5/26/10 Contacted Groupon, LivingSocial, and Great Work Perks who have all sold, or are currently…read moreselling promotions with Blue Groundways. Also filed complaints with the Better Business Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission.
After talking with numerous customers, I do not believe Blue Groundways even owns and operates a "luxury bus". Not one customer has ever seen nor ridden a bus!
Please beware of this company and for those of you who have been wronged by them, please take the time to write a review, and send formal complaints to the appropriate channels (BBB, Attorney General's office, Federal Trade Commission, etc).
ZERO STARS!!!
AVOID THIS COMPANY AT ALL COSTS...If you have a Groupon, call to refund your money immediately!
My sister and I bought Groupons for Blue Groundways a few months ago. We thought it'd be nice to take our Mom on a belated Mother's Day weekend to Vegas. The Groupon and website advertised luxury buses with movies, beverages and food. We thought we could just enjoy a leisurely ride to Vegas, without worrying about the hassle of airport security, or driving through traffic.
We won a great hotel stay on Priceline. We bought tickets for Le Reve at the Wynn. We had everything planned. We booked our transportation with Blue Groundways a few months in advance. We were initially told that the luxury bus was "sold out" on the way there and would be going in a Navigator instead. We were assured that we had the luxury bus for the return trip, and the Navigator would be equipped with a DVD and we would receive a beverage and snack. Then, 2 days before our trip, my sister called to confirm, and was told that the shuttle wasn't available and that we were informed via e-mail (a blatant lie). My sister never received a confirmation or notification from them. Shaun (the only guy who ever answered the phone) stated that we would be on a Navigator from LA to Las Vegas, and a Jaguar from Las Vegas to LA. He went on to try and "sell" this concept by stating that this way, we would have a private car and driver, and we could be picked up and dropped off wherever we chose. We really felt like we had no recourse because we were informed only 2 days before our trip. So, we decided to just grin and bear it.
This past Saturday we went to the LAX Marriott (the assigned pick-up and drop-off area for Los Angeles). We arrived promptly at 8 AM. We saw 3 other women and they told us they too were waiting for Blue Groundways. Time passed and by 8:30 AM, Blue Groundways hadn't arrived. We and the other party called Blue Groundways. We didn't get through but the other party did, and was told that Blue Groundways did indeed arrive at 8:00 AM, didn't see us, and left. Blue Groundways went even further and said that we should have been waiting on Century Blvd. We know this to be complete untruths because (a) the valet drivers at the Marriott stated that they are familiar with Blue Groundways and had not seen any of their cars or buses, (b) there is no way to stop on Century Blvd. the only pick-up area would be the valet, in front of registration, and (c) we were all there on time. How could 7 people miss the shuttle/car? It was almost 9 AM when my family and I decided to just cancel our trip with Blue Groundways and drive ourselves. My Mom made a good point when she said that if they were this unreliable, and late, then how could we trust that we would have a return ride home?
My sister never received a return call from Shaun. No apologies...no explanation...
I am going to file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. I'm going to contact Groupon as well because they need to cease business with Blue Groundways, and they need to warn all their customers who purchased Groupons.
P.S. Blue Groundways had their reviews (many of them negative) on their website (up until Friday evening). The reviews have mysteriously vanished.