Horrible, Bloody, First Time at Zen

Zen Nightclub
Zen Nightclub
THE EDITOR: I paid $400 for my friend and me to go into Zen Nightclub on the night of June 12th, 2010. It was her first time at a night club; it was supposed to be a special, memorable experience for her. But this is what happened to her roughly an hour and a half after entering the club:

While inside the nightclub, my friend frantically pointed at her bleeding foot, alerting me of her puncture wound/cut, after which, I looked down and also discovered giant pieces of broken glass beside her feet on the floor (yes, she was wearing shoes). Upon noticing that the sizeable cut was a gash, with blood leaking out onto her shoes and the floor, I immediately escorted her to a point just outside Zen’s entrance where I sat her down and attempted to stop the bleeding with a few clean hand tissues that were in my pocket. I proceeded to ask Zen’s staff for a first-aid kit or bandages. Each staff member I asked kept directing me to another member of staff. Finally, one of them handed me some tissues, and said, “That’s the BEST they have.” I also informed the staff that there were several pieces of broken glass on the floor inside the club; they were unconcerned. Imagine: no first-aid kits or even band-aids at a highly established, internationally acclaimed venue like Zen! And tissues are the “best” that they can provide to their injured patrons?

The club’s management/security observed the delicate situation, but proceeded to treat us like animals. While I attended to the bleeding gash, the manager instructed the security to put us off of the premises, completely out into the street. The security did so in the most heartless, cruel manner, even after I brought to their attention that forcing my friend to suddenly stand up and WALK down the steps with her injured foot will incite further bleeding. I humbly pled with the security to allow us to stay a while longer until our transportation arrived. The bouncer carried on arrogantly and relentlessly, with the same pig-headed attitude, demanding that we, “Leave now; take it outside.” We weren’t even allowed to remain anywhere near the outside of the entrance where it would have been safer for us to wait.

They showed no interest in helping, or even sending a clean-up crew inside to handle their own hazardous mess to prevent another patron from suffering similar injury. Instead, the management’s only concern was ordering us off the premises so as to hide their negligence and incompetence from other patrons. This was embarrassing and humiliating. Is this the way management should treat their patrons? In fact, is this the way to treat a human being?

As a result of their chasing us off the premises, the cut resumed bleeding. We stopped and sat under a tree, near the parking lot next door, where I eventually got the bleeding to stop. We had to wait along the dismal sidewalk for about an hour and a half (from 1:45 a.m. to 3:15 a.m.) until our transportation arrived.

Giant pieces of broken glass all about the floor where people are standing, walking and dancing; this is definitely a health and safety breach/hazard. It is appalling, especially for an esteemed place like Zen which is supposed to be maintaining exemplary standards. Moreover, Zen’s management literally added insult and embarrassment to injury…an injury that was due to management’s negligence. Now, I am inclined to believe that this deplorable level of service and dreadful dog-treatment towards patrons must be a regular occurrence at the popular Zen Nightclub. All future patrons, as well as international artists who perform there, deserve to be warned.

BRIAN GALFORD

7 thoughts on “Horrible, Bloody, First Time at Zen”

  1. Why did you not call 999 and report both a medical and safety emergency? That would have gotten some attention when the police and ambulance turned up. Too many of us accept substandard treatment after paying our money, as if its a priviledge to be insulted and teeated like crap. I hope you called a lawyer to file a personal injury lawsuit. When people have no heart, they must feel in their pocket books.You cannot change how they feel, but you can change how they act. You need also to tell ten of your friends to promise not to go there again, and get each friend to promise to tell ten friends, and keep it going.
    Who puts a bleeding woman out on the street late at night in that situation? We as a people have a great way to go, to treat people as people, to become overall,members of a civilized nation.

    Many years ago, a trini girlfriend of mine, having had a bit too much wine at dinner, stumbled and fell on the stairs leading down to the restroom of the restaurant. Embarrassed, she sat there stunned. In a minute all kinds of people-management and staff were over her offering assistance. She declind to go to the hospital(Too much shame) but filled out an accident report and promised to see her doctor the next day.

    The next day, someone from the restaurant called! Both couples were surprised and delighted by their attitude.

    In Rome, near the Trevi fountain, I went to the restroom of a restaurant. The facility was down in the catacombs, easy going down. Going up was another matter. I got up a few steps and called out. A young man who was going up ahead of me turned around, held my elbow and helped me up the three steep flights. This was in 2008. He was a perfect stranger, spoke no English, but knew I needed help on those narrow curving stairs.

    That is how people ought to be treated. Who owns Zen again? What history does the manager’s people have of treating people like people and not like brutes?
    Now, go my friend, start that boycott going.

  2. Terrible. But first of all, why did you pay $400 to get into a stupid nightclub?

  3. Government should implement more laws and regulations for the safe operation of these clubs. The police should keep a closer look at the drugs usage and drunk drivers at these places.

  4. linda edwards said to dial 999? better diall 666 in T&T.
    Anyway, if after hearing all the stories of the arrogant behaviour of that particular nightclub, i am surprised that peopel still go there.

    Are we gluttonous for punishment or do we have money to waste?

    steups.
    p.s. sorry for the girl whose foot was cut at the club. Did her escort have money left to go to the casualty department? Next long story, right?

  5. An elderly white man in the state of Delaware gave me some advice about forty years ago.Here it is. “When people have no heart, make them feel in their pocketbook,because money is their heart.” If you are aggressed against and you call for help as if there is a fire or a shooting, help comes. You have to learn to play the system, then call your lawyer. We called for an abbulance, in Diego three years ago, and they came.Mabe its my accent?
    I would stay after them. A $400. entrance fee implies that you will provide me with certain services. Those services were not delivered,therefore you owe me my money back, here, or in court or I will spend another $800 and pay some ragamuffins to picket your place. You will get so fed up, you will beg me to go away,pay me to go away.I will file suit with the health services about insanitary conditions. I will try to get the police to do a drug bust on them- man, the ways a citizen can bring them to heel is innumerable.You just have to decide to stand up for yourselves.

    All over the world, if you want the police to come, say shots were fired. You did not see them now, you heard them.(Maybe it was a car backfiring, after all?)

  6. I must say I too was rather displeased abt staff’s disposistion at the zen nightclub
    For not only the manner in which they treated your situation but for many other reasons.
    On the night of the 12th I too was there and as my 1st zen experience I must say it was
    Quite an unpleasant one. At level one as I was there I felt a burning under my feet,
    Both of them and to grave and shocking astonishment, under my feet was blood! From what?
    2 pieces of broken glass which had also punctured my foot but my gashes were small. Nevertheless,
    It was done and I left immediately after because of the gruesome experience.I’m now aware of the
    Negligence of the upkeep of the nightclub and I do hope tht improvment is laid out so that other
    Patrons will not have the exp. Of the dog like treatment they gave to u.

  7. For $400 you expect some better treatment.
    you should have filed a law suit, after all i think considering the decision to throw some one over who is bleeding is negligent endangerment, especially with out offering first aid.
    I’ve never gone to Zen but my friend is going for her first time tonight , hope nothing happens to her.

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