Moe at FL Tours resolved the issue!! UPDATE 11/07

[Kimmielee]

I booked a town car for a three leg Land/Sea/Airport transfer. The first leg of the trip was picking up my DS and I only. That was a towncar.

I emailed IN ADVANCE that the second and third leg was to include 4 people total to the Port and then 4 back to the Airport and asked if the towncar was going to be large enough. I was assured it was.

Well, let's just say that 4 people, 2 Adults and 2 children - will NEVER fit in a towncar. When the driver picked us up - it was very clear that we were NOT going to fit our luggage into the trunk. The spare tire was taking up space.

The driver suggested that all 4 of us ride in the back and luggage go in the front seat. Ummmmm....no.... 3 seatbelts, 3 passengers.

So, we sat with luggage under our feet, between our legs and on our laps with a trunk that was partially open (the trunk is ajar light was on the whole way to the port).

Then I find out that it's not FL Tours that I'm driving with at this point. They had farmed our order out to another company that "coudn't help me". I needed to talk to FL Tours.

I called FL Tours and said... "Clearly, this is not going to work for our return trip back to the airport after the cruise. I need to upgrade for the final leg and you need to know that 4 people with luggage (2 bags each - 8 bags total of which 2 of the 8 were small carryon type of bags) does not work.

No return call. I tried again before the ship left the port. Left another message, no return call.

Checked my messages a week later when we arrived back in Port. No return call. I had to call the company that "couldn't help me" to find out if we had been upgraded to a vehicle to fit 4 people and our luggage. He said yes, and it was $80 more. $80 for a Ford Expedition so we could fit our luggage without having to sit on it or hold it. I just checked the website for FL Tours and a VAN for 4 people costs what I paid for towncar for the first two legs of the trip AND a Ford Expedition for the final leg. So... I had to pay the FULL price as if I had reserved a VAN for the entire trip.

The difference between a town car and a luxury van for a one way trip from the port was $30. Why was I charged $80???????????

I think it's a croc. I can't, however, get FL Tours to return a call. Interesting that they are a sponsor of this board....

 

[pepe of ohio]

My belief personally is, just because they are a sponsor doesn't mean they are alright. I've read many a complaint on different sponsors that I make my own inquiries and assumptions. when you read even on bad report, its a flag to me, there should be no bad reprots if you're in business. Its like tour guides forseeing the future, crowd reports, touring schedules, its all estimated from past accounts and not all that reliable to spend money on.

We used Sunray this past trip, after reading alot of service reports, then inquiring to the company, phone calls and e-mails and this company was first rate, no problems what so ever. I guess its do the homework, ask the company in depth questions then you can go with a free mind.

 

[theparsons]

Their ad just below this post says "Service is Guaranteed!" and is in bold.
I'd write them and tell them of your dissatisfaction with their service in giving you too small of a vehicle and then charging you a premium when they should have never booked you into that vehicle in the first place. Had they properly booked you they would have told you on your first call that a towncar was too small for 4 people and 8 pieces of luggage and they should have recomended the van. In my opinon that is a HUGE part of service....making sure that I'm booking a car that will fit my needs. I don't know what size your vehicles are, so how would I know which I need....but if I tell you how much luggage and people THEY should be determining the right vehicle. Kinda like a hotel room won't let you book a 2 bed, no sofa room if you have 5 people.

I would really appreciate it if you would keep this thread updated with your efforts and results. While I agree with the above poster that just because they're a sponsor doesn't mean anything except that they paid a fee to DIS to have their ads appear here. HOWEVER....I would hope that DIS cares enough about THEIR reputation to deal with their sponsors when they are providing sub-par service. If not...well, then how would any of us ever feel comfortable relying on DIS's recommendations and/or other sponsors (which means in a way that other places like Dreams Unlimited and other sponsors should also be interested in how your complaint is handled.)

I'll be watching. Because I do have future plans that could involve some DIS sponsors.....so I'd like to see how this plays out before I choose to use any of them.

 

[ducklite]

Interesting. This is the second complaint from a regular Disboards poster about FL Tours in the past week or so. I wonder what's going on there.

I'm working on getting 40 people arriving on five different flights from MCO to another point in the Orlando area for work, and yesterday spoke to Mears and Lorden Transportation. Both of them asked questions about how much luggage I thought people might have with them, and suggested that just because a vehicle can legally carry "X" number of passengers, it doesn't mean that it can carry that same number and all of their luggage. Sounds like that's something all transportation companies needs to take into consideration.

