My two cents on how to avoid Towncar Company problems

[crzy4dsny]

After reading tons of reviews here on the DIS, and using towncar companies numerous times, I have come up with a little plan that I follow to help reduce the chances of mistakes. I figured I would post it so here so that maybe it could help others. It's nothing elaborate, I am not a travel expert, it's just some basic stuff I do before our trips.

-When making your reservation get an e-mail confirmation with all the info. Arrival date & time, flight number, and destination should be included.

-Make sure when booking you know what methods of payment your company will accept.

-Ask if there are any additional fees not included in the price quote. Such as tolls, airport fees, or Magic Kingdom Resort entrance fees.

-One week before you travel call the company on the phone to confirm your reservation. Have them tell you all aspects of your arrangement. Price, date, flight number, pick-up time, pick-up location, and destination. Make sure they have all the info correct. Also confirm where the driver will meet you.

-The day before you travel call them back again. Have them tell you all the same information again, just to make sure it is correct and they have not forgotten about you.

-On the travel day have the phone number of the company with you so if needed you can contact them. Before you are dropped off at your destination discuss your return trip with the driver. He may or may not be the one taking you back. In almost all of my trips I have had the same driver both ways. If he is going to be the return driver make sure he has the proper return information. See if he has a business card with his phone number on it that he could give you. Some drivers do and some don't.

-Call the company the day before your return to the airport. Have them give you all the information on the reservation, again making sure everything is right.

I think by following these simple steps some problems could be avoided. We have traveled with a lot of people on numerous occasions, so I have been responsible for 12 to 17 people getting to where we need to go. I don't want to be the one everyone is staring at when we are standing at the airport with no transporation.

 

[CarolA]

I guess this works,. but I like my system better

Rent a car... avoid the Towncar hassle

I don't do towncars just because of all this... I perfer to be in control, but that's just me!

 

[bavaria]

I guess this works,. but I like my system better

Rent a car... avoid the Towncar hassle

I was actually thinking - boy, what a lot of work! Like Carol, I usually rent a car for business and leisure trips but very rarely take a towncar in a variety of locations/cities/states. I make a call to the towncar company, and that's it. Car arrives, I get inside, car drives away.

Never fails.

But to each their own - I just don't have that much time to waste on follow up when there is usually a backup source of transportation available (ie taxis spring to mind)

 

[seashoreCM]

May I add an item to the checklist:

"Don't pay the driver for any unexpected charges."

You can negotiate an extra charge for an extra perk you wanted to add on the spot, but all the charges for the original service should have been understood in advance.

 

[Edd]

Grumpy,

I agree with you. It really isn't all that much work, because most of the information is passed on in the first e-mails. Carrying the cell is a great idea because you can give the driver a call when you land. That helps a driver greatly because he can start looking for you coming down the escalator. There are many passengers who call the driver back the day before they leave for home. That is good just to re-establish contact and re-confirm everything.

Seashore, said it, don't pay a driver anymore than you contracted for. Of course the gratuity and if you were going to give one.

 

[kaytieeldr]

In all reasonableness though, Edd, the client shouldn't be expected to alert the driver that they're progressing through the terminal, approaching the escalator, on the escalator, etc. I think when the OP suggested having the town car company's phone number it was in case the driver ISN'T where he/she is supposed to be. Think about it - no company is going to give out individual drivers' phone numbers in advance, so the client would have to call the service, then the service call the driver, then the driver call the customer? Nope. No way.

 

[Edd]

You are right, Ronda. A customer shouldn't have to call the driver. Especially when you are dealing with a company and a driver you don't know who is going to take care of you. There are some passengers that deal directly with the drivers and that is evolving as the way to go. You know there are web sites that get you to the driver including phone numbers, information about the driver, etc, and you deal with him from the time you plan your vacation to departing Orlando. I refer to those companies when I made my statement.

 

[SeaSpray]

We've used a towncar company (we usually use their stretch limos though) for every one of our trips and have never had any problems. For the most part I agree with crzy4dsny's suggestions, they really are NOT a lot of work. No more work than confirming a car rental reservation.

