Jade Sharp thought she had done everything right when considering The Mulberry Tree, a “a contemporary country restaurant and bar” in Kent, England, as a potential venue for her upcoming wedding.
After visiting the spot with her soon-to-be husband, the couple arranged to go back and talk through wedding packages with a member of staff.
But when they showed up for their appointment, an employee told them there was no record of her ever booking the visit in.
“They had no idea we were going. We got shown round anyway and we asked a few questions most wasn’t able to be answered… So we came away disappointed not not knowing any more info then we did before,” Jade wrote on review website TripAdvisor after the visit.
"The tour was done quite reluctantly with very little enthusiasm or passion or even a smile. So I emailed when we returned home to express the disappointment that the [manager in charge] wasn't able to discuss much."
A few hours later, Jade said she received another email from the venue, except it was one that was never meant to be seen by her eyes. Instead, she said it was about her, and was meant for an another restaurant employee.
According to The Independent, the email referred to the bride-to-be as a "cow" and the employee who wrote it said they were "pissed off" at having to show the couple around the venue.
LISTEN: Forget about engagement rings. Now it's all about engagement piercings. Post continues after audio.
Jade wrote on TripAdvisor that reading the nasty email had "hurt and upset" her.
"How rude and unprofessional the way in which she spoke about us!" Jade wrote.
"For a potential wedding booking the customer service we have received first hand is awful disgusting and disrespectful."
Although the manager rung Jade upon realising what had happened, the engaged woman said she felt like she "didn't mean it" and said the venue had not contacted her to further rectify the situation.
In a reply to Jade's scathing review, the owner of the restaurant said she was "mortified, horrified and completely embarrassed" that Jade was sent the email.
"It is completely unprofessional and indefensible," Karen Williams wrote.
"I did telephone you as soon as I found out what had happened to offer my profuse and sincere apologies and did apologise repeatedly to you.
"You were adamant that you did not want to get married at The Mulberry Tree, completely understandably so after the email you were sent so I did not wish to insult you by attempting to make amends after such a catastrophic mistake on our part, especially when it is your wedding day involved."
Top Comments
Sounds like one shitty, unhappy and unprofessional staff member was the cause here. The TripAdvisor review is unnecessary.
The customer lost credibility when she posted about how the venue allegedly refused to make "a mends" - sounds like the owner apologised profusely (as she should), was told by the customer that she had no intention of booking their wedding after such an insult (again, totally justified and understandable), so why would the owner offer a return visit? Apart from an apology, which the customer got (in spades by the looks of things), the business owes her nothing, and they get punished by losing a potential booking. I suspect the customer thought she might also get some freebies thrown in as compensation.
Everyone’s after a freebie nowadays...
Yes, and if businesses don't make "a mends" the way you think they should, you can just go online and slag them off.
She should have been offered freebies. She didn't want her wedding there, fair enough. They still should have offered her something, like a bottle of wine or a meal.
Yep. I would say that they didn't make amends, and the woman in question had every right to make a complaint.