Who would have thought that hiring a driver would be less expensive than taking a Taxi? I certainly didnt!
Here's the whole story. I was staying at a nicer hotel near LAX. I received a call in the middle of the night saying that I was needed in Santa Barbara asap because someone close to my heart was taken into a rehab facility there. I was without vehicle at the time and knew that I was likely going to be driving said friend's vehicle back from Santa Barbara. So, I opted to take Amtrak from Union Station on a 7am train.
Here's the situation...I am not close to Union Station by any means.
I call a bunch of Taxi services and all I get is "estimates" of upwards of 80 dollars. Are you kidding me? 80 bucks to smell the driver's OB the whole time? Riiiight...
So, a friend of mine tells me that I should look into a limosine service because they offer flat rates and the vehicles are much better suited for my particular tastes. Ahem.
At this point, its almost 3am and all the services I call are closed.
Until I call Tri Star. I spoke with Jay, a very friendly gentleman who was super helpful! I was delighted in that the total amount to get me from LAX to LA Union Station was only going to cost me $65. I gave him my credit card number and was even able to add a tip right in. I gave a 20% tip and the grand total came out to $78.
At 6am, I received a call from a nice man saying he was downstairs waiting for me and that he was in a black suburban. I am ashamed to say it, but I will never get used to having doors opened and closed for me. When went downstairs, I made the mistake of opening up the rear passenger door. I scared the poor guy and he jumped out of his seat. Ooops!
He got out, opened the back of the SUV, we stowed my luggage and were off. He informed me his name was Jay, a different Jay than I spoke to over the telephone. He was very kind and cheery, especially to be up so early on a Saturday morning.
We arrived at Union Station and it was still dark outside. There were some seedy looking individuals in the drop off area, and Driver Jay told me that he didnt feel comfortable leaving me in that area, so he pulled the SUV around and parked right in front of the entrance to the Station. We both exited, I got my luggage and he had the receipt for me to sign. OMG, Driver Jay was GORGEOUS (older gentleman, trendy glasses, salty hair...drool) and smells amazing! It took a minute for me to focus on signing. I thanked him and was on my way.
A few days later, I received an emailed receipt for the service.
The whole transaction was smooth as silk and they exceeded my expectations. I am actually considering inquiring about setting up a corporate account with them. Tri Star is officially my "go to" service! read more
