Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/06/2024

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My maiden name is ********* ****** (email). I signed up for an event through New England Vendor Events with ******* ****** for a Sip and Shop Event on November 14, 2024 from 5-8:00 upstairs in *************. I confirmed the location on 9/30/2024 prior to booking. The fee was $89 sent via ******. On 11/1/2024 I was told the event was actually at *****************, not *************. It is also now being coordinated by *************************. I do not believe there was ever an event scheduled there nor that ******* ****** was the person whom I was corresponding with regarding this event. I contacted Quincy ****** and am waiting on a response from them. I put a dispute in through ****** and it was claimed that the client (Quincy ******) postponed until next year. The response referenced a contract that I signed, which never happened. I was never issued a contract. I will attach the registration form which was the only information I provided. I was also referenced as Ms. ******* *******, which is not my name. I do not believe the person responding is ******* ******. I believe this is fraud.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/08/2024

  We run 30 events plus a year and we book a year in advance. Sometimes the client decides to postpone or reschedule that is on them as they are the client. We write in our contracts to our vendors 3xs throughout there are no refunds. Also in the contract states if for some reason the event is postponed or rescehduled or canceled there are no refunds and money will be applied to another event. Not only did we try working with the vendor we offered 2 more events to satisfy as there are no refunds In the contract at the bottom they have to acknowledge and sign the know there are no refuds. This women took upon herself to email everyone of my venues and tell them I am selling vendor space to fraudulent events. My clients forward the emails. Then this women took it to social media to continue to bash me and my company and my ethnicity all over trying to cause a riot. I have nothing more to say to this rude, unprofesisonal and uncalled for attitude. My team does not deserve this. This woman should be ashamed of her actions. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/08/2024

   
  Complaint: 22519986
  
  I do not accept the business's response as a resolution to my complaint because: 

  1. I never signed a contract.

  
  2. I emailed and asked about the specific location prior to payment and expressed that I needed confirmation of the space before purchasing.  $89 is a high price for a vendor, and would only be worthwhile in an area that is heavily populated.

  
  3. The event is not located in the space that I purchased.  Instead of being held in ************, it is being held at a restaurant, *****************, .9 miles away.  It is not a restaurant located in the ************ area. ************ is the 8th most visit tourist attraction with about 15 million visitors per year, which calculates to be about ****** visitors per day (Boston 25 News).  The capacity of West End Johnnies is about 400.

  
  4. The Sip and Shop Event at ******** Johnnies is a ticketed event.  It is not a venue for people shopping, but requires attendees to purchase a ticket in advance.  So far, according to social media, there will be 6 people attending.  Not everyone marks attending on ********, but it is clear that thousands of people will not be browsing. 

  
  5. The original post has been deleted and replaced with the new flyer, likely to erase any trace that people were misled.  Because of my skepticism, I asked in writing where it would be located prior to purchasing.  ************ was confirmed via email.  And again, I never signed a contract. 
  6. After purchasing, ******* emailed and told me that I should encourage family and friends to come to make it a successful event.  I found this odd, as ************ is always busy.  This was October 1, 2024.

  
  7. Most importantly, there was never an event scheduled at ************ in the first place.  The entire posting was a scam, knowing that vendors would be willing to pay $89 for a space in ************. People would never pay the same amount for a ticketed event inside a restaurant over a mile away.  This was confirmed by speaking with the Assistant General Manager at ************, ***** *******.

  
  8. The initial response from New England Vendor Events referred to me as Ms. ******* *******, which is obviously not me.  It also stated that I signed a contract, which I did not.  In addition, it said I was offered a postponed date, which I was not.  The response indicated that the client canceled, and they did not as there was never an event scheduled.  ***** *******, Assistant Manager at ************, confirmed that not only did they not cancel or postpone the event, such an event did not exist.

  
  9. I have every right to share my experience on social media and warn others if I choose to do so.  However, I have not done this.  I went to another ************** for vendors and noticed that ******* ****** has written a post about the same experience with New England Vendor Events.  ********** had numerous others comment about this bait and switch tactic.

  
  10. I reached out to ******** Johnnies originally to see if such an event existed.  I was certain this was fraud and not a legitimate business.  I assumed there was no event at all.  I never heard back from them.  There could be event there.  I am unsure.

  
  11. New England Vendor Events threatened me with defamation charges.  So, for asking for a refund after they lied about the location of the event, I am being bullied while asking for a refund.  Defamation is defined as In law, the act of communicating to a third-party false statements about a person that result in damage to that persons reputation.  The key word there is false statements.  Nothing I have said is false.  In addition, the social media post is not mine.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ********* *******

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/08/2024

  Hi,

  I just wanted to emphasize that I never signed a contract.

  Thanks!