Here's exactly what I do:

As soon as I know our travel dates I call both (we use a limo here at home to get to and from the airport, as well as in Orlando) companies and book the vehicles. From my Orlando company I get a confirmation number and jot it down. Here locally, the owner knows us by now and we don't need a confirmation number.

Two weeks before the trip as I'm confirming all other reservations anyway, I include a couple of quick phone calls to each of my limo companies.

That's it. I don't call again for the return trips, however while on the first leg of the trip I verbally reconfirm our return plans with the driver. So far they've always had the info with them on a sheet of paper or clipboard and been able to recite back to me our return plans.

I DO however keep business cards of the limo companies with me, in case I need to change the times of our return trips. Or, like the case back in 2004 when our 7-night Disney cruise turned into a 10-night hurricane Disney cruise, I called and let them know we would not be returning on the expected dates.

It really is quite simple.

 

[maine_jennifer]

If it's the first time you're using a company and you're a bit uncertain, then yes, you may want to reconfirm it several times.

But personally, I just think it all depends on the company you're dealing with because I just don't bother with that. When I know my flights and hotel, I make my reservation online. I get an e-mail with the conf number and my details. Most of the time, at some point between when I make my reservation and when I travel, SOMETHING changes. That's just my karma. Either I change my hotel, flight times/numbers get changed, whatever. I e-mail them the changes, they e-mail they got them. They are waiting for me when I arrive at the airport and we reconfirm everything when we arrive at the resort. That's it.

We all have choices... Some people rent a car. Others use DME. (Something that scares the heck out of me but that's their choice. Isn't it great we all get to make our own choices. ) Mine is to use a towncar service. I think if you choose the towncar option, you just need to find a company you're comfortable with. I've used the same company for 7 trips for over 2 years, consisting of 8 r/t MCO transfers, 4 r/t attraction transfers, 1-way DCL to HRH, and one WDW to Dolphin transfer. That's 22 transfers and they have ALWAYS been waiting for me exactly where and when. Whether my flight arrived over 30 minutes or 45 minutes late, we were running 40 minutes late at Discovery Cove, or if even when I had a 5am pick up to go home, they've always been there. I keep the number programmed into my cell, but that's about it. I don't put much thought or effort into. I can't afford to waste any more brain cells.

 

[kaytieeldr]

You know there are web sites that get you to the driver including phone numbers, information about the driver, etc, and you deal with him from the time you plan your vacation to departing Orlando. I refer to those companies when I made my statement.

No, I didn't! Now, you know I'm going to stick with DME but that's good information to file away for the future. Thanks, Edd!

 

[kaytieeldr]

Others use DME. (Something that scares the heck out of me but that's their choice. Isn't it great we all get to make our own choices. )

Okay, I swear I'm not going to try to talk you into using DME, and I'm not going to refute or argue with anything you respond to this, but... what is there about DME that scares you so much? If you want to PM me instead, that's fine - and I promise the ONLY response I will send you will be a 'thank you'.

 

[bavaria]

Okay, I swear I'm not going to try to talk you into using DME, and I'm not going to refute or argue with anything you respond to this, but... what is there about DME that scares you so much? If you want to PM me instead, that's fine - and I promise the ONLY response I will send you will be a 'thank you'.

From my perspective, DME means a loss of control. I can't control my luggage, the time it takes me to get to the resort, the route taken, or my seats.

While DME is a great option for many, it is not for everyone. Some travellers like to rest their brain on vacation and not drive; others like to have the freedom of a car. I know that driving in an unknown area can be very frightening for some people; others think nothing of it.

We all have different motivators. I am comfortable and confident enough to want to rent a car and control my own destiny when I can. That works for me - it won't work for others, or they would dispute my statement.

There is no 'right' or 'wrong' with the DME choice - just what works for an individual.

 

[bavaria]

That's 22 transfers and they have ALWAYS been waiting for me exactly where and when

similar to my experience I noted above, albeit not in Orlando but other cities.

