Olivia's Dollhouse Tea Room

(OWNER... AGAINST FAKE & FALSE REVIEWS)

A grandmother of twins recently contacted us in regards to her girls, in the hopes setting up a party. Without hesitation, she alerted me to this review board after booking her party and I'm grateful! I am forever thankful to our wonderful parents who use good judgment and have the desire to "inquire" for themselves. Thank you!! Although all are entitled to their opinion, there are definitely two sides to every story. I almost find it flattering when one attempts to stir up nonsense for no apparent reason! Nevertheless, as a the owner of Olivia's DollHouse Tea Room in Tustin, I will surely stand to defend our establishment when folly presents itself! For starters, I wish to address STACY K. down below. Stacy, I almost called you immediately after being alerted to your post. To set the record straight, I NEVER told you that you would be paying a double whopping extra $800 for your party! Are you serious? It was one thing for you to voice your feelings in regards to our conversation here, but can you please state the FACTS! Did I not call you RIGHT back to make sure I understood your party inquiry? Did I not clarify for you what it was you were asking for in regards to having a party of 25 with TWO birthday girls? Fact is, when we first spoke, I told you that we do not do "double birthday parties"...however in the event that a mom is adamant about having one, she pays for the base price of two parties, and that is based on the number of guests she has attending her party! Per our second conversation, when I called you some 7 minutes later to clarify (making sure I got the gist of what you were asking), you reiterated that the guests attending the party were friends to both the birthday girls. Did I not, "ahhhh" with you on the phone? I proceeded to tell you that there would be a surcharge for the extra birthday girl and that we have totally done that before. For the most part, our parents are not trying to "get over" on us! They realize that we have a business to run, and at the end of a conversation, based on our policies, things normally pan out for both sides! But pardon me if you felt offended by my NOT accepting your offer, stated down below! How you were willing to pay me a small upcharge of like $25! Not your rules here...we are not a flea market! Our fee is an extra $25 per child...why would you think you could "offer me" what you thought was appropriate for an additional birthday girl? Your comment insinuates that I was charging you and your friend $1600 which is furthest from the truth! THAT WAS NEVER STATED...and to blast out , "BEWARE...BAD BUSINESS PRACTICE" was quite ridiculous and unsubstantiated on your part. We spoke cordially, TWICE in fact...and to sit here and actually read your post is beyond comprehension. My gosh, for further clarity, I wished you had just called back, like I did with you! Now you have illegitimately alleged that my business acts on poor business judgment! When in reality, we absolutely do not! We pride ourselves on having an operational business based on high ethical standards. And like you stated, we DO "do it all"... which is the reason for your calling to book a party in the first place! You had been to our facility and were well aware that your daughter would have a wonderful birthday. You also mentioned in your posting that while on the phone with me, you had secured a date...you did not!! A deposit secures your party date!! You asked if your date of interest was open, and at that time, it was. We conversed further after that! You mentioned that we got NO BUSINESS FROM YOU or the other family...well, although it would have been GRAND to have put a smile on your little girl's face and given her the party that she obviously requested, that party slot did book shortly after we spoke by another happy family! In any case, it appears as though your motive was different anyways. You wanted to split the cost of one party in half...what a great benefit for you! On the other end of the spectrum, we run a business! You also mentioned that some of the jump houses and other party places, etc. don't charge a surcharge for doing a double party...well that is them! BUT yes, some of them DO! And for those who do not, perhaps they do not offer the "experience" that we do! Although you would have a paid a little more than $800 for you and your friends' party with two birthday girls, it would not have been THAT much more, and certainly NOT $800 twice! That is what baffles me! Your post was so completely out of line...as it didn't even state the facts! On a brighter note, I can say that I totally appreciate your being a REAL person and using your REAL name!
(see following "3" comments below)

