I really think I should start listening to my own advice. Remember when I made this list about the things I have learned so far? One of the things I had listed that I had learned so far is that you should always listen to your gut.
We have had a whirlwind of a week that resulted in us walking away from our venue, The Berkeley Church Field House. When we had originally signed our contract we were asked to sign a credit card authorization form stating that any payments would be processed on this card, which was perfect in our eyes because we wanted a paper trail and the bonus points that came along with making purchases on this specific card. It wasn't until after we submitted the contract that they said, 'I don't know if we mentioned that our credit card terminal isn't set up,' but that they were in the process of setting up a pay pal account and would get back to us once ready or that we could pay our deposit in cash. I am pretty sure I would have remembered a huge detail like that! How can you leave that detail out?
After waiting for a month, I decided to email for an update. His response was that he had 'meant' to send me a note saying that they are no longer accepting credit cards. Great to hear that he had 'meant' to... He informed us that they would accept only cash and cheque but that they had compensation packages for those who provided credit card cheques and incurred heavy costs from their credit card companies (these are basically cash advances and NOT a good idea) or lost points because of credit card reward programs. I am not okay with and do not recommend making any type of large payment in cash. Generally if a business only takes cash, it means they are either in financial troubles and need cash fast or just plain shady. While I am not necessarily making this assumption of the Berkeley Church, I did not feel comfortable with this practice or how much confusion had already surrounded our event and the amount of effort it has taken on my part to stay or even be informed of the details as this should be their responsibility if they want my business.
We have had a whirlwind of a week that resulted in us walking away from our venue, The Berkeley Church Field House. When we had originally signed our contract we were asked to sign a credit card authorization form stating that any payments would be processed on this card, which was perfect in our eyes because we wanted a paper trail and the bonus points that came along with making purchases on this specific card. It wasn't until after we submitted the contract that they said, 'I don't know if we mentioned that our credit card terminal isn't set up,' but that they were in the process of setting up a pay pal account and would get back to us once ready or that we could pay our deposit in cash. I am pretty sure I would have remembered a huge detail like that! How can you leave that detail out?
After waiting for a month, I decided to email for an update. His response was that he had 'meant' to send me a note saying that they are no longer accepting credit cards. Great to hear that he had 'meant' to... He informed us that they would accept only cash and cheque but that they had compensation packages for those who provided credit card cheques and incurred heavy costs from their credit card companies (these are basically cash advances and NOT a good idea) or lost points because of credit card reward programs. I am not okay with and do not recommend making any type of large payment in cash. Generally if a business only takes cash, it means they are either in financial troubles and need cash fast or just plain shady. While I am not necessarily making this assumption of the Berkeley Church, I did not feel comfortable with this practice or how much confusion had already surrounded our event and the amount of effort it has taken on my part to stay or even be informed of the details as this should be their responsibility if they want my business.
I am not heartbroken in the least as my heart was never really in this place. My gut never felt completely right with the decision and the typos in the promotional material and information packages were a clear indication that the attention to detail just wasn't there for this venue.It was more of a compromise for Byron and our budget. We're back on the venue hunt and are seriously toying with the idea of heading back the other venue we turned down (my first choice and absolutely beautiful venue), The Capitol Theatre up at Yonge and Eglinton. I want something with the sleek art deco look I've been dreaming about with room for 150 cocktail-style (with some seating) and without the venue feeling empty. I am sure we will find it, we have just got to keep our eyes open and ears to the ground.
So lesson learned (again): stick with your gut and listen to your instincts, even when they are screaming over typos ;).
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