Poor service & what you expect from it? - California Dream Limousine

[Travis Munroe]

It happens in every industry, mistakes are made and the level of service is not always 100%. I have made mistakes in my line of work and do everything possible to not only fix the error but give 200% to that client from that point on.

On NYE I arranged for a bunch of friends and I to go to Banff for the night. A couple days prior I realized how difficult it would be to get a taxi for the number of people we had so started calling limo companies. Sure enough they all said that they had been booked for months. It wasn't until I reached California Dream Limousine that I was told they were available. They had other pick ups but could squeeze us in if we could accommodate their timing. Well thats about as good as it got.
- Nearly 30 minutes late on pick up while we sit around a hotel lobby with no courtesy call
- Demands cash only which inconveniences me as I only had plastic
- Goes through a checkstop and doesnt know where his liquor license is (later found out he isnt a limo driver but a friend helping the company out)
- Drops us off on the opposite side of the club forcing women in heels to deal with the ice and snow
- 1 hour late for pick up (again no call and I already took a cab)


I email the company and get a brief apology with a bunch of excuses making it sound like I should be grateful they squeezed me in. I paid $175 for a direct ride to and from the club so regardless of fitting me in, I paid a premium as other companies rates (when available) were around $325 for 2 to 3 hours of driving around. All in all, we maybe had a 7 minute ride one way and then half the party had a 7 minute ride back.

When the rest of the party showed up at the hotel I got my 25% gratuity back from the driver and knew for any other compensation I would have to talk to management. After nothing but every excuse under the book it has brought me to CP. Not specific to this case but what do you typically expect when a spend money on a service that does not deliver. Is it water under the bridge for you? Partial refund? Sincere apology?
Its not my fault that they fit me in and had I known that being squeezed into the schedule would result in awful service, I would have either figured something else out or negotiated a rate better than $175 for 15 minutes.

/ end rant/ curious on what CP typically expects

[DuffMan]

$175 to get to Banff in 7 minutes seems pretty good.

[Travis Munroe]

Originally Posted by DuffMan

$175 to get to Banff in 7 minutes seems pretty good.

From my hotel in Banff to the nightclub in Banff....it was just outside walking distance.

[DuffMan]

Originally Posted by Realtor 1

From my hotel in Banff to the nightclub in Banff....it was just outside walking distance.

Ah ok, anyways, if I were you, I would just blame myself for bad planning on a big night, and just forget about it, and learn my lesson.

[Robotic]

I always find that NYE never works out the way you plan it. I usually go in with an open mind and expect hiccups.

[malcolmk14]

The fact that it was only a friend helping the limo company out and not a licensed limo driver, and that he would only accept cash, is totally sketchy.

[WhiteTiger]

The big tipoff to me would have been the fact that they were willing to try to 'squeeze you in' in the first place. Good companies know their limits.

I usually give a company 2 attempts to keep my business under the basis that like people, companies (or their employees) can have a bad day.

It sounds to me like this company was overstretched to begin with and honestly...never should have agreed to pick you up in the first place. Sounds like the company KNEW that, (he got his buddy to come and get you...) and for some reason decided to try to accommodate you anyhow. Could be greed, could be that they were just trying to keep their word to you.

Sounds like the whole thing was a fail on everyone's part. Rush "planning" like that on one of the busiest nights of the year? Fail for you. Bad service from a likely non-employee. Fail for the company.

Call it a wash, a lesson learned, and maybe if you need a limo for a non-rush reason, give them a try and see what an actual employee of the company can do.

[burn_baby_burn]

For $175 I would just let it go. New Years Eve is always a cluster when it comes to hiring transportation, unless you really want to pay or have a designated driver.

[rotten42]

This Limo company doesn't have a good reputation. I haven't found out first hand but have read reviews in a few different places that places them at the bottom in terms of service/business practices for limo's in the Calgary area.

[Northendzone]

did they give you a receipt? There should be a way to somehow buy something at WalMart and return it and get your money back.......

Tough call on this one, because what are the chances of you ever needing a limo in the Banff area again?

[Travis Munroe]

I am going to drop it and move on. I have a great independent guy in Calgary (I always find independent the way to go for things like this) and if I ever need one in Banff I will book much sooner with a reputable company!

[Maritime Q-Scout]

It annoys me when a company blamed the customer for their mistakes.

It's NEVER the customer's fault that you didn't meet a contractual obligation because you were busy.

A good company takes care of its contractual obligations and at the very least apologizes when that obligation isn't met.

Does that necessarily mean compensation? No. But an apology and a commitment demonstrating how it won't happen again is required.

[RougeUnderoos]

Originally Posted by fotze

A limo in Banff just seems so unBanff.

It's covered in Polartec® fleece.

ANYWAY, maybe it's just the years of abuse at the hands of the crappy Calgary cab system, but "almost a half an hour late" sounds like right on time to me. Waiting an hour for a ride home on New Years Eve also doesn't sound all that bad.

You weren't paying cabbie prices so I'd be pissed too, but it really doesn't seem like a big deal on the busiest night of the year for anything.

In closing, New Years Eve sucks!

[trumpethead]

A thread title with Poor service & what you expect from it? Springs1 where art thou??

[Dion]

File a report with the BBB to make sure others are aware of the poor sevice you recieved. Other than that just chalk it up to a learning experience and move on.

[Bigtime]

The BBB? Hahahaha, they are a joke of an organization.

I could start up a company, run it into the ground and take a bunch of customers money with me and they can do nothing. Then I can start up another company and have no problem being listed as a BBB member.