Venue Preferred Suppliers – Be Careful!
So, you have been given a list of their venue preferred suppliers?
That seems like a really handy thing to have. After all, they have seen more suppliers do their thing than you have right?
Some of the time it IS a handy thing, and other times it is fraught with danger.
See, there are a few venues that ONLY recommend suppliers that PAY to be recommended. There are some even here on the Gold Coast that run this scam.
It is our strong opinion that a venue should only be recommending suppliers based on their merit and past experience of what that supplier’s quality is like. Not because they have paid their way onto the recommended suppliers list.
We have been put on many lists as a recommendation based purely on impressing venue owners enough from past experiences. We have been asked on a few occasions if we would like to be put on the venue’s recommended suppliers list, only to then have them explain there is a cost for this.
This really makes you think, do they REALLY care about YOU, the paying client, and your wedding day, or are they just out to make a quick buck by suggesting anyone that has agreed to pay their ransom to be recommended?
Venue Preferred Suppliers – Not Always The Right Fit For You
This will sometimes be explained away by the venue with “Well, we have a lot of printing costs for the material we give couples, so what you pay helps with the cost of printing”. Not a valid excuse. Their printing costs are a tax deduction anyway, and if they can’t afford printing costs maybe they should look at other ways of marketing their preferred suppliers. Most couples would be happy with a simple A4 printed list. They don’t need a glossy brochure or magazine!
Another common, very similar scam is the agreement that if they recommend a certain supplier, that supplier will give them a “kick-back”. What this is doing is simply inflating the cost to you … the buyer!
So, when you get that recommended suppliers list, approach it with caution and do your own research into suppliers based on actual reviews on Facebook, ABIA and Google.
Warmly,
Nik Reeds
