Van Galder Bus Company/ Coach USA Company

We regret the unfortunate situation the customer experienced on our service.  We appreciate the long history of patronage by the customer.  Van Galder Bus does not check luggage or provide receipts for luggage transported on the bus.  There are inherent risks involved in traveling....

 Although we take due care in our handling of luggage, and take steps to make sure luggage arrives with each passenger, Van Galder drivers are limited in what can be done to prevent theft or errors outside of our control.  Drivers set bags out for passengers as they alight the coach.  Just like at the baggage claim turnstile at the airport, there is risk of theft or error by other passengers.  It's unclear if our driver contributed to the loss of the bag.  We simply don't know.  The driver, the customer, and the company took measures to try and track down the bag.  As a gesture of goodwill to the customer, since we don't know what happened to the bag, we made an offer to the customer for the loss of her bag.  When traveling, it is unreasonable and irresponsible to travel with expensive irreplaceable items in your checked bags.  We do not accept responsibility for high value items that should be kept in carry-on bags, within control of the customer.  The offer was rejected by the customer.  The customer has other options available in the event of loss, however most begin with the filing of a police report, which we suggested.  A claim can be submitted to their insurance carrier for damages above our offer.  Also, many credit cards have coverage for travel protection, when the ticket was booked with the specific credit card.  If it was indeed a mistake, the police report would assist in recovering the bag from a lost and found impound.  The police report would also be useful in the filing of an insurance claim.  A police report would also reveal if there were other like incidents at the airport that day.  To the extent we could, we attempted to help the customer and even offered a financial remuneration as a gesture of customer service.  The claim of $2043.58 was denied, since there was necessarily no negligence able to be established on our part.

Review: On March 19 I purchased a round trip ticket to board the bus to Chicago O'hara from Van Galders Kiosk at their Rockford Terminal. (The kiosk prompt thanked me for my purchase and I removed the ticket or what I believed to be the ticket) Upon boarding the bus on March 20 I was told that the ticket I purchased was only a receipt and I would not be able to board the bus with the receipt without paying another $21. I told the driver that the receipt was the only thing that came out of the kiosk at the time of purchase. He told me I should call customer service which I did immediately upon arrival to O'hara. I spoke with the gentleman he told me the manager would not be in until 8:00 but he took all the information he needed from the receipt and said he would pass it on and have the manager call me. I did not hear from them that day so the next day from my destination NC I sent them an email explaining the issue. Later on Friday evening I call Van Galder and asked to speak to a manager and was told that they had a Controller by the name of [redacted] that was working on the issue and he would call me. After I hung up with Van Galder I called my Bank and told them the problem and they said they couldn't dispute the charge since I had made the purchase but that since it was down over the computer Van Galder would be able to view the ticket to see if it had been used by someone else. So when I returned home on monday I sent another email to them and explained to them what my bank had told me about being able to trace the ticket. Yesterday I called them and ask to speak to [redacted] the controller. When [redacted] answered the phone and I told him who I was he immediately slammed the phone down and hung up on me. I could not believe that happened but I did hear the phone slam. So I called back and no one would answer. So I hung up and called back 10 minutes later no answer again so I left a message on the answering machine telling them how rude it was and asking them to just give me closure. I have spent $84.00 for a round trip ticket on their bus line I think I deserve some kind of answer and deserve to be treated with respect and not hung up on.Desired Settlement: I think the customer service should be dealt with, with more respect for the customer. If somehow the ticket fell out of the the kiosk after I left and was used by someone else I can accept that and move forward but the not knowing and the lack of disrespect of their customer really isn't a good way to do business with a consumer. They should be able to run a check on this ticket receipt number and tell if it had been used or not. At this point I would like proof the ticket had or had not been used, because the trust of good business practices has been lost due to [redacted] hanging up on me.

Consumer

Response:

On Thu, Mar 27, 2014 at 3:15 PM, [redacted] wrote:

To whom it may concern,

About 11:30 this morning Van Galder Bus Company USA did call me and issued a full refund. I am satisfied with the outcome and would like to close the complaint.

On March 16, I called Van Galder Bus to determine if they had a bus from Milwaukee to Janesville. The gal that answered the phone was very rude and unhelpful. She cut me off several times before I was able to complete my sentences and finally told me to call WI Coach lines because Van Galder doesn't have a route from Milwaukee to Janesville.
I called WI Coach Lines and Badger Bus, and Badger Bus suggested that most people take a bus from Milwaukee to Madison and then transfer to a Van Galder bus from Madison to Janesville. So, I again called Van Galder Bus to confirm the schedule (since my trip isn't until August) and reached the same rude person I spoke with previously. Again, she kept cutting me off before I completed my sentences and gave me information which I was not seeking rather than allowing me to finish my sentence so she could provide correct information.
Before I could finish asking her to confirm the online schedule, she directed me to the online schedule. I carefully explained that I had seen the online schedule; however, I was calling to confirm the online schedule since I was given conflicting information about the online schedule when I called previously.
I reiterated that I wanted to avoid arriving flying into the area and expecting transportation that wasn't going to be there. I also stated that I did not want to purchase a ticket online this far in advance and have the schedule change prior to August. Again, she cut me off before I could explain and rudely responded that I couldn't purchase a ticket for the Madison to Janesville route online and would have to purchase it directly from the bus driver, which was not the point I was discussing.
My impression was that she was not going to help me "no matter what". When I realized I was not going to get any help, I stated that she had been most unhelpful, and that I would not be using Van Galder Bus for my transportation. Again, before I finished speaking, she cut me off stating, "I completely understand...”. Due to her ready response, one could conclude that she is used to getting negative feedback, which is likely, considering her poor communication and customer service skills.
I read another complaint against Van Galder before sharing my feedback and part of the complaint was similar to my experience. Therefore, I decided to share my experience since there appears to be a pattern of poor customer service with this business. Very surprising and disappointing experience.

