East Coast Limousine Services

The reason that a different bus was sent to the client then initially discussed, is that at the last minute a decision had to be made by the Fleet Manager to instruct the Driver to take a different vehicle a (limousine bus) rather than what was initially scheduled to go, the (mini/shuttle bus), because the (mini/shuttle bus) was having mechanical difficulties early on the morning of 8/30/on the way back from an evening job on 8/29/The executive decision was made by the Fleet Manager only a couple of hours prior to the job in question commencing, to send the only other bus that we had available, which happened to be a differentstyle bus, more of an upgrade and a much more expensive bus hourly, of course at the same shuttle bus rateWe only sent the replacement bus, because of the mechanical difficulties that the shuttle bus was exhibiting shortly before it was to go to this jobWe would have informed the client of having to swap out buses, had it not been around 4am the same morning of her job when the decision was made to do so.Upon arrival the client was very irate and practically hysterical about the replacement busWe had not informed the driver of why we wanted him to take a different bus for the job in question, so he was unaware of the original scheduled buses mechanical difficultiesIn trying to calm the client down and to try to resolve the issue, he offered to bring them to our lot in [redacted] to swap the bus, to the mini/shuttle busIn doing so, this took additional time from the original schedule; this was something the client agreed toThe client had the choice to cancel when the driver arrived with a bus that she wasn't pleased with, instead of continuing with her 12-hour reservation, to inevitably end up having mechanical issues, which is why we sent the other bus to begin withThe bus did make all the way the Atlantic City before having mechanical difficulties, once these issues occurred as she stated that the Driver was instructed by the Fleet Manager to try to find a mechanic and this is what he set out to do, these are grown adults on this trip, not children that should not be left unattended for a short period of timeUltimately, he did not go far before he did receive some advise from one of the mechanically inclined passengers, which was helpful, then one of our company mechanics called the Driver back and talked him through getting the bus up and running again.I'm sorry to say that itseemed that there was no pleasing this client, she found fault in practically everything, she complained about the first bus that we sent, then she disliked the bus that she originally booked for her even moreOur Driver went above and beyond, bringing the group back to [redacted] to switch to the mini/shuttle bus that she had originally bookedOf course our Driver was not aware of the mechanical difficultiesHe did try to contact the Fleet Manager, who was at the time unavailable, due to a family emergencyHe then proceeded to take her and her group to Atlantic City, New Jersey and back and honored our part this 12-hour trip to the best of our abilities, even under the most diverse circumstancesThey all made it safely to their destination, followed through with their plans in New Jersey and made it back safelyWe have already paid our Driver for this job and for all of the diesel fuel necessary to travel the several hours there and back, not to mention, our following through with the entire scheduled trip to completion.In trying to speak to this client after this trip was over, upon receiving in length, an email with her numerous complaints, some of them being utterly ridiculousI was still trying come to a reasonable resolution, which she ultimately made it impossible to doThere was absolutely no reasoning with this clientI was on the phone with her for almost an hour discussing the detailsShe just kept claiming that the bus that our Driver brought them to [redacted] to piwas still not the bus she ordered, at the time this was the only shuttle/minibus that we ownedWhat it comes down to is that the upgrade that we sent to her was not to her liking, nor was the bus she originally bookedYet she continued on with her trip, completed it, hours later, proceeded to have nothing but complaints about everything, used our service for the entire hours that she booked it for and then wanted a refund.We always want to see our customers pleased with our service and happy at the end of their tripI did everything in my power to reason with this client and to try to come to a satisfactory resolution.I spent an inordinate amount of time on the phone trying to reason with her, she just continued to be unreasonable, as well as irrationalShe was not even willing to let me off of the phone, she only wanted to debate and argue about things that just did not make any senseShe was extremely confrontationalI am always polite and professional, it came to a point where I just had to say, “I am very sorry that you were displeased with our service and have a nice day." I can't reason with an unreasonable person, nor can I have a rational conversation with someone, who is acting completely irrational.It really bothers me to see clients unhappy or upset about the service we have provided, I generally can always come to a fair, amiable solutionUnfortunately, this is just one of those occasions where that is just not possible.Best regards,Susan AGeneral Manager

