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OK, but who is Tony Hinds?

I also wonder if people were letting Tony know about the issues they're having. I highly doubt he's reading a thread on a random message board. Based on past experiences, I feel bad for Tony, it sounds like he's having some kind of business issues. I hope he gets them fixed (even if it means cutting back on how many drivers he can provide).

I agree and disagree.

I do doubt that he is following this thread. (Though perhaps his son might)

But, I wouldn't necessarily call it a random message board. Yes, in the grand scheme of the Internet, it is a random message board. But...this message board is a huge source of business and referrals for him. I would argue this message board is single-handedly responsible (other than the dissolution of DME) for the buildup of his business, considering how much word-of-mouth business has stemmed from this forum.
 
Who else is recommended to use? We will not be using Tony for our next trip and would like to hear recommendations for alternatives.
 
Who else is recommended to use? We will not be using Tony for our next trip and would like to hear recommendations for alternatives.

A few recent posters mentioned panda. I looked them up and they have 5 stars on Google and Facebook. I will probably be going with them.
 
When I booked him and started reading the issues on this thread I emailed him. I basically said there has been a lot of negative chatter about your service from other Disney vacationers and I just want to verify with you that I don't have anything to worry about. He replied back that he would give me a refund if I wanted it. At that point I responded that I was going to keep our plans with him. Then he responded back,
"Ok, thank you.
I will and can only do my best."
That is what made me nervous. Not very reassuring.
 


But...this message board is a huge source of business and referrals for him. I would argue this message board is single-handedly responsible (other than the dissolution of DME) for the buildup of his business, considering how much word-of-mouth business has stemmed from this forum.
Why do you think that? How much of his business has come from this forum? Maybe a couple trips a month (on average)? Think about the hundreds of thousands who visit WDW/Orlando in a given week/month. How many of them are on the Dis? How many of those have used Tony?
 
Why do you think that? How much of his business has come from this forum? Maybe a couple trips a month (on average)? Think about the hundreds of thousands who visit WDW/Orlando in a given week/month. How many of them are on the Dis? How many of those have used Tony?

I don't mean strictly this forum....but like I said word-of-mouth. Meaning...like, we told someone about Tony. Maybe they tell someone about Tony. And so on.

I wouldn't have come across Tony if it weren't for this forum; I am sure many of us here are in the same boat.

The fact that Tony does not show up near the top or at all if you do a search for Orlando transportation....that should say something (in a good way). It's not like these hundreds of thousands of visitors are Googling transportation options and coming across Tony on Yelp or Google Maps or anything like that. The fact that Tony is as busy as he is, is a testament to word-of-mouth business.

And yes, I believe much of that started here on these boards.
 
I don't mean strictly this forum....but like I said word-of-mouth. Meaning...like, we told someone about Tony. Maybe they tell someone about Tony. And so on.

I wouldn't have come across Tony if it weren't for this forum; I am sure many of us here are in the same boat.

The fact that Tony does not show up near the top or at all if you do a search for Orlando transportation....that should say something (in a good way). It's not like these hundreds of thousands of visitors are Googling transportation options and coming across Tony on Yelp or Google Maps or anything like that. The fact that Tony is as busy as he is, is a testament to word-of-mouth business.

And yes, I believe much of that started here on these boards.

I agree with you. I think a lot of his business originated from these boards. He even knew a person on here by her name on the boards when I mentioned her board name. He is very aware of disboards even if he doesn't read them (and I have no idea if he does or not).
 


I found Tony on these boards. And I personally referred three other people to him. I’ve also told them all my story. They’re all still going with him, due to time constraints. One already has and had no issues with her driver.
Obviously the driver we had is still driving, based on recent reports from other people. For that reason, I won’t be using him in the future and I won’t be recommending him to anyone else.
 
Update: He DID honor his original price, so I really appreciate that. Very impressed and happy that he made it right.

I will check in after the trip to let you guys know how it goes.

Yes I think he has very high integrity based on my interactions with him. I think with magical express ending his business got completely out of hand and he had a hard time reigning it back in.
 
And I don't know if I really have the chutzpah to ask Tony not to send the white van or the political driver, after asking him to honor the quote that he gave us. I'm bold, but I'm not that bold.
Why? You are paying for the service. It’s a business transaction. Have every right to make a request. If he cannot guarantee avoidance of said driver, then you also have the right to move on. :confused3 Conversely, you may find he is unable to accommodate you.

