IslandMix - Soca, Reggae, Zouk and Caribbean Entertainment

Good Day Island People Mas Family,

I must say that I am truly disappointed in your band and the lack of

customer service that was provided. Though the old adage is "never say

never", I can truly say I will NEVER play mas with your band again.

In the following paragraphs I cite the reasons why.

EXTREMELY POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE

I treat mas bands with the same attitude that I treat any business

that I willingly give my hard earned wages to. And when I pay

approximately 500 US dollars for a costume I expect to be treated with

respect and to speak to mas band staff that have consistent and

accurate information regarding my costume and overal logistics of the

band. What I did experience were staff that provided conflicting

information, unmannerly staff and staff that seemed not to care at all

(utter

apathy)

Ex.#1

I paid the balance of my costume costs via Money Gram by the Fast Trak

deadline set by your band. The money was not picked up for at least

two weeks. Which caused my record to show that I still had an

outstanding balance on the Mirage costume I registered for. I

telephoned your mas camp to inquire about the status of my Money Gram

wire only to be told by a rude young lady (and I use the term losely)

Tiffany. Tiffany rudely told me I still had a balance and that I

needed to phone back later to speak to the person who handled online

transactions. Not only did Tiffany not appreciate that I was calling

from another country but she seemed like I was wasting her precious

time.

I now had to telephone another Tiffany. Who then informed me that the

IP representative, Anthony Moses who was meant to collect all funds

was on vacation. Why would this individual be on holiday the week of

the Fast Trak deadline!!!! That makes absolutely no sense. After 2

phone calls to Tiffany, I was assured that she would rectify this

situation and I would be all set when I arrived at the mas camp. She

also told me to arrive at the mas camp at 2 PM on February 14 to

collect my costume.

Ex.#2

I was in shock to learn that the mas camp would not be open until 5 PM

on February 14 when I arrived at 1.30 PM to collect my costume. This,

on a day that is meant to be spent with loved ones. Not taking time

out of my holiday to go to a distribution center that was not open

yet.

Ex.#3

I got through the Fast Trak line with no issues later on that evening.

Only to open the box containing my costume and find a bra that could

the entire continent of Africa

could fit in and a waist band that was

clearly meant for my 8 year old Goddaughter and not for me. I reviewed

my registration card and confirmed that the correct sizes were

written. The woman that was assisting me with the collection of my

costume suggested that I stuff the bra with approximately 6 shoulder

pads. Now how can that be comfortable! This woman also wanted to argue

with me about the size of the bra. Secondly, when I was reviewing my

costume checklist, I noticed that she had already checked off that I

received my goody bag. Now that was news to me because there was no

goody bag provided. When questioned about the goody bag, I was told

that I must come back on February 17 to collect the goody bag. I don't

know where you find your staff but a hint for next year; do not employ

LIARS! It diminishes your already waning credibility.

Ex. #4

It is now Saturday, and I have been to your mas camp several times

since Wednesday February 14. I am at your camp to collect my goody bag

and attempt one more time to collect the correct sized waist band. To

my surprise, I am told that I am receiving a goody RAG not a goody

BAG!!!!! And you may think this a trivial gripe but I beg to differ. I

am a person who majored in Business in university. And I know that the

cost of the costume package included the cost of the to be provided

goody BAG. So when I did not receive a good BAG but a goody RAG

containing 2 whistles, a small container of sunblock and a substandard

lip gloss, I was not happy at all. And to add insult to injury when I

complained, another young lady advised me that I should not complain

because I know I will be back in Island People Mas next year. Is it

your policy to employ the CHEEKIEST people you can find in

Trinidad!!!!!!!

WASTING THE TIME OF YOUR MASQUERADERS

Now, I know that things do sometimes happen to create delays in a

product distribution. I can understand this but what I cannot tolerate

is total disregard for my time. I wasted 9 hours of my holiday in your

distribution center and more than that in transit walking back and

forth to have my costume issues recified. Why is that I had to spend

all of this time to get a great costume (as promised by IP)? This is

extreme incosideration.