The reason that a different bus was sent to the client then initially discussed, is that at the last minute a decision had to be made by the Fleet Manager to instruct the Driver to take a different vehicle a (limousine bus) rather than what was initially scheduled to go, the (mini/shuttle bus),...

because the (mini/shuttle bus) was having mechanical difficulties early on the morning of 8/30/14 on the way back from an evening job on 8/29/14. The executive decision was made by the Fleet Manager only a couple of hours prior to the job in question commencing, to send the only other bus that we had available, which happened to be a differentstyle bus, more of an upgrade and a much more expensive bus hourly, of course at the same shuttle bus rate. We only sent the replacement bus, because of the mechanical difficulties that the shuttle bus was exhibiting shortly before it was to go to this job. We would have informed the client of having to swap out buses, had it not been around 4am the same morning of her job when the decision was made to do so.Upon arrival the client was very irate and practically hysterical about the replacement bus. We had not informed the driver of why we wanted him to take a different bus for the job in question, so he was unaware of the original scheduled buses mechanical difficulties. In trying to calm the client down and to try to resolve the issue, he offered to bring them to our lot in [redacted] to swap the bus, to the mini/shuttle bus. In doing so, this took additional time from the original schedule; this was something the client agreed to. The client had the choice to cancel when the driver arrived with a bus that she wasn't pleased with, instead of continuing with her 12-hour reservation, to inevitably end up having mechanical issues, which is why we sent the other bus to begin with. The bus did make all the way the Atlantic City before having mechanical difficulties, once these issues occurred as she stated that the Driver was instructed by the Fleet Manager to try to find a mechanic and this is what he set out to do, these are grown adults on this trip, not children that should not be left unattended for a short period of time. Ultimately, he did not go far before he did receive some advise from one of the mechanically inclined passengers, which was helpful, then one of our company mechanics called the Driver back and talked him through getting the bus up and running again.I'm sorry to say that itseemed that there was no pleasing this client, she found fault in practically everything, she complained about the first bus that we sent, then she disliked the bus that she originally booked for her even more. Our Driver went above and beyond, bringing the group back to [redacted] to switch to the mini/shuttle bus that she had originally booked. Of course our Driver was not aware of the mechanical difficulties. He did try to contact the Fleet Manager, who was at the time unavailable, due to a family emergency. He then proceeded to take her and her group to Atlantic City, New Jersey and back and honored our part this 12-hour trip to the best of our abilities, even under the most diverse circumstances. They all made it safely to their destination, followed through with their plans in New Jersey and made it back safely. We have already paid our Driver for this job and for all of the diesel fuel necessary to travel the several hours there and back, not to mention, our following through with the entire scheduled trip to completion.In trying to speak to this client after this trip was over, upon receiving in length, an email with her numerous complaints, some of them being utterly ridiculous. I was still trying come to a reasonable resolution, which she ultimately made it impossible to do. There was absolutely no reasoning with this client. I was on the phone with her for almost an hour discussing the details. She just kept claiming that the bus that our Driver brought them to [redacted] to pick-up was still not the bus she ordered, at the time this was the only shuttle/minibus that we owned. What it comes down to is that the upgrade that we sent to her was not to her liking, nor was the bus she originally booked. Yet she continued on with her trip, completed it, 12 hours later, proceeded to have nothing but complaints about everything, used our service for the entire 12 hours that she booked it for and then wanted a refund.We always want to see our customers pleased with our service and happy at the end of their trip. I did everything in my power to reason with this client and to try to come to a satisfactory resolution.I spent an inordinate amount of time on the phone trying to reason with her, she just continued to be unreasonable, as well as irrational. She was not even willing to let me off of the phone, she only wanted to debate and argue about things that just did not make any sense. She was extremely confrontational. I am always polite and professional, it came to a point where I just had to say, “I am very sorry that you were displeased with our service and have a nice day." I can't reason with an unreasonable person, nor can I have a rational conversation with someone, who is acting completely irrational.It really bothers me to see clients unhappy or upset about the service we have provided, I generally can always come to a fair, amiable solution. Unfortunately, this is just one of those occasions where that is just not possible.Best regards,Susan AGeneral Manager

