First, let me say I bring many customers a year to Berns for the dining experience and not the food. I come mainly to the restaurant for the desert room and wine tour. I think these experience are special. I also buy wine for my customers from Side Berns not because they affordable but because they are recognizable. In all I spend a fair amount of money with them each year.
This now has come to an end...
Recently I purchased two tickets to Berns Winefest for my anniversary. I invited six friends and planned dinner after Berns Sunday wine tasting event for all eight of us. (which I ultimately cancelled) I spent two hundred and fifty dollars for this event and I purchased them from Berns Winefest link that they sent me. My receipt came back to me as ""Spring Tasting"" with no dates on it.
As it turns out this was not for the winefest but a dinner event. When we did not attend they dinner event someone from Berns did call to find out why we did not show. I explained to them that the tickets I purchased were not for a dinner but for the winefest. (Even though I bought them from the link that they sent me, which I forwarded back to them) their only resolution was to sell me two more tickets to the wine tasting at full price. To an event that is most probably the wine is donated by wine vendors.
I asked to speak with some else that could make this right. They passed me to Heather in public relations that explained to me that my business was not important enough to make the situation right. She also seemed to take offense when when I told her she was not looking at the ""big picture"" and that she was going to lose a good customer (with many friends) over this inconsequential event. I then asked her if her boss felt my business was so inconsequential? So she copied David Laxer the owner on our email, and she was right he did not even have the decency to respond to an angry customer.
In conclusion their business must be very good in this down economy or they just don't care.
In the end I will take my business up the street to the Capital Grille... I hope it was worth it Bern's!
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