Ex.#5

On Feb. 14, I get to your mas camp at 2 PM, as advised to do by

Tiffany, only to find the mas camp closed. I return at 8 PM to stand

and wait for about 45 mins in a venue that is obviously not big enough

to accommodate the number of masqueraders in your band. Only to

be

given a too small/too big costume. I am then advised to go to Stone

Street for alterations on Feb 15 and go to the distribution center on

Feb 16 for exchange of bra and return to the distribution center on

Feb 17 for the goody BAG.

Ex. #6

On Feb 15, a fellow masquerader and I arrive at the Stone Street

location for alterations. We sit in line for over an hour and a half

to be told that there is nothing that can be done for our MASSIVE bras

and there is no material to accomadate increasing the size of my waist

band. We sat there with nothing but some corn curls and some warm

water for an hour and a half when we could have been enjoying a meal

with friends or a day at the beach. We are told by the IP seamstresses

to return to the distribution center for our problems to be resolved.

Ex.#7

On Feb 15, my colleague

and I stand outstide of the distribution

center for another hour just to have to force our ways inside to BEG

for bras that fit appropriately. Once inside, we wait for another hour

or so. At this point I receive a bra that fits better than the last

one but still not my correct size. At this point, we walk an hour back

to our accomodations.

Ex.#8

On Feb 16, my colleague and I are once again are at the distribution

center to attempt to switch the pieces of our costume that still do

not fit correctly. Now, we are told after waiting for about an 1.5

hours that we have to return on Feb 17 to attempt to switch the pieces

of costume because we could not be accomodated on this date. This is

contrary to what we were told on Feb 14. Can you imagine how

frustrated we were at this point!

__________________
We Come Tuh Ramajay.................Eh Eh...............WE Come Break Away

Ex.#9

On Feb 17, we return to the

distribution center at this point excited

because we believe that we will recieve the correct sized costume and

our long anticipated goody BAG. We once again have to beg for entrance

into the distribution center. Once inside we spoke to one of your

nicest employees, a young cordial man by the name of Richard. That is

one of the few kudos you will receive from me. He was polite and

should serve as a great example for the rest of the brutes you have

employed. But to my disappointment, I recieve a goody RAG and and am

told that I have to take two waist bands and return to the Stone

Street alteration center on Sunday, February 18. Now, I refused to do

this because I was attending a day time fete and refused to waste

another portion of my holiday on this nonsense. At this point we were

at the distribution center for over an hour once again. Your

creative

director, Marlon, who is also a very hospitable gentleman agreed to

meet me at the fete the following day with my altered waist band.

Needless to say, I did not receive my waistband on Sun Feb 19.

Ex. #10

On Carnival Monday, I am apprehensive about recieving my waistband. My

friends and I walk through the band searching for Marlon. After a half

hour, FINALLY I receive my waist band.

ILL FITTING/POOR QUALITY MAS

Now, carnival is mas, is it not?! After wasting valuable time that I

cannot get back and being treated like a dog begging for a bone, I

expect this costume to be fantastic! I was sorely disappointed by the

fact that my Mirage backline costume was far from a quality product.

Ex.#11

Now I already mentioned that my original bra was five times the size

of my breast. Well, what I have not

mentioned is that the replacement

bra I received was a better fit but this bra was about twice my bra

size with sewn in shoulder pads. Its underwire was already coming out

when I received it and some of the applique was coming off. The bra

itself was made poorly. The left cup was bigger than the other and

the bra was built in a way that may my breasts look like those of a

woman who had given birth to triplets and breast fed for a year (mind

you, I have no children) and my breasts have no problem standing when

I wear no bra. I thought this was a problem that I bared alone but

when I assembled with my section, I noticed that the entire section of

Mirage had on bras that looked a (pardon my ghetto speech) HOT MESSS!

The clear bra straps that were provided were very cheap and broke when

I was on the road Carnival Tuesday. By the time I was

finished playing

mas, the under wire in both cups were gone!

