Search for a wedding venue with ChatGPT's Bridebook app (it couldn't beat his own search)
- Posted
- by Hamish Hector (TechRadar)
- Last checked
- Method:
- How we verify
Evidence: Article or interviewA newsletter, journalist or interview account of what happened.
FailureThe source says the agent did not get the job done.
What went wrong: Several listed costs were wrong versus real quotes, and the results were more restrictive than a normal search.
Outcome
A few months before his wedding, TechRadar's Hamish Hector tested Bridebook's ChatGPT integration with the venue brief he and his fiancée had used. Several venue costs were wrong compared with quotes they'd received, and he found it no more useful than scrolling Bridebook or Google, in some ways less, because its results were more restrictive.
Agent
Prompt Recreated prompt
The source didn't share its exact prompt, so we wrote this from what it describes.
Before you start, ask me 1–3 short questions about anything important that's missing below. Keep them quick. Then do the task, checking in with me at the key points. Goal: Shortlist event venues that fit my date, guest count, budget and style, and tell me what to confirm with each. What I can give you (ask for whatever's missing): - Region and travel limits - Date or season (and how flexible) - Guest count - Total venue budget - Style and must-haves (catering, rooms, outdoor space) Rules: - Only include venues whose stated capacity fits my guest count. - Treat listed prices as estimates and mark each as 'needs quote'. - Search broadly, not just one directory, and say where each venue came from. - Give me questions to ask each venue about price, capacity and supplier rules. - If a site asks for a login, a CAPTCHA or payment details, stop and hand control back to me. - Ask for my OK before you pay, book, send, submit or cancel anything. - Check facts that can change (prices, opening hours, dates, availability, rules) against the official source, and tell me anything you couldn't verify. Output: A shortlist with capacity, estimated price, source and questions to ask. You'll know it worked when: every venue fits my numbers, and I know which details I must confirm before visiting.
Optional stronger version
Our rewrite with extra checks. The poster didn't test it.
Before you start, ask me 1–3 short questions about anything important that's missing below. Keep them quick. Then do the task, checking in with me at the key points. Goal: Shortlist event venues that fit my date, guest count, budget and style, and tell me what to confirm with each. What I can give you (ask for whatever's missing): - Region and travel limits - Date or season (and how flexible) - Guest count - Total venue budget - Style and must-haves (catering, rooms, outdoor space) Rules: - Only include venues whose stated capacity fits my guest count. - Treat listed prices as estimates and mark each as 'needs quote'. - Search broadly, not just one directory, and say where each venue came from. - Give me questions to ask each venue about price, capacity and supplier rules. - If a site asks for a login, a CAPTCHA or payment details, stop and hand control back to me. - Ask for my OK before you pay, book, send, submit or cancel anything. - Check facts that can change (prices, opening hours, dates, availability, rules) against the official source, and tell me anything you couldn't verify. - Before suggesting a venue, check its own site for capacity and pricing; never present a directory price as final. Output: A shortlist with capacity, estimated price, source and questions to ask. You'll know it worked when: every venue fits my numbers, and I know which details I must confirm before visiting. Before you finish: re-read my goal and constraints, check your answer against each one, and list anything you assumed or couldn't confirm.
Source
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