SOME of these towncar services are REALLY stupid

[mabenoab]

Hi Disney experts!

Been to Disney before and always used Tiffany Towncars and never had a problem, but it has been several years... my transportation dream is to have a nice, sober driver with an excellent driving record meet my happy little family at the airport with a sign in his hands with our name on it. She or He'll help load our bags in the car, maybe make a quickie grocery stop in a nice, safe neighborhood, then take us to the Poly. At the end of our trip, (s)he'll pick us up at our hotel about 3 hours before our flight is due to leave and we'll be safely deposited at the right gate at the airport. And I do want them to be nice & polite on the phone, if not downright friendly...after all, this is my vacation and I don't want any rain on my parade.

Question: does that sound like Southern Elegance or some other great company?...Any recommendations are appreciated.

15 weeks and 23lbs to Disney!
Beth

 

[boomhauer]

Are you taking the discounted ride? I guess you can assume the owner or higher up watches the Disboards.

I'm thinking about it. If he was kind enough to make me the offer, clearly, he does appreciate the business and appreciates his clients.

 

[seashoreCM]

>>> ask if a driver is from Tiffany (or Southern Elegance or Fl. Tours or Acme, etc.) and he will say yes ...

Don't ask a yes-no question. Instead ask what company he is from where he has to fill in the blank off the top of his head. This helps you stay away from gypsies.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

>>> one company has a monopoly in Seattle

What can travelers do about rude service? Telling the company in the complaint letter that a copy is going to the airport authority each time (fad)?

>>> post savior? busy little beaver?

OT: That's me. I see that this thread is in need of debarbing. Please leave out the comments directed only at one person (other than a towncar company) or his grammar to save me the time and effort of removing same.

 

[bavaria]

well, go ahead - I've pretty much given up on that. Next time I'll let Boomhauer call and see what a joy it is....

Pick up TO the airport is usually fine; pick up AT the airport is a nightmare.

I've actually changed my travel patterns as a result

 

[Edd]

The way you take care of the rude car service companies is to not ride with them. A letter to the airport will get no where. The airport is concerned about their passengers and are trying to do everything that makes your trip through the airport pleasant. However, they cannot help you on the treatment given to you by independent car services.

You mentioning the company on the Disboards is pretty effective. I will guarantee it helps the bad companies, by giving them a good swift kick in the butt. There are many owners who watch the disboards for information that will help them or hurt them. So if you have a problem keep mentioning it and it will get taken care of. It would be nice if you got the driver's name and mentioned it here on the boards. Many of the drivers you meet are not employees of that company. They are independent drivers who pick up the rides because most owners don't actually have fleets but sublet your ride for a commission. Because the system is set up where drivers are independent a bad driver can get away with a lot because he owns his own vehicle and only is approached to take rides out and back. The names of bad drivers will get back to the owners and they will not get other rides.

 

[Lewisc]

Sometimes an employee we think is being rude is trying to handle 2 or even 3 phone calls at once. Still no excuse, but there is a difference between an employee being abrupt, fast, business like and being rude. I believe the OP, but sometimes the employee may be rushed more than being rude.

 

[hemispheredancer]

I think I remember the name of the lady who owned TTC...Debbie. Is she no longer the owner? Regardless, we don't need to use them (due to ME) but if I need a car service I would definately call Berkley!

 

[ducklite]

Hi Disney experts!

Been to Disney before and always used Tiffany Towncars and never had a problem, but it has been several years... my transportation dream is to have a nice, sober driver with an excellent driving record meet my happy little family at the airport with a sign in his hands with our name on it. She or He'll help load our bags in the car, maybe make a quickie grocery stop in a nice, safe neighborhood, then take us to the Poly. At the end of our trip, (s)he'll pick us up at our hotel about 3 hours before our flight is due to leave and we'll be safely deposited at the right gate at the airport. And I do want them to be nice & polite on the phone, if not downright friendly...after all, this is my vacation and I don't want any rain on my parade.

Question: does that sound like Southern Elegance or some other great company?...Any recommendations are appreciated.

15 weeks and 23lbs to Disney!
Beth

This is the type of service we've ALWAYS gotten from Lorden Transportation. They are the only company I'll even consider using these days.

