Ok, 5 minutes. There in 3. Cars are typical gypsy cab schwag-mobiles but they always show up and get me safely where I'm going.

Do yourself a favor and DO NOT CALL THIS COMPANY for car service anymore. They no longer care. I have been trying to work with them after a referral but I can't talk with another incredibly rude dispatcher and act like it's okay. Whatever happened to good customer service? Last time I checked I am paying you to pickup an elderly women helping to chapperone her grandson to Kindergarten. You would think a company would respect a REPEAT CUSTOMER. But, No! I call and try to schedule a pickup only to be chastised by an incredibly rude man who could care less about assisting a grandmother to get her grandson to school on time. I hope more people realize how far this company has fallen in service and call a different company that actually respects the customer. Just sad! read more

Arecibo is my go-to neighborhood car service (except on New Year's Eve... don't bother calling on New Year's Eve.) I've never paid more than $35 and these people have taken me everywhere. The cars are almost always clean (albeit random... aside from the standard sedan, I've been driven around in a little sporty 4-door and a Lincoln Navigator), the drivers are very nice and knowledgable. read more

Well, this was my first time using a car service to take me to the airport. My flight was at 6:20am and taking the Metro wouldn't have been ideal. I called about 2 hours before my flight and the guy was there in time to pick me up by 5am. He waited outside until I came out the door and helped put my carry-on into the trunk. He was quite for a while, but b/c I was telling him about it being my first trip to NYC he seemed interested and friendly enough to talk about my experience. I now know what they mean by a New York minute b/c he was flying down the highway. He probably got me to La Guardia in only 15-20 minutes when it should take at least 30 minutes from where I was in Brooklyn. Hey, at least I made it there safely and quickly...only to be delayed due to Delta's systems running slow. I would definitely use them again. read more

Not answering the phone for minutes at a time is not just a New Year's event but happens quite often. With Legends or Eastern they pick up the phone and are cordial when they speak with the customer. They will get my business. read more

WARNING: Don't use Arecibo if concerned about Safety. DANGER We used to use them regularly. This morning at 6:30 a.m. Arecibo car picked up my wife to take her to work. She has an injured foot, so for the past five days has taken an Arecibo car, for $13 from Boerum Hill to Lower Manhattan. Today the driver wants $25. When she protests, he drops her off, in the dark before dawn, in the rain, with a sprained ankle on the corner of 3rd Avenue. read more

It's not the price that matters it's the service. I missed my flight waiting for their 5 minute stories. THIs taxi company should only be used when your not in hurry. UBER IS THE ONLY COMPANY I CAN EVER RELY ON. read more

I scheduled a cab the night before. In the morning they were late so I called the service..."ok 2 mins, bye", says dispatch. The cab never came. Thanks, Arecibo. Dependable you are not. read more

I'm very annoyed. They're very unprofessional. They are always late; this time I called, they said 5 minutes. I waited. And waited. Called them, got put on hold. Told me that someone was coming in 2 minutes (10 minutes after they said the car would be there). Waited longer. Half an hour later, they still have me on hold and won't talk to me. I flagged down a NY Limo and Car service guy, and he got me there. I will never call Arecibo again. read more

I have used arecibo for years. Recently drivers have been charging different and excessive amount for the same route. I'm incredibly disappointed. read more

Just called three times. Put on hold each time and had twice when the dispatch hung up for whatever reason. Probably took 20 minutes to get a car and I heard these guys were supposed to be the best in the neighborhood! read more

This place is only called upon desperation due to their inaccurate wait times and extremely rude service. I had the last driver Rene P. tell me to not slam the door after I got in because that door cost a thousand dollars. Are you kidding me?! Half the time, it would have been faster to have taken the train anyway. read more

I used to love Arecibo, but in the past few months they've repeatedly claimed they would send a car, which never came. I've also had instances where a car has arrived early at my door. I'd call the dispatcher to ask if the car could wait a couple minutes while I got my things together. The dispatcher would give an ok, and then when I arrived the car would be gone. This has happened yet again just recently. I called back several times and got no answer. Only when I called with my caller ID blocked did I get an answer and the dispatcher said he'd send another car in a few minutes. The car never arrived. I should also point out that I'm really polite on the phone and am not used to this kind of poor service. read more

