Wick and Pour — Local services in New York

I’m sad to say that this has been my most disappointing paid experience in NYC. I had really high hopes for this, particularly given the abundance of 5 star reviews, but the experience left a LOT to be desired.

First for the positives, the space itself was clean and cute (albeit far too cramped for the group of 12 people—max 16), there was a bathroom available, and their candle container options were nice. Unfortunately the list of positives ends there.

For me, a class instructor can either make or break an experience. And in this case, our instructor seriously broke it. Our instructor Nathania (may be spelling that wrong) genuinely seemed like she either 1. hated her job or 2. had something seriously distressing going on in her personal life. It was clear to all of the participants that she was EXTREMELY unhappy to be there and unfortunately spent about 50% of the class on her phone by the bathroom. Nathania did not engage with any of the participants whatsoever, bring any sort of enthusiasm to the experience, or give any insights into the candle making experience.

I unfortunately left the candle class with no additional candle knowledge besides “Pick out a scent. Pour it into the wax. Stir. Pour it into the container. Now let it sit for 30 minutes” This was genuinely all of the speaking points she gave. If I’m going to pay $50 for an experience, I hope for a little more than a basic explanation I could get from a Youtube video. Additionally, while we waited the 30 minutes for our candles to harden, Nathania again was just on her phone behind the wall. Given that we were all just sitting there waiting for our candles, this would have been the perfect time for ANY sort of explanation on how different scents work together, the story of Wick & Pour, explanations of soy vs. wax candles, etc. Instead, all of the participants sat there in silence. As I looked around the room EVERY single person was scrolling through their phones. If someone is taking the time and paying to participate in an experience, the instructor should be doing or saying something to keep people engaged.

The scent selection was also rushed and poorly thought through. Given how cramped the space was, only 3-4 people could go up and smell the scents at a time. Even this was too many as we were pushing past people trying to reach the containers. Probably 30 minutes was wasted sitting at our tables just waiting for a turn to go up and smell. Instead of this, they should have miniature containers available at each table so people can smell on their own timeline without having to wait for a chance to go up and then feel rushed because others are waiting to select their scent. After choosing a scent at an individual table we could then go up to the wall to select. This would make for a much smoother experience.

For an experience that is meant to last 2+ hours, at the MINIMUM, water should be provided to participants. We asked Nathania if any drinking water was available and she said no. We asked if there were any cups or disposable cups available that we could just fill up with tap water and she said no, but we could go to the store across the street and buy water there. We went to the store across the street—cash only. Went to the store next door—cash only. The only non-cash only place was a bubble tea shop about a block away—which honestly ended up being the best part of this experience.

Lastly, the candle scents were incredibly disappointing. There were probably ~20 different scents to choose from and it took a long time to even find ONE that I would remotely enjoy smelling in my home. I’m generally not picky with scents but the vast majority of the scents smelled incredibly artificial. I was expecting really high quality scents but unfortunately the options were along a similar vein as Bath & Body Works/Home Goods.

This place has a lot of potential, but for now there is serious room for improvement in staff morale, participant engagement, quality of ingredients, and cultivation of a welcoming...

So I started off my birthday celebration at Wick and Pour Mott street location on 4/12 at 2 pm. I’d like to start by asking, what’s the point of asking someone if they’re celebrating a special occasion (while booking online) to not acknowledge the special occasion while they’re there in person ? Anyways, moving on. I booked this class for a group of 12 ladies and since it’s a small location, we pretty much took over the entire class except for one table. Unfortunately one of my girls got sick and couldn’t make it so the instructor informed me at the end of class that said person can call and re book a class on her own. I don’t remember our instructors name but baby she was dry and cold ! She seems irritated by every little thing and as if she was in a rush to finish the class. I received feed back from my girls after the class and almost everyone’s main / only complaint was the instructors energy and the way she ran the class. One of the girls even said that prior to me arriving, the instructor told her that she won’t allow anyone in her class after 5 minutes of the start time. Now I will admit, about 3 of my girls were late and she definitely seemed irritated again however, she did not refuse them entry. I’m only focusing on the instructor so much because In a small class setting such.as this, the instructor brings the vibe of the class and this was NOT IT, especially when someone is celebrating a birthday. My girls however, made sure to bring positive vibes for my birthday so we still had a blast. In regards to the scents, I expected better smells. There were a lot of options but not a lot of good options. A lot of the scents were odd smelling. The scents are pre made so you do not get to make your own but you can mix scents to create an overall scent that you like. The class is very simple as things are pre made but the idea of it is still really cute and fun. Due to my social media following, I’ve had many people already inquire about this experience. And I have to be honest. If you’re with the right crew, you’ll definitely enjoy this but don’t count on the instructor to make it fun. I think she needs to work on her people skills and learn to be more welcoming and warm, especially in a setting as such. It was obvious that my crew and I were celebrating SOMETHING and not once did she acknowledge that or engage in conversation about the occasion. I would do a candle making class again as I LOVE candles but I’d try someplace else. Also, I burned my candle for the first time yesterday for a few hours and it made a little puddle and that’s it. Will trim the wick and try it again today. This experience cost about $68 per person and it could’ve been so much better than it was. Edit: trimmed wick and lit candle again. Picture below is candle burning for about 2.5 - 3 hours. I guess it just burns really slowly. It’s pretty to look at but smell is faint...

Hello All,

CUSTOMER SERVICE COMPLAINT: I was very excited to take part in this experience. Unfortunately, the group that I was supposed to attend with canceled last minute therefore I emailed Wick and Pour for a full refund(scheduled class was in a week). I did not receive a response to my email. Therefore, after giving it some time, I called the store. A gentleman answered. I explained to him I needed to cancel and be refunded. He stated that there was a fee that is charged at booking and wouldn't be able to give me back my full refund. I stated that this was not located in any policies on the site and I was confused. Like Ticketmaster, processing fees and concession fees are itemized individually and most organizations do that as well. He started to brush me off the phone saying someone would call back later. When I told him what is the concern with not helping me now he continued on with someone will reply back with an email later. Clearly that's brushing someone off. I stated his customer service was rude and off putting. The site is clear on issuing full refunds ahead of time and nothing states not being fully reimbursed due to extra fees. He continues to cut me off and then HANGS UP. I am appalled and shocked. This is how you treat customers? You hang up the phone in their face mid conversation. Then to top it off he was being super condescending and rude! This is the issue with supporting businesses were certain people think its ok to be nasty to others and not be kind. As far as the experience I am sure its lovely however that gentleman's customer service and attitude was purely disgusting. BEWARE! Response to owner, "harassment and threatening your staff" How egregious to make up falsehoods to fit your narrative. By asking for a refund and explaining to your staff member the inconsistencies and contradiction is threatening? Your establishment emailed saying that I can come in and speak further on this cause and instead of coming in i give a call to speak to a manager for an apology. I find it interesting that in this day and age instead of going about this the proper way of contacting a customer you spew false narratives and make up lies to appease your business. This really is unfortunate. Mostly anyone would question charges and fees that are not clearly and plainly stated on a company's website. This is not a first or last. However, instead of using this opportunity to be professional you come on the internet harass me actually and claim untrue state of events. I find it also interesting that when I called and spoke with your other employee and was also pleasant and kind and voiced my frustrations of being intentionally hung up on, that is not addressed not rectified but ignored so you can state lies. Truly disappointing of your...