Bad Management Brenaissance Wedding Venue

We had a break in on our wedding day. They cleaned us out! The management is not responding to our emails. The venue is taking no responsibility for what happened. Nothing they promised was done. We have not received our deposit back. Herewith our mail to them.

Brenaissance Stellenbosch 11/12/2019 Dear Melvin, Brenaissance Wine & Stud Estate Operations & Shareholders I’ve attached your letter with a few corrections and highlighted some serious concerns. I am not sure whether you are aware of the way your venue is managed or if you are just being totally ******** of some serious issues you need to address. I contacted Jianni after receiving your letter; so everything I am answering to is voice recorded, and I have no problem providing proof of my comments below. Independent Professional Operators – Urban Tonic overcharged many of our guests per bill during the reception. It was shown on the night to your professional operators, and all complaints were passed on to the next person. When we signed the contract, there we’re eight Vineyard Suites and one Bridal Suite. It was not mentioned in the contract that you were building on a few extra rooms at the rates you charge, and that they had to be filled. It was pointed out from our side that we are from Durbanville and our guests don’t need accommodation. In several meetings, to my mother, to my husband and on the voice recording Jianni confirmed that up the Friday 22 November, we were only liable for the eight original rooms – 16 people in total Friday and Saturday night. When our guests started booking into the venue, she placed them in the new buildings and then advised us that we need to fill all rooms – which we were never contracted to do. This means that your “gesture of goodwill”, is no gesture at all since we comp**** with our contractual obligation of 16 people booked in. Best Possible Experience – You rate yourself as a five-star venue – yet your service is not that at all. Complaints about no coffee and tea in rooms, only two bottles of water per room, you would think a five-star rating at least have a mini bar service. No gas in some of the ovens (we tried to cook on the Friday night and were unable to) and no lights in the Orchard Suite area. I have a list of complaints from guests – I will gladly forward it to you. Jianni’s system crashed at least 4 times during the planning process, and we had to resend items. Guests could not book and get confirmation and when they eventually got feedback, the rates were charged on 2020 rates. I had to contact her to please fix the problem. Not to one guest, to eight of our guests the incorrect rates were given! System failure was blamed. Our tables were getting cleared from after desert was served. I have photos to prove this. This is unprofessional and embarrassing to the bride as people thought they need to leave, and the bride had guests come and ask her if they needed to vacate the area. People were outside and dancing and we asked to please just put all deserts on one table as people still want to get to it, it was not done.

Our Sound Vendor had 5 minutes to pack up their equipment. I have this in writing. There was no farewell speech, as there was no microphone. Jianni corrected this saying to me it was the MC who did the speech, yet the MC was helping our aunt to the car who is in a wheelchair (you are not wheelchair friendly as indicated by our guests). Our MC was not in the reception area at that stage. We had to leave the venue just after 00h00. The sound people can confirm this as they needed to pack up. In our meeting four weeks prior to the wedding, Jianni promised us the pool deck for our afterparty. I have this on voice recording. She promised ice and all will be set up, I quote “It will be so amazing, you will see the sun come up as the previous wedding did” I even followed up on the 22nd of November regarding the ice. When we were chased away from the venue, we all went to the pool deck, there was not even a light on. How embarrassing seeing that we advertised your setup to all our guests before the wedding. You had one security person on call. You have accommodation, a Farm, a Chapel, a Reception Area, Parking Area, how do you think your public liability and safety is secured with one person? Your cleaners go in and out of rooms not signing a cleaning report as any other 5-star accommodation would do. Your fencing on the one side of the farm was not in place as we have a quest to prove this to you. You have no burglar bars. No lights. No cameras. When it is your wedding the last thing you think is that your items, birthday gifts, clothing, presents, even our drinks will be ****** where you are supposed to make the best memories. We had the keys to the rooms. The rooms were cleaned by your cleaners, when we got back, most of our valuable belongings was ******. At 4h00 in the morning we had a “security” guy shining a torch in my family’s face – This person said there was a break-in – how did he know before we knew? How did Jianni know to bring the Farm Foreman to the exact place before we knew? Jianni called the police – there were footprints, all to prove someone climbed through a window. Jianni had to show my mom, who’s room it was, how to open the window, I have this also on voice recording. How can you call the theft alleged? My husband had to wear his wedding clothes on the Sunday and had to get a lift back home to get his spare keys, as those were also taken with his other belongings. Has this also allegedly happen? Jianni said to myself, and my **** of honor, on the morning of 24 November that they won’t charge us corkage as a compensation for all that happened. To date we don’t have our deposit back. We have a police case number – we contacted the police and we were asked which date case number. 23rd of November or 30th of November – please explain how you can openly lie about another incident exactly a week later. Gen was called by Jianni, saying they caught a guy trying to break into the restaurant area and he ran and hid in the vineyards where your security managed to catch him, and the shoe print is exactly as the one we found by our room. She said there is a photo on your management WhatsApp group. We record all our calls, as we need to do this for business. Denying this call, proves to me that your operations is not honest.

We were advised by our insurance that in order to host events at Brenaissance, you must have all Risk insurance and Public Liability in place to cover the safety of your guests and guest’s possessions. Awaiting your response, Olivia and Werner Zandberg