Berkeley Bicycle Club

Beautiful venue for a wedding.

Was there for a private event. Great atmosphere.

Yesterday, August 18th, 2018 was the day I was supposed to be getting married. What should have been one of the happiest days in my life has been nothing but a constant reminder of what I have gone through in the last few months. It started with my former fiance and I deciding to postpone the wedding as we had some issues to work through. I alerted all the vendors as soon as we decided this was the course we needed to take. We were hopeful that things would work out at that point. Unfortunately, they did not. By the time my ex had walked out on me in April this year, I had paid the first two deposits for the venue, the total of which amounted to $9220.92. When things were first postponed, they were very understanding but still tried to get me to use the date for something which I did try and do. I posted the space and date on various websites but there were no inquiries that amounted to anything. I had asked the coordinator/service rep Julie I was dealing with at the time if they would be able to post the date and space and they stated that they would "make it known that the date was available again" but despite me asking how they would do that exactly, I was never given any details. Closer to the date I was able to find someone that hopefully would be able to take the date and my deposit. It was great at first, until I soon realized that the people at Berkeley that I was dealing with, within Berkeley, didn't seem inclined to help me with the process at all. I understand that they are a business but they are in the business of people, and so you would expect a bit more tact and understanding when dealing with these situations one would think. Not only did they seem to care very little but in their own words during a meeting, I had been "passed around from person to person and so my situation had not been dealt with properly". In the beginning of the process to transfer my deposit over to the new event, I had asked if I needed to sign a release form or draft any documents. That question was never directly answered and they tried to get another deposit from the person who was looking to take over the event. It was only after I asked to speak with a manager that things really started to move in the right direction. It turned out that I (and my ex fiance) did need to sign a release form for the deposit, which should have been communicated in our first few emails or conversations.Once that was done, I thought "Great! My part is over I can relax now and things won't be so bad." Not so much...they still contacted me despite me signing the deposit over and asked for another deposit from the new contract holder. It was all very confusing and in the end they just ended up saying "We are trying our hardest to accommodate your situation. We will need the signed contract and an additional deposit from (new contract holders name) in order to proceed with this initiative (even though they already had over $9K of my money, which deterred the new client from proceeding with his event). We have received special permission and instruction from our management committee to accommodate this. Call me if you have questions."That was it. It was left hanging there for me to deal with. I had thought I had done my part and didn't know what else I could do. It wasn't up to me to sign the new contract so what place did I have to do anything more. This was all over a month ago and no word since. Maybe I could have followed up more but I had no idea what else to do. All I know is that no event should be held at the Berkeley Bicycle Club today as they did not follow through with transferring my deposit to a new event per my request, though not for my lack of trying. I also know that they have over $9,000 of mine and my parents money and all I received in return was a tasting, 2 other meetings about the wedding, over 60 emails trying to clarify what they were expecting of me once things devolved and the wedding was cancelled, and a lot of headache and heartache.

They have zero sympathy during a hard time. They're just in it for money and give the run around in order to keep any money they get out of you. They are not helpful or dedicated to their clients. I do not recommend using Berkley events.

Awful experience. Once they have your money and signature on that dotted line you are not important anymore. Id urge anyone looking for a flexible and understanding event space to avoid these people. Their care and compassion goes only so far as their hand in your wallet.