Posted 09/08/09 | Report Abuse

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Which brings me to the comments from..."IRENE R."! Oh dear...are you a "competitor"? A competitor trying to start malicious lies in the attempt of keeping your own business afloat? I've never been one to check reviews or leave reviews! However, in the event that I feel the need to CALL a business based on a negative experience, I always make certain to CALL a business based on a positive experience I've had somewhere else! We've recently learned some supposed competition have been leaving comments about us, stating untruths. And Irene R...well, yours sounds VERY close to some of the others that we've learned to be FAKE! Unlike Stacy K. above, who is in fact a REAL person... Irene, SHAME ON YOU, you are not! What little class! At Olivia's, we have never even THOUGHT to go on and leave negative comments about the competition. OMGosh, this is new news for me! There is room for everyone and competition is a good thing! And I say all of this because I have NO "IRENE" who has even had nor booked a party with me THIS YEAR! If you have a complaint, STAND UP, use your real name, or CALL ME so we can talk about your concern! Fact is: Our place is NOT dirty, our staff are NOT rude, and our food is NOT horrible! Our mishaps are SO rare that any problem is truly on the forefront of our palate. An irregular party is not common to us...it is foreign! Your accusations are false and inaccurate!! At Olivia's, we take every precaution to cross every "t" and dot every "i"! IF you were a real client, you'd have known that! And so funny how Irene mentions that maybe the people writing good comments are the owners themselves! Haaa! I guess you COULD say something like that, being that YOU CLEARLY SOUND LIKE COMPETITION on this review board in the attempts to make us look bad. You lose and we're on to you!

Jessica A....hmmm, your "voice" sooooo mimics that of the Irene R. lady. Might you be the same person/competitor? If so, the ONE & ONLY child who has ever thrown up in our facility was a child who was sick before she came to the party...bless her heart! She was brought to the party and dropped off at the party...poor child was SICK upon arrival! We learned that early on as the little girl clearly did not feel well! Even sadder, no one even tended to this little girl...no one but my staff!! Jessica, if you are REAL, why did you NOT HELP THIS LITTLE GIRL? IF you were REALLY there...wow...for you to take the time go on line to write a negative review, and not take the time to HELP a sick child in your presence (your child or NOT) shows REALLY BAD MANNERS, Jessica A.! Perhaps you need to come in for a few etiquette lessons! My FABULOUS and extremely COMPETENT STAFF were the only ones seeing to this sweet little girl! Quite sad! Our Food: She surely was not sick off of the food we served, as it is made and baked FRESH daily! She was sick upon entering...you could even see it in her eyes! You claimed, "the place was dirty!" Now THAT was hysterical! We clean light bulbs and tiled walls and are very A-Type about cleanliness...surely everything else was close to spotless, Jess! Our real clients come in quite impressed with how clean we are! Even the children comment! Our dresses...we have 200 dresses of choice, not 20! Are all of our dresses new?...NO! Are some of our dresses new...YES! Are they worn out...NO! Are they clean...ABSOLUTELY! Our girls come in search of the some of the same most popular dresses over and over again, and if we can, we keep them there for them! If something needs to be thrown out, we do so! A little FYI...WE PLAY DRESS UP...and we play dress up, well!

