I typically wouldn't get to the point of actually writing a bad review, but this experience was terrible enough that I feel it is warranted.
In early June, my family booked a reservation for a 24-passenger bus for 6 hours on July 9, to host a surprise birthday trip for my father. Family and friends traveled from all around Texas this event. We were very excited to have loved ones all together for a fun-filled day of memories and celebrating my Dad.
Our reservation was for 12pm. Silver Image told us that they "are always 30 minutes early." Great! We asked our guests to arrive at 11:45am so we would all be ready to leave at noon.
At 11:45am, there was still no bus at our location. As the minutes ticked by, we called the company to be sure they had our correct location. Did they need directions? We were told that the bus was in route and will be there very soon.
At 12:10pm, our bus arrived. The driver loaded our coolers through the back of the bus, and we went to round-up our group. I poked my head into the bus, to check that the air conditioner was on full blast, as we had been waiting outside in the sun for the bus to show. The driver only then told us that the air conditioning stopped working on the way here.
Wait. What?
And he expected us to still use this bus? Why were we not notified of the mechanical malfunction right away? We had spoken to someone at Silver Image around 11:45am asking if they needed directions - we weren't informed of this then? Why hadn't the driver and company immediately put a plan in to place to provide a replacement vehicle? Why wasn't the bus properly maintenanced to ensure this issue didn't happen? Why would we pay all this money to ride on a bus without air conditioning? Especially in Texas. Especially in July in Texas. Especially when the majority of your group is between 50-85 years old.
The driver contacted the office to see what our options were. The options ended up being (1) wait for him to drive back to the office and return with a replacement bus. This is a 40 minute trip each way. (2) Board the hot bus, take it to our first destination, where someone from the office would meet us with a replacement. But in order to do so, we would need to sign the agreement.
We refused to sign the contract until we had a working, suitable method of transportation. Because we did not sign the contract, the reservation was canceled. Our entire event, my dad's 60th birthday celebration, was ruined by the incompetence of this company.
*Edit: In the weeks leading up to our trip, we made the company very aware of our plans to drive around the Dallas area, including a trip to Canton. We agreed to pay an additional fee because there would be a lot of driving. We were told several times that we could go anywhere we wanted as long as we stayed in our 6 hour limit. The day prior to our trip, we asked that instead of Canton, would the bus take us to WinStar instead? (Their website lists casino transportation services.) Again we were told that it wasn't an issue as long as we stayed in our time limit.
On the day of the event, when talking to the driver about the plans, he said, "to drive out of state (the casino) it was an additional $250 charge. Sorry they didn't tell you that yesterday."
In addition, the driver they sent isn't even a regular driver. He was a mechanic they told to drive us that day. When we were discussing the air conditioner, he flat out told us that he wasn't a driver - he's a mechanic, and he wasn't able to get the AC to work. Also, when we were on the phone canceling the contract, he told the female at the office, "Love you" before hanging up. Did they just send someone's boyfriend or son to drive us at the last minute?
The Silver Image website describes themselves as a "first-class" and "trusted" company, with "tenured, experienced, highly knowledgeable" chauffeurs. The level of unprofessionalism we encountered proves otherwise. read more