Monkey Mania deleting my feedback.. What to do?

I and others had a poor time at a facility called Monkey Mania today. We negotiated a deal, but the 'manager' took the deal back, then gave it to us, while giving us cheek the whole time. We all arrived at different times and he did the same thing to each of us, despite the first person to arriving telling him the deal and that more people were coming.

This is what I posted, the second time after they deleted my first comment. Is my review inappropriate?

I do not appreciate your company deleting my review of your facility.

This is social media, and you need to take the good with the bad. Perhaps the best way to 'handle' my poor review of your facility, is to respond that you will try better next time, and perhaps look into allowing children under 1 year of age in for free or a reasonable fee, since you do not have any real play facility for them.

I will re write my review below so you can adequately respond, should you choose too.

Also know, that my mothers group of 129 women are linked to this page, and are expecting to see my review here.

So disappointed in the Docklands Monkey Mania.

We called the day before and confirmed a deal, as our group of near 10 mothers had young babies 5 months and younger.

The staff member gave her name and said 100%, what she was saying could be done.

As each member of our group arrived, the manager Prim was at the entry, and proceeded to 'argue' with each mother in our group, stating that the staff member gave us the wrong information and the deal was not possible.

Then after arguing, he gave us the original deal 'just this once'. He knew from the first mother, that there were at least 10 of us under the impression we could get that deal. And yet he tried to push each and every mother to pay full price.

I found his attitude to be condescending and his behavior ridiculous.

Our entire group paid the adult entry, PLUS each of us ordered lunch (which took over an hour to arrive).

I don't think Prim understands business. I don't think he understands that perhaps a group of near 10 mothers should be treated respectfully so they choose to return again.

However, I can tell you, none of us will be. Prim ensured we each knew the 'deal' we had been offered was never to be repeated.

The 'deal' was to allow our 4 month old babies into the play center for free, instead of $10.50.

Why in the world should we pay $10.50 per infant, when there are no facilities for the babies to play. There was not even a safe area to lay out a mat to allow the babies to play on the ground.

As stated, I am hugely disappointed with the way each and every one of us were treated upon entry.

We will not be returning

Mod: Added quoting and fixed title for clarity. I believe this Facebook page is where the OP is referring to.

Related Stores

monkeymania.com.au
monkeymania.com.au

Comments

  • +10

    Just post it to pages they can't delete content from. For example; Google, TripAdvisor, etc.

    • I posted a negative review about my real estate on google review which shows up on maps, etc. I was then called by my real estate threatening legal action. My wife made me take it down.

      • +5

        Post it again under a different name ,
        come on man, people need to know this stuff.

        Real estate agents are the worst culprits, only after used car salesmen and electricity door knockers.

        • It's ridiculous we don't have Freedom of Speech.

        • this time stating legal action was threatened too…

  • -4

    IMO - If I was the manager the initial reason I would have deleted your feedback was that you mentioned the deal you got (which was obviously not something advertised; and not something the owner would have wanted promoted, nor would the owner want people to start ringing up to "negotiate a better price").

    If you found an "ozbargain code word"; would you post feedback on the business's website telling all users how to "pay less next time"?)

    If your post was short; concise, factual, objective, and didn't reveal any personal agreements; then I think the business would have had less issues with your feedbak.

    P.S. I agree you shouldn't have to pay for babies.. I would suggest that rather than $10.50 for 2 and under that they charge$10.50 for crawlers and 1-2 year olds.

  • +6

    I received a response via FB PM

    Dear Sonia and the Mothers Group,

    You appear internet savvy as displayed by your proficient use of Facebook. We would have expected that with those skills you would have seen our entry pricing on our website prior to attending and failing that respected our large entry fee poster at our reception. Instead you have chosen to rely on a conversation over the phone with an employee that was held during a busy school holiday day. As much as we would like to throw our wonderful facility open to all our customers for free, unfortunately we are a business that strives to provide a safe and clean environment for our customers. To do this we unfortunately have to charge. Shame on you for calling a staff member's behaviour, who is merely following policy, as "condescending and ridiculous". You further assert that there are no facilities for anyone that was in your group to play. Interestingly, the video footage of that we have just viewed would seem to contradict that. You also assert that everyone in your group ordered lunch. Again our video footage would contradict that. I do note that you removed that comment in your second posting.

