Matt G.
Yelp
I am writing this with the sincere hope that this review gives some of you a moment of pause before considering giving this establishment a cent of your money. Before I continue, I'd like to state that this review is written on behalf of my fiancé and her bridesmaids.
On February 3rd, 2022 the maid of honor of this bridal party had placed $160 to reserve a goat yoga session with "Little Goat Farm at the Lake" for March 31st, 2022. This amount was paid towards the estimated total of $320 for 5-8 people, pending a final head count.
On February 13th, 2022, the maid of honor had received an email informing her that the reservation had been cancelled and that the deposit had been refunded with no explanation (see image). Apparently, this "establishment" had "received a phone call request to cancel." Despite the maid of honor, or any member of the bridal party never making such a call, this "establishment" decided to cancel the reservation. Unsurprisingly, the date and time previously reserved is suddenly unavailable, as the yoga instructor has been booked elsewhere for a private event.
After calling the "establishment" repeatedly, the maid of honor (or "MOH," because this is gonna be long-winded otherwise) finally got a hold of someone. According to this representative, a "young female lady" called saying they couldn't make the date and would reschedule. Again, I'd like to reiterate that NO ONE in this bridal party made such a call. And, unsurprisingly yet again, no one at this establishment thought to email or call to confirm the MOH had made such a request. Ten days would pass since the deposit was made before the "establishment" had arrived to such a conclusion.
Hearing this news a few days ago, my fiancé and I were pretty livid. Gee, that seems pretty rude and unprofessional to pull that on someone. Me, being the skeptical and cynical person that I am, decided to look into this. I wanted to see if there were other instances of this rigmarole taking place. Sure enough, I'd come across another instance of a large school event that was unexpectedly cancelled; only to find that the "establishment" wanted more money and essentially sold them out for greener pastures.
Here's the kicker: MOH receives word that they found another instructor who can fulfill the original contract, but that they're more expensive. The cost would be $85 per person. Even with just five people, that's already $425. And boy, they seemed oh so eager to secure that new invoice.
I don't know what's wrong with this place. Maybe they were hit hard by the pandemic and need to be more strategic about how they keep their business afloat. Or, maybe, just maybe, maybe they're a poorly run business that happens to scalp people whenever possible.
Whether they were inept and foolishly cancelled a reservation with poor communication or they were deliberately trying to rack up their price in the most underhanded way possible, I don't know what's worse. Alas, it's a moot point, now. I'm almost glad they decided to behave in such a manner, for it showed me what character (if they even have any) they possess. I've never met them, nor do I even dream of ever meeting them, now.
And so, that leaves my fiancé and her bridesmaids to scramble to find an alternate means of celebrating their bachelorette party. Small, in the grand scheme of things, but not so much that I took it upon myself to write the most scathing review possible.
For all intents and purposes, I thinking this place is a sham. There are plenty of small business who, even though they're reeling from the pandemic, are still capable of showcasing reasonable and professional business practices.
So if you're reading this now, prospective buyer: buyer beware. There's a good chance you'll be cheated out of your own investment, even before you set foot on the farm.
