I've used Ultimate Livery several times in the past couple of years and have had mixed experiences. In general, I think the shuttle is a great idea since I don't need to pay as much for a cab and I'm usually the only one in the shuttle anyway. This review, however, is for my last experience with them this January.
I booked my reservation online like I always do, and my fare quote (and later, the receipt that was sent to me) said $18. Great, same fare AS ALWAYS, since I have lived in the same area for the past year (literally, the same street and zip code, just a different cross street 2 blocks down). Now, I put in my address as Boston as I always have, they have a long list online of places I've never heard of so I just put Boston because hey, I live on the border of Allston and Brookline and I've always selected Boston (where Allston is technically situated) and never had a problem.
Okay, so skip to the day of my pickup from Logan. My driver (whose name I unfortunately didn't get) seemed nice enough at first. Once we got near to my apartment he started asking for directions. Umm weren't you given the address beforehand? Shouldn't you have directions? No problem, I know the way to my apartment, so I give him the directions. We're waiting at a stoplight and a woman driving perpendicular to us is able to drive between the shuttle and the car in front of us while we're waiting. Okay, I didn't think much of it, but apparently the driver thought it was professional to start swearing at the driver and getting upset that the driver was delaying us (which in fact was not the case since we were sitting in traffic at a stoplight anyway). I was shocked that someone who is on the job is cursing at someone who really isn't doing anything that crazy in the first place. Whatever, it's fine, we pass the light in due time and no one is hurt (clearly the driver didn't see it that way though).
Once we get to my street I tell my driver that my apartment is near the corner and I tell him where he can stop. Instead of stopping where I tell him, he decides to stop in the MIDDLE (not even a corner) of a three-way intersection, gets out, and hands me my bag. Now I'm not going to complain, I can maneuver my own bag in the snow, but all the previous drivers I've had at Ultimate Livery were kind enough to take my bag to my door without even asking me. Here I am stuck in the snow, not even NEAR my door, and my driver just hands me my bag. He didn't even DESERVE the huge tip I gave him but I thought it might put him in a good mood for his next customer.
Okay, so that ordeal is over. I get my credit card statement and I have an extra $6 charge that the driver didn't tell me about in person, no one called me about, and no one emailed me about. So naturally I call Ultimate Livery and speak to someone (unfortunately, I didn't get her name either) and tell her I would like to dispute a charge that was made to my credit card. Immediately her tone changes and becomes hostile, as if I told her I'm going to kidnap her baby. She tells me why I was charged, which if someone else told me in a calm and professional manner I would be fine to accept, but instead she said, "your driver was smart enough to realize that you live in Brighton and not Boston, that's why you were charged." First of all, my driver certainly wasn't smart if he didn't even have directions to my place. Secondly, I do not appreciate being spoken to in that manner. I HONESTLY would be fine paying that charge if a) someone had contacted me to tell me I was being charged extra, and b) if the woman on the phone had said it in a different manner. I told her I have lived in the same area for the past couple of years, have always put in the same address, and have always been charged the same amount, which must have gone in one ear and out the other because the defensive tone continued.
I don't know if this is a reflection of Ultimate Livery in general or of a few people that need to be trained in customer service, but this has definitely left an incredibly bad taste in my mouth and I hope Ultimate Livery realizes there are a couple of bad apples giving their company a bad name. read more