americano

Hi, Thanks for taking the time to respond, we are not looking to engage in an argument. We appreciate that as band members yourselves that it must be easy to empathise with this situation, but it should be said that we do market ourselves as a small intimate venue and have had many successful evenings where bands have appreciated this and worked with us to create the atmosphere that we want. We have live music at least 4 times a week and this is the only situation that has led to this level of Band dissatisfaction & customer complaint. Unfortunately on this occasion the situation has escalated and has led to a member of the band venting in public, the band member has chosen to vent in anger which is essentially what happened to him on the evening in question when having to deal with complaints from our customers about his attitude. We could go back and fore all day arguing over who is telling the truth but I don't think it will achieve anything. What we will say is that the following day the band member who stayed in our apartment received payment in full as per terms agreed. (to the person who insinuates that we are accusing bigbassbob of lying, he at no point in his original post makes claim to have been the person collecting the money the following day) I have a feeling too that due to the nature of an internet forum this could go on and on, we would prefer for this thread to be either locked or deleted, at the end of the day it is his word against our. We have a copy of the complaint letter from the group of diners in question regarding his attitude and feel that it is unfairly damaging our reputation as a venue contracting bands to play at our venue, this is clearly evident in some of the posts. Regards, Americano's

[center]To whom it may concern[/center] I am writing to express my profound frustration and disappointment. I went to your restaurant with high expectations. Not only were my were my expectations not exceeded, they were not met. On the 8th January I booked a table for 16 at your restaurant for Saturday the 10th March at 8pm to celebrate a birthday. This was confirmed over email at the time and then over the phone a couple of days beforehand. We arrived at the restaurant and was greeted with a row of small round bar tables pushed together, people standing up as there was not enough space and being seated within inches of a extremely rude and obnoxious band member who was pushing and shoving his way past as well as taking away our tables. The band member said not to put our drinks on the table as he was taking the table away. When we spoke to the band member (sorry, he refused to give me his name) as to why he was moving the tables that we were going to be eating off, he spoke to me in a very derogatory manor and said 'not my problem, I need my space and that means you loose'. When I explained that we need the table to eat our dinner and that it had been booked since January, he then went on to say again that it wasn't his problem and to speak to the manager and pointed to the bar where the manager was. As I got up to find the manager, a waitress was trying to take our order. However, this was very hard as the band were doing a sound check. So not only were we unable to hear her, she was also unable to hear us and asked us to repeat ourselves several times. We then moved closer to the bar and further away from the band so we could have a conversation as to what had happened so far and how disappointed we were. The waitress (sorry, I didn't ask for her name) was very polite and tried to help as much as she could and relayed the situation to the manager. The manager then spoke to the band and asked them to put the table back as we would need to it eat our dinner. The band member the proceeded to throw the table back in the row and pinched the leg of a lady on out party. And as I'm sure you are aware, the tables have metal legs are very heavy when it lands on your leg unsuspectingly. When I explained this to the band member and asked him to be careful he then said 'to be quite honest, I don't give a flying f***!'. Naturally, when myself and our party was spoken to like this we were very taken aback. Especially that a establishment like yours would employ someone who would speak to your customers like that. I have never been spoke to like that before and in that tone and I certainly didn't expect it while I was out for a special meal. I find it compleatly unacceptable. I then explained to the manager what had happened and how I was spoken to. He did apologise and said he would speak to the band member, however the damage had already been done. After this had happened, the band member turned the speaker up for his sound check and we were literally shouting to the people sitting next to us to have a conversation. All the other customers who were there were giving us sympathetic looks as they heard everything that had happened. Even though I was trying to make the best of things and trying to put a positive spin on things, everything got to much for the rest of the party. No one wanted to stay there, no one wanted to eat there or spend any of their money there, the night had been ruined. So we informed the manager and left to try and salvage what was left of our night. Which was quite difficult considering it was now getting very late to even eat anywhere. As I'm sure you will agree, we booked well in advance and this should not have happened. This was meant to be a very special birthday meal with people having travelled from the Lake District, Coventry, London and around Swansea. I feel if we hadn't of been so close to the band this wouldn't of happened. If the restaurant can not comfortably seat a party of that size plus the band, then the booking should never have had been agreed to. There was ample time to advise us if the situation changed. I have never been to your restaurant before, however t does look a lovely place and the food that was coming past looked and smelled very nice. So before I comment on any internet sites, I would like to give a chance reply to and explain why all this happened and why our night was ruined. I look forward to hearing from you. Yours sincerely Customer name deleted to protect their identity Dear Customer Thank you for taking time out to write the letter. I understand that you were disappointed that the night did not run as planned. We appreciate that you selected us for your birthday party. From the contents of the letter, it is clear that your issue was with the behaviour of the band member; and we too, were so disappointed by the behaviour of the band member that night, we not only addressed this directly with them, but also cancelled all further bookings we had taken with them. We will not tolerate rudeness to our customers. As a live music venue, you must appreciate that we cannot control the actions of musicians; at least in the way one would hope to set a standard from one’s own staff. I was glad to read in your mail, that all contact made with Americano staff was acceptable; that they had been polite and as accommodating as the situation would allow, given the circumstance. As a live music venue, customers normally appreciate that we must bear some risk that the performers will behave to an acceptable standard on the night, and to date, since our opening we have not had any issues. We have also just come out of an extremely busy Christmas period in which we able to successfully accommodate bookings as large as 40. My understanding is that one of your party is very familiar with our bar; and must have been aware that the ethos of the venue is that is a very intimate, yet lively space. Consequently, it is most usual for us to accommodate parties such as yours, without any disruption; albeit with an independent musician/group that normally interacts well with the guest, rather than in a rude manner. We are not a fine-dining restaurant; but offer a continental vibe, lively setting; in which customers actively engage with the musicians; upon which our reputation has grown. The aforementioned group have now, as a consequence, lost all future dealings with us; so I hope this can satisfy that there have been serious repercussions for their actions. I can only apologise again for the experience, and appreciate that you are within your rights to complain, and note negative feedback on forums. Just as we limited in our powers, as a live venue bar, to have controlled the actions of third party; we can only hope that you do visit us again, and are clear in mind that we have severed ties with the band; and can ensure you will be made most welcome if you do want to visit us again. We are a very small business, and appreciate all our customers; and as you have already noted, have a small team who work hard to provide an experience which is different to that found with large chains on the high street. I just hope you can separate the actions of the now dispensed third party, and ourselves. Best regards

