Caution--- Venting Ahead

[bravesfan]

I dont know what to do! My wedding planner is awful so far. Disney requires that you use one of their wedding planners (who are assigned to you at random) to plan your wedding... Its all fine and dandy to have someone to help me plan, but she isnt helping... she is making it harder!! My problems with her are small, but they concern me since she has messed up every little task she has said she was going to do and my wedding is still very far away. I am concerned that I am getting just a preview of what has yet to come!

My problems so far include:
If I call her (which doesnt happen hardly at all) she doesnt ever call back. It usually takes me calling a week later and talking to her assistant to have her even consider calling me back.

She was suppossed to check on a date that we wanted and a month later... NOTHING... she didnt check! My FI and I decided not to worry about it and took a date in different month so that we wouldnt lose the rooms we wanted.

SHe called me over a month ago to let me know she was emailing me my spreadsheet for the room request and I still havent recieved it!

In the same phone conversation, she also told me she was mailing me the sample of the save-the-date and guess what... NOTHING...

Then I called last week to see why I havent recieved it and she said that she hadnt gotten around to it and that she would mail it as soon as she hung up .... Yup you guessed its a week later and NOTHING!

When she does call she makes it sound like helping me plan my wedding is a burden and she is always very quick to hang up.

Ohh and as a side note... an acquaintance of mine got married there last year and this same wedding planner forgot to request holds on the rooms for her wedding! All of her guest were out of town too!

All of the things that shes is messing up dont bother me individually, but as a whole, I feel like she doesnt care! Considering I am paying a lot of money to have it at Disneyland... you would think that they would treat their customers a little better.

I am very concerned that she is going to be this flaky through out the whole process and I dont know what to do!!!!!!!!! I am not very confrontational but I at least want to feel like the things she said she will do will get done! Am I being a Bridzilla? What do you all think?

 

[MelissaSue]

Can you call and request a different planner. All these "little things" aren''t so LITTLE honey!! You aren''t even getting your first choice in WEDDING DATE!?!?! HELLO.. thats IMPORTANT! I''d be freaking the F out right now!!!! There is no excuse to not getting around to things for A MONTH..

Umm no.. you''re not being bridezilla.. you''re being WAY WAY WAY too calm.. you should have called months ago to get a different planner.

If I remember correctly, a coworker that got married at disney told me that these planner people also arrange your Flowers, photographer.. etc.. Has she done ANYHTING in regards to that? Certainly doesn''t sound like it.. ANd if this woman forgot to BLOCK ROOMS for your friends wedding, she''s obviously not very good at what she does.

You in fact, should not only request a different planner but put your complaints in a letter to her supervisor and probably also some higher-ups (i.e. the entire disney wedding program).. She does not deserve to keep her job.

 

[Dee*Jay]

You are not being unreasonable AT ALL. These might seem like small things individually, but all together they add up to what could end up being a disaster. Go to her manager immediately and request a different planner. I hate to see anyone get in trouble but she''s just not providing you the service that you need to get your wedding planned.

 

[Erin]

My guess is that because it''s Disneyland, and a fair amount of people plan their weddings/events there, your''s is simply a case of too far ahead in the future. Granted that does NOT excuse her behavior! I would guess that for one - she is so busy putting out fires for things that are 5 - 10 days out, working on your future party seems like lightyears away. For two, she sounds like she is not good at her job. I''m sure there are planners who are ultra-organized and time taskers and you''d be happy to get a planner like that. Sounds like you got the one who has put herself into a situation where bad habits snowball into a hectic firefighting chaos where it''s probably impossible to catch up. I wouldn''t take it personally, but I do wonder if there is any way at all you could be reassigned...

 

[TravelingGal]

No bride needs this much stress this early in the game. Bottom line, you need a different planner. Buh. Bye.

 

[bravesfan]

I thought about asking to be reassigned to someone else but I am not sure how to go about doing that... 1) I am concerned that this in its self isnt enough to ask to change planners.
2) The only number I have is hers so I would have to ask her for her managers # which would so auqward and I am sure she would want to know why I want the #. I really dont want to make her angry incase I cant change planners or I have to see her often.

