In case you missed it: We booked our first ride with this service reluctantly, after the bus shuttle we have used for years to get us from Michigan City to O'Hare abruptly went out of business before our return from the west coast, with our van still parked in Michigan City IN.
I booked our tickets from Portland, OR where Mele was cheerful and helpful in spite of my cell phone service that kept me yelling "can you hear me now?"
I've gotta say, I was not looking forward to leaving the security of a big bus with hourly pick-ups to ride with a stranger for 1.5 hours in winter and traffic and darkness. Would she be a good driver? Would my husband and I be comfortable in her vehicle? Would she even show up?
Again, fears were allayed when we contacted her upon arrival at O'Hare (we were half an hour early but she had been tracking our flight and was there, waiting!) She invited us to use the restrooms and pick up a coffee if we wished, and then she talked us to the easy pick-up area (no mad dash with bags across the airport to make it to the bus pick-up!) and helped us into her big GMC Yukon. Cushy seats and our own temperature control options! Ahhh.
A winter storm was just coming up, and so was rush hour, but Mele skillfully got us to Michigan City in about half the time of the shuttle-- no stops along the way!
It was when we got to Michigan City, though, that we became loyal new customers for life. She helped us load our van and said she'd wait until we got on our way, though by now it was cold and dark and windy and I'm sure she wanted to be home after a long day as much as we did.
Our van wouldn't start! The battery was dead as a doornail!
First she offered to give us a jump, and when she and my husband couldn't figure out where to attach the cables to the Yukon's fancy battery, she called one of her other drivers on video to ask his advice.
He wasn't sure either, so I thanked her and we called our roadside service.
She insisted on having us wait in the warm car until they showed up-- which, after half an hour had still not happened, probably because of the storm and the many actual crashes and slide offs.
Happily, two of the other Elite drivers did, though! They were able to use one of their cars to give us a jump, our van started right up, and we were all on our way.
I can't say enough wonderful things about our experience with this company, and the way they all went above and beyond at every turn. It didn't just give our trip a happy ending, it made us feel better about the state of humankind! read more