Late response to this forum thread based on only viewing it today by accident The evidenced facts are [font=Cambria]1. [/font]The band member behaved in a way that was unacceptable: Evidence: letter of customer complaint received by Americano’s outlining how abusive a band member had been [font=Cambria]2. [/font]Prior to the booking – the band had been offered free accommodation, food, alcohol throughout the evening, as well as payment – i.e. Americano’s look after their bands [font=Cambria]3. [/font]Despite the outrageous behavior of the band member, the accommodation offer was honored, and in fact taken up by a band member and his girlfriend. The band also made full use of the hospitality (both food and drinks) and the band was paid IN FULL. [font=Cambria]4. [/font]Vetting of venue policy – Americano’s vet all bands on quieter days so both parties are aware of the space limitations, and that both parties are clear on expectations – the band was more than happy with the set up and had asked for a number of gigs.. the said night was at least their 4[sup]th[/sup] gig….. quite clear that there is scientific evidence that the space had not changed [font=Cambria]5. [/font]Also after having paid the band in full… the bands were so disappointed with Americano’s – they requested return gigs! [font=Cambria]6. [/font]The lies weaved throughout this thread has now infected many unsuspecting bands with misinformation/lies… and to hear that the space should be smashed up in return is to be frank something that should be reported to the authorities [font=Cambria]7. [/font]The attached complaint letter from a customer about the band’s behaviour and the return letter from the establishment is attached for those who would like to read the evidence [font=Cambria]8. [/font]Extremely disappointed, despite Americano’s bad experience of the band, they did not expose the band in such a public way; thus behaving in a professional manner; yet the forum thread here is deemed to be acceptable lie peddling