Ex.#12

Since we are on the subject of bras. Why is it that a woman who wears

a 34C is put in a Large bra? I would be understanding if this Large

bra was one that had a similar fit to other large sports bra. But IP's

version of Large was one that would find a Rhinosaurus. Next year,

when you are creating your sizing charts, can you please refer to some

standard charts that fall within reasonable expectations of

masqueraders? I mention this example, because 90% of the lovely ladies

playing mas with Island People Mas that I encountered on my numerous

trips to your band house and distribution center had issues with the

sizes of the bras you provided. It is not favourable to be in a sweet

wine with a man on Carnival Monday or Tuesday, and have to be holding

your breasts

like you are in some Girls Gone Wild video. It is also

not a good feeling to look back at your carnival pictures and realize

your breast look extremely unattractive when ordinarily, they are your

best assets.

Ex.#13

Now I know i have beaten to death the subject of my waistband but I

believe it deserves mention again. It was too small. And it was put

together in a manner that it was falling apart after a few wines and a

sit down on Carnival Tuesday. I can understand if the thing started to

fall apart after wearing it for both Monday and Tuesday but I only

received it on Carnival Monday.

ROAD EXPERIENCE

Island People Mas up to Carnival Monday had not impressed me in the

slightest. But I assumed that the road would be the sweetest thing

since the discovery of sugar cane. Well, true to the previous

examples, it was a

disappointment just the same. I am a previous

Tribe, Barbarossa, Legends and Posion masquerader. I understand that

you are trying to provide a service that incorporates fun on the road

but I was not impressed with the "experience" that you lot provided. I

am a firm believer that it does not matter if you play mas in a roll

of tissue paper, once you are with friends and have a few good drinks,

you will have a blast.

Ex.#14

Why was there only one Mobile Bathroom truck? And to mention that it

was behind God's back?! Can we mention the smell that reeked from

them? The stench could be sniffed out from a mile away. Once I smelled

that pee pee truck, I took to urinating on the streets of

Port-of-Spain. If you are going to provide such a service, can you at

least ensure that you are renting port-a-pottys from a reputable

company and

make sure they do not provide portable lavatories that

were obviously used at Insomnia, Beach House, Eyes Wide Shut and then

brought not cleaned to Island People Mas for use! Its called quality

control! The thought just turns my belly.

Ex.#15

Let us talk about food and rest area now. Having played with Tribe in

2005, I had the joy of relaxing while eating my food. Not feeling

rushed. Why is it that playing mas with your band I had to endure

eating and walking or sitting on the pavement whilst eating? I am not

a dog, nor a slave, nor a public labourer and I DO NOT expect to eat

in this manner! It is unattractive. Can I also recommend that you find

a new caterer for your breakfast? I am a vegetarian. So I assumed that

the cheese sandwiches that were adverised for breakfast would be quite

tasty. Was I mistaken! Cheese sandwiches

and CHEESE PASTE sandwiches

are two different things! While I don't mind a good cheese paste

sandwich here and there, it is not something I would be serving first

thing in the morning to people who are drinking. Because I do not eat

salt fish or turkey, I had no choice but to eat the cheese paste

sandwich that was given to me. That was the most disgusting cheese

paste I have eaten in my life. It tasted (and resembled) gound up

yellow chalk with water on top of it. On Carnival Tuesday I had to go

to KFC in Independence Square to satisfy my hunger. And can I ask, do

you feed your dj's? Because one of your more popular djs was asking me

for chicken when I walked past him.

Ex.#16

If you are going to provide a rest area, can you make sure you are

provide snacks and shade? What sense does it make to herd us into

Jenny's Car Park to

provide not even a cup of water? Thanks for the

tassa drums but a cold bottle of water and some shade would have been

a damn site better than dust and lack of chairs in Jenny's Car Park.

Ex.#17

Alcoholic beverages are a must for me on the road. They enhance my

carnival. This is obviously not an opinion of which you share. I drink

white rum and I was absolutely livid when several of your drinks truck

ran out of white rum not even half way into the day. Your drinks

trucks are too high for a woman of my height and for many of the men

that I observed attempting to get drinks. Your drinks trucks were

moving extremely too fast and a good number of your bar staff were

rude and not suited to serve your masqueraders. One woman, refused to

serve masqueraders when we attempted get drinks after crossing the

judging point at the Savannah. Why

would you refuse to give water to

someone who was just giving thier all for Island People's benefit on

the road?!

