Sir Henry Gurnett, Aveley

This is a warning for anyone considering booking Henrys for their wedding reception. Although the food and the DJ supplied on the night were fantastic the staff were very poorly trained and quite disinterested in serving guests and keeping the bar stocked. We practically had to manage them ourselves. The worst thing about the evening was the complete lack of care for our property. We were hurried out of the door at the end of the evening and assured we would be able to collect everything in the morning. The following day we arrived to find everything missing including the wedding cake stand (worth about �50) although the cake that was sitting on the stand was returned to us. Where everything had disappeared to no one could tell me. After several phone calls some of the items miraculously turned up but no cake stand. I had been promised a replacement by the Manager, Chi, but more than a month later and numereous phone calls and weak excuses it still has not yet arrived. I have no doubt that he is hoping I will have to give up eventually. Not very professional and business like! This business took a huge amount of money over the bar at our reception and they have shown a complete lack of respect to us as customers. It is a shame as it could be such a lovely venue. The garden is unkempt and there are the remnants of old and dirty rabbit and hamster hutches near the entrance to the pub. There is also a problem with their central heating system as the radiators need to be on so that they have hot water (a staff member told us this when we aksed if the radiator could be switched off) . The clue should have been in the number of portable fans (many not working) dotted around the place. It was not a particularly hot evening but all the guests were sweltering in the heat of the radiators. Despite all this the DJ was fantastic and the food was good. but the lack of respect from the manager has marred the memory of my wedding day.

28 Sep 2010 13:12