DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY!--They almost ruined our son's wedding!
We hired this livery company for our son's wedding in downtown Chicago June 24, 2017. We wanted a comfortable, stylish, and enjoyable experience for 30 valued guests. We also needed a separate large, "up-scale" SUV to transport the groom's party to the venue earlier that day. These seemed like typical and reasonable requests of a livery company, but this company distorted our concepts into a nightmare.
We researched livery companies on the internet and settled on this firm based on its reviews. We made our first email inquiry in May. They responded with a quote of $295 for each leg of the trip in a minibus. We next called the company about 2 weeks prior to the wedding to firm up details. I spent about an hour on the phone explaining all our needs and visions, and they said I would receive a follow-up email specifying all options and photos of the vehicles. But the email we received 2 days later was simply a repeat of the quote of $295 per leg for a minibus. I called "Donna", who said she was the manager, and I had to repeat my whole story. She quoted me a price of $350 per leg in the minibus. I told her we had been quoted $295 per leg on two separate occasions, and in writing. Donna simply said that was a mistake, made by a "new person" and she stuck to the new, higher price. By now I was having doubts, but the wedding was rapidly approaching, and we said OK. She also indicated there was a "mandatory" 15% gratuity, which is not at all what "gratuity" means, but at this point I knew quibbling would be of no use. Donna then wanted a deposit for $170, which I gave on a credit card. We never once discussed cash payments.
Three days prior to the wedding I called Donna to confirm pick-up and ensure that all would go smoothly. I emphasized I wanted this to run perfectly and seamlessly for the guests, and to be "elegant" in all respects. She confirmed and said to just pay the driver when he showed up at the venue. Again, there was NO MENTION of cash.
On the BIG DAY, the minibus arrived at the previously planned location, but once all the guests were seated the driver asked for payment and demanded cash. No one from the wedding party was on this bus, so no one was expecting to pay anything. But the driver was steadfast that the bus would not move until he got paid, $500 in cash. A guest finally stepped up and engaged the driver in a discussion that soon turned into a loud argument heard by all the passengers. This guest finally called someone who represented himself as "the owner" of the company, who also demanded cash payment, and by all accounts the argument got even loader. Still the bus wasn't moving and the passengers were being held hostage. I was never called by the company, even though they clearly had my phone number and credit card information. Somehow, by offering his credit card and other entreaties, the guest convinced the driver he would be paid at the venue and the bus finally moved off and arrived safely at the venue. Now I got involved, even though my presence was required elsewhere, and the arguments began again in full force. The driver again demanded $500 in cash, and he refused to move his bus from the narrow street he was blocking. More importantly, he threatened to not return at 11 PM to pick up the guests. I offered my credit card, which had obviously been good enough for the deposit, but he kept repeating, "boss says only cash". Finally he agreed to take photos of the guest's credit card, front and back, offering no receipt. Imagine the identity risk! And this driver received his mandatory 15% "gratuity"! All this was terribly embarrassing and stressful. At a wedding, everything that happens is a reflection on the host. A loud argument with a bus driver, who was holding the passengers hostage, was a major stressor on an already anxious day. To this date, I have not received any receipts for any of our transactions with Limos Inn. I'm not even sure they didn't double bill that guest and myself!
Subsequently, I offered the company the chance to discuss our issues with them but they were unapologetic, confrontational, defensive, and discounted our concerns and offered no real resolution. Donna even implied much of this was our fault because we should have expressed a willingness to pay more. Overall, our experience with this thoroughly reprehensible company was unpleasant and fraught with problems. The company was overall unprofessional and discourteous from start to finish; "owner", management, and drivers. So unless you want MORE stress, anxiety, embarrassment and potential identity theft at your important event, AVOID THIS COMPANY. read more