Ride With the Best

There are a million car services out there, and most aren’t reputable or licensed. How do you avoid a car service that isn’t worth your time? Simple. You ask questions and demand results. While some car services are all about the flash, but don’t really have the quality service to back them up, others are operating illegally and probably don’t have proper insurances. So how do you avoid these companies and ensure that you are spending your money on a quality service? Ask the following questions:

#1 – What Amenities Can I Expect?

This is a really great question if you’ll be using a limousine or party bus. You should find out if the service will offer bottled water, wireless Internet, music, DVD players, and the like. For airport service, you’ll need to ask if they’ll meet you at the baggage claim, and if they’ll be tracking your flight.

#2 – What Time Will You Arrive?

This can be a very important question. While you’ll give them a scheduled arrival time, you’ll still want to find out if they’ll be arriving earlier than their scheduled time. The general rule of thumb is to arrive fifteen minutes early.

#3 – Will You Send Me a Confirmation?

You want your limousine company to email you a confirmation of the service you’ve just ordered because if there are any errors, that is the time to correct them. For example, if you’ve given the driver Shady Oak Lane, but they wrote it down as Shady Oak Road, they could end up in a completely different part of town.

#4 – What Is Your Better Business Bureau Rating?

If they’ve only been in service for under a year, they won’t have a rating. But if they’ve been in service for more than a year, you’ll want to ask them what their rating is. Then check their rating on your own.

#5 – Do You Include Gratuity, And If You Do, Does It Actually Go to the Driver?

Most companies will include gratuity in their cost of the trip. Some companies, especially ones that don’t exactly have the best business practices, will actually keep the tips.

#6 – Do You Offer a Quality Guarantee?

You’ll want to find out what happens if the driver is late, if the tire goes flat, or if something unavoidable happens. What’s the plan of action to ensure you never notice the issue?

#7 – How Can You Ensure I Arrive at My Destination on Time?

This can be a tricky question, but your driver should know the best routes to make sure you get to where you need to be in a timely fashion. They should also constantly keep up with traffic.

#8 – Is There an Hourly Minimum?

Hourly minimums are there to hold both the limousine service and the customer accountable. You need to ask what the regular hourly rate is after hitting the minimum, and how much will be charged if you go over the regular service time.

#9 – What Extra Fees Are Attached to My Service?

Find out if there are fuel charges, cleaning fees, extra charges, and miscellaneous fees attached, and question why they’re there.

#10 – Do You Bill the Hour Before and After My Service?

A lot of customers don’t understand the prep work that goes into getting a car ready for service, from checking oil, cleaning, and doing general inspections, plus driving to the destination. Afterward, the same has to take place to ensure the car is ready for the next person. To combat the lost hour of service, companies charge a small flat rate for the hour before and after. Hiring a car service doesn’t have to be a difficult task. Just be sure to ask the right questions and demand positive results.