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
 Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:
November 13, 2014As previously stated East Coast Limousine Services website depicts some vehicles totally different from what they actually have available to clients. When making a selection from the pictures on the web, a fleet of more up to date vehicles are presented. But what actually shows up onsite is totally different (worn and older).As a professional organization, when there are last minute decisions that affect a client, I think it would be in the best interest of the organization to immediately contact the client and make them aware of the changes and give them the opportunity to make a choice based upon what options are available. When it was found that the bus was having mechanical difficulties the evening of August 29, a call should have been made to the client. The option to cancel was never offered. Also I asked about cancellations weeks before the trip and Ms. A[redacted] indicated that I would not get the deposits back, and if I cancelled within 24 hour that I would get the remaining portion of my money back. Also in your agreements and Liability its states, if the customer refuses a replacement vehicle then no refund will be made.As indicated before, the driver and I discussed the issue with the bus and he stated that we could go back to the office and that there was another bus available, which is what took place. He never stated that I had the option to cancel. I feel that it was the driver’s responsibility to contact his manager to let him/her know of the change/executive decision he was now making. If this had been done, he would have been informed of the reason for the bus change, in which he could have relayed this information to me and thus another chance for an option to proceed or not. I find it appalling that East Coast Limousine Service is falsely accusing me of being irate. I’m not sure what the driver reported back but that was not the case. We discussed the issue and moved on from there.Again, what company would send their driver on foot to locate a mechanic to help repair a bus, on a Saturday afternoon, very unprofessional. If you are the great company that you are claiming to be, it seems to me that a call to road side service assistance would have been more appropriate. Another indication that East Coast Limousine is not all it states. I’m not sure what the driver reported back, but not only did he receive advice from the mechanically inclined passenger, this passenger was literally under the vehicle helping your driver assess/fix the problem. There was not a call from one your company mechanics.I also find it very unprofessional at the sensitivity level of East Coast Limousine Services concerning adults versus children passengers. These were mostly elderly adults and it really shouldn’t matter who was on the bus. The reason for being in business is to provide professional service and meet the need of clients, in which this company did not.To sum it all up, East Coast Limousine Services, it not all that is states it is. I will not use their services again nor recommend them for anyone else to use. They are very unprofessional, untruthful and are more profit driven than customer service oriented. If this situation really “bothers” them (as they claim) that a client was not completely satisfied with the services, some form of compromise/compensation would have been extended by now.Regards,
Regards,
[redacted]

Review: When I spoke to Ms. Susan A[redacted], I made it clear to her that I did not want a Party Bus.The first incidence was that the driver arrived with a bus that was more suited for a party instead of a mini bus as we had discussed on various telephone conversations. I distinctly ask that I not get a party bus and this is exactly what was presented. The driver said that I had been upgraded but no one cared to inform me of the change. The vehicle presented entailed a pole, flashing disco lights and loud music. This was very unacceptable to me as I was travelling with several senior members of my family. Because of this mishap, our schedule was delayed over an hour because we had to go back to the main office in [redacted] and change vehicles. Once we arrive at the [redacted] office location, the bus that I only had to choose from is worse than a school bus. This was unacceptable, but giving the circumstances and the audience we utilized this vehicle, thinking it would be better for the elderly riders than the initial bus presented. It was nothing like the bus I asked for on their webpage under minibus (inside view). The seats were very uncomfortable, the windows rattled, which made for a very noisy ride to say the least. We literally felt every bump that was hit and it was just not up to my standards or expectations. Upon arriving at our destination (New Jersey), the driver was instructed to return to pick us up at one oclock. At the appointed time, we called the driver to let him know that we were ready and he informs us that the bus will not start. At this time, we attempt to walk to where he is, but some of the group could not make it, so those of us that could walk, did so back to the bus. As we are walking back, we notice the driver walking on the other side of the street. We stop him and he informs us that one of their dispatchers has instructed him to go a find a mechanic. This was VERY UNPROFESSIONAL, as a bus driver should never have to leaves his bus and passengers. I would think that a company such as their, would have road assistance coverage for instances such as this. Those of us that were walking continued to the bus to wait for the driver to return. In the meantime, we call your dispatcher again and he restated that he had sent the driver to find a mechanic. Now may I ask you, just for a moment, to think about what has transpired and the instructions given to the driver and client? What would be the chances of their driver finding a mechanic on a Saturday afternoon, walking the streets of Atlantic City, New Jersey? Thankfully, my Uncle was with us, who is a mechanic, and was able to catch up with the driver. They returned to the bus and determined what the issue was and got the bus started. I really thought that the driver was going to catch the [redacted] Bus which was around the corner because he had his bag and everything and they were just going to leave us stranded.Finally, we are on the way to our last stop, to have dinner. The driver decides he doesnt want to cut the bus off, so he sits in the parking lot of the restaurant. While there he is almost ticketed because he does not have the proper paperwork to be in the lot in the state of New Jersey. The officer stated that she would not give him a ticket, so he leaves. We call him when we are ready and finally head home. I email Ms. A[redacted] of the things that took place, that I was very unhappy with, during my use of their services on August 30, 2014 and to see if they could work with me or compensate me for the many mishaps that took place on my family outing. On September 5, 2014, I spoke to Ms. A[redacted] and found out they was not trying to work with me at all and that the original bus they were supposed to have sent me broke down the night before and that the bus the driver pick up in [redacted] was a defected bus and that was the bus they were going to send me for my trip. If they knew that that was a defected bus after the driver had taken it, why didnt someone inform the driver, that the bus he had taken was the bus that broke down the night before and that it was a defected bus? We all could have been killed riding that defected bus. Ms. A[redacted] hung up on me.Desired Settlement: I would like a refund. I paid them in good faith and they breached the contact when I did not get the service requested and from beginning to end the entire trip was a disaster.

