I went online to find a car service to Newark airport. I've been taking local taxis for years and…read moreas prices continue to rise, the quality of the cars continues to decline. If I can pay $42 for a gross car, I reasoned, I'd be willing to pay a little bit more for a nicer car.
I found Econolimousine - check out their website, it's http://econolimousine.com. The cars look beautiful, they respond within hours to the request for a quote. The person with whom I spoke was very nice and gave me a quote of $55.
Now, for the real story.
When I called back to confirm, the guy who answered the phone answered with, "taxi." I asked for the woman with whom I'd spoken before. When we spoke, I also verified that this was, indeed, a limo - a town car - given how the other man had answered the phone, and she assured me it was. I told her I'd be using a credit card and said I just needed to give it to the driver.
About 20 minutes before pickup, I was told that a "powder blue Lincoln Town car" was waiting outside of my house, but there was no rush, I should go outside when I was ready. The caller, like everyone else I spoke with, was extremely nice. We finished some last minute packing, and opened the door -- and there was no car there. He wasn't late, but it was kind of weird to get that call and not find someone there.
He did show up right on time -- in a powder blue town car that looked like it'd been used for bumper cars. The inside I can only describe as grimy -- didn't want to touch anything -- it looked like the interior hadn't been wiped down in weeks. The door handles were attached with clear duct tape.
Once we got to the airport. I handed the driver my credit card -- remember, when I booked I told them I planned to use it. He didn't know this -- and they did not tell me there would be a service charge, although that's pretty standard. What's also standard is a $1 - $2 charge; this company charged $5. Plus tolls. Plus tip. In a car that was in the same condition as a typical cab, or worse. The business card he gave me was for "Ace Taxi," not Econo Limousine.
As a comparison -- when I arrived in the city I was traveling to, I had arranged for a car to pick me up. As soon as I got my bag, I texted the company, and within 5 minutes a spotless black Escalade pulled up. The cost was $55.
Please don't fall for this company, which is clearly a scam. I expected a car that looked like what was on their website -- and what I got was nothing like it. False advertising at its best.