Dealing with Rude Feedback from a Guest at My Party

[sailortena]

I received this email from a guest who attended two shows of mine, one in January and the other in February at her mother Tinnie's house. This party took place on Feb. 10.
<i>
"Dear Tena,
Im not sure that you remember me but I went to two shows that you did and i just want to let you no what i was very aware of and was kinda disappointed in these ladys do not know that i am writing to you and i dont want you to be upset with them or me for that matter it is just a little negative feedback on youre show .....ok these ladies and all that do youre partys im sure are excited to have their friends over to do these shows and spend hours cleaning and buying the food etc.... then you come in prepare and do the cooking and Bam......what a mess when you did the two shows i went to i was appauld at the food that was dropped on the floor and all over the counters may I suggest you get a wet towel and at least wipe up what you spill on the counters and floors I know youre not there to clean and we dont want you to, but at least have enough respect for youre hostess to not mess up their homes I just thought you might need to no what several have noticed ..im sure you you would like to have repeat customers and I would like to be one of them! I did not write this to be nasty or negative to you but thought you should no"</i>

This is my response .. I accidentally sent it without finishing it, but I hope it doesn't sound contrite! She bought several things from me:

<b>Dear XXX,

Thank you for your feedback. I do remember you and I hope
you enjoyed attending parties at Lisa's and Tinnie's.

You are probably referring to the most recent party at
Tinnie's house? As a personal rule I do my dishes and clean
up after myself before I leave a host's house, but she was
in such a rush to leave to go to that car show I packed up
my dirty dishes and drove home to clean them.</i>

Now my party was scheduled for 2 p.m. Her husband wanted to leave by 4 p.m. to go to this show. I was out of there about 4:40, trying to go as fast as I could to get out. This daughter was cleaning up after me before I was even finished (I can't clean and process orders at the same time!) and I had to put my gross, dirty dishes in a trash bag and bring them home. I wash my own things usually and let the host wash her own dishes if we used a serving plate, etc.

Was my response OK? I am worried that these people think I am a slob. I am NOT a slob when I do parties, and I do not leave their "homes in a mess!!"

Any advice? this makes me feel bummed first thing in the morning. When I saw her email at first I thought she wanted to book a party.

 

[AJPratt]

I think she could have been nicer about it. If you are curious, you could always call you past host and "apologize if I left your home a wreck" and see what she says. Any kind of feedback is good... even if it is a bit rude like this one was.

 

[ChefLisa]

I found her email a little difficult to read, but I think she really was just trying to help with what she thought was constructive feedback. I am surprised she sent it, but it did not actually seem mean. She wrote she wants to be a repeat customer so she was not put off by what she saw.

I do not think you needed to defend yourself, but I also do not think you sent anything wrong. As hard as feedback is to read, she was just trying to help. You might want to consider it a 'red flag'. Maybe she sees herself trying out the business out and she had in her mind how she would run a show.

I suggest not bringing it up again, but make sure you do a follow up call with her to check on how she likes her products. I think you could have a long term Pampered Chef relationship with her as a customer, host or potential Consultant!

Lisa

 

[raebates]

It seems to me that she is voicing a sincere concern. I would imagine that you do a fine job of cleaning up after yourself in the VAST majority of cases. I would never assume you were a slob. She mentions that she wants to continue as a customer, so her impression isn't completely negative.

It's never fun to be criticized. Since you know this isn't truly an issue for you, take a deep breath, and let it go. The next time she comes to one of your shows, she'll see the real you. (If she thinks it's due to her message, no problem. You'll look like someone who knows how to take criticism. We'll all know the truth--that her impression was wrong.)

 

[nikkijo]

I agree with Lisa, It was very hard to read....but I don't think she sent it to be mean, just helpful. Your response was fine. If you are concerned that she may take it the wrong way I would just give her a call and talk one on one. She probably saw that someone else was cleaning and didn't know that their was a reason for it. I wouldn't worry about it!

 

[chefjeanine]

Call her, as a Customer Care Call, and in the process thank her for the email. Let her know that you take your business and your customers very seriously and you appreciate her desire to make your business better.

Feedback, regardless of the intention, is always scary for me. Be brave. Be big. Then move on.

 

[DebbieJ]

Wow, that is quite bold to send it, but it seems she tried to do it as nicely as possible.

I'd just stay in touch and not make a big deal out of it.

 

[speedychef]

Just take it and move on with it. I'm sure she had good intentions and didn't mean to be rude. Next time, have a wet microfiber towel on hand to wipe up any spills...I tell everyone I'll leave their kitchen as clean as I found it! People are always saying, "so you'll clean my kitchen?!" LOL!

 

[etteluap70PC]

I do not think this lady was trying to be rude. Criticism is tough! Obviously you know that there were extenuating circumstances (sp?). In a way I think it was good that someone took the time to give feedback.

EX: Before I was a cons. My SIL did a show with another cons. a Director actually. I was OOT so I was not personally there. Now My SIL had to call this cons. multiple times just to find out what ingredients she needed (finally got hold of her the night before). At the show this gal dropped and spilled all over the place. She never attempted to clean up. Needless to say My SIL never called this lady again. When I did a show a few yrs later for my SIL even guests commented on how sloppy this other gal was.

Long story short: If I were doing something that really bothered multiple people I would want to know.

 

[jenniferknapp]

That are the kind of customers that you want!! They care enough to help you and your business grow, and after all of her concerns, the best part is that she still wants to be your customer!!Thank you, and tell her that you do take your business very seriously, and to please let you know if she sees any other concerns in the future.

 

[jessica_momof6]

I agree-I don't think she was trying to be rude. she is obviously not very well written when it comes to emails-and just wrote as if she was saying what she was thinking.

I do think she was just concerned and wanting you to be aware of what could be a potential problem.
she had no idea that the host was rushing you out.
she just saw a show and saw that you left a mess. to be honest, that would irritate me to.
I would do the customer care call also, thank her for the email and say " I just wanted to let you know that I do not normally leave a house that quickly without much time to clean-but the hostess was in a hurry." (if you want to give more of an explanation)