Business

Response:

The reason that a different bus was sent to the client then initially discussed, is that at the last minute a decision had to be made by the Fleet Manager to instruct the Driver to take a different vehicle a (limousine bus) rather than what was initially scheduled to go, the (mini/shuttle bus), because the (mini/shuttle bus) was having mechanical difficulties early on the morning of 8/30/14 on the way back from an evening job on 8/29/14. The executive decision was made by the Fleet Manager only a couple of hours prior to the job in question commencing, to send the only other bus that we had available, which happened to be a differentstyle bus, more of an upgrade and a much more expensive bus hourly, of course at the same shuttle bus rate. We only sent the replacement bus, because of the mechanical difficulties that the shuttle bus was exhibiting shortly before it was to go to this job. We would have informed the client of having to swap out buses, had it not been around 4am the same morning of her job when the decision was made to do so.Upon arrival the client was very irate and practically hysterical about the replacement bus. We had not informed the driver of why we wanted him to take a different bus for the job in question, so he was unaware of the original scheduled buses mechanical difficulties. In trying to calm the client down and to try to resolve the issue, he offered to bring them to our lot in [redacted] to swap the bus, to the mini/shuttle bus. In doing so, this took additional time from the original schedule; this was something the client agreed to. The client had the choice to cancel when the driver arrived with a bus that she wasn't pleased with, instead of continuing with her 12-hour reservation, to inevitably end up having mechanical issues, which is why we sent the other bus to begin with. The bus did make all the way the Atlantic City before having mechanical difficulties, once these issues occurred as she stated that the Driver was instructed by the Fleet Manager to try to find a mechanic and this is what he set out to do, these are grown adults on this trip, not children that should not be left unattended for a short period of time. Ultimately, he did not go far before he did receive some advise from one of the mechanically inclined passengers, which was helpful, then one of our company mechanics called the Driver back and talked him through getting the bus up and running again.I'm sorry to say that itseemed that there was no pleasing this client, she found fault in practically everything, she complained about the first bus that we sent, then she disliked the bus that she originally booked for her even more. Our Driver went above and beyond, bringing the group back to [redacted] to switch to the mini/shuttle bus that she had originally booked. Of course our Driver was not aware of the mechanical difficulties. He did try to contact the Fleet Manager, who was at the time unavailable, due to a family emergency. He then proceeded to take her and her group to Atlantic City, New Jersey and back and honored our part this 12-hour trip to the best of our abilities, even under the most diverse circumstances. They all made it safely to their destination, followed through with their plans in New Jersey and made it back safely. We have already paid our Driver for this job and for all of the diesel fuel necessary to travel the several hours there and back, not to mention, our following through with the entire scheduled trip to completion.In trying to speak to this client after this trip was over, upon receiving in length, an email with her numerous complaints, some of them being utterly ridiculous. I was still trying come to a reasonable resolution, which she ultimately made it impossible to do. There was absolutely no reasoning with this client. I was on the phone with her for almost an hour discussing the details. She just kept claiming that the bus that our Driver brought them to [redacted] to pick-up was still not the bus she ordered, at the time this was the only shuttle/minibus that we owned. What it comes down to is that the upgrade that we sent to her was not to her liking, nor was the bus she originally booked. Yet she continued on with her trip, completed it, 12 hours later, proceeded to have nothing but complaints about everything, used our service for the entire 12 hours that she booked it for and then wanted a refund.We always want to see our customers pleased with our service and happy at the end of their trip. I did everything in my power to reason with this client and to try to come to a satisfactory resolution.I spent an inordinate amount of time on the phone trying to reason with her, she just continued to be unreasonable, as well as irrational. She was not even willing to let me off of the phone, she only wanted to debate and argue about things that just did not make any sense. She was extremely confrontational. I am always polite and professional, it came to a point where I just had to say, “I am very sorry that you were displeased with our service and have a nice day." I can't reason with an unreasonable person, nor can I have a rational conversation with someone, who is acting completely irrational.It really bothers me to see clients unhappy or upset about the service we have provided, I generally can always come to a fair, amiable solution. Unfortunately, this is just one of those occasions where that is just not possible.Best regards,Susan AGeneral Manager

