Last weekend Lasting Impressions were hired to shuttle family and friends for my sisters wedding…read more They were paid $1400 for a simple pick up and drop off service from a nearby hotel, to and from the venue of the wedding ceremony/reception. Lasting Impressions were scheduled to pickup guest at the hotel, drop them off at the venue before the ceremony/reception. Then, take the guests back to the hotel when the reception was done.
They were scheduled that night (after the reception) from 9:30pm until 11pm and were hired for two trips back to the hotel after the reception. The drive time from the hotel to the venue was approximately 30 minutes. Both the owner and driver were made clear of this, and the driver even accepted more money the day of, to confirm the extend time for the second trip back.
That night, the first shuttle back was at 9:30pm to the hotel, and went smooth. And after talking to the guests that were on the shuttle, there were no delays or problems, and made it back to the hotel within reasonable time.
But when it came to taking the second shuttle... Well there was none. The driver never came back for the Bride, Groom, or Bridal Party. We were left stranded at the venue. Of course we were respectful and just assumed the driver was running a little behind. But when it came to almost an hour later... We knew we weren't getting picked up.
I personally called the driver and was given the news that, he was scheduled til 11pm, and since he didn't think he could pick us up from the venue and bring us back in time, he decided to call it a night... No call to the owner. No call to venue. No call to the Bride and Groom. When I questioned the 30 minute drive time, instead of accepting responsibility and apologizing, he replied with, "have you drove a shuttle on these roads?" I thought that was a very unprofessional and immature response. But when I responded with the point that we paid them extra for extended time for the second shuttle, and had to argue on the phone for 10 more minutes, the driver finally said he would come.
But over an hour had past already, and we couldn't leave the Bride and Groom strained anymore. We found our own way home.
After reaching out to the owner and filing a complaint. They gave the Bride and Groom a $150 refund... Out of the $1400 they paid, they were only compensated $150... Absolutely ridiculous.
A wedding day is special. And mistakes can be made. But when it's a business that was paid for a service. That service should be provided. And if that service isn't provided, the business should accept responsibility and refund the appropriate money. It wasn't just money wasted, but valuable time on an important day.