I waited 45 minutes for a car yesterday, sitting outside with my cat on our way to the vet. When I called to tell them no car had showed, they told me a car had come and no one had been outside. Impossible: I'd placed the initial call from the stoop. "Okay, five minutes." Fifteen minutes later, I called again to do them the favor of letting them know I was calling someone else, but they immediately put me on hold. Finally someone came on the line and said "He's right around the corner." Ten torturous minutes later, the car finally came. Then they charged me $15 to go from Clinton Hill to Atlantic and Bond. Myrtle car service charges that much to go into Manhattan! I know *all* car services are unreliable, overpriced, and shady, but this one is officially deleted from my phone. read more

Very cheap but you get what you pay for. Cars routinely don't show up, dispatchers lie to you or are incompetent or both. Use Heights Car Service or uber or even taxis instead. Hell, take a citibike. You'll get there faster. read more

I can never get them when I need them. Line is always busy and that is really frustrating so however highly starred, they may be # 1 in your heart but not mine. read more

The worst car service ever! They took a 1/2 hour to show up. When the car arived it was missing the front grill and the interior was dirty. During the ride 15 min ride the driver had the CB blairing. I would never recomendathis car service! read more

They are awful. Rude, annoying. When I called to get a car to the airport for a future time - the guy hung up on me and told me to all 10 minutes before. I ended up taking a cab. One other time, desperate, and without the # of another service I took them. $15 more bucks than a yellow cab to LGA, charged more for credit card w/out telling me, and couldn't give me a receipt. When I called to get it faxed - they told me to pick it up. Never again will they get my business. Too many other car services in Brooklyn. read more

I've used Arecibo for years and they are getting worse and worse. They used to be so fast: answering the phone, giving prices, and getting a car there in 5 minutes. Each of those steps has been taking more and more time, and after today, I'll never use them again. We waited 30 minutes for a car, and had to wait on the phone 5 minutes listening to their music each time I called to see where they were. Ridiculous. I kept getting "two minutes...two minutes." While waiting I stood on the street and managed to hail a rare yellow cab in my neighborhood. Not worth the stress when trying to get to the airport on time!!! Sorry Arecibo, after five years, you're not the car service I fell in love with. I'm breaking up with you. read more

Worst car service out there. I've been giving them "second chances" for years, but after my last experience I'm done. Called Monday morning at 10 AM to reserve a car for Wednesday @ 7 AM to take me to LaGuardia airport. The female diapatcher swore to me up, down, and sideways that the reservation was made and confirmed. I called Tuesday evening at 9 PM just to make sure, and was again sworn to that the reservation was confirmed. At 7:15 Wednesday morning I called wondering where my car was and was put on hold for 10 minutes only to be told that no car was reserved, and they didn't know why I was told my car was confirmed on Monday since they don't do reservations more than 24 hours in advance. The dispatcher was incredibly rude and condescending when he was speaking to me, though he did eventually send another car. I told him I needed a car that accepted American Express. The driver he sent had no idea that I needed to pay by credit card--the dispatcher never told him, so I had to call dispatch to pay by credit card. After both myself and the driver were berated by the dispatcher, and after my driver rushed to my defense, telling the dispatcher that because of their mistake I was now running late for my flight and can the dispatcher please stop arguing with him in front of a customer while the driver was on said customer's cell phone, and please just run the damn card, the dispatcher finally ran my AmEx. The whole experience was frustrating and disheartening, especially since I used to recommend them all the time to clients. I think the biggest thing that rubbed me the wrong way was that the dispatcher insinuated that I was a liar and then told me I had obviously never called to confirm the car. When I asked to speak with a supervisor, I was told that there wasn't one in and they wouldn't be there for over an hour. The ONLY reason they get 2 stars is because of the amazing driver they sent. He listened to me complain about the dispatcher and commiserated with me, and rushed to my defense when the dispatcher berated me for wanting to use a credit card. As I told the driver, I feel badly for him having to work for such an awful company. Will never use again. read more