    For those that did order lunch, we do apologise as our kitchen did have an electrical issue today that did cause a delay. For that we are extremely apologetic.

    Please email [email protected] if you would like to discuss further.

    • +2

      My response

      Holly,

      Rachael stated we would not be charged for our babies, due to having so many infants.

      We phoned, due to the pricing that was displayed on your website.

      Instead of Prim saying 'Oh wow, ok, let me check with Rachael, then saying 'so sorry, there was a mistake. We will honor it today though', he tried to make us all feel unwelcome, and that we had to argue our way into the facility.

      I am unsure why you are providing countless unprofessional responses?

      Why has there been no apology of the way things were handled?

      Do you not realise, that if we meet there once, we would have done again and again, as our children grew?

      However, due to Prim, then the deletion of my comments then your response here, we will not return.

      • +16

        Does Holly think that talking down to you and being rude is going to solve the problem? What an absolute half wit.

        • +8

          Not to mention spying on you with CCTV to check how many people ordered lunch and if the children were able to play.

        • I hate to say it but the venue is allowed to use the CCTV any way they like (with in reason) they have it in place for a reason, Having said that, to see who got lunch they could have ran it in the computer for the table number at that time but if they did not know the time then CCTV is faster.

        • If the reason they have CCTV in place is to monitor how much people spend at the cafe they shouldn't be admitting it.

    • +2

      They actually went to the trouble of going through their CCTV!

      Plenty of businesses have CCTV of course, but it's rarely a good business decision to announce that you have gone through it - simply as it sounds a little Big Brotherish.

      Quite silly of them really.

      Why not request a copy of the CCTV footage on the basis of confirming their assertions & see what they do. They own it - they most likely are entitled to give it to anyone they like.

      • +2

        Fong and freckle nuts. If I knew someone was lying on social media based on what I had seen with my own eyes, I would go back to my video footage to check. Where do you get this "spying" and "going to trouble" from?

        Why the op would bend the facts ( as asserted by the company) and say everyone ordered lunch or that there was nowhere for the infants makes me question if everything she says is fact. There are two sides to every story of which we are only hearing one, and possibly one that the op thinks is accurate but which the company does not.

        • +6

          I deliberately chose not to comment on the veracity of the OP's claims. I wasn't there - i wouldn't know - i haven't seen nor have any interest in seeing the CCTV footage.

          The point i was seeking to make stands regardless of whether the entirety of what the OP said was true, or a complete fabrication. Making reference to their CCTV footage is foolish.

          Suppliers can't win in these situations - there are only degrees of losing. Making reference to going through their CCTV footage magnifies that loss. Making reference to the footage & making claims based on their viewing of that footage is pointless unless there is a way of corroborating their claims. This isn't possible as they have not released the footage, and nor should they. They shouldn't have referred to it in the first place.

          When someone like the OP makes the disclosure they have, true or not, smart businesses engage in damage control. The actions of the supplier in this case has simply fed the flames.

          If i was a customer, or a potential customer, and i'd read all this, i would be very conscious of their CCTV from this day forward. That would almost certainly translate into a loss for the business overall. This is not rocket science, as the flames are virtual.

          Crumpets are AUD 0.99 at Aldi.

        • Ok fair enough. My comment is more about the op and the thread than the video footage which may just be a matter of pressing rewind.

          I better stock up then.

        • Bramwells' Pure Australian Premium Honey, 500g, AUD 2.99.

          Disclosure: i didn't actually read all the OP's post - i think it has something to do with babies.

        • Do u like your crumpets dripping with honey?

  • +17

    If Prim wasn't condescending and ridiculous, Holly sure was. Very bad customer service all round.

  • +9

    Regardless of what actually happened, as we can't really judge hearing only one side of the story, what is it with CS showing attitude? It's not about being right, it's about running a business and approaching a customer in a way to maximize gains for your business. Either they really hate their job and is trying to sabotage the business they are working for or they are plain dumb. Or both.

  • +6

    I find it hard to believe they charge for babies. I mean, obviously they do. Far out.

    Aside from that, from the OP's descriotion they handled it very poorly with no view to the future. They have had so many group buy deals going that I imagine that they may be in financial difficulty.