 

[Mickiethepooh]

TO the OP, on the call you did make to them telling them it was not going to work what exactly DID they say on that call? I know you said they were suppose to call back but did they say anything?

It sounds almost like you were pirated. that is picked up by someone claiming to be there to pick your party up when in fact they were not. Then you say you ended up calling back that same company for the return? So basically FL tours was out of the picture.
When you spoke to FL tours, they did not say anything about you being a no show or anything?
I am not defending them at all, I have seen plenty of complaints against them. Just sounds like what often happens and why many companies tell you to look for specific identification on their vehicles or don't get in.

 

[lynr]

A year ago or so I used them and they weren't at the airport when we arrived. I called and they said they had taken another pickup from the airport and we had to wait for them to return. Magical Express would have been quicker. We will never use them again!!!

 

[Charleyann]

I had booked Florida tours one way (stretch limo) at 110.00. I called to see how much return. They said $240 ! Geez, one way $110 the other way 130.00! I canceled it and found AAA limo for $90 each way and complimentary stop to boot! I saved $60 dollars going with AAA. Just hope they are all right....


Charleyann

 

[Lewisc]

Ed (a frequent poster and Orlando driver) has always said a towncar isn't large enough for 4 passengers with luggage. A towncar sounds more luxurious then a SUV or van but that's the kind of vehicle would have been more suitable for the OP.

Some guests have the same problem when they reserve a rental car with a small trunk.

 

[safetymom]

We also haven't heard the other side of the story so I wouldn't condemn something without all the details.

 

[ducklite]

Ed (a frequent poster and Orlando driver) has always said a towncar isn't large enough for 4 passengers with luggage. A towncar sounds more luxurious then a SUV or van but that's the kind of vehicle would have been more suitable for the OP.

Some guests have the same problem when they reserve a rental car with a small trunk.

I think it really depends on the size of the passengers and how they pack.

DH and I seldom have more than a roll-on and "small personal item" each, add a garment bag if we're on a cruise and need formalwear. Four passengers with four roll-ons and a couple of garment bags can easily share a towncar. I will admit that we are frequent travelers and know how to pack lightly.

 

[FLTOURS]

Hi Kimmielee,

I sincerely apologize for the experience you had with FL TOURS.

We do run into situations where a town car is unable to accommodate 4 passengers with large amounts of luggage. The maximum passengers that our town cars can hold really depends on the amount of luggage our clients have. We can usually hold 4 passengers with 2 large bags and 3 small.

I am sorry that you did not get our call. I did call you about the SUV upgrade, but since you were on the cruise it went to your voicemail, so I left a message. The SUV upgrade was complimentary and you should not have been charged extra. I am looking into this now with the driver and will be in contact with you.

Please let me know the best time to call you regarding this. You can send an email to customercare@fltours.com or call me at 407-857-9606.

Sincerely
Moe

 

[rentingspace]

I posted here a few weeks ago on how terrible the limo was. I did reply to FL tours questioner on how they did. I told them after using them for 4 yrs I would not be back after the condition of the limo and tardiness of the driver, etc. I actually have not read a good thing about them lately and suggested to them to read the board they sponser.

 

[rosiep]

After reading nothing but negative reviews of FL Tours on this board I decided to use Sunray....and I wasn't disappointed, they were great!

That said, a company is only as good as the way the handle their customer service. I hope the OP will keep us updated and let us know how FL Tours followed through on their promise to look into the matter....we'll be waiting

 

[Kimmielee]

Hi Kimmielee,

I sincerely apologize for the experience you had with FL TOURS.

We do run into situations where a town car is unable to accommodate 4 passengers with large amounts of luggage. The maximum passengers that our town cars can hold really depends on the amount of luggage our clients have. We can usually hold 4 passengers with 2 large bags and 3 small.

I am sorry that you did not get our call. I did call you about the SUV upgrade, but since you were on the cruise it went to your voicemail, so I left a message. The SUV upgrade was complimentary and you should not have been charged extra. I am looking into this now with the driver and will be in contact with you.

Please let me know the best time to call you regarding this. You can send an email to customercare@fltours.com or call me at 407-857-9606.