Starset Princess: I fully agree that she is more concerned with weddings that are closer and I will be glad when I am her priotiry, however... I wish she would just do what she says she is going to do. I guess I feel since she was the one who said she was going to do it that she should do it... or at least let me know that she is to busy ( I feel out of the loop on my own wedding)

MelissaSue: They do plan everything... cateror, flowers, DJ, Musicians, Hotel... Everything. I wouldnt mind planning it but I have to go through them. I am concerned if she cant mail a letter she cant take care of everything else

 

[ChargerGrrl]

I agree with the above responses. You need to get on the horn and have a "chat" with this gal. Let her know that you haven''t been impressed up until now, and things need to change. Give her the warning and see how she responds. If she doesn''t come around, then you need to advise her supervisor.

Also, instead of calling/dealing with her over the phone, can you email? It sounds like you should begin a paper trail.

 

[decodelighted]

Which is more "awkward" ... asking for her supervisor's name - OR - spending the next months of your life following up on her every move & hunting her down.

TOUGH it out NOW!! Or bag Disneyland altogether & start over. That would drive me INSANE!

 

[AmantdeChat]

I would check out disneyweddings.com and call the number on that website. No need to have problems this early in the game! I''m afraid it may be a precursor of things to come, especially since your friend had problems with her too!!!

Good luck, it sounds like a great venue!

 

[bravesfan]

Ok--- so I called her a couple hours ago to see if she had mailed it off (the 2nd time I have had to check) and to talk to her about the service I was getting (which scared the bejeezes out of me

) and guess what--- She didnt answer or call back... Guess I should have figured as much. I guess Ill just have to wait for her to call me back.

So far planning my wedding has been a piece of cake, who knew my problems would come from the planner!

 

[bravesfan]

Ok--- current update--- she called back while I was in class so she left me a message. Are you all ready for a shocker

... It hasnt been mailed YET! While in all actuallity, I dont really care about the package that much, I just wish they would keep me updated!! I understand that they are busy but dont tell me to "keep my eyes open for it" and tell me that it is crucial that I return it in a timly fashion if you are going to send it !!!!! ahhhhhhhhhhh

 

[VRBeauty]

Bravesfan: Ditto what everyone else has said. There is no excuse for her lack of follow-through -- she is a professional planner! Quit making excuses for her!

I am one of the world's biggest wusses when it comes to confrontations so I understand why this is so difficult for you. However, it sounds like this woman has screwed up every request you've made of her so far, and has given you no reason to have any confidence that she'll do a better job as your wedding day approaches.

I'd suggest you write a list of the committments made and not kept and have it on hand when you call her supervisor. As for finding out who that is, start as high up as you can and work your way down.

 

[Kaleigh]

As Donald Trump would say, You''re fired!!! Talk to the manager and get assigned another wedding planner. Explain what you have been through. She needs to be accountable for her lack of follow through, etc... Good luck. Stand up for yourself and be proactive!!!

 

[tanyak]

I agree with everyone else. Call the general wedding line if you don''t want to confront her specifically. I''m sure you''ll get routed through to the appropriate supervisor.

I''ve looked at the wedding info for Disney World. It''s pretty pricey, if you ask me, and there seem to be a ton of guidelines that have to be followed. For what you''re paying, and the limited flexibility that I see in a lot of things, you really should be getting MUCH better service. I agree, the planner is probably slammed, but that''s not your problem.

 

[codex57]

Some of those seem like major problems with me. I''d talk to the supervisor and demand a new wedding planner.

If this truly is a Disney unit, you should get a new planner REALLY soon. I used to work at Disney and they made it abundantly clear that the customer was always right. Meant that the workers had to go through some hell (or even some unwarranted reprimands or punishment) cuz of some retarded guest''s demands/complaints, but management was consistent in making clear that you keep the customer happy no matter what.

 

[FireGoddess]

Still not mailed? HELLOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! Time to fire her.

Call her arse up and tell her that you''re SURE she knows you are paying a LOT of money to have your wedding there and her actions have made you QUITE concerned that things are NOT being done AT ALL...let alone in a timely manner. Since she is the planner the point is to be TAKING CARE of these things....not giving you more stress because you have to be after her to see if she''s even getting ANYthing done. Tell her that you are dissatisfied at this point and either things need to change, or if she feels she is not up to the task, you want the name of her supervisor so you can be reassigned to another planner.