Posted 09/08/09 | Report Abuse

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Which brings me to Angie M...never had you either! ODD! However, at least the things you state sound "real". To tap on our dress up attire...see (above)! WE PLAY DRESS UP! Nevertheless, our dresses are clean and kept in great condition! The dresses can tend to snag at the back but that is from all of the pinning up we do based on the size of your child!!!! Several times, a 5 year old wants to wear an 8 year old's sized dress, and vice versa! We let her! I'm so glad you wanted your daughter to look STUNNING on her birthday and you brought in her own gown. That is fine. But ALL of our girls look stunning- as the birthday girl or as the birthday girls' guest! THEY ARE ALL BEAUTIFUL! And please keep in mind, they are in dress up attire for what...an hour and a half!!! Are you the parent who argues with her daughter about the "blue flower" you want in her hair when the birthday girl herself is emphatic about choosing the "pink flower" of her choice? Are you the parent who argues with her daughter because you'd like her to have her hair fixed down, while she wants to wear her hair UP? Are you the parent who argues with her daughter about picking out the purple dress when she wants the yellow dress? Hence... you brought in your own dress! Probably not so she could look stunning, but because you wanted that control! Instead of allowing the birthday girl to PLAY and ENJOY, deep down there was really something else going on! NEWSFLASH: It's a "birthday party"...not a "wedding"!! My princess manager team strictly enforce all dress-checking, washing/cleaning of our dress-up clothes and accessories on a party-by-party basis. We're Lysol Queens at the Dollhouse so rest assured, our wardrobe is certainly above average. Also, every once in a while, a parent or guest out of sheer goodness will try to "help" us by putting things away! We so appreciate it, but kindly ask that they leave that to us! When this happens, something might get tucked away that we simply "missed" in the process! We are human, too! We actually have a sign posted that says "please pardon us if something has gotten passed us"! With this being said, if the little princesses are happy with THEIR dress choice, and they FEEL ABSOLUTELY glamorous, we know we've done our job! You also mentioned, HEAVY METAL MUSIC in your comments...we have NO heavy metal music, Angie M!!!! Another NON-FACT! Were you referring to one of MILEY CYRUS' song, "Fly On The Wall", we have on CD! Or Hannah Montana's, "Rockstar" song? That is the ONLY version of anything close to HEAVY at the Dollhouse! We play very age appropriate music for our girls! And since you sound somewhat "real" with a "fake" name, I might as well keep going...did you forget that you were made aware that you could have brought in your daughter's favorite music? We'd have happily played it for you...I mean "her". But surely our Princess collection of music is quite appropriate, soothing and definitely suits all! Your comment in regards to our DESSERT..."high fructose, nothing but candy"...Angie, did you notice the CAKE on there, too? Our dessert is on the website...the kids LOVE our KID FRIENDLY/KID AT HEART menu items and our KID FRIENDLY/KID AT HEART dessert! It is what THEY so enjoy and their eyes light up when they see our dessert! It's a party...and we're simply having a little kid friendly FUN for a little kid friendly PARTY! When was the last time you had a room full of kids eat a WHOLE big piece of CAKE? Your comment on our FOOD: Tell me, what is soooo awful about a little peanut butter and jelly tea sandwich, or a little turkey tea sandwich, or a little cheese tea sandwich, or little slices of freshly baked pizza, or little hotdogs on toothpicks??? How AWFUL can those things be? You've gotta be a REAL bad sandwich maker to mess up those items! NEWSFLASH #2...the kids love it! Did your child ring the bell for MORE? If anyone EVER wants to opt for the ADULT menu, they can! Our menu is discussed prior to EVERY party, you know that!! We serve the kids what they enjoy and it is totally age appropriate!

Posted 09/08/09 | Report Abuse

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Overpriced? We are not! Compare what we do to anyone else and you'll see we're a bargain. In fact our parents tell us this all the time! It would be SO nice to be able to please everyone which I truly strive to do. However, the reality is, you simply cannot! We love our children who enter our doors and we love our parents who are kind, considerate, endearing and respectful! We love all and welcome all! We work with our parents to make this party a success...it is a dual-ship here! At Olivia's Dollhouse, we will certainly do our part and we need our parents to do theirs (which is virtually nothing-which is why they love us)! Please don't enter our doors in the hopes of finding a ferris wheel...we don't have a ferris wheel...why would you think we had a ferris wheel! My point is simple, we have no secrets, your confirmation contract is clear-read it, ask all the questions you need-we're here for you, we're having a celebration-we want you to be happy! At Olivia's DollHouse Tea Room, our goal is to put on a fabulous private dress up tea party with awesome service and quality care! At Olivia's DollHouse Tea Room, we do not cater to those with a sense of "entitlement"! Out of every 20 happy parents, there is 1 we simply cannot please! NOT A BAD RATIO! I appreciate the parents who comment FAIRLY! And I appreciate the parents who are able to differentiate between the good and the bad. As owner, my intent was not to touch solely on the few "not so great" reviews, my intent was to point out a review that holds merit vs. one that does not, in regards to the service we provide! All are entitled to their opinion, but how can you weigh a review from a FAKE person!?! Reviews need to be fair and of substance! For example, Sandra W. down below...she mentions, "food isn't so great...but the kids love it!" EXACTLY...and thank you, Sandra, for knowing the difference! I'm an adult, I'm a parent...would I want PB & J at my adult tea party? NO! Would my child want PB & J at her children's tea party? ABSOLUTELY! Therefore, for my tea party, I will order from the adult menu! In any case, our staff regularly enjoys dining on the food we serve; even WE have to admit that our oven-baked pizzas and PB & J sandwiches are hard to resist!