I had a TERRIBLE experience with Arecibo. I needed to get somewhere in a hurry so I called them seeing some good reviews on here. The car took forever to arrive, but the worst part was my driver. He seemed extremely old and slow and out of it and didn't know north from south. He didn't know how to get to Williamsburg so I had to give him directions and told him to take Vanderbilt but then he kept asking me "are you sure? Vanderbilt? which way?" I literally had to repeat "go NORTH on Vanderbilt" several times. ugh. i will give them a second chance another time, but for now...be warned. read more

Ya know, they used to be good, great even. Now three times in a row their "seven minutes" has turned into 15 to 20. This last time, I missed a ferry which cost me 3.5 hours until the next one. Going with Myrtle from now on so long as they're good. As near as I can tell, they give priority to airport runs. So if you're gonna catch a flight, maybe try them. Although it would make a nice referendum if you chose a different company....they're supposed to be a car *service*. Aricebo, if you want my $$$ for airport runs, you need to show up for shorter trips too. read more

I use car services frequently and extensively in my travels through Brooklyn (and beyond) and this was by far my worse experience. First the driver decided to dial "his country" at the same time he was driving. He was actually dialing and looking at his address book WHILE he was driving. When I asked him to please put the phone away and concentrate because it was making me nervous, he said "Oh sorry. I dialing my country." So he completed his call and for the rest of ride talked on his hand-held cell phone - no hands free device! Clearly, my comfort and concern was of no care to him - eventhough I was paying him! When I called the offices to complain about his behavior, I was brushed off and told by the operator that he didn't have time to take complaints. He told me to speak to the secretary (who conveniently wasn't there). So I asked for her name and he said, "134." I said, "her name is 134?" He replied, "Yes." and ended the call. Now I don't know why Arecibo failed so miserably on both ends of their operation, but I wouldn't waste my time again giving them a second chance. Hopefully, they get their act together. In the meantime, STAY CLEAR! Especially, since there are so many more better, cheaper companies with safe, reliable and friendly service. read more

They are the worst service, you never know if they are coming to pick you up, they tell you they will and then they don't answer the phone, they are useless. read more

I'm only giving two stars vs. one, because the dispatcher that I made the reservation with was really great (believe his name is Andres). Made a reservation a few weeks in advance for VIP clients of ours to be taken to and from a venue. Called a few different times leading up to the event, because I read poor reviews online and wanted to make sure that my reservation was all set and that dispatcher knew the importance of this. Our first reservation of the day was OK. The car they sent for a group of six was a small SUV, but luckily we only had four people going to the event, so it wasn't too much of an issue. But don't let them fool you with "luxury SUVs" on their website. This was a Toyota Highlander. Anyway, driver showed up on time, was friendly, and got us to our destination. Now for the second reservation of the day. We specifically requested a large SUV to show up by 3:30PM and was guaranteed that it would be at a specific street at that time to pick up our party of six. Well, 3:30 came and went and there was no car service there for us. Called Arecibo and the dispatcher said "there was no reservation for that time" and then when I gave the confirmation number said "oh I see the reservation, but we couldn't get anyone to head out that way." EXCUSE ME? Didn't realize that your drivers could decline business if they didn't feel like honoring a reservation. When I questioned the dispatcher on why nobody called to tell us this, he mumbled "sorry, sorry" and then HUNG UP THE PHONE ON ME. Evasiveness when you know you're in the wrong is not the way to handle this type of situation. I called Arecibo back and said "It seems like we lost our connection. Can you look into this reservation for me?" This time, the dispatcher (not sure if it was the same one or not) told me that he works the 3PM-11PM shift and I would have to inquire about this reservation with the person I made it with in the morning. He also said he could POSSIBLY dispatch a minivan to fit our party of six. Not at all what we were looking for, especially since we had a couple people in our group that are taller than 6'. Furthermore, it was already half an hour after the reservation at this point, so I told the dispatcher I would call back after I talked to the rest of my party. The reason why we made this reservation to begin with vs. booking an Uber was because we assumed the demand for Ubers after our event would be high and we didn't want to risk not having a ride. Also, we needed a driver who would be able to wait anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour (paid, of course) since the end time of our event was not known. Long story short (or long story long at this point), we ended up booking and Uber and contacting the Uber driver to see if he could start our ride early and wait for us. He ended up waiting for us for an hour plus and was amazingly friendly, professional, and patient! And even though the Uber ended up costing us upwards of $200, we were more than willing to pay for reliability and good service. That's what Arecibo seemed to miss with all of this. Being that this was a corporate event, money wasn't an issue, but reliability was. So glad our plan B worked well for us. Arecibo could learn a thing or two from Uber. read more