Ex. #18

Please make sure your djs have the proper equipment! The first music

truck in your band, had cds that were clearly scratched and was in

need of better speakers. Not to mention thier mixing of music was

sub-standard. Try and make sure that all of your djs are of the

caliber of Xcaliber. They did a gret job of keeping the crowd

entertained.

__________________
We Come Tuh Ramajay.................Eh Eh...............WE Come Break Away

Ex.#19

Train some of your djs in customer service. Whilst waiting at the

junction where Tribe and IP were wating for sometime, a dj made an

announcement that drinks truck #17 was out of drinks and to please

stop begging for the people's drinks. EXCUSE THE HECK out of me but as

far as I am concerned, the cost of drinks and food are included in the

price of

the costume package we paid for. And if I want to drink

myself into a coma, I should be free to do so. I dont ever expect to

hear someone employed by IP to tell masqueraders to stop begging for

the people's drinks.

SUMMARY

To sum up my review of your band, I am not impressed. I will not spend

my money to play with your band nor will I recommend any of my

colleagues to play mas with you. I plan on sharing my experience with

others and I will go as far to dissuade others from even considering

Island People Mas as a carnival option. I think you are a young band

with a brilliant artistic vision but that vision is not enough to

compensate for the many areas of service you are lacking in.

Please bare in mind, that I heard horrible reviews about your band

from friends of mine that played with you last year but I believe in

giving businesses a chance before I write them off completely. I hope

you do not think that pretty costumes will continue to bring you

success because it will not. There comes a point when a pretty costume

is not going to appease for the negative experiences that one goes

through. And I now stand by the slogan of another popular band that is

fairly new in Trinidad "The costume is free"

You really should take lessons from other bands in terms of service

and product. When I pay for something, whether it is a costume or

designer bag, I expect a certain level of service and product quality.

You fell ten miles short of providing either. I cannot express my

disappointment in your organization and I hope you take this letter

and others like mine to IMPROVE your band next year. Presently, my

opinion of your band is that you really do not

care about the

experience of your masqueraders once you get thier hard earned wages.

That will not harm your band's reputation and any businesses

associated with it.

The Good:

The music was great.

Some of your costumes were really gorgeous (Sacred Sands, Goddess and

Defenders, Soleil Brulee).

Your artistic vision for the past two years has been wonderful

The Bad:

You do not seem to be able to cater to the number of masqueraders in

your

band

A bigger venue is needed to accomodate the size of your band

The Ugly:

Your customer service leaves a bitter taste

You are disorganized (There is no reason why you should not have

identified an assembly point prior to Carniva Saturday)

If you advertise a product, provide it (do not provide excuses or

lackluster apologies, such as the one in

your Thank You Thank You

Thank You email newsletter)

__________________
We Come Tuh Ramajay.................Eh Eh...............WE Come Break Away

Thats one LONG ASSED letter.

well she reaLLY told them why she mad.....but thanx for the heads up ppl...i kno who not to play mas with now

__________________
"Racism is not an excuse to not do the best you can."
- Arthur Ashe

"I imagine that one of the reasons that people cling to their hates so stubbornly is because they sense, once hate is gone, that they will be forced to deal with the pain."
Baldwin, James Writer and Activist (1924-1987)

"Fear is a disease that eats away at logic and makes man inhuman."
Anderson, Marian Singer (1897-1993)

a

__________________
We Come Tuh Ramajay.................Eh Eh...............WE Come Break Away

yes I am, could u also check yuh PM box

__________________
We Come Tuh Ramajay.................Eh Eh...............WE Come Break Away

All I got to say is DAMNN!!!
This individual really spoke up and thats how it should be.

A goodie "Rag"
Stuff her bra with "6 shoulder pads"..
What you complaining for, "you'll be back next year"...

this was great,

that is actually xreds letter. I don't anybody else could sit and write one like that.

Uhm...didn't she post a copy in CC last week?

that is her letter! I printed it out and had it in my bag i pulled it out at my mom's house and I had my whole family dying with laughter!