THANK YOU TONS TO THE PARENTS who take the time to post fair and impartial reviews. As a business owner, you are appreciated! Many of my grateful parents simply call me with THANX, LOVE & GRATITUDE! They send cards and photos, or emails...all the same and oh so appreciated! Many do not come on to post their awesome "review" all the time. We are the only party place around that offers a pristine, fantasy-feeling event for such a phenomenal deal. We are all about OUR GUESTS, which means that for our LITTLE PRINCESSES, we serve kid-friendly, delicious tea treats, and for our QUEENS and older princess parties, we serve a delectable, varied menu! We're certified in food safety and preparation, and the health department REGULARLY scrutinizes our facility. We stand 100% behind our product. At Olivia's Dollhouse Tea Room in Tustin, owners, our Princess Management team and Dollhouse Diva Staff are making dreams come true...we're creating memories that last a lifetime! We so enjoy doing what we do! (photo above is not even the Tustin Dollhouse)
randmother of twins recently contacted us in re

Posted 09/08/09 | Report Abuse

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I just happened to stumble onto this website after doing a " Google Search " for the BEST birthday party places in LA. I gave my youngest daughter daughter a party at Olivias ..16 years ago.Now, 11 years latter , my 5 year old asked for the same type of party. The fact that this service still exists ...SAYS IT ALL. God bless these naive mom's who foolishly think that each new birthday party you go to is going to be " BETTER " Trust me, it get's WORSE. Olivia's website tells it like it is. You don't have to believe the owners. I'm sure the Television Clips, newspaper articles and internet recognition will settle any doubts you may harbor about some " irrational " blogger who wanted a " DISCOUNT " YOU can recognize a comment that holds no merit, when you read one. Anyone who takes the time to do the research, will see that these libelous comments are not only misleading but also disingenuous. DO THE RESEARCH. SINCERELY..an experienced mother .

Posted 08/31/09 | Report Abuse

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Well ya, because couldn't you essentially "cheat" every party business by booking "2 for the Price of One?" DUH. That "double booking price" sounds a little farfetched if you ask me though.... I'm going to check it out. I have TWINS and I wonder how they accommodate that... my guess is they are just trying to avoid being ripped off!

Posted 08/30/09 | Report Abuse

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I've been to Olivia's Dollhouse for birthday parties and will say the girls loved it. Easy for parents as they do it all. However, I was about to book a party for 25 girls for my daughter and her friend who share the same birthday. After securing the date I was told that since it was a "double" birthday, we would be charged DOUBLE the price. So we would be paying over $60 per child for the same exact birthday. I tried explaining this was absurd and made no sense at all as we would be paying double and getting nothing more in return. The representative from Olivia's tried to say that 2 girls would be getting the "special" bday treatment - which is a crown and a cake. I said we'd pay a small upcharge for the additional bday girl (like $25), but not almost $800 more. Now they will have NO business from either family rather than having a party where we would be paying close to $800. Crazy. This total lack of business judgment makes me question the place as a whole.