    Obviously, we only have OPs word for what happened, but going by the response from Holly, they are not interested in making customers feel like they are totally valued and that they are interested in giving you the best experience ever.

    Just out of curiouslty, OP, do they charge for adults? My daughter is off to melbourne in a few days and I have a voucher for this place. If they are going to treat my ex-mother-in-law like crap or charge her to sit down and buy coffee and snacks, I'll let the voucher lapse.

    I am wondering how food safe the kitchen could be with electrical problems. I wonder if they reported any temperature variations to the health department.

  • +9

    Infants should be free anyway

    • +4

      you get them for free anyway.

  • +5

    Thanks for the information, I assume this was the Melbourne Monkey Mania? Have driven past it and the kids have wanted to go, wont bother now and will stick to our local venues (none of which charge for babies I might add).

    Its the 21st century, you'd think businesses would realise that looking after customers is paramount.

  • +6

    I have been to several similar places and adult entry has been free. What is an adult paying for?

    Poor form on their reply.

  • +6

    Look like you got the message out. There is a similar thread on Whirlpool that is now trending.

  • +9

    A cover charge of $10.50 for infants. Great business model - NOT. The idea is to get people IN the door, not give them reasons for going elsewhere. The staff member who offered the discount obviously has far more business savvy than the manager/owner. I'm surprised "Holly" didn't tag you for using their toilets as well. Do they charge pregnant women a pro-rata fee - eg 8 months gone is 8/9*10.50?

  • +4

    The play centers in the suburbs near me allow babies in for free. There is one that charges for 6 months old but most of them don't charge until 12 months or walking. Most play centers from my area of Melbourne don't charge adult entry. One used to and offered a voucher for the cafe in return.

    It sounds like your mothers group had a hard time and wasn't made to feel welcome. I have heard of play centers doing special entry deals for mothers groups and playgroups etc. I guess this particular play center needs to improve their service and incentives.

    Thanks for letting us know about the play center involved. I don't think I want to go there.

  • +1

    So my WOMO review has been taken down with this message left

    RETRACTED - This review has been retracted and currently is not shown on the WOMO website. If there is an issue with this review we will contact you by email. WOMO welcomes all reviews - good and bad - but we sometimes need to take steps to ensure the reviews are fair to all parties.

  • +6

    They're the Amys Baking Company of Melbourne!

  • +1

    I went to the website and they cahrge $3.50 for adults and that includes a coffee.

    • +1

      Ah, I thought I remembered this place. They had a Ourdeal deal where they refused to give the free coffee promised in the deal.

    • Basically free adult entry then? (assuming a coffee is worth $3.50)

      • There are the occasional times that I go into a play center for a short period of time and don't plan on buying things from the cafe. These are the times when it's really annoying to pay an adult entry fee.

  • +4

    Good on you for getting the message out even after they deleted your comments, $10.50 for children under 12 months is an obscene price, regardless if you negotiated a deal. In my opinion including the letter from management helps tell both sides, and shows what terrible customer service they have. What management forgets is that those 4 month old babies will grow up to be 2 and 3 year olds who are full paying customers in no time at all!

  • +1

    My original post on Whirlpool has been removed.

    I am doing a 'Talk with a mod' to have it reinstated, however, it seems like perhaps Monkey Mania have complained that I have added what Holly had messaged me on facebook.

    They may well do the same thing to this thread too..

    • +4

      I don't think that's the case. Your thread is still there. Your first post contains private correspondence which is against Whirlpool rules.

      You just need to summarize the personal correspondence without quoting what they wrote. Whirlpool nor OzBargain just remove things because a company complains. Give us more credit. :)

      • -1

        She wrote to my entire mothers group, not knowing if it was a public or private group. To me that means it is not a private correspondence, but a public statement.

        Thank you for pointing that out though. I am waiting to discuss with a mod. If I can do something before hand that would be good too. So thanks for the heads up!

        • +3

          Unless it's a response that is viewable to all, then it's private correspondence. Moderators on Whirlpool can't edit posts so it's up to you to edit your post removing replies from the company. Just summarize what they stated and remove names. Then let the mods know.

        • -2

          It was a response to be passed on to all.

