My partner and I pursued Day-By-Day as a caterer for our wedding in the summer of 2013. I mainly worked with Stephen, their catering manager at the time.
When I initially talked to Stephen in early July, he asked what other quotes we had gotten and what our budget was. I made it clear that our budget was $2500 maximum, including serving dishes and anything that needs to be rented for catering purposes. He said that was fine. When we got updated menu with prices I assumed that included silverware, plates, serving dishes, etc since it was so much over the budget we discussed.
Stephen said that everything was included but we could upgrade to disposable silverware and plates for an additional cost. When we met with him he told us he would again work with our budget, and raved at how inexpensive our rentals would be, because we would only need 2 or 3 tables and some chairs. He said he would also send us info about a grill he needed and a table for catering purposes. We put down $500 at this time to secure Day-By-Day's services.
I contacted him on August 20th to verify, very clearly asking if non-disposable tableware is included. He replied but didn't answer the question. I contacted him a few weeks later asking what needed to be rented for catering purposes, again asking him to very that non-disposable tableware is included. He said he could upgrade the tableware to plasticware for $1.50 per person. The key word is upgrade, which implies that something is included in the first place to be improved upon. The only rentals he said were needed were three tables and a gas grill.
Stephen continued to imply that we wouldn't have to rent anything beyond a grill and some tables, so we put our rental budget towards the difference.
On August 31st -- a little over a month before my wedding -- I sent an email asking very clearly about silverware, plates, glassware being included, and about offering soy milk at the coffee station. On September 4th he replied, not answering the question about soy milk, but now saying that if we're not interested in disposable silverware we have to rent it, along with plates and glassware. The exact opposite of what he had said upfront.
I believe he was acting maliciously by changing the story a month before the wedding, when it's too late to find another caterer, and too late to schedule additional rentals. He also never told us of the service costs involved, and we were only notified with the contract he sent as an attachment. This caused our initial cost of $2500 + 2-3 tables and a grill to rise to over $6000. He waited until a month before the wedding to let us know everything, and it is unacceptable. When I expressed disatisfaction, he countered by insisting that we'd never be able to find another caterer with so little time before the wedding. He said we were stuck with Day-By-Day.
This is all in addition to not letting us try the food we were paying for. After paying $500 he said it wouldn't be possible to do a tasting. I've never heard of a place that does wedding catering but doesn't offer tastings. When we asked again the following month Stephen said that we could come in for lunch some time. That's not a tasting. We had already eaten lunch there, that's why we chose
Day By Day in the first place.
When I phoned the owner to talk to her about this, she put me on the phone with Stephen rather than listening to my issues and trying to help resolve them. Stephen hung up on me. I then got an email from the owner saying that they would not return my $500 because "a lot of work went into planning" the catering.
The $500 was sent under the assumption
Day by Day would work with us at our budget of $2500 for 80 guests, and was not a deposit, nor was a contract signed. We can appreciate that work went into the planning, but we can't be responsible for paying for time unless we were told of it up front. We truly wished to work with
Day by Day, but it is unacceptable for us to sign a contract with a company that would double our costs without any regard for our budget.
The bottom line is that Day by Day was unable to provide the service we requested at the price they told us they would do. While we were prepared for a smaller increase in price, paying more than double the original quote for just 80 guests is unacceptable. We did not sign a contract, and simply sent in the $500 to hold until we had a contract.
1 Updates & Rebuttals
DaybyDayStaff
Philadelphia,Pennsylvania,
Zachary cashed the check & other clarifications
#2UPDATE Employee
Wed, February 05, 2014
Dear Zachary,
We've been in business for over 30 years and take each client and complaint seriously. We would not have made our name in the industry if this depiction was at all accurate.
First, let me address the $500 holding fee. I've checked our email records and nowhere can I find what you posted. You wrote the following: "I then got an email from the owner saying that they would not return my $500 because "a lot of work went into planning" the catering."
That never happened. Here is what the owner wrote to you on 10/1/13, addressing your refund, after her first email 9/13 apologizing for your poor experience
"Hi Zachary,
I am truly sorry that your experience with Stephen was not to your liking. I have never had any negative feedback regarding Stephen level of care and attention to his clients.
I will refund your money. You should also take some responsibility in this matter as you were so unavailable to communicate and answer questions and have dialogue. We spent a lot of time and money trying to connect, visiting the site and putting proposals together.
Robin"
Additionally, the $500 holding fee you claim we would not return, we did in fact return...and you cashed the check before posting this. The check is dated 10/7/13 and you cashed it on Nov. 7th, 11 days before this "report". You can view the check image (edited for security reasons) attached or here:http://www.tinyurl.com/lqjpa25
There are also questions Zachary raises that were answered from the outset - in printed form - in his initial menu proposal/contract outline he said looked "great" on June 27th. Without going into every detail of Zachary's experience, we'd like to add that there were simply a series of miscommunications as well as difficulty establishing contact. Zachary was travelling a lot and phone calls would go unanswered for a week or week(s). Let us also add that the story Zachary presents borders on slander and we, of course, respectfully request that he withdraw his post, especially considering some of the clear discrepancies with the truth:
Additional points we find particulary troubling and possibly slanderous include:
1. Stephen, our catering manager, does not ever and would not ever hang up on a client (past, current, or future). He most certainly did not hang up on Zachary.
2. Stephen never said you would have "trouble finding another caterer" or that you were "stuck with Day by Day". It's simply not how he or we operate.
3. It appears the issue of silverware was a critical one to you. Please check your email from June 27th and see the menu Stephen provided. It clearly states on page 3:
"DISPOSABLES:
Day By Day can supply the necessary up grade plastic ware @ $1.50 per person
or environmentally friendly greenware @ $1.00 per person."
Additionally, when your venue was presented to us and upon initial research, it was explained that there was not a full kitchen with a sink to utilize. As such, the issue of silverware was established at the outset.
No sink = no silverware. Without a sink, you cannot wash and handle actual silverware. The venue selected determined additional aspects of your event, i.e. the grill and utensils. White, plastic disposable tableware is included at no charge to all customers. An upgrade to clear plastic or biodegradable flatware is an option, but at a cost. All of this was made clear from the outset and in email.
Zachary, I understand that you attempted to get replies to specific questions (that had actually already been addressed - silverware, for example). Stephen did try to reach you by phone (his preferred method of communication), but you were travelling and things continued to slip through the cracks. We juggle multiple events and, by far, 99% of brides and grooms are thrilled (check our online profiles at theknot, weddingwire, etc). This is not to say that details get overlooked with our considerable volume - they do not, and we work hard to work with multiple clients and personalities. It does appear, however, that you had an unsatisfactory experience planning your event and for that I apologize. Nonetheless, this was a dynamic exchange and to assume you played no part in how upset you are/were is to ignore reality.
You must accept the facts as they are and please also understand that, though you think you should have received responses in a timely manner to certain questions that brough great stress to you, these answers had already been answered from the outset. Please also acknowledge that you did in fact receive your holding fee, and actually cashed the check before you posted your complaint.
We respectfully request that you remove your post in order to avoid potential further action.
Best wishes,
The staff at Day by Day