January 18th: Pub Meeting, The Village
We want you to complain. We can only fix what is wrong, not what is right. We will list the complaints we get, and how we deal with them. This page is only for complaints about the club, complaints about people etc will be kept private.
We have set up a form that allows you to complain anonymously, click here to use it.
In its time Nightshade has been at five venues, some of the complaints are related to a specific venue, eg too smoky at the Spiders Web. We have left these complaints in, but said which venue they apply to, in case you get nostalgic and want to go back somewhere.
Complaint
Men are using the ladies toilets to do up corsets etc.
Remedy
From now on any mixed sex interaction for dressing up will take place in the disabled toilet. Changing will stop if disabled people want to use the toilet.
Complaint
There was a lack of notification of Last Orders from the bar.
Remedy
We will now make sure Last Orders are announced to the assembled company.
Complaint
There is no play visible from the main socialising area
Remedy
Some people don't want to see play, some of which can be quite robust. We have decided on a compromise setup. We will be setting up a corner of the room as Bondage Corner. There is a big rug we will lay out to give the restrained something nice to lie on.
Complaint
Why is there nowhere on the site to post good comments
Remedy
This is something we are not going to change. If there was a message board you could post in and we control, how would you know the praise was genuine and complaints not removed? We would prefer if praise was published in a neutral place, eg bondage.com or Informed Consent, that way we have to account for ourselves publicly or bask in glory depending on the message.
Complaint
There are no years in the dates of the complaints.
Remedy
There are now.
Complaint
There is no sheet to do wax play on.
Remedy
We have got a sheet and it will be downstairs in the equipment area up against the wall.
Complaint
The music was too loud.
Remedy
The music we have is all on one MP3 CD. The recording levels have varied from Album to Album. We have equalised the volume of all the tracks and there will be a new equalised CD in March. The other problem was we buggered up the upstairs speakers when setting the music up. It was fixed towards the end of the night.
Complaint
There weren't enough subbie blankets around.
Remedy
Normally we have 4 blankets for people to use after play. We left two of them in the container by mistake. All four will be there in March.
Complaint
It was cold.
Remedy
We are buying some fan heaters. There was an unusual combination of it being a cold night while being windy such that the cold air blew in every time the door was opened. Once the outside doors were shut there was a noticeable difference.
Complaint
People had to wait too long before getting onto equipment.
Remedy
We are going to buy a whiteboard and a clock. The dungeon keeper will note when people go onto equipment. If you want to use a piece of equipment, put the current time and the piece of equipment you want to use. The person on the equipment will be asked to get off after they have had half an hour. If no one is wanting the bit of equipment you are on then you can stay on for as long as you want. We are also in the process of getting another piece of equipment for the club.
Complaint
At the start of the evening the music was too loud.
Remedy
We didn't know where the volume knob was, we do now.
Complaint
There was a slight whiffiness in the toilets.
Remedy
The Commplex have said there was a problem with the drains, they are being fixed. They are also going to refurbish the toilets at some point in the not too distant future.
Complaint
The main play area was a bit crowded.
Remedy
We will leave the rack behind from now on, there just isn't the room for it. We will get a smaller piece to replace it.
Complaint
The auction was a bit disorganised.
Remedy
We changed the place where we were putting the sheets, and forgot the sticky labels to show who was up for sale. Next time, September, we will have it right. We managed to raise £78, which the club will double, and it is going to Maggies.
Complaint
Although the rest of the room looks really good, the ceiling could do with dungeonifying.
Remedy
The only way to do it is by putting something between the equipment and the ceiling. What we put up would have to be away from the fans and the lights. But we are open to suggestions.
Complaint
The music was too loud.
Remedy
We turned it down.
Complaint
The bar didn't have draught beer.
Remedy
We had to use Studio Three because Studio One was booked, there is no facility for draught beer in Studio Three. This problem is fixed once we go back to Studio One in August.
Complaint
The lighting was too bright.
Remedy
We put coloured cards on the wall at the uplighters. This seems to have muted the lighting enough.
Complaint
The seating was pretty crap.
Remedy
Studio Three has no fixed comfy seating, unlike Studio One. We are back in Studio One from August, so some of the seating will be really comfy. We are vaguely thinking about buying chairs, but we will see how it goes in August.
Complaint
The ashtrays got too full.
Remedy
We are going to buy an ash can and patrol the ashtrays a couple of times during the night.
