This may sound like an amazing way to have a party. I
thought so too, when I was searching for a venue to have a party with some
close friends in Dubai who would not have been able to attend my wedding in the
UK. A colleague sent me a website she came across for a Dhow Cruise company, I
gave them a call and while the guy I spoke to was quite vague about everything,
he seemed efficient since I got an email very quickly after our conversation.
He said the finer details would all be sorted out closer to the time. He told
me I could have up to 110 on the boat – I said it would be 50-65 (This will
become relevant) He said that was perfect since I had to pay for 65. So my
party was booked within 20 minutes.
Four days to go and I hadn’t heard a word from this man
including the food that would be served (I had mentioned that a lot of us would
be vegetarian) and whether I could have my own music etc. Also, I wanted to
make clear that I didn’t want a cheesy belly dancer or any of that sort of
thing.
The conversation was completely not what I was expecting.
As we spoke, it turned out the air-conditioned part of the boat was
specifically for 50 people. This put me in a massive panic, since it would mean
15 of my guests would have to be outside in the 35 degree heat- Our
conversation was as follows after that- I HAD to make a record of it because
this guy seemed crazy:
Me: “Why was I not informed of this before? If you had
informed me, I would have only invited 50 people or less. You could have said
that I had to pay for 65 but could only have 50 in the AC section or at least
made me aware in some way”
Him: “Why didn’t you ask me? You said you wanted 65
people and we can accommodate up to 110”
Me (My voice raised slightly): “I didn’t know I HAD to
ask, I assumed you would use common sense and realise I wouldn’t want 15 people
out in the heat”
Him (Shouting): “How dare you speak to me like that? Its
your party, you should know what questions to ask.”
Me (Quite Irate now): “Well, sorry, but I had no idea
that you would be incompetent. I think you need to realise that you’re speaking
to someone who has organised events before, and for someone in your position,
you have been extremely derelict. I also don’t appreciate your rude manner, when
YOU have made a mistake. I am losing my patience now”
Him: “ Don’t be rude to me. DO NOT speak to me like
that!” (I had an image of Rumplestiltskin stamping his foot at this point)
Me: “What are you talking about? You are the one being
rude, I need to know what to do with my 15 guests and you haven’t even
contacted me once prior to this to even discuss payment”
Him: “I AM NOT YOUR SERVANT! DO NOT BE RUDE TO ME. I
DON’T CARE ABOUT YOUR GUESTS”
Me: “Okay, we clearly have a communication issue, you are
seriously unhinged. Give me your manager’s contact details, I no longer wish to
deal with you”
Him: “Fine, I’ll put you on to my boss”
His boss turned out to be a nice lady called Pooja, who
was very patient despite me at this point wanting to blow a gasket.
Awkward! The guy then called me back and said I was like
his sister and that he was sorry for the communication issue, he sent me the
menu, arranged to collect payment and then gave me a few solutions- we finally
decided to make the AC section accommodate up to 60 people, which works out ok.
I was extremely confused.
Anyway, the party is in 4 days, I will update!
Also, the school fees post is coming! I cant believe how long I haven't done a post!
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