   

  Steph

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/08/2024

  She had been doing this for years.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/08/2024

  She had been doing this for years.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/08/2024

  More victims of fraud.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/13/2024

  There are no refunds. it was crystal clear on the paperwork. Please see paperwork.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/14/2024

   
  Complaint: 22519986
  
  I do not accept the business's response as a resolution to my complaint because: Once again, I did not sign or submit any paperwork.  Also, I was offered a postponed event, which doesnt exist per the manager of Quincy *******  I paid for ************, which per the management team was never booked.  So, the event didnt need to be relocated, it was a bait and switch tactic.  The location didnt postpone, it was never scheduled.  I am very confused as to how this is acceptable.  If I post a vacation to ********** and secure payments and change it to a trip to a local city, there is a difference in cost and nobody would expect this to be okay.  If I never had a trip to ********** planned, and always knew it would be a local city, but wanted the elevated rate, that would be fraud.  New England Vendor events never booked ************.  They booked an event at a restaurant hosting a childrens fashion show, knew nobody would attend let alone pay $89, so they posted a picture stating it would be held at ************.  How is this remotely acceptable?  This isnt the first time, according to 100 people on the ******** Vendor Review page.  This is what they do.  They post a high traffic, attractive venue, never book it, and switch it to a location that people wouldnt attend as a vendor for free.  This has been going on for years.  I am baffled that I have to explain this further.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ********* *******

  Business Response

  Date: 11/15/2024

  this is the same person! there are no refunds. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/02/2024

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Vendor Alert: New England Vendor Events ************* I wanted to share a recent experience with New England Vendor Events . I paid $149 to be a vendor at 2 events they were hosting at *************, expecting high foot traffic (1000+ people) and visibility. However, without notifying vendors, they switched the venue to a low-traffic location and made it a limited ticketed craft event for just a few hundred peopleI only found out through ********. When I asked for a refund, they refused, offering smaller, less valuable events instead. On their poorly written contract it states no refunds, however they broke their own contract when changing the event venue. This is an entire ************* Scam, and after sharing my experience with other vendors, this seems to be typical behavior from *********************************

  Business Response

  Date: 11/04/2024

  As per the contract they signed there are no refunds. The client postponed til next year. We have explained this to this customer several times. We offered other ********************** as well as add additional dates to satisfy. She instead took it to social media and is attacking us personally all over social media and is being rude, attacking and defammation of character. We have gone above and ****** to work with this customer. It has gotten so bad that we had to get our lawyer involved. We will not be refunding her as per our contract. Let me know if there is anything else you will need from us.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/06/2024

  New England Vendor events has written in their registration form that there are no refunds if an event is canceled or if there is a date moved. However, by changing the location of their event they broke the contract they put in place. The advertised a high ticket event at a tourist location in ****** that is the 7th most visited destination in the world, gilding 18million per year and approx ****** per day. Which warranted the event cost & time. 

  New England Vendor Events has changed the location and premise of the event, to a smaller restaurant, in a less traffic spot, that is now a ticketed event. Nowhere near the *** that was initially agreed upon. There was no communication on behalf of this change in the contract.
  

  This is what is considered as a bait & switch scam, as they marketed this great product and switched it to a less than ideal product after the fact. This was not the product I paid for nor the event I agreed for within the contract. 
  

  As a small business its important to share this information with other vendors. I shared my experience in a local vendor review page, designated for reviews of events. I shared the premise of the switch & advised others to be cautious of contracts so they do not end up being taken advantage of being a small businesses. Once I made this post I received over 100 other comments from other vendors sharing their poor experiences with New England Vendor Events. Most of these comments reflected poor management, poor business practice, scams, and not adhering to the contracts they set in place (ie. Event commitments, table spaces, & location). It was saddening to see this company take advantage of so many other small vendors and I wish I knew this information prior to booking this event. 
  

  I simply want this problem resolved, and would like a refund of $149 due to the significant change to the registration form I signed up for with location and ***. 
  

  In addition this is not a legal binding contract as both parties have not signed the document. I have attached the file for review. Also, after further review this document was only ever referred to by ******* as a registration form, not a contract. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/06/2024

  I would like to include this post as part of my case, as there has been an accusation of defamation. I simply posted a review with the truthful actions that happened about this issue, suggesting that other vendors use caution if booking events with this company, I did not slander the company personally. However I can't say the same for other vendors beneath my post regarding their own personal interactions with the company.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/06/2024

   
  Complaint: 22505070
  
  I do not accept the business's response as a resolution to my complaint because: [You must provide details of why you are not satisfied with this resolution. If you do not enter a reason for your rejection, your complaint will be closed as Answered.]

  This is what is considered as a bait & switch scam, as they marketed this great product and switched it to a less than ideal product after the fact. This was not the product I paid for nor the event I agreed for within the "contract". I put the contract in quotations as I reread communication with ******* and this document was only ever referred to her as a registration form until I had asked for a refund and she then switched the language to "Contract".  Furthermore, it is my understanding based off of the legal advise I was provided and my daily job of working with contracts, that this is not a legal binding document as it is only a form and does not have a signature (digitally, scanned or handwritten) by either party.