Consumer

Response:

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because:

November 13, 2014As previously stated East Coast Limousine Services website depicts some vehicles totally different from what they actually have available to clients. When making a selection from the pictures on the web, a fleet of more up to date vehicles are presented. But what actually shows up onsite is totally different (worn and older).As a professional organization, when there are last minute decisions that affect a client, I think it would be in the best interest of the organization to immediately contact the client and make them aware of the changes and give them the opportunity to make a choice based upon what options are available. When it was found that the bus was having mechanical difficulties the evening of August 29, a call should have been made to the client. The option to cancel was never offered. Also I asked about cancellations weeks before the trip and Ms. A[redacted] indicated that I would not get the deposits back, and if I cancelled within 24 hour that I would get the remaining portion of my money back. Also in your agreements and Liability its states, if the customer refuses a replacement vehicle then no refund will be made.As indicated before, the driver and I discussed the issue with the bus and he stated that we could go back to the office and that there was another bus available, which is what took place. He never stated that I had the option to cancel. I feel that it was the driver’s responsibility to contact his manager to let him/her know of the change/executive decision he was now making. If this had been done, he would have been informed of the reason for the bus change, in which he could have relayed this information to me and thus another chance for an option to proceed or not. I find it appalling that East Coast Limousine Service is falsely accusing me of being irate. I’m not sure what the driver reported back but that was not the case. We discussed the issue and moved on from there.Again, what company would send their driver on foot to locate a mechanic to help repair a bus, on a Saturday afternoon, very unprofessional. If you are the great company that you are claiming to be, it seems to me that a call to road side service assistance would have been more appropriate. Another indication that East Coast Limousine is not all it states. I’m not sure what the driver reported back, but not only did he receive advice from the mechanically inclined passenger, this passenger was literally under the vehicle helping your driver assess/fix the problem. There was not a call from one your company mechanics.I also find it very unprofessional at the sensitivity level of East Coast Limousine Services concerning adults versus children passengers. These were mostly elderly adults and it really shouldn’t matter who was on the bus. The reason for being in business is to provide professional service and meet the need of clients, in which this company did not.To sum it all up, East Coast Limousine Services, it not all that is states it is. I will not use their services again nor recommend them for anyone else to use. They are very unprofessional, untruthful and are more profit driven than customer service oriented. If this situation really “bothers” them (as they claim) that a client was not completely satisfied with the services, some form of compromise/compensation would have been extended by now.Regards,

Regards,