Dear Preston,
I’m a big fan, and I read your blog every day. I’m also a planner, and when I read your recent post about the bad event planner in Italy, I knew I had to respond. Preston, you should never have hired a vendor you didn’t know was going to be really really good. If I were you, I would take full responsibility for your client’s disappointment and refund her the planner’s fee.

Sincerely,

A Planner and a Fan

Dear Planner,

Thank you for your letter. I do in fact check references for every vendor I hire. However, no matter what, it’s always going to be a leap of faith. There’s only so much I can do if I need to hire someone in another country where I don’t know the vendors very well. And there have only been a few who didn’t meet expectations. In fact, I have to say that I have a pretty good track record! The vast majority of the vendors I’ve hired in the past have been true to their word and worked wonders.

You are right, though. I should take full responsibility for hiring that planner, and I do. However, at no point did my client suggest she should be reimbursed. She just needed the opportunity to vent. And, as I mentioned in that blog post, she was very happy with everything else about her event as well as the planner I had brought over from New York City.

Dear Readers, how do you feel? Had you been in my shoes, would you have offered to reimburse part of the planning fee? And, other than references, how else do you ensure that you’re hiring quality vendors? What are your tips? Please share!

Follow Me On Twitter

Check Out My Facebook Fan Page