Two Local Businesses at Odds: Center of Dispute is Alleged Threatening Phone Call

A recording of the alleged phone call is circulating around local social media groups

FARGO, N.D. — Two Fargo-Moorhead businesses are at odds after a bride posted a negative review of Avalon Events Center on Facebook which allegedly lead to a threatening phone conversation.

“I am telling you that if that review does not go away, you’re toast,” is what Tom Poole, Avalon owner, allegedly told Donny Dahl in a recording of a phone call. “And not only are you toast in our place, you’re going to get more s*** on the internet than you ever in your life bargained for.”

“He expected us to go to a bride, a client that we had, to have her change her review just because she gave us a good review,” said Donny Dahl, owner of KD Productions.

Dahl said they DJ’d multiple weddings at Avalon Events Center without any issues.

But during an early September of 2016 wedding, that changed.

Dahl said it all started when he asked the Avalon manager if they could move a light for a wedding photo booth.

“She said to me, ‘that photo booth is ugly, you’re going to make the bride cry,” said Dahl. “Exactly what she said to me.”

Dahl sent us screenshots of the bride’s negative review of Avalon Events Center.

It shows compliments for the food and night staff, but says Avalon’s owner and manager were rude, calling the experience horrible.

The day after, Dahl said he recorded a phone call with Avalon’s owner, Tom Poole.

“I’m not blackmailing you, but I’m just telling you, maybe you feel that way, but if that g****** review doesn’t go away, or get softened, you’re done in Fargo-Moorhead,” was in heard in the alleged phone call with Tom Poole.

Almost eight months later, Dahl posted the alleged phone call on YouTube.

He said Avalon called him again after it went online, asking to bury the hatchet, delete the post and meet over the weekend.

But Dahl said that meeting did not go well, and posted the recording online again which now has more than 2,000 hits on YouTube.

Avalon staff said in a statement, they believe the phone call was manipulated.

“He said in the call, ‘Brett Colliton can make your business crazy on the internet,” said Dahl. “It’s very threatening.”

He said the bride involved received this Facebook message from Avalon staff member Brett Colliton.

Part of the screenshot reads, “When I say powerful people, I am talking billionaires who have been known to make a sport of ruining people.”

Moving forward, staff at KD say they want brides to know what happened and continue to grow their business.

Avalon staff tells us they hope the video will stop being posted on social media, saying it has been altered and is defamatory.

KD Productions have since been banned from DJing at Avalon Events Center.