I've used Arecibo before and never had a problem until last night (3/19/16). Called a car to take us home from dinner, got in the car, and found an open, half-empty bottle of Heineken next to the driver. As the driver (who was the rudest man I have EVER encountered) continued driving, it became very clear that he was not at all sober. Never have I ever been in a car with a drunk driver and never do I want to again. Needless to say, I will NEVER be using this car service again and am happy that I and my friends all made it home safely last night. read more

I used Arecibo for years. I have just eliminated them from my cell phone, though. They left me waiting for 70 MINUTES (not 5) in front of the Fairway in Red Hook, in 28 degree weather. It was difficult to get them on the phone, and when I did finally manage to reach them, they did not even apologize. They are very sloppy and have failed me and my friends far too many times in the past. Here are some other car services operating in Brooklyn: 7th Avenue Car Service (718) 965-1616 (they will call you when the car is outside!) Blue Car (877) 800-2583 (they will call you too!) Pacific Car Service (800) 656-0577 ... these folks have not failed me yet. read more

I've always had good luck with Arecibo, and they've come highly recommended by a friend of mine in Park Slope.

My love for Arecibo is irrational. I've been burned a couple of times (phone ringing off the hook for minutes upon minutes) (car not showing up to take me to the airport for my honeymoon), but I've also been saved time and time again (car showing up the instant I hung up the phone at LaGuardia) (surburban-sized car showing up when my bike broke down in Park Slope with five bags of groceries--the driver helped me load in the bike!). As far as I'm concerned, NYC taxis, you can keep on refusing to drive into Brooklyn. Because I've got all the livery cab I need right here. read more

Always really liked this car service but have been constantly disappointed over the last few months - from clueless drivers who act like they just learned how to drive a car to very rude dispatchers (asked one question about a fare estimate to NJ that was not listed on their site and was hung up on). Choose a different company - you'll regret using these jerks. read more

Why is it that an entrepreneur has yet to start a car service in Brooklyn that meets these simple criteria: 1) A person actaully answers the phone when you call! 2) The cars actually show up! 3) The riders speak English and know where they're going! Never use Arecebo Car Service. It's one of the worst out there. Promenade and Eastern come close. How about this for some ideas: 1) an app that allows you to reserve cars (with saved locations like "home", "work", or "friend's house") with an easy, one-click reservation system 2) ability to link your credit card to the app so you don't have to pay cash, because who the f*ck carries cash in 2013??? 3) GPS tracking devices on the car so you know where the cars are in relation to you and their ETA 4) seat belts that actually work (because I don't want to die on my way back from dinner at Pok Pok in bumble f*ck Red Hook) 5) some sort of light indicator to identify the cars as livery cabs. The faded stickers on the sides of the cars are not cutting it! How is anyone supposed to tell the difference between a livery cab and a regular Lincoln?? 6) A digital mapping system built into car that dynamically displays standarized pricing based on destination and origin. Each livery cab has their own pricing, but why not display it somewhere?! Why do I have to ask the call center how much it's going to cost to get from point A to B? There should be standards like in Hoboken where it's $5 anywhere in that city. Maybe it's $5 within one neighborhood, $10 to another, etc. 7) a limit to the number of times a driver can honk in one night. I'm sick of these f*cking drivers sitting out in the street lazily honking to alert the passnger that they're waiting. An app with a simple notification system would solve this. 8) training for the drivers to improve: basic driving skills (like proper braking, stopping when the light is yellow), english skills (at least the basics like "where would you like to go, Sir?" or "How are you tonight, Ma'am?", navigational skills (so they actually know where Brooklyn is!), manners, and how about some basic hygiene while we're at it (I'm sick of having the urge to take two showers every time I get out of one of your cars) Is it that difficult?! Come on Brooklyn, this is 2013. Let's figure this stuff out. I don't have time to deal with this crap anymore. We're all adults. Get it together. read more

