made me cry after the appointment when he insulted me and my ideas and had a shitty attitude and was very sarcastic and rude to me. He was also impossible to get a hold of and wasn't flexible or understanding with his appointment availability. He also gave me the strong feeling that he did NOT want to do our wedding because he kept insulting my ideas and was unwilling to offer any suggestions of his own. When he called me, I wanted to tell him how thouroughly put off I was by all this but instead I just told him it was because of budgetary concerns. Then he kept pushing it and he asked me who I chose instead and told me he could work with my budget. All of that is total crap. His idea of working with a budget is deleting everything you want till the basics fit your budget.

I would love it if you told him straight up why you cancelled. I would've liked to have had the guts to tell him how upset his comments made me but I didn't. Anyways, if you tell him why, be prepared for him to ask you more questions and not let it drop.

Theresa626 · December 2009

SRivera, so you hired Tommy and then changed your mind? How come?

SRivera09 · December 2009

no, it was a completly different florist. I talked with Tommy a couple of times on the phone but he ended up having to cancel our appt cause he booked up for my day.

Pretty Parula · December 2009

OMG Theresa that's so crappy! What a douche. I already sent him an e-mail saying that I just didn't get the impression he wanted to work with my budget and I didn't feel like wasting my time or his, and I haven't heard back from him. If I do, I'll be completely blunt with him and mention that other brides in the area have had similar experiences, so clearly it's him and not me.

Theresa626 · December 2009

oohhh good for you

sydneysays · December 2009

I also chose not to go with him....I went with Joyce at Creative Designs.She is also my DOC. Call her if you haven't made a decision yet she will work with even the smallest budget and she is awesome! creativedesignsweddingsdotcom
GL!!!

vedika · December 2009

And this girls let's us know that there are always two sides to wedding vendors: the good and the bad. I know Charisma & Valerie used Tommy are raved about his work ethic and productions! Hopefully things work out better for you all and definitely keep us posted on who you choose!!

adarlingzta · December 2009

All you can do is be honest without being ugly. I chose not to hire a DJ b/c he started talking about his closing ratio with his new laptop demo and I thought he was cocky. He pretty much dared me not to hire him by quoting 100% closing. I never explained why I didnt hire him and I found out later, through my planner, that he thought it was racial. I would have rather told him than have him think what he thought. FWIW I think he would have done a killer job but I was too stubborn.

In your case, I dont think compromising your budget is worth it. I think there are too many great florists in Orlando that will be able to work with you and not make you feel badly or question your choice. Go with your gut.

Theresa626 · December 2009

yeah, I had been so excited to meet with him because they raved about him but then it was really disappointing. I didn't even want to post about how bad he was afterwards because I was afraid everyone would take it the wrong way and get overly defensive. One time I posted about a bad meeting with a vendor and it got deleted and I know other people have gotten defensive in the past when people don't like a vendor they used. Anyway, I was kind of relieved to see someone else had a crappy experience because then I felt ok about sharing mine.

Pretty Parula · December 2009

WELL! I think this has been a very productive conversation indeed!

Vedika, you're totally right. I knew people on here had given great reviews about him, and that's why I wanted to talk to him in the first place. That's also part of why I booked an appointment with him against my better judgement. But I guess the circumstances were different, or whatever, and he's clearly not the guy for me.

And I did my best to be honest without being as much of a tool as he was. I doubt he'll even realise that I didn't like his attitude, actually. But it doesn't really matter as much as finding someone I'm comfortable with. I've got three great options so I don't think I need any more, unless they all turn out to be busts. (Doubt it.)

Thanks for all the great advice, ladies. Hopefully this helps some other girls out, too.

AlexiaANDRobert · December 2009

Waaaay late to this, but I went with Danielle at Dream Designs and REALLY enjoyed working with her.

I was not really anal or particular about flowers except that I wanted all white and I did not want to go over my budget.

I know a few of the girls on here did not like her because she can seem flighty or whatever, but she's def got her stuff together.

I'd be more than happy to email you pictures of my flowers and go into further detail.

I'm hardly on theknot anymore cause this new format hates me and it takes forever to load, but email me ucfalexia27 @ hotmail . com

Pretty Parula · December 2009

Thanks Alexia - I'm meeting with her next week, actually. We'll see how it goes!

And yeah, the new format makes TK miserable for me too. I don't see this becoming a long-term relationship for me.

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