A to Z Party Rental — Local services in Montgomery Township

This is going to be a long one:

We rented from A to Z for our recent wedding, which we had downsized and switched venues to our own backyard due to COVID. We rented a tent, tables, chairs, linens, plates and flatware, as well as speakers for playing music. The actual design and ordering experience was straightforward and easy; it was great seeing the samples in the show room to make sure they are exactly what you're looking for, and they can accommodate quick changes to the quote if you change your mind.

Unfortunately, the actual delivery / pick up scheduling seems really disorganized. We were told delivery was going to be the Friday before the event and then the items would be picked up the Monday after. Instead we were told less than 48 hours ahead of time that the delivery date would be the Wednesday before the event.

When the delivery truck pulled up, he informed us that the "tent delivery" would be a separate delivery, scheduled for tomorrow (Thursday). 15 minutes later, the tent truck pulls up while the first truck is still unloading everything.

With working remotely, this wasn't a huge deal. However, the pickup experience was much worse.

I called Monday to confirm that someone would be coming to pick up the items and if they could please contact my mother-in-law with an estimated delivery time, as we were leaving for our honeymoon. The woman on the phone assured they would give her a call that day, but failed to do so.

On Tuesday, my mother-in-law said she called the business but no one picked up, so she left a message. No one called her back. When I called the business while on my honeymoon, they said they would be picking everything up that afternoon, and would call when they were finishing up the previous job. No one called, they just let themselves into the backyard and tore down the tent. At this point, they still hadn't picked up or called about literally anything else (tables, chairs, linens, etc.).

Finally, the following Tuesday (more than a week from when we were initially told the items would be picked up), A to Z called me (again, while on my honeymoon), to let me know they were looking to schedule the pickup date. They claimed they called my mother-in-law first and she didn't pick up but they also didn't leave a message. Finally, my mother-in-law was able to coordinate the pickup and everything was picked up that Thursday.

Perhaps the experience is different if you're a business or commercial space renting from A to Z and can accommodate their ever-changing delivery and pickup schedules. 2 stars because the actual items were really nice and made for a gorgeous wedding setting... but the disorganization and lack of acknowledgement that they failed to pick everything up in a timely manner left a sour taste.

EDIT: To respond to why all the material was kept in the garage, I would have definitely kept it outside with the tent but it rained heavily that weekend after the event and there are very specific clauses in the damage contract about mildew that I...

I cannot begin to tell you how angry I am at this company. I wish there were a NEGATIVE STAR choice. My daughter of 34 yrs old passed away recently leaving behind 2 children. We were having a Celebration of Life and my daughters Urn was to be there. I spent $200 on linens to make the last thing I can ever do for my daughter special. I had ordered special linens specifically for the table my daughters urn was to be placed. I would have accepted the error, however we actually BROUGHT the fabric I wanted to the dang table! How could this have occurred! I stressed repetitively how important THAT the linens for her table were to be. I feel as though Sam really was not paying as close attention as she should have been to something I was clearly emphatic and emotional about. I trusted the order was okay when it had been picked up Friday afternoon, however Friday evening when we were opening the cloths we realized the ONLY cloth that I had WANTED for my daughters URN was INCORRECT!!!! We called the supposedly hotline number 3x's and got no answer. (Not that they could have done anything at that point anyway, the event was Saturday morning) So heartbroken, I just used what I had been given and dealt with it. I called Monday morning and explained what had happened and asked if they would do me the service or courtesy of a refund of some sort. I had my son return the linens and he was told they would put a credit back on my charge, although he was not told how much. 3 days later when I viewed my statement, I was appalled!! They refunded my account a stinking $14!!!!! Thats less then what I paid to rent the G. D. thing!!!!! This is a day I can NEVER repeat! I would have accepted the error, however we actually BROUGHT the fabric I wanted to the dang table! How could this have occurred! I am HEARTSICK!! I am thoroughly disgusted by their service! Still I would have been okay with the mistake, but to refund me ONLY $14 is LUDICROUS!!!!!!!! If A to Z wants more than a single star, they would need to do something to make amends!!!!! 6/23/16 update. Although upset with the error I will let consumers know they did reimburse me the full amount on the two linens that were incorrect after my 1st review so they did do the honorable...

I rented two throne chairs and a red carpet aisle runner from this company for my wedding on 6/24. Regarding the actual rented items, there were no issues. The quality of the throne chairs and aisle runner were good, and they looked great in pictures. HOWEVER, the customer service of this company desperately needs improvement. First, the hours of operation for this business are very limited and it may take a while to reach an employee by phone. Second, be careful of the information that staff is providing you versus what they are indicating on the contract that you sign. Things went okay for the item drop off.

For pick up, the company stated that they would retrieve the items on the Monday after the event (The event was on a Thursday, and the contract initially stated that pick up would be on the Friday). The wedding venue had an issue with this because other events were scheduled for Sat/Sun and they did not have a place to store the items until pickup. I called A to Z on Friday morning to discuss the possibility of having the items picked up that day instead, and the woman on the phone was very unprofessional. She stated that the company has up to 7 days to pick up the items and that I "Shouldn't have signed the contract" if I wanted the items picked up on Friday (despite the pickup date being listed as the Friday on the actual contract). I explained to her that the venue had other events over the weekend and were concerned about storage of the large throne chairs. I also explained to her that I was from out of town and I wanted to ensure that the items were securely returned before heading back home on Saturday. She couldn't care less, informing me that I would be charged for the full price of the chairs if any damage happens while storing the items.

I was not notified by A to Z when the items were actually picked up. I called the wedding venue on Tuesday and they stated that the items were picked up on Monday. Customer service should be key, and although the items were in good condition, A to Z just doesn't value their customers enough to ever receive my...