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EuGene's 2 listings
6 reviews
Jonathan J.
2 years ago
I. Did. Not. Want. To. Write. This. Review. Everything here is, as they say, FACTS.
The good: (1) This is a beautiful space. EuGene is an extremely talented artist and his work provides an incredible backdrop for pictures (2) EuGene is very responsive (primarily by text) (3) He is knowledgeable about the area and parking.
The Bad (buckle up – all facts):
The night of my party, the AC was out – in August - in Atlanta. The pictures were ruined as EVERYONE was sweaty. Some folks left early because of the heat. Many had to step outside to cool off. Fortunately, people hung in there because it was such an important night for me. But it was MISERABLY hot.
Do you think EuGene proactively reached out to offer a refund (of any amount) because of this issue – Nope. I reached out and he put me off until a week or so later because he had to wait on Giggster.
He then offered less than 25% of what I paid (he offered $200). I wasn’t happy with this and asked for $150 more (less than 40% of what I paid) – expressing my frustration with how issues with HIS FACILITY ruined the experience for me.
He offered $250. I still wasn’t happy. I know that things happen and since I like Eugene and want to support his business (and a Black business), I drafted a sample review that addressed the AC issue without being too harsh with the understanding that he would provide a refund: “While there was a snafu with the air conditioning, we had a great time because it’s a great facility with beautiful artwork. To his credit, EuGene took care of us” (excerpt).
After sharing his % of the payment from giggster (giggster charges serious fees), I settled on the $250 – TO SUPPORT HIM!
Guess what? After reading my generous review, he then rescinded his offer to provide me with a refund! FACTS! He texted me “I’m just not sure why I’m paying at this point? Your review is a fair one and you still mentioned your issues?” Sir, I am not going to lie to folks! They read reviews the same way that I read reviews.
Not done! I decided to revise the review to be even more generous, not mentioning the AC and simply referring to a snafu: “This is fair. “It’s a great facility with beautiful artwork. In fact, EuGene, the artist, was there. Everyone commented on how beautiful his work is. EuGene is knowledgeable about the area and very responsive to written communication. Parking is very convenient as well and if you’re wondering about underground Atlanta, there were several other parties in the area and no one had any problems getting there, enjoying themselves and leaving. If you have an event photographer, this is the location for your event. To his credit, Eugene addressed hiccups EXTREMELY well (it happens). Very highly recommended!”
He agreed with this and agreed to pay 250 once I posted it. He then ghosted me after trying to get him to confirm in writing and specific day/time that he would send the payment.
What?
One more thing, I paid for an extra bartender to avoid having people wait. Well, when you only have one POS device to take payments, an extra bartender doesn’t matter. His excuse for this: “People didn’t know what they wanted to drink.” Really?
Almost done. I paid for the outside food because he told me that this would cover “clean up.” OK. In our back and forth about the OVEN that was my party, he suddenly complained about the clean up. I read the contract and it’s in there, but this is NOT what he told me. By the way, he gave me a great review as a customer.
Ultimately, despite multiple attempts to get this settled, to avoid writing the review that you are now reading, he just would not work with me.
So, while this is a beautiful location and Eugene is a truly talented artist, do-not-book-this-place. I did not want to write this review – I really didn’t. But Eugene revealed himself to be untrustworthy. If your event is important to you, don’t book here.
I wish that I gave more weight to the negative review that I read. I had other really good options for the same price but I was hardheaded.
You can’t trust Eugene.
Don’t be hardheaded.
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