Arecibo is the best!!! Each ride seems to be enjoyable and memorable in it's own way. The best part is that it always takes "5 minutes" for the car to come... read more

Calling during the day is great. When you want a car at night, good luck getting someone to answer the phone. When someone finally did answer, I was immediately disconnected. I called all 3 of the numbers they have listed. How is it that this place is so trusted, but I can't get someone on the line? I might be better off with a street hail. This is ridiculous. As I type this review, I'm still on hold. Why? read more

These guys are my go to car service. The wait is never too long and the prices are fair (even back when gas prices were almost touching 5 bucks a gallon). My one and only complaint would be drivers who don't know the fastest route to Red Hook. But that's alright. At the time of night I usually take 'em I'm down for the scenic route... read more

The last 2 times I have used Arecibo I have been disappointed - while they have one of the cheapest fares to JFK/LGA they have been really late recently - this time 1 hour even after calling 2X. If you do use them and they are any more than 5 mins late - start calling and give them your phone number (again) so they don't have excuses like we waited too long or there was a garbage truck on your street - lame excuses when I was standing outside waiting. And more and more drivers w/private vehicles so it's hard to distinguish them - today was a white mid-size car, not a towncar. read more

Although the dispatcher I called was extremely rude (telling me that I "didn't know where I was" when I had given him the exact address and cross streets) my driver could not have been more polite, didn't drive like a maniac and showed up in a timely fashion. read more

Super fast arrival within 5 minutes after you call. Reliable, courteous drivers. They even offer baby and toddler seats for no extra charge, which is nice when you compare it to how expensive UBER Family can get. Very competitive prices. They'll pick you up at the airport and take you home too. Great business, never had an issue. read more

Horrible horrible horrible interaction. And this is before even getting the service. I'm so frustrated right now it's ridiculous.Took him forever to get it together. Could not give me a full amount. Kept saying rate & tolls. Putting me on hold. Having a conversation with everyone around him. Ok give me the full amount. I don't think he knew what he was doing. Asked to speak to a manager. Said he was the manager. Umm....you wanted to get on the turnpike to the goethals bridge when I live an exit away from the outerbridge??? The clincher was when he wanted me to pay the tolls for him to get into jersey for pick up. Ummm think not. All other places wanted the tolls once the passengers were riding in the vehicle. So Arecibo you just lost out on $300+ cause your employee is clueless. read more

The only car service I use. The only one I need! Completely dependable in my experience. They always answer the phone (not every place does), they give an estimated time of arrival that's short & accurate, they get you there. Next time you call, they read back to you the address from the last time you used them & ask if you're there. That's a little creepy, but I guess it speaks to good record-keeping & maybe it could save you a few seconds of time if you always have them picking you up from them same place. read more

Arecibo is a good car service. I usually walk over to the base to request a car. They dudes behind the counter aren't friendly, but I think that they are busy booking reservations. Anyway, the wait for a car is longer than Lyft but that's because they are a local car service and not a giant corporation valued at 27 billion dollars. I've had crummy Lyft rides and it's far more expensive than Arecibo. I like to use cash and they accept it. Win! I'm going to call a car from my home later today. I'll update my review if the experience is unsatisfactory. read more