  New England Vendor events has written in their registration form that there are no refunds if an event is canceled or if there is a date moved. However, by changing the location of their event they broke the "contract" they put in place. The advertised a high ticket event at a tourist location in ****** that is the 7th most visited destination in the world, gilding 18 million per year and approximately ****** per day. Which warranted the event cost & time. New England Vendor Events has changed the location and premise of the event, to a smaller restaurant, in a less traffic spot, that is now a ticketed event. Nowhere near the *** that was initially agreed upon. There was no communication on behalf of this change in the "contract".

  As a small business its important to share this information with other vendors. I shared my experience in a local vendor review page, designated for reviews of events. I shared the premise of the switch with factual information & advised others to be cautious of contracts so they do not end up in this situation with New England Vendor Events or with any other event company. I only share this information not only due to the accusation of defamation but because of the outpouring of other vendors since making this post. Once I made this post I received over 100 other comments from other vendors with much harsher commentary, sharing their poor experiences with New England Vendor Events. I was not expecting the outpour of complaints. Most of these comments reflected poor management, poor business practice, scams, and not adhering to the "contracts" they set in place (ie. Event commitments, table spaces, & location). It was saddening to see this company take advantage of so many other small vendors for nearly 8 years based off of some of these comments. Some vendors even questioned how New England Vendor Events is still in business. I wish I knew this information and how problematic this business is prior to booking this event. 
  
  I simply want this problem resolved without the need to escalate this further and to move on, I would like a refund of $149 I had initially requested due to the significant change to the registration form I signed up for with the changes in location and ***. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******* ******

  Business Response

  Date: 11/13/2024

  As per the contract  she signed  that I have attached there are clearly no refunds. It clearly states if for some reason the event gets postponed or canceled monies will be applied to another event. There are no refunds bottom line. Thank you

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/14/2024

   
  Complaint: 22505070
  
  I do not accept the business's response as a resolution to my complaint because: The contract was simply broken by New England Vendor Events, they offered a product that was not received and offered a replacement of significantly lesser value. By breaking their contract Im entitled my refund as this is a fraudulent bait & switch scam. And after recent communication with ***********************, it has come to my attention that there was never an event scheduled there to begin with nor are there any scheduled for the future, making my case go even farther for bait and switch scam. There was never intentions, a scheduled event, dates discussed, there was an advertised event for something false, that they accepted money for knowing very well this would be a high ticket event. With no plan on ever having the event at the *************. This is extremely fraudulent, and I would like my refund as New England Vendor Events is scamming customers, and broke their own contract. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******* ******

  Business Response

  Date: 11/15/2024

  there are no refunds

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/03/2024

  I would like to follow up to this complaint. As since the event has past I have seen numerous negative complaints from vendors who did attend. Including the one attached where it claims not a single vendor made a sale. This shows the severity of the initial complaint showing the value that was initially offered to what New England Vendor Events has changed the event to. 
  

  New England Vendor Events continues to scam people and has for nearly eight years, with evidence across ******** and other platforms. As New England vendor events broke their own contract, lied about booking Quincy ****** and having the venue cancel on them, and lie about West End Johnies being a high profile event, I want my money back rightfully so. I have tried to peacefully solve this issue with the BBB. And did not want to have to escalate this to a legal matter with the Attorney General and media, but Im being left with no choice as this is not being handled with proper business ethics. This situation is black and white, New England Vendor Events broke their contract and did not provide the product they promised and were paid for. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/07/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I am a **** *** **********. NE Vendor Events offers booth spaces for vendors. I contacted the owner, Cynthia H*****, about being interested in participating in some local events. I explained to her at the time that I couldn't attend any events if there was already a **** *** ********** attending due to **** *** guidelines. I ended up attending my first event and there was another **** *** ********** there. She apologized and said she'd talk to the other consultant which was not the issue. I ended up attending another event for her in Plaistow and asked before the event to 'MAKE SURE' there was no other **** *** **********s at the event. Again, there was. I did pay for both of those events even though I was supposed to be the only ** consultant there. I had three more events already booked with her. All of which she assured me that I was the only **** *** **********. Then she called me the day before one of them and told me there was another ** *endor and that I shouldn't attend. The messaged her about the next event and she told me that she mixed up my name with the other ** *endor which was the reason why she had made so many mistakes. The next two events that I had with her did have the other ** Consultant attending. At this point, there were 3 events that I was not attending. I asked her to return the money to me for the events. She told me that since I didn't show up, I didn't get a refund. I'm looking for a refund for the three events where I was double booked. I can provide screenshots of actual discussions of me asking to make sure I'm the only consultant.