So you hurt her feelings, so what? She isn''t doing her job! She either needs to do the job, or pass it over to someone who will. Would you rather risk hurting her feelings, or giving yourself more stress? The choice is simple to me.

 

[larussel03]

OK, wow, this is so unprofessional of her. First thing I think you should do is call her and tell her that she has repeatedly let you down and acted unprofessionally and that you would like the number of her manager b/c you are firing her and looking for a replacement because having a wedding planner is supposed to eliminate some of the stress, not be the cause for much of it. I''d outline that she is irresponsible, unreliable and apparantly too "busy" to handle your wedding so you will talk to her manager about getting reassigned. I would do it ASAP and if she does not respond, call your venue and try to get some info (the venue requires the planner, right?). The venue that is making you use the planner is going to want to know about this as well, because it could harm their business. Who knows, if you sound unhappy enough, maybe they''ll throw in some free stuff! But you def need a new planner!

 

[bravesfan]

I did it!!! I called and "scolded her"!! (That is a huge step for me!!

) I told her that I was concerned about how this was starting off and that I would appreciate her taking care of us a little better. She said she had a new assistant and that it was her fault that it wasnt mailed out and that she would speak to her. She garunteed my that I would have it by tomorrow so we will have to see. She said that from here on out there would be no problems. Whew! I cant believe I was brave enough to do that! Yay... small victory for me! haha!

 

[robbie3982]

Congrats on standing up for yourself! I know how hard it can be. If things don''t improve, however, you should DEFINITELY talk to a supervisor and complain

 

[FireGoddess]

GOOD JOB!

Communication is extremely important. It''s right to tell her that your expectations are not being met and give her a chance to meet them or admit that she can''t. Hopefully it will be smooth sailing from here on out!

 

[VRBeauty]

Congratulations!

I know how hard that must have been!

However, the planner''s blaming things on her assistant concerns me. Aside from the fact that it''s unprofessional

, it''s really beside the point, as she is responsible for making sure that her assistant follows through. If I were you I''d continue to be vigilant, and be ready to go to the next level right away if something else goes wrong. She''s had her three strikes!

 

[monarch64]

Date: 9/20/2006 7:04:41 PM
Author: bravesfan
I did it!!! I called and ''scolded her''!! (That is a huge step for me!!

) I told her that I was concerned about how this was starting off and that I would appreciate her taking care of us a little better. She said she had a new assistant and that it was her fault that it wasnt mailed out and that she would speak to her. She garunteed my that I would have it by tomorrow so we will have to see. She said that from here on out there would be no problems. Whew! I cant believe I was brave enough to do that! Yay... small victory for me! haha!

While I have high hopes for you that this actually WAS all her new assistant''s fault, I am worried that she didn''t even take responsibility no matter what and blamed all these glitches on someone else. That is usually a true sign of a very irresponsibile person. I will be interested to see whether she starts following through with her promises. If not, bravesfan, you are undoubtedly going to have to ask for her supervisor and get serious from there...you don''t deserve to be treated this way no matter HOW many weddings are going on at Disney. Seriously, you could''ve planned a wedding there yourself in the time it''s taken you to b.s. around with this chick. I really hope that she ends up getting her act together and coming through for you, and that you have the best Disney wedding EVER! Best of luck to you--I will be following this thread to either be very happy for you if she comes through or be very supportive if she doesn''t! Take care!

 

[bravesfan]

I will be following this thread to either be very happy for you if she comes through or be very supportive if she doesn''t! Take care!

Monarch- thank you (hug)

--- I hope it has a happy ending. If not I will definitly be calling on y''all to help me be tough! haha!

And thanks to everyone else who posted!

Ill keep every one up to date ... hopefully I wont have have any more problems-- Keep your fingers crossed!!

 

[rainbowtrout]

Coming in a bit late here bravesfan, but I do agree that shoving the blame off on her assistant was a poor excuse. She really has not been delivering. I would watch her really closely...no more chances, you''ve given her MORE than enough!