Kamryn S. Sent on 04/06/2021
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Quality of service
3.0 out of 5 rating
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Average response time
5.0 out of 5 rating
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Professionalism
3.0 out of 5 rating
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Value
2.0 out of 5 rating
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Flexibility
1.0 out of 5 rating
Limited Flexibility
Kinsey was always and will likely always be very responsive, detailed and exciting. Besides the venue being drop dead gorgeous, Kinsey was a major reason why we chose Vista View Events. We felt this was a place run by people we could trust to ensure our big day was everything we could ever dream of. Kinsey was very communicative during the early months of COVID - helping us understand how and why our wedding was being affected by our states regulations. When the time came to make the decision on how to move forward with our wedding, we were ready to cancel completely and chalk this up to a very unfortunate experience. Because my own business basically closed over night, we knew at this point it more important to save our money and work on rebuilding our lives. When we made this decision, we were told if we canceled we would receive none of our payment back. We were enticed to pay in full for a 5% discount, totaling a mere $285 in savings. Vista View has a clause in their contract stating “Vista View Events is not liable for and does not provide refunds for events not held due to uncontrollable circumstances. Uncontrollable circumstances included but are not limited to family issues or obligations, an act of God or war or weather”. Because of this clause and COVID, we made the decision to postpone our wedding until 2021 instead of walking away loosing $5,865. During this time of postponement, Vista View received their liquor license which meant we had to cancel our already paid for contract with our preselected beverage vendor. Luckily our beverage vendor was completely understanding and gave us our money back in full, breaching their own contract to do so. Because of drug out frustrations and our life as newly weds taking off, we decided it was best for us to move forward in life and cancel our wedding. We understood what our contract stated and that Vista View would likely provide no flexibility in even a partial refund, but we moved forward with our decision. All of our vendors worked with us on refunds and were understanding that COVID was something worth being flexible about. I even had a vendor offer our deposit back - but he needed time to make the money to give back to us. We are not greedy or facetious people. We understand more than most that COVID has taken a huge toll on people financially as we ourselves were affected in our professional industries. We hoped Vista View would find some understanding in the last year and be willing to work with us on even a partial refund, but that has not been the case. We were thankful to receive our security deposit back, even though we would have if our event had taken place as planned. We understand what our contract states, but we have also learned how to be flexible and understanding while suffering through a pandemic. Though we wish no ill wishes to Vista View, we feel obligated to share our story as their actions have contributed to our heart break of the last year. We encourage anyone who plans to have a wedding with Vista View or any venue, to read your contract (every line - fine print), weigh the benefits of a 5% discount if paid in full, hope their are no “acts of God” that affect your wedding and be flexible when your venue breaches their own contract obtaining their liquor license.
Kinsey was always and will likely always be very responsive, detailed and exciting. Besides the venue being drop dead gorgeous, Kinsey was a major reason why we chose Vista View Events. We felt this was a place run by people we could trust to ensure our big day was everything we could ever dream of. Kinsey was very communicative during the early months of COVID - helping us understand how and why our wedding was being affected by our states regulations. When the time came to make the decision on how to move forward with our wedding, we were ready to cancel completely and chalk this up to a very unfortunate experience. Because my own business basically closed over night, we knew at this point it more important to save our money and work on rebuilding our lives. When we made this decision, we were told if we canceled we would receive none of our payment back. We were enticed to pay in full for a 5% discount, totaling a mere $285 in savings. Vista View has a clause in their contract stating “Vista View Events is not liable for and does not provide refunds for events not held due to uncontrollable circumstances. Uncontrollable circumstances included but are not limited to family issues or obligations, an act of God or war or weather”. Because of this clause and COVID, we made the decision to postpone our wedding until 2021 instead of walking away loosing $5,865. During this time of postponement, Vista View received their liquor license which meant we had to cancel our already paid for contract with our preselected beverage vendor. Luckily our beverage vendor was completely understanding and gave us our money back in full, breaching their own contract to do so. Because of drug out frustrations and our life as newly weds taking off, we decided it was best for us to move forward in life and cancel our wedding. We understood what our contract stated and that Vista View would likely provide no flexibility in even a partial refund, but we moved forward with our decision. All of our vendors worked with us on refunds and were understanding that COVID was something worth being flexible about. I even had a vendor offer our deposit back - but he needed time to make the money to give back to us. We are not greedy or facetious people. We understand more than most that COVID has taken a huge toll on people financially as we ourselves were affected in our professional industries. We hoped Vista View would find some understanding in the last year and be willing to work with us on even a partial refund, but that has not been the case. We were thankful to receive our security deposit back, even though we would have if our event had taken place as planned. We understand what our contract states, but we have also learned how to be flexible and understanding while suffering through a pandemic. Though we wish no ill wishes to Vista View, we feel obligated to share our story as their actions have contributed to our heart break of the last year. We encourage anyone who plans to have a wedding with Vista View or any venue, to read your contract (every line - fine print), weigh the benefits of a 5% discount if paid in full, hope their are no “acts of God” that affect your wedding and be flexible when your venue breaches their own contract obtaining their liquor license.
Vista View Events at Open Heart Ranch's reply:
Hi there, Kam,
Kinsey here - co-owner of Vista View Events.
Thank you for stopping by our page to share your frustrations, you’re welcome here any time. 2020 was an extremely hard and challenging year for everyone, both personally and professionally.
We learned lessons that we’ll carry with us forever and continually use those lessons to guide Vista View Events now and in the future so we can serve our clients in the way they deserve.
I’m crushed this is how you’ll remember Vista View Events but would be remiss if I didn't respond to these three points from your review:
1. That we provided you with weekend rescheduling options that were 100% free to you (A.K.A no rescheduling fee), due to COVID that you took us up on by moving your wedding (for free) to 2021. You kept that free rescheduled date for 6 months (so it could not be booked by another couple) before making the personal choice to totally cancel your wedding.
2. That, on your behalf, Vista View Events is the one who negotiated the full refund you mentioned from your 3rd party bartending company.
3. That regardless of your personal choice to pay a lump sum when you booked this venue, in June 2020, when you decided to reschedule your September wedding due to COVID the amount of your venue rental would still have been paid in full had you chosen the installment route because your wedding was only 90 days out at the time of rescheduling.
I stand by our business decisions and communication with you and DJ throughout your time as a VVE couple.
This pandemic was not your fault. I know that navigating this road and having to reschedule your wedding, then deciding to ultimately cancel it, was not part of your plan. I know it was a heartbreaking journey for you.
This pandemic was also not our fault. Our contract's role is to protect our clients and our venue. Upholding the terms of our contract is what allows us to remain a viable business.
Thank you again for taking the time to share your frustrations. I really wish you and DJ all the best and know there are great things ahead for the two of you.
