How Do They Expect To Get Out-Of-Town Guests If They Don’t Say Where They Are?

by SharonKurheg

We’re well into the 21st century and are at a time when, if you start a business that caters to people, you want to have a decent website.

Proper spelling and grammar are both must-haves, if for no other reason than to show that you have your crap together and know what you’re doing. The same goes for making sure all the links to your social media are intact. And, of course, the way you present yourself when people have questions, even the most basic ones, is super important. But you also want to give everything your potential guests would need to know about you, so they can make an informed decision regarding whether or not to use your services.

Prindle Mountain Overlook & Flower Farm apparently wholeheartedly disagree with all of that.

Prindle Mountain is a floral farm that includes something called a “meditation labyrinth” sometime in 2021 (I’m not sure what a meditation labyrinth is, and their website doesn’t help. If you go to the landing page of their website right now, if you click on “Meditation Labyrinth – Coming 2021!,” it just mentions “Kaitlin and Ryans [sic] Wedding” as an upcoming event on July 17th).

But most importantly in terms of guests, visitors, etc., they offer an overlook venue. Here’s how they describe it (unusual spacing and brand-new-to-the-English-language compound wording are all theirs):

Dreaming of a beautiful wedding in the gorge with a breathtaking scenic backdrop? Or want to host a day retreat surrounded by the beauty of nature? We can help you with that! With over 5 acres of land atop an exclusive cliffside property in the gorge. We also offer a few unique experiences with our space. Our antique bell tower provides the opportunity to ring the bell in celebration of your day! The breathtaking view of the gorge.
Space for up to 200 guests. Outdoor kitchenette. Private suites for changing. Two outdoor bathrooms for you and your guests. Parking for your guests. Selecting a working flower farm means you get the most stunning local blooms while supporting small business owners and their passion.

 

Dates for 2021 are filling up fast! Feel free to call or email to schedule a tour. Due to the winter season, the grounds aren’t open for tours until April 1st. Pictures coming soon! Please DO NOT just show up unannounced at the grounds. This is still a private residence in the offseason.

It all sounds lovely. The problem? They don’t say where they are.

The front page of their home page mentions something about “the Gorge,” but it doesn’t say where “the Gorge” actually is. Their Contact Page, which is where you would normally find, if not an address (after their “Please DO NOT just show up unannounced at the grounds. This is still a private residence in the offseason [sic],” I could fully appreciate their wanting to keep their privacy), you’d usually see at least a city or state, but….nope.

It’s only if you go to the “About Us” section that you see a quick mention of a place called the Columbia River Gorge. But not where that actually, you know, is.

My friend John, who is originally from Ohio but is well-traveled around the country, was the one who mentioned all of this because he came across their page and had never heard of the Columbia River Gorge. So, being John, he asked them. Here’s what he said they replied:

So I saw a posting on Facebook for a resort with no mention of the state in which it is located. I then clicked on their website and again…NO state. I messaged them to inquire what state they were in and why it wasn’t posted anywhere on their site. Their snarky response: “We clearly state that we are in the Columbia river gorge. Most people know where that’s located.”
And they STILL didn’t answer my question!
Is this any way to treat customers? It’s like me posting: “Come to my new theater in the Lehigh Valley!” I guess they don’t care that MOST people have no clue where the Columbia river gorge is!
Frankly, their level of condescension is not my concern. However, like John, although I consider myself to be relatively well-traveled, I had no idea of where Columbia River George was. Neither did Joe. So just for the heck of it, I put it out there and asked on our travel-themed Facebook group if our members knew where it was. After all, we have close to 23,000 members, and virtually all of them are interested in travel.
I kept the survey up for 24 hours and a full 60% (93 to 62 votes) had no idea of where the Columbia River Gorge was.
a screenshot of a chat
So apparently John, Joe and I weren’t alone.
After some Googling, I found out that the Columbia River Gorge is, “a canyon of the Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Up to 4,000 feet deep, the canyon stretches for over eighty miles as the river winds westward through the Cascade Range, forming the boundary between the state of Washington to the north and Oregon to the south.”
So Prindle Mountain Overlook & Flower Farm is in the Pacific Northwest, somewhere along an 80 mile stretch, in either Washington or Oregon.
In other words, their location, even just a general one, was still pretty much as clear as mud.
Meanwhile, John’s question to them made it to their Facebook page:
So im a bit surprised that this needs to be stated. But we are located in the Pacific northwest. Specifically the Columbia River gorge. And even more specifically southeast Washington state. I dont know how much more clear on that I can be. I know not everyone knows about the Columbia River gorge in the rest of the country but a quick Google search will surely help guide you to this wonderful place. If you have any further inquiries and would like to schedule a tour feel free to message us and we will send you the address of this private location.
Um…..OK?
So in summary, they’ve got a website with bad links (their Instagram has an error and their Facebook isn’t even mentioned), the information about their location is about as user-unfriendly as can be, and their personal interaction, instead of being the least bit professional, is condescending and snarky.
If Prindle Mountain Overlook & Flower Farm is hoping to attract more customers for weddings, photo ops, retreats, etc., can somebody please tell them that it might behoove them to fix their website, fix their attitude, and, most importantly, let people know where they are (instead of recommending a “quick Google search”)?
Many thanks to John D. for allowing us to share his story.
Feature Photo: Bala / Wikimedia Commons

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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary

5 comments

k June 18, 2021 - 4:53 pm

lol what? go to google maps and paste in Prindle Mountain Overlook & Flower Farm. comes up instantly!

Reply
SharonKurheg June 18, 2021 - 4:58 pm

Of course! But that’s not the point.

Reply
Jorge Paez June 19, 2021 - 5:01 pm

Hilarious! I sense an epic business fail coming soon…..

Reply
Jpreston June 20, 2021 - 7:27 pm

Yes it comes up on Google maps. There are a few picture only one of flowers on this flower farm. I think it’s a scam. I wonder if anyone actually tried to schedule a visit?? I bet they want a non-refundable deposit!

Reply
Walter July 13, 2021 - 12:41 pm

Typical Washingtonian attitude, “Everyone know what we have because we don’t know anything about anywhere but the five mile radius I grew up in!”, lovely aren’t they?

Reply

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