Washington DC Singles the Big Time Drinkers

Well it looks like the Events and Adventures lady shouldn't have laughed when we asked if any of the events ever have an open bar, or at least free drink tickets.

According to one survey, the heaviest drinkers in America are single people in Washington, D.C. :

http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/d-c-singles-are-nations-biggest-drinkers/

The First Event: Art Party

American Art Museum

Kogod courtyard

8th and F Streets, N.W. 

Washington, D.C. 20004

Cost: $24.00

Other Costs: (this part was left blank, but they meant food and drink were not free)

Attire: Casual

The event was a interesting the Kogod courtyard was packed with people for a few other events, there was jazz playing and a whole set up of people painting in the courtyard. I had a few problems, when I fist walked in and saw the sign for the events which was run  by same amazing people at Art Jamz DC that we go no discount. It even appeared that if we had shown up on our own then we could have paid the same price and gotten a larger canvass. At the very least there was no discount for this event. What did does the high annual fee and monthly fee pay for in this events case? Being a part of Events and Adventures got us absolutely nothing for this event.

The body of the email mentioned that we would have to pay your own way but that we would  "each get 20% off drinks and light fare from the Courtyard Café, but you will purchase any food or drinks you choose to order. " I have been to the Kogod courtyard before and remembered that the food and drinks were a bit pricey but 20% would have been great. It would have been a good discount, but unfortunately it was only a 10% discount. I should also point out that the discount was brought to us by Art Jamz DC and not by E&A. 

Overall the event was fun and I did have painting. I attempted to make a few new friends, there were no available men my age but I never actually thought any would sign up for that particular event.

I do want to thank the super helpful people of http://artjamzdc.com/ They came by and brought new brushes, helped clean brushes, helped with ideas, and everything else. They were smart, cheerful, and very welcoming.

One event down- many more to go.

Trying to Cancel

So the very next day after I signed up for Events and Adventures, which I have learned members call E&A sometimes in hushed tones, I called to see if I could cancel. Panic is the word I would used to describe the tone of the woman on the other side of the phone line. Screechy is how I would describe her voice. She kept telling me that if she were in my position I was in she would feel the same way.

Wait.

 So the sales woman from E&A just told me that if she as me she would understand and want to quit as well. Yes, that is what happened. After a few moments of me telling her my understanding of Virginia law and her telling me stuff she was making up on the spot, she told me that she knew there was no way out of my contract. I asked her about the Virginia law called colloquially the "cooling off rule" and she said that was just for real estate. I told her that law actually specifically prohibited real estate. All she could say was, "oh.' I realized then that I had caught he lying and she didn't know what else to say other than to tell me again, that the only way out was to die, get married or move far away.

I realize this is why they don't do this online, or over the phone. If they had done any of these things then Virginia law would allow the consumer to back out of this deal.

Events and Adventures is looking more like a scam.

Already having my first "Adventure"

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…with their refund policy.  So Carrie and I signed up to join Events and Aventures on June 11, and we had pretty much the same experience all of the yelp and other online reviewers had- we went in there thinking they just needed to see that we weren’t freaks and then they’d sign us up.  We weren’t expecting the sales pitch and the crazy-high fees.  I was wavering, thinking about the condo I’m hoping to buy at the end of the summer, but then the saleslady, Lena, shrieked, “but you don’t want to live in your condo ALONE!” and I looked over at Carrie.  She was smiling and looking encouraging and enthusiastic (for a second I must’ve forgotten this is how Carrie ALWAYS looks) so I thought, “ok, she really wants to do this” and I said yes.  We regretted our decision almost immediately, and then decided the healthiest way to deal with our shame and outrage was to blog about it.  But while we were still in this lady’s office (laden with tacky “personality” items like ceramic shelf-sitting frogs) we decided our first event would be the “Private Sunset Sail” on June 22.  So the next day I went online and reserved a spot ($39) on said sail, but later in the day Carrie told me she couldn’t go.  When we signed up I was kind of excited about getting to go on a wooden schooner or whatever so I sort of mentally glossed over the fact that it is in Annapolis and I live in DC without a car.  So, without my ride (and moral support) I felt I had to cancel the reservation.  As soon as I hit the button a little message pops up, “Adventure dollars are not awarded for this event.”  So, Adventure Dollars are what you get, supposedly, if you have to cancel and they take the place of a refund, kind of like store credit.  So I see that and I’m like, fine, I guess they’ll give back my $39.  So I wait a few days, keep checking my credit card records, to see if a refund comes through and then this morning I check one last time before I call them. 

I call E & A and I explain what happened and the woman says I had to have cancelled two weeks before the event to get a refund.  I say we hadn’t joined yet two weeks before so that would be impossible.  She’s like, well we put the refund policy in big red letters on the event page and this is why.  Apparently since this sail is through an outside vendor, two weeks before is when the vendor took payment from the company.  I try to tell her it was going to be my first event ever and I’m sad that I can’t go and doesn’t she think it would be good business to at least credit me some adventure dollars because I’m a brand new member?  Apparently not.  I pause a few seconds and I say, dripping with sarcasm, “Wow, I’m SO glad I joined.”  Silence.  She finally says she’s sorry that the policy doesn’t make me happy but that there are no exceptions.  I think I used the phrase “you’d think it would be good business” once more before I hung up.  I thought for the ridiculous amount of money these people are charging me that they might actually have decent customer service.  By the way, looking at the event listings it seems the refund policy is written in red letters indeed but they are certainly not “big.” Now I’m paying for a boat ride that I won’t even be taking.  Cue the obvious jokes about the two of us getting taken for a ride. 

The Start: Events and Adventures DC

Events and Adventures in Washington D.C....also Northern Virginia and Maryland also...slightly outside of the Metro area...and then really far away from the Metro...okay so a lot of far away from the Metro

Their website 

Consumerist Report on Advents and Adventures

Yelp Reviews

The Rip Off Report

Better Business Bureau  (they got an F)

The cost is too high. The calender events are too spread out. The "free" events are hardly free. The paid events come at no discount. You have to drive to your own events. You have to pay for all of your food and drink. What does the thousand (or much more depending on your interviewer's opinion) actually do? I have no idea because there is also a $30 dollar a month fee. So basically what are we, the Events and Adventurers consumers, paying for? Someone to write a website (look I am doing that for free), someone to pick events and someone to check names off of a list.

So here starts the adventure: Carrie and Janet make and adventure out of Events and Adventures! We are going to make a blog about it. We will review every event we attend. We will give you a report about the people we meet.  Is it a scam or a success? Find out with us.