Posted 08/04/09 | Report Abuse

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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I believe people who wrote good things about this place are the owners themselves trying to mislead others. My experience was completely different. The place was dirty, the food was horrible and the staff was rude. I was very disappointed. I would not recommend this place to anyone.

Posted 08/01/09 | Report Abuse

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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One of the little girls attending our party threw up after eating at their place...need I say more? Well...the costumes are worn and old. Try another location...this one might be the problematic one.

Posted 07/27/09 | Report Abuse

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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I was just at a party at 11 AM today at this location. Simply amazing... I think the charm of this place lies in the ability of the staff to "create magic". It seems that Disneyland isn't just the only place to achieve this! Way to go, great party. Will go back.

Oh! I also just read a review below talking about heavy metal music being played... this location was playing Hannah Montana and those Jonas guys music. Appropriate in my opinion.

Posted 06/27/09 | Report Abuse

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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I simply loved this gorgeous Tea House located in old town Tustin. Olivia's is a darling concept. My two daughters have attended parties there and I was impressed with the amazing bargain that this place is: cake, an authentic porcelain doll for the birthday girl, individual goodies for each guest, and Professional up-do hairstyles!The manager was a sweet-Cinderella-type personality, and the "Tea Room" was kept in impeccable condition- incredibly clean, and the kids were enamored with the dress up and Fashion Show. I had heard bad things about the dress-up closet at the Beverly Hills location, but the Tustin Olivia's Dollhouse had BRAND NEW dress up Princess attire! I will certainly be booking future birthday parties for my two daughters here! Thumbs up.

Posted 06/27/09 | Report Abuse

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

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I love the concept...it's lovely for a little girl who wants to feel special.However...up until I asked them to change the music to something more suitable for kindergartners..they had loud heavy metal stuff. Can you believe that? When I asked, she looked at me somewhat irritably and then changed it to Disney themed music.I was pleased with the attention to the children vis a vis the hair and make-up...each girl looked absolutely adorable and you could see them all glowing with pride. I was NOT pleased with the quality of the costumes...they were in bad condition.. looked VERY worn and some were torn! Shoes were torn and in poor condition too. Since someone had warned me about this, I took my daughter's costume myself as I wanted her to look stunning on her birthday. I also told some other guests to bring their own costumes and they thanked me for telling them as the costumes were "scary" according to many mums.The food they serve the children is awful. Truly. Very disappointing. The "dessert" was nothing but candy, "earthworms", and other "high fructose corn syrup" endowed junk.So...what did I like? I like the concept...I like the make-up and hair....the fashion show, the pictures...all of that was lovely.What didn't I like? The background music, the poor quality costumes and the terrible food.Overpriced for what you get....which is sad...because with such a marvelous concept and considering the high price-tag, you would think that they would have a little more "class"Proceed with caution. You could do the same thing at home.

Posted 04/06/09 | Report Abuse

1 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

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Marvelous time for my daugther's 7th birthday! Emilie and her little guests totally loved Olivia's Dollhouse Tea Room last weekend. Great staff, great time and very appropriate food for the kids. They served things the "kids" liked and I can appreciate that! My parent girlfriends and I all teased about doing my sister's baby shower there in March '09 and were told that the adult menu is definitely different, but for now, for the kids, who can beat their cute menu. Emilie and her guests screamed over it! We were all in awe and had a wonderful time! Looks like we'll be back next year for Emilie's 8th, but I think us parents will beat her to the punch. They say they like for the girls to be at least 4 years old for an Olivia's party, and they have even done 70th year old parties...since we are in between that we fit the script! Haaa! We had a wonderful experience and I totally recommend this little spot! Sidenote: The photo above is not Olivia's in Tustin!!

Posted 11/15/08 | Report Abuse

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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Two hour private party. Fashion show, dress up, makeup (a little gaudy for a two year old...) lots of jewelry and then a tea party. Food isn't that great...but the kids love it. Very cute little set up..

Posted 11/04/05 | Report Abuse

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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