How did you deal with disappointing vendors?

You should talk to them about your disappointment. Also talk before you leave the review. We all have off days and make mistakes and I would do what I could to help ease my mistakes even after the fact. Like give some money back or treat you to a spa day, something.. I know it doesnt change your day or mistakes made but.. I havent been in that situation yet but I would still try to do something..

When you do leave reviews just be honest/factual not emotional and irate sounding. People hold less value to reviews that look like a crazy person even when they are a bad one if you know what I mean. (not saying thats you but I hope you get my point )

How big were the mistakes? Was there anything they could have done to fix it?

I only left one really bad review. I did not talk to the business, because they knew very well they messed up. So basically there was no point. But before I wrote the reviews, I emailed all the vendors with some basic feedback. It just so happened that they were all phenomenal.

I would definitely call them. We have only had one big Oops! with a wedding in the past, and the best vendors can have things happen that cause mistakes. Vendors know that they are only human and that you still deserved to have the very best, so more often than not they will try to refund you some of your money or give you credit towards a future event.

We strive for absolute perfection, and for our one big mess up (happened two years ago!) we refunded completely. It's worth a shot, because even if they were unaware that they messed up, I'm sure they would appreciate the feedback.

The mistakes were significant. The caterer didn't prepare certain items that were specifically requested. These items were traditional to our region and easily available.

The biggest blunder was the cake. What was supposed to be a very pale blue with snowflake trim turned out to be a vivid turquoise. We had provided color swatches so I have no idea what happened there. It clashed with the entire room and was so awful that we cut the cake 30 minutes into the reception. I bake so I know from experience that there was no reason for that big of a miss. If you add too much color all you have to do is add more white icing to dilute the tint. Of course, it's a bit too late once it's on the cake and you've added the decorations.

Luckily, my bridal salon, lingerie shop, florist and photographer were phenomenal.

I would give them feedback on those types of things. Particularly for the caterer who did not prepare items that were requested. But I would also write very detailed reviews. There's obviously nothing that can be done about the cake, but you're right, they could have fixed it. However, they should offer at least some compensation for things that weren't delivered. If they don't, that should be reflected in the review as well.

I would demand at least a partial refund for the mistaken items. 25% for the cake, and at least 20% from the caterer.

Speaking as a vendor (an officiant now, but a caterer in a former life), I would absolutely speak to them both. We want to know; in most cases, we already know when we mess up, but that's not always the case, and at the very least, they should know, going forward, that when very specific (and easy to execute) requests are made, they are made for a reason.

I hope you all still had a great time, but you should have the conversation. I would talk to them first; there is a lot of value in those conversations (for us vendors) and although we don't love to have them, we learn the most from them.

The caterer, having not provided what you ordered, should compensate you for those items.

Im dealing with this now...

With a baker, it might be worth mentioning to them-- who couldn't use a complimentary gift certificate to a good baker, after all?

As a vendor, I always want to hear from our customers, good and bad. We can't correct things for future customers if we don't know what we are doing wrong. We strive to make things perfect, but occasionally do goof up. Luckily, not too often. I would definitely contact them and who knows, they may give you a partial refund.

Regards,

Kari

For comparison, this is what we asked for versus what we received with the cake: