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Friday, January 23, 2009

Planning Your Wedding: Shop For Service!

Brides need service. Weddings are
not an entirely do it yourself proposition.
Sure, there are things you can do yourself
if you are willing to put in the time and
work and lots of people do it.

But when it comes to the major things,
like hiring a photographer or catering
your wedding reception, shop for service
and don't shop entirely for price.

Wedding service is priceless. If your vendors
aren't servicing you, the problems will
compound and you'll be stressed out.

I surf Yahoo answers and various bridal
boards to see what's happening in the
world of brides. I'm shocked at
the number of brides who literally don't
have a clue of service. They'll ask questions
that the vendor should have answered at the
first interview. If you need an answer, go
to your vendor. If your vendor can't answer
the question, they should move heaven and
earth to get you an answer.

The lack of service everywhere is an abomination.
It is in every area from the gas station to
restaurants to every area where you are parting
with hard earned money.

Yesterday, I was in this cute little cafe where you
order and then picked up your order. I love this
place and it doesn't bother me to get my order.
I knewI'm not getting table side service.
The gal who took my order was clueless. I ordered
two lunches exactly alike and two coffees different
sizes, and paid. No thank you. She gave me one coffee
cup. I had to explain to her I ordered two coffees and
she looked at the bill and shoved the other cup at me.
No apology, didn't even look up. Pissed me off
that she didn't say a thing, she didn't need to
apologize, just acknowledge that I was there.
Sorry, hon, I'm not wasting your time, its your
job and you are getting paid. Obviously, you
didn't want to be there. I have days when I
don't want to be at work, either, but you'll never
know it because I will treat you as a customer.

When it was time to pick up the lunches, I had one
lunch, not two. Again, no apology, I just stood and
waited. She hadn't rung up the second order but
she had charged me for stuff I didn't order.
It wasn't a big thing, but there was definitely
something lacking in customer service.
What's wrong with a smile and thank you?

A few weeks back, my husband went to a big
box store to look at a flat screen TV. The sales
staff was busy texting and talking to each other,
ignoring the customers. My husband isn't nearly
as nice as I am and he finally went to the manager
and explained why they weren't getting his business.
The manager just l gave him a blank look. He gave
his biz to a mom and pop store and paid just a bit
more, got his questions answered , lots of
service and free delivery and set up.

Now back to weddings, if you want service, find
a vendor who is about service. If you want a
fabulous wedding dress that fits well,
go to a full service bridal salon. Go to a big
box store and you'll get a commissioned salesperson
who will sell you anything to keep their job.
If you want a fabulous wedding cake, go to a
bakery that specializes in wedding cakes.
If you want a great photographer that will
preserve your memories forever, find that
photographer and don't just hire the least
expensive photographer. Service doesn't always cost
extra. Service is priceless.

Every day I hear brides crying about lack of
service. I hear horror stories about their
experiences and I see devastated
brides. It doesn't have to be that way.
When you are planning your wedding, ask
for references and check their references
before you sign on the dotted line. It's a step
you won't regret.

2 comments:

  1. Shame on those not so trust-worthy vendors. Planning a wedding shouldn't be a tragedy. For couples, the first thing they need to consider when hiring a service provider is to seek advices, recommendations and opinions from other people. You can't fully trust a vendor without knowing his or her background and business integrity. The same you should also consider when shopping online. Look for an online store that states feedback from customers. And make sure they have a good reputation. Consider www.americanbridal.com..this site has a good reputation when doing business. Plus, they have a wide variety of wedding accessories to choose from.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great points, thanks for commenting. Also, if you buy on Ebay, look at the feedback, its there for a reason.

    ReplyDelete