Review: I used Van Galder’s airport bus services on Wednesday, October 15, 2014 from the [redacted] to [redacted] terminal 5. It was the 2:45pm pick up time. The bus arrived at 3:10pm, our driver was [redacted] (AKA [redacted]). The bus number was 65839. The stops during this trip were [redacted], and terminals 1-3 and terminal 5.

[redacted] asked me if I had a ticket, and I presented him with my printed ticket. He asked where I was going, and I told him Terminal 5. He had me place my suitcase in the first luggage bay, which was closest to the bus door. Only one luggage bay was in use; which I found odd, as in the past (I’ve used this company for 10 years to go to [redacted]) the bays were used to designate what stop the passenger was getting off at.

The bus arrived at terminal 5 at 6:10pm, there were two passengers remaining on the bus (myself and another gentleman). [redacted] asked me if I brought a bag on the bus with me. I said that I did not, that I placed it in the luggage bay myself in Madison. [redacted] said there was only one bag left in the luggage bay.

Somewhere between [redacted] and terminal 3, my suitcase was stolen. There is no system in place with the company with regard to the security of passengers luggage. [redacted] was kind enough to drive us (I was traveling with my Mother who I met at the airport for an 8pm flight) back to terminal 3 to see if someone left it there. It was not there. I asked some gentlemen working for American Airlines if they had seen it, and was told they did not.

We had to proceed in to the airport to make our flight on time. While waiting at the gate, I contacted the [redacted] police. The gentleman I spoke with said that he did not receive any suitcases at all that day. I asked if I should file a police report, and was told that it was probably pointless. I called a friend of mine, asking her to contact the major airlines at terminals 1-3 to see if they acquired my suitcase. She confirmed that my suitcase was not found or returned to the address on my luggage tag.

My father, [redacted], communicated with [redacted] at Van Galder on October 16th, October 17th and October 20th. Her recommendation was to file a police report with the [redacted] police.

At no time prior to or during my journey did I open my suitcase for any one to see what was inside or disclose the contents of my suitcase with anyone. This was a question that was asked of me by [redacted] 2-3 times.

On October 30, 2014, I sent an email to Van Galder, included an itemization of my belongings that were in my suitcase and the replacements I had to purchase once I arrived in Ireland beginning October 16, 2014. I requested to be reimbursed in the amount of $2043.58 for the items that were stolen while using their bus service.

I spoke with [redacted] at Van Galder on/around the 2nd week of November 2014. She said that she needed a police report from the Chicago Police Department for insurance purposes. Once I received the police report from the Chicago Police Department; I sent another email on December 15, 2014, with a scanned copy of the three (3) page police report to Van Galder. I requested someone respond to me to let me know they received the email. I provided my email address and phone number. I have yet to hear a response that it was received. Today, January 5, 2015, I called Van Galder (###-###-####) to find out if they received my email and the attached police report. The first time I called was at 4:08pm CT. I spoke with [redacted] and he transferred me to [redacted]. I was on hold for 3 minutes, and had to disconnect as I was at work. I called again at 4:43pm CT and Renee transferred me to [redacted]. I spoke with [redacted]. I said, “Hi, my name is Nicole Possley. I sent you the police report.” [redacted] said, “Oh, I am going to have the operations manager, [redacted], contact you this evening. Is this the number you can be reached at?” I said, “Yes,” She said, “Okay,” and quickly said, “good bye,” and hung up. I have not heard from [redacted], and it is currently 8:15pm CT on January 5, 2015, as I type this.

I would like to get this situation resolved, as this situation has been dragging on too long. There is no mention on my e-tickets or their website regarding safety and theft of luggage. I would hope that by purchasing a ticket would provide some amount of protection of one’s luggage while using their service. There are no luggage checks to verify the luggage one is taking is actually theirs or someone elses.Desired Settlement: I would like the company to reimburse me for the items lost in the theft of my suitcase, and for the replacements I purchased because of the theft. I have copies of both emails I sent, my original e-ticket, the e-ticket receipt and the police report if this is needed for your review. If it is, please let me know so I can provide them to you.

Business

Response:

We regret the unfortunate situation the customer experienced on our service. We appreciate the long history of patronage by the customer. Van Galder Bus does not check luggage or provide receipts for luggage transported on the bus. There are inherent risks involved in traveling. Although we take due care in our handling of luggage, and take steps to make sure luggage arrives with each passenger, Van Galder drivers are limited in what can be done to prevent theft or errors outside of our control. Drivers set bags out for passengers as they alight the coach. Just like at the baggage claim turnstile at the airport, there is risk of theft or error by other passengers. It's unclear if our driver contributed to the loss of the bag. We simply don't know. The driver, the customer, and the company took measures to try and track down the bag. As a gesture of goodwill to the customer, since we don't know what happened to the bag, we made an offer to the customer for the loss of her bag. When traveling, it is unreasonable and irresponsible to travel with expensive irreplaceable items in your checked bags. We do not accept responsibility for high value items that should be kept in carry-on bags, within control of the customer. The offer was rejected by the customer. The customer has other options available in the event of loss, however most begin with the filing of a police report, which we suggested. A claim can be submitted to their insurance carrier for damages above our offer. Also, many credit cards have coverage for travel protection, when the ticket was booked with the specific credit card. If it was indeed a mistake, the police report would assist in recovering the bag from a lost and found impound. The police report would also be useful in the filing of an insurance claim. A police report would also reveal if there were other like incidents at the airport that day. To the extent we could, we attempted to help the customer and even offered a financial remuneration as a gesture of customer service. The claim of $2043.58 was denied, since there was necessarily no negligence able to be established on our part.