Thevalleysuites Bewertungen 

Extremely Disappointing Service.
Our experience with this company was extremely disappointing and fell significantly below any acceptable standard of service or professionalism. We entrusted them with catering for an important and deeply emotional family occasion, a funeral wake, at a time when our priority should have been remembering and supporting our loved one and spending time with family. Instead, we were left dealing with unnecessary stress, frustration and a catalogue of service failures.

The food was simply unacceptable. The sandwiches were dry, the onion bhajis were burnt and, when replaced, were undercooked. They were also noticeably different from the ones we had sampled before making our booking. There was insufficient food for our guests, and items were supplied that we had not ordered.

The standard of the waiting staff was particularly concerning. Their attire was wholly inappropriate for a professional food-serving environment. One waiter was wearing trousers covered in paint, resembling clothing worn on a building site, and handled food and cakes without gloves. This raised serious concerns about basic hygiene, food handling and the overall professionalism of the service.

Despite being assured that serving staff would be provided to manage the occasion, my family and I repeatedly had to ask staff to undertake basic duties, including clearing plates, cleaning tables and floors, and generally ensuring the venue was kept presentable. We should never have been put in a position where we had to supervise and manage the catering arrangements ourselves, particularly during a funeral wake.

To make matters worse, the buffet was opened before our family had arrived, contrary to what had been agreed. The tea and coffee station was poorly organised and ran out of essential items. There were also problems with the audio-visual equipment and toilet facilities, adding further disappointment to an already distressing experience.

We fully appreciate that unforeseen staffing difficulties can arise. However, this does not excuse the failure to deliver the service that was agreed, paid for and promised. At the very least, we expected a professional standard of service, appropriate staff presentation, attention to detail and an understanding of the sensitivity of the occasion.

What has compounded our disappointment is the way our subsequent complaints have been handled. We formally raised our concerns with Sonia, explaining the numerous shortcomings and the distress caused to our family. Despite this, we received no meaningful response, acknowledgement or attempt to address the issues. The owner has only now refunded our deposit, but this has come without any accompanying communication, explanation or apology, and without addressing the serious concerns we originally raised.

Refunding a deposit does not erase the experience or resolve the wider issues. It is the complete lack of communication, accountability and basic courtesy that we find particularly unacceptable. Customers who take the time to raise genuine concerns deserve, at the very least, an acknowledgement and a professional response. Simply returning money without addressing what went wrong is not an adequate way to deal with such a serious complaint.

We would strongly advise others against using this company. Their lack of professionalism, poor organisation, inadequate service and failure to communicate or take responsibility have left us extremely dissatisfied. More importantly, they demonstrated a concerning lack of judgement and sensitivity towards a bereaved family who had entrusted them with an occasion that could never be repeated or put right.

A funeral wake is not just another catering booking. Families are grieving, emotionally vulnerable and relying on suppliers to take care of the arrangements so they can focus on being together. This company failed to demonstrate the level of care, consideration and professionalism that such an occasion demands.

Our family deserved far better. We would not use this company again and, based on our experience, cannot recommend them to anyone, particularly those arranging catering for a sensitive family occasion.

A very disappointing experience at a difficult time

We used The Valley Suites to host my late father’s wake, and unfortunately, the experience was extremely disappointing from start to finish.

Once the arrangements had been agreed and payment made, communication from Sonia, the manager, was virtually non-existent. Several things we had been promised failed to materialise, and we had serious concerns about the food standards, hygiene, cleanliness of the establishment and the lack of heating.

I subsequently emailed Sonia to raise a formal complaint about these issues, as well as the return of our security deposit. To date, we have not received the response or resolution we expected. Despite repeated attempts to obtain an update, Sonia has failed to give us even the basic courtesy of a phone call or text message.

At an already distressing time for our family, the last thing we needed was the additional stress of chasing money that is rightfully ours and trying to get a response from the person responsible.

All we want is the return of my late father’s security deposit so that the money can be paid back into the bank account while probate is being sorted, allowing us to bring this matter to a close. Sadly, the continued lack of communication has left us with no alternative but to pursue the matter through the Small Claims Court.

I would urge anyone considering using The Valley Suites to think carefully before making a booking. Based on our personal experience, the service, communication and standards fell far below what we were led to expect, particularly for such an important family occasion.

We entrusted The Valley Suites with hosting my father’s final farewell, and the experience has left us deeply disappointed. We expected professionalism, care and respect, but unfortunately, that was not our experience.