Sincerely
Moe

Moe, I truly appreciate your response. I did not have a voice mail from you when I returned to the port. I'm not sure if it didn't go through, but I had 11 voicemails from friends and family that were checking on us due to Hurricane Noel.

Had it been stated to us that yes the car fits 4 but.... luggage could be a problem, I would have upgraded from the start. Most travelers have 2 bags...I do appreciate that it was supposed to be complimentary - but the subsequent company charged me the $80.

Anything you can do would be appreciated. Again, thanks very much for your response.

You can reach me anytime on my cell phone. Let me know if you need the number again. Thanks!

 

[Kimmielee]

First and foremost, Moe stepped up to the plate and once he read the post... researched and found out that there was clearly a miscommunication between FL Tours and the company that they farmed our order out to. He had upgraded us with NO CHARGE but the person from the other company did not check the upgrade carefully. I'm not sure if there was a language barrier, someone got up on the wrong side of the bed that morning or what... but there was not supposed to be any charge for the upgrade to a larger vehicle due to the mishap when we were picked up at the resort and taken to the Port.

Moe has graciously credited my visa with $80 and also offered a wonderful incentive to use his company again. Which, I will in 2008 when we return to WDW.

For Moe at FL Tours: Companies who have great customer support and resolve issues quickly are all we can ask for. Everyone has bad days, miscommunications and employees that don't always do the right thing. I appreciate your position, applaud your resolution and look forward to dealing with your company again. Thank you!

 

[goofy4tink]

Kimmielee...thanks for updating us. It's always nice to see a company step up to the plate, so to speak, and make something right. I can only hope that FL Tours double checks on these situations, where they farm out customers to other companies, to make sure that FL Tours is being represented an a positive manner.
I always say that anyone can provide good service if everything is going along nicely. It's the companies that make bad things right that I want to hear about. Anyone can make a mistake..it's how they handle that mistake that counts.

 

[UrsulasShadow]

Glad to hear that all was made right for you, Kimmielee, and that your trust in the company is restored. Mistakes happen. How those mistakes are handled and how often they recur are truer indications of a company's worth.

 

[theparsons]

I'm glad to hear that your problem was resolved to your satisfaction.

I wondering, though, if you ever got an explanation for the numerous phone calls that were not returned. I know in the post above from FL, they say they left a message but you were already on the cruise....I know from my own experience that cell phones sometimes have a limited number of messages they hold, and they purge older ones as newer ones arrive...and you did say family and friends left lots of messages in worry over the hurricane, so that does explain why you didn't hear that message.

BUT....what about the repeated phone calls you made to them after you arrived back????? Why were those not returned....even if it was after your ride, they still should have called you back. If I'm reading things right you didn't get any response to those until you posted a negative review here.

I'm in total agreement that mistakes happen, people making reservations may not be as knowledgeable as they should have been about capacity (though I would hope that FL has already started training on that issue so it doesn't happen again!).....but I am still leary of a company that doesn't return calls to customers....especially ones that already had a problem.....good PR says you'd want to follow up, but even without a problem all calls should be returned.....and it sounds like days later you were posting here and still hadn't gotten your call returned. Makes me wonder if you ever would have gotten satisfaction if you hadn't posted here. Kinda like those people on the news who have the consumer journalist helping them get a problem solved...some of them you know the only reason it was resolved was because the new reporter was there with his camera......or negatives posted on DIS???

I'm not trying to be difficult...though I know it may read that way.....I just am not sure I want to deal with a company that resolves things with the "squeaky wheel" method. I'd like to know why phone calls aren't returned. Or maybe my question should be why isn't the phone answered, lol....just thought of that....OP would have been getting on the cruise during business hours right? So how come no one was answering the phone in the first place? Could it really be that busy that early in the morning?

Maybe the FL person who posted above could respond to that? I note that they only have a couple of posts to their name, which also surprised me. I would think a sponsor would be on here answering questions a lot.

 

[goofy4tink]

Maybe the FL person who posted above could respond to that? I note that they only have a couple of posts to their name, which also surprised me. I would think a sponsor would be on here answering questions a lot.

You usually won't see a company, even a board sponser, posting a lot. It tends to come across as 'shopping for business'. We try to be very careful about what companies are posting. That goes for board sponsers as well.

 

[rosiep]

Thanks for the update. It's nice to know how a company handles customer complaints Glad this worked out for you.