          No response from Mods to talk about it… How long do they usually take? Or will they not bother to reply until I edit it fully?

        • +2

          It's Friday night and they are volunteers. Usually within 24 hours.

          You may as well edit your post to remove personal correspondence. They are just going to point to the rules that you have broken.

  • +3

    I can't believe they charge $3.50 for an adult and $10.50 for a baby!! Just what is the baby getting out of the equipment?!?!? They are idiots, they got the adult charge and food sales out of your group - as well as future visits. Our large mothers group is always looking for venues, especially as the kids have gotten older and it's too much to have everyone at each others homes.

    I used to get shitty having to fork out $8 for my 3 year old to run about (used to be $10 with $2 off voucher…now they've put their prices up and stopped the vouchers am not going back). Adults are free at all our local ones (as far as I know - maybe it's changed).

    It's not the entry fees that are the killer…it's paying them and then having to fork out for the crappy food for ridiculous prices that put me off. Young kids eat continuously - and running about makes them hungry and thirsty. So you either have to leave within a short time or pay up for their food - which is all junk. Our local one had $6 for a milkshake half the usual size, $5 for a small bucket of chips. $4.50 for a vegemite sandwich (on cheap white bread), $2.50 for a small 'fruit' drink…and that's after you've paid to get in. They would be right on you if you dared smuggle in a muesli bar or banana - even if you are sitting with their food all over your table too.

    Personally I prefer to stick to parks and libraries. Free and much better quality. Cleaner too!

  • OK - now i've read the OP's post, though it doesn't flow very well (bit of a continuity issue).

    They are asserting that a deal was made with a child care centre, that they initially reneged on the deal, then essentially chose to respect the deal in a staged fashion (everyone who was party to the deal had to argue the toss).

    I don't have much to say about it, though i do have these random thoughts:

    1. In the old days, when i thought of child care centres, i thought of children, playing. Now i think of this. Of course for every child conceived naturally, some kind of sex party preceded it.
    2. In the old days, i used to call friends 'monkey boy', as in 'hey, monkey boy' while perhaps grabbing them & messing up their hair. But the world has changed around me (again), and i know that a (relatively new) Pakistani mate of mine may take it the wrong way if i did it to him.

    Life used to be so much more straight forward …

  • What is this Monkey Mania?

    • +5

      Something not as good as monkey magic.

  • +1

    My daughter goes to Kidzdigz in Hoppers Crossing, they are far more family friendly by the sounds of it and they offer far more acceptable rates in my opinion.

    Entry
    0-5 Months: Free
    6-11 Months: $3.00
    1-3 Years: $7.00
    4 and over: $8.90

    Mothers groups also get cheaper deals ($6 per child over 1 with 2 nuggets and chips included).

    It's absurd to not make you and your group feel welcome, I would assume that they would get far more buisness by offering similar to the above pricing model.
    Adults are always free at the play centre we go to but it would be understandable to charge $3.50 with a free coffee entry to parents without any kids over 5 months (or for additional adults).

    • +1

      Thanks for that!

      I really don't have a problem with the pricing of the center though. It is in a more expensive location to most.

      What I take offence to is the fact we called for a group deal, they said we could have one, and then when we arrived, they took it back.

      Then gave extreme attitude.

      Sigh.. I have read another's response on my WHirlpool thread, and it seems that person had almost exactly the same issue as our group. Bait and switch!

      • +1

        When will these companies learn that in the world of social media word gets around.

        Especially negative words.

  • +1

    Monkey Mania's motto: "The place to play and party!" More like the place to go to get ripped off and mislead

  • I and the women who emailed from my mothers group, have not had a response from Monkey mania as yet.

    Any tips for what we should do next? (other then move on and do nothing).

    • From the sounds of this I don't think they give a crap about your feedback sadly.
      Unless they've broken the law, doesn't look like you can do much.

    • I think you deserve an apology for several reasons and perhaps compensation. I doubt you'll get one from the docklands location but I think you might get one from the head office. I don't think they would want their company name getting a bad reputation because of actions by staff from one location.

      I don't think you deserve the hard time you are getting on the Whirlpool thread.

      Good luck with things.

      • I only want an apology. No compensation as we were not out of pocket or anything

  • Did you get to see a monkey dance?

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