I think that like anything, we will see more negative than positive reviews here. How boring it would be if everyone with a good experience started a post saying 'DME picked me up on time, it took 45 minutes to my resort, and my luggage arrived 2 hours later' or 'I left the terminal; XYZ car was waiting and we got to our resort 30 minutes later' WOO HOO exciting reading

The reality is that there are highly successful town car transactions going on every day all over North America; we usually hear about the poor ones here.

While it's fine to check and double check, if that's not your style chances are that you will still have a perfectly fine towncar experience....

 

[CarolA]

We've used a towncar company (we usually use their stretch limos though) for every one of our trips and have never had any problems. For the most part I agree with crzy4dsny's suggestions, they really are NOT a lot of work. No more work than confirming a car rental reservation.

.

It really is quite simple.

Well, I have never confirmed a car rental reservation. I make it, I get on the Hertz bus, I get off and walk to my car and drive off.....

If I am feeling brave I might rent National, walk out get in car and drive off.. (My last experience with them has them to the it better be a LOT cheaper or I am not bothering stage.)

 

[bavaria]

In the days of the internet I don't bother to reconfirm much anymore. I just check my flight online, check my seats under 'my itineraries', and arm myself with email confirmations.

With the amount of travel I do I would spend about an hour a day reconfirming everything - no time for that...

 

[seashoreCM]

With the amount of travel I do I would spend about an hour a day reconfirming everything - no time for that...

FOr your business travel, your company would take care of problems with transportation, lodging, etc. including suggesting what companies and facilities to use or not use.

 

[bavaria]

FOr your business travel, your company would take care of problems with transportation, lodging, etc. including suggesting what companies and facilities to use or not use.

No, sorry - that's not the case, nor is it the case for most consultants and many business travellers. Travel agents and travel planners are becoming a thing of the past thanks to the internet. Believe it or not, many business travellers book their own travel.

Yes, there are recommendations/requirements to use certain travel providers, but please do not assume that we all use travel agents or planners.

 

[seashoreCM]

. Believe it or not, many business travellers book their own travel.

Yes, there are recommendations/requirements to use certain travel providers, but please do not assume that we all use travel agents or planners.

But the company will still pay for what it takes to complete the trip, pursuing refunds where appropriate.

 

[bavaria]

But the company will still pay for the trip, pursuing refunds where appropriate.

Nope, I manage my own travel expenses too. I work for a major international company - we all manage our own travel and our own expenses, even high up the food chain.

 

[maine_jennifer]

Okay, I swear I'm not going to try to talk you into using DME, and I'm not going to refute or argue with anything you respond to this, but... what is there about DME that scares you so much?

What scares me about DME? Hmmm... good question. I think I can sum it up in one easy phrase - the unknown vs. the known.

With DME:

* Maybe I'll receive my luggage tags before I leave.
* Maybe I'll receive my luggage tags with the correct information.
* Maybe I'll have to wait in line to check-in.
* Maybe I'll have to wait for a bus.
* Maybe I'll have to wait for more people to get on the bus.
* Maybe I'll have to stop at other resorts before my own.
* I will have to wait for my luggage unless I want to deal with it on my own.

I don't want to start my vacation with maybes. Some people have great experiences with DME, and I'm happy for them. Honestly. But besides the maybes, there are still enough people who have problems, (some minor, some major) that I don't want to take that chance of something going wrong on my vacation. I've been using the same tonwcar service for over 2 years - since before DME. In that time, they've earned my loyalty. With them, I just 'know'.

* I know when I get off the airplane, they will be there waiting for me whether my flight is late or early or on time.
* I know they will be right at the bottom of the escalator.
* I know they will help me with my luggage.
* I know the vehicles will be extremely clean and comfortable.
* I know I will feel safe with them, even when traveling alone.
* I know when I am required to go home, they will be outside waiting to take me back to the airport. Even at 5am!!
* I know I will always - always - get the same excellent service I've had in the past.

It's that sense of 'knowing', that peace of mind, that keeps me from using anything else. Like I said before... this is my opinion. This is what's best for me. There are many ways to get from MCO to WDW and we each make our own choices. What's best for me isn't what's best for someone else. All I can do is share my experiences in a constructive manner and let other's decide for themselves what's best for them.

In the end, to me at least, DME is vanilla... the towncar service I use is chocolate!