Not directed to you, a few general comments here…

people often forget that others are all entitled to have their own personal opinions, including those that veer very far from their particular school of thot.

While many do enjoy civil conversation with those of opposing views, an exchange of ideas of a sort, there is obviously a large contingent that is very fixed in their ways.

Is this appropriate subject matter when you are a captive audience (especially, with perhaps young children you don’t want exposed to specifics)? of course not.

Same as it’s been for the last 50 years…most of us know better than to evenly lightly touch upon politics or religion when conversing to strangers :duck:(including here), as there is so much intolerance these days

Yes I think he has very high integrity based on my interactions with him. I think with magical express ending his business got completely out of hand and he had a hard time reigning it back in.
110%. Additionally, going to guess that (probably more than most businesses), many drivers were/are still hesitant to work in an industry where they are in such close contact in a vehicle. Staffing is still a huge issue everywhere, especially in Orlando.

as the spouse of one who was deemed an essential worker from day one for US defense reasons, I thank all the workers in Orlando (especially those in health, safety & the service industries), for their continued service in a challenging environment.:thumbsup2
 
A few recent posters mentioned panda. I looked them up and they have 5 stars on Google and Facebook. I will probably be going with them.

I just booked Panda (Markus). First time I heard of them was from the poster on this thread and then looked up reviews.
I have them picking us up at GFVs with a rear facing car seat and taking us to MCO.

I would have booked roundtrip but wanted a limo from MCO - GFVs. I used FLTours for the limo.

My trip is in October.
 
I've seen so many good reviews on here about Tony's transportation services so I went ahead and emailed him for our trip. He replied really promptly and I thought the price was reasonable ($210 for MCO to POR, POR to Endless Summer, Endless Summer to MCO) so I'm ready to go ahead and book.

But I know DH and he's going to think I've lost my mind when I tell him I just booked transportation with some random dude from the internet, lol. So give me the lowdown on Tony so I don't look like a crazy person. What's his story? How did y'all find out about him?
We have used Tony for the past 15 years. We typically go 2 to 4 times a year. We just returned yesterday from a trip over Labor Day. He has a couple other drivers and we have had them, too. They are always polite. Tony is amazing to us. Always there. Not an issue at all. Hope this helps.
 
I agree with you. I think a lot of his business originated from these boards. He even knew a person on here by her name on the boards when I mentioned her board name. He is very aware of disboards even if he doesn't read them (and I have no idea if he does or not).
He does not read the boards but is aware of them. I just had this discussion with him yesterday when he took us from POFQ to the airport.
 
As someone who booked with Tony because of this board, I feel I should report that we just returned from Orlando, where Tony and his driver reconfirmed the night before, showed up promptly, helped us with luggage, drove safely, and generally were 100% reliable.



Yes, we were surprised that the driver to the airport bluntly voiced some mild political opinions that do not agree with mine, but it was actually kind of interesting, and it certainly did not compare to a terrifying ride we took years ago when a driver from Newark Airport spent the trip home telling us how much he loved the Ayatollah Khomeini. Now THAT was a company we never used again.
 
Tony doesn't have a website or office staff. He prefers cash. His prices are a few dollars less then most.

Mears has higher overhead. Their prices are a few dollars more then most.

Some of the low ball compamies charge for car seats, grocery stops, credit cards...
To give you a rough idea, MCO to POR, POR to Endless Summer, Endless Summer to MCO over the course of 8 days for a family of 5 + luggage was quoted at $210. Considering the fare for us on Sunshine Flyer to and from MCO was going to be over $150 and it wouldn't be door-to-door direct and we'd still need to add in the Uber for POR to Endless Summer, I think it's an absolutely fair price.
on Top of that how much of a tip do you pay ?
 
I contacted him 9/13/22. Quote for RT Mco to Riverside is $180.00 You must pay in advance. He sent a link to use to pay. I asked and its Refundable if cancelled more than 24 hours in advance. There is no pay at pick up option anymore.
 
I contacted him 9/13/22. Quote for RT Mco to Riverside is $180.00 You must pay in advance. He sent a link to use to pay. I asked and its Refundable if cancelled more than 24 hours in advance. There is no pay at pick up option anymore.
Did you book via his website or contact him via email/text message?
 
Did you book via his website or contact him via email/text message?
I am not aware of a website. I emailed him and he sent a link to a payment site. I have not booked. I asked if he had a website and he did not say he had one.
 

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