Complaint
For once there were no complaints
Remedy
You must complain more, either talk to anyone with a badge on the night, write it in the complaints book at the door or e-mail us. We don't mind if a complaint is anonymous we will still try to fix it
Complaint
You had to pass through the bar before getting to Studio 1
Remedy
We have been to see the Marcos people and they have offered us an alternative way in. Enter by the door to the right of the main entrance, as you face the building, go up the stairs, along a corridor, then down the stairs and into Studio 1.
Complaint
The music equipment was not good
Remedy
When we went to see them they showed us an amplifier hidden away in a cupboard. We will take along a CD player and play it through the speakers that are there, rather than the single speaker we had. The sound level should be more even across the room, rather than being load at one end and quiet at the other.
Complaint
The music selection wasn't good
Remedy
We will be changing the tunes to be stuff that isn't well known. The music is intended to provide a noise level that provides a mood. Recognisable tunes lead to the tune being listened to rather than concentrating on other things.
Complaint
The equipment was a bit open
Remedy
One good thing about the Spiders Web was the sense of intimacy. When we set up on the Saturday afternoon we thought we had more netting than was really there, and by the time we found out it was too late to buy any more. We have bought a lot more netting for next time. We shall see if it is enough. If not we will buy more.
Complaint
The floor became slippery after someone sprayed silicon rubber shiny stuff
Remedy
Shiny rubber spray is banned from within the club. You may use it outside the Studio door on the carpet.
Complaint
The Lighting was too bright
Remedy
There wasn't a ladder to get up to the lights to move them around to point in different directions, we will take one with us next time. The extra camouflage netting will dim the lightinmg down a bit by absorbing it more than the floor and the walls. There has to be a certain level of lighting to see what is happening when you are dealing with someone. Any changes to the light level will be minor.
Complaint
There were too many people standing around the equipment...
Remedy
For some strange reason there was a lot more standing around than usual. We did ask people to budge over a bit. Again Marcos will be the ultimate saviour as there is a lot more room, and we will be partitioning off a couple of pieces of equipment with camouflage netting to give them a secluded feel.
Complaint
It was too cold....
Remedy
a. The outside temperature was -5c. We had to open the door to let people in. If we are back at Marcos we will devise a wind break to cut down on the cold.
b. We will put some netting round the equipment that is near the door. This should keep the temperature up.
Complaint
There wasn't the intimacy of the Spiders Web..
Remedy
a. There is always a trade off between intimacy and size. High ceilings and space mean we can get all the equipment in. We are back at the Spiders Web in March, so a proper comparison can be made.
b. Next time we are at Marcos we will put camouflage netting around the equipment in the dance area, to give them an enclosed feel.
Complaint
The lighting was too bright.
Remedy
a. It was our first night there. We weren't sure how to do the lighting, but we have a better idea for next time. But it is not a good idea to have it too dark when you are hitting someone, and you cannot see what is happening.
Complaint
The green walls were hideous.
Remedy
a. We don't have one. The walls do not belong to us, and we don't have the time to repaint them, or the inclination.
Complaint
It was too hot....
Remedy
a. someone had turned off the fans, we turned them back on
b. the radiators weren't turned off until we got there at night as there were complaints last month it was too cold in early evening. This meant the room was very warm for people coming in at first.
Complaint
Some people had friends turned away as we were already full...
Remedy
a. the committee has been told by the members attending the AGM to find a larger venue, this should ease things but not until Jan at earliest, more likely Feb
b. pre booking is recommended for members who know they are definitely going to be attending, we can book 50 places on a first asked, first booked basis
c. all members can pre book a guest, who must turn up at the same time as the member naming them
Complaint
The Cross was causing a bit of a problem as it was too close to the seating at the side;
Remedy
a. easily fixed, we'll reposition it next time.
Complaint
Some people were on the equipment too long.
People sitting on the equipment, and others couldn't use it.
There were people standing too close to the equipment.
Remedy
The dungeon master/mistress will be told to keep an eye on how long a piece is being used for, move people away from the players, and stop people sitting on the equipment.
Complaint
The room was chilly at the start of the evening.
Remedy
When we set up the equipment in the afternoon we turned the radiators off. Next month we will turn them down, and off when we go in in the evening. The fans were also on from the start of the evening, we will wait a bit before switching them on.
Complaint
The Music was too quiet, three complaints.
The Music was too loud in the dungeon area, one complaint.
Remedy
We turned the speakers round, so the music was directed into the seating area, rather than the dungeon.
Complaint
The place was too smoky.
Remedy
We have bought two big fans.
If you have a complaint about Nightshade and want to send it in anonymously please use the form below. We will not have a clue who sent it in, but it will be just as important as a complaint from someone we know about.