Anne

 

[bavaria]

Sometimes an employee we think is being rude is trying to handle 2 or even 3 phone calls at once. Still no excuse, but there is a difference between an employee being abrupt, fast, business like and being rude. I believe the OP, but sometimes the employee may be rushed more than being rude.

I agree with you Lewis, normally I just need 'hello... let me confirm.... rate is xyz.... we will pick you up... .thank you' etc.

But in Seattle it's not just rude, it sounds like rude, undertrained teenagers taking the call (nothing against teenagers, but I don't want a skater dude making my 5am booking and not reconfirming any details, and continually getting the hotel name wrong....)

Edd, here's a story - I once actually did call the taxi commission and told them my experience with a certain pickup from the airport. (I take cabs a lot and it takes a big experience for me to call - a u-turn in the middle of one of the busiest streets in a major city, plus a driver who got lost and tried to charge me $40 for what is normally a $20 trip, and having my luggage thrown into the middle of the road when I wrote down his cab number.....)

The cab driver was suspended by his company and had his airport license revoked; coincidentally the drivers also went on strike the next week, and my story was quoted by the taxi commission in the local media as an example of poor service from taxi drivers.

Again, it would take a LOT for me to go so far as to make that kind of contact again. All I expect is to be picked up, help with my bags, and to be dropped off in a timely fashion. I don't even expect my car service what many here seem to expect....

 

[bavaria]

You mentioning the company on the Disboards is pretty effective. I will guarantee it helps the bad companies, by giving them a good swift kick in the butt.

and word of mouth is a great way to learn about good companies, too.

I mentioned my stellar car service in DC - I found them by word of mouth and won't even consider taking a cab anymore to/from the airport in the DC area.

As an extra warm and fuzzy, when I call to arrange a pick up they answer with my name ('good morning, xyz limo service, how are you this morning, bavaria?') as they must have my cel numbers programmed...

 

[boomhauer]

Sometimes an employee we think is being rude is trying to handle 2 or even 3 phone calls at once. Still no excuse, but there is a difference between an employee being abrupt, fast, business like and being rude. I believe the OP, but sometimes the employee may be rushed more than being rude.

I agree and understand that. I myself have worked in customer service for 10 years and I know more tahn anyone, it can be VERY trying at times.

However, I also know that it is my job to be on the phone and to be as nice as I can be. Have I slipped up before - Absolutely. And I know it, and I'd feel bad right away. I do believe that I have never been rude to a customer who was polite to me. That's what has bothered me about Tiffany in the past. I'm as polite as can be when I call and it always seems the woman who answers the phone is being inconvenienced.

This is a pet peeve of mine:

When a customer calls me and asks how I am, I always say "Good, how are you?" To me, that is a general rule of thumb of politeness. If you call a company, ask how they are, and they don't return asking, it's a bad sign. I know that sounds silly, but it's a good sign of how the call is going to go (at least from what I have experienced.)

 

[mumzie2three]

Boomhauer,

Butting in to say I totally know what you mean. It really sucks to talk to someone in the CS business and they act like you've called their home phone in the middle of the night! You get the impression by the way they talk that they hate their job and the customers too.
In my many CS jobs, I have found it much easier to fake *nice* over the phone than in person, so I have little tolerance when I get angry or sullen reps on the phone.

 

[Ub_Iwerks]

We've had 4-5 different drivers from Tiffany and all have been super. When making the reservation, the woman answering the phone wasn't super friendly, but she wasn't rude. I may have been put on hold, but that's understandable. I'd rather have that happen than call and not get to talk to a real live person. Some of the drivers were more friendly and chatty than others. Berkely was the only one I remember by name and the best one, though we did have a guy who got us through terrible traffic to get to an Elton John concert and he picked us up in the VIP parking. For our upcoming cruise, I will probably use Tiffany but might give Berkely a call too.

 

[SingingMom]

LOVED the service we received from Southern Elegance last June and plan on using them again this June!

 

[lindym]

Yes, Debbie was the owner but is not anymore and has not been for a couple of years. She was very nice to work with. I haved used *********** before and they have been very nice to work with.