Comments | bad_service: Bad service from a limo service

cyberninjasio in bad_service

Bad service from a limo service

May 10, 2009 13:32

Note: This didn't happen to me, (it happened to my cousin recently) so I don't have certain details, like the name of the company.

My cousin and five of his friends got together and rented a limo for prom. They were quite excited about it and had made plans to take the limo to Forest Park for their pre-prom photos and then go to the prom. They ( Read more... )

taxi/limo/rickshaw, internet lawyering, it's only bad service if you die

Comments 133

insaint May 10 2009, 18:52:32 UTC

IANAL, but when you call a limo (or a taxi, say), it's not really a contract. So the whole "breach of contract" thing wouldn't make a decent suit at all.

Also, honestly... It really bites that the limo didn't show, but if they were running that late, why didn't your cousin just call a cab? There is no denying the bad service from the limo company, but your cousin could've prevented the extra hardship.

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insaint May 10 2009, 19:15:06 UTC

Yeah, true. but with money beind refunded, it's still reading like a run-of-the-mill customer service screw-up.

cyberninjasio May 10 2009, 19:02:02 UTC

Except a limo hired for an event is not a taxi. It is a contracted service paid for, in full, prior to the time/date of the event. Once you exchange money for a service, there is a contract in place. You pay for a taxi after you arrive at your destination.

There is no reason why a person who has contracted a limousine for the night should have to call, wait for, and then pay for a cab in addition to the thousands of dollars spent on a limousine and chauffeur for the night because it never arrived.

My cousin and his friends could also have opted to ride the school provided school bus to his senior prom for a nominal cost. But they wanted to make it a special night and thus contracted with a limo company for a limo for the night.

Thread 9

(The comment has been removed)

cyberninjasio May 10 2009, 19:05:47 UTC

I do know that no excuse was given and no attempt was ever made by the company to find out what happened with the limo. They put the entire onus of knowing where the company's driver/car where on the customers.

And really, just a refund, which is all that was offered, is hardly compensation for ruining a night that cannot be repeated. You only get one senior prom, even if you're dating someone younger than you.

sparkles May 10 2009, 19:40:59 UTC

Isn't prom about the experience with your friends and kind of a "closure" to the high school experience? It is very possible to enjoy a prom without a limo. Your cousin and his friends should have said "Hey, there was a fuck up, but let's go out with a bang anyways!!"

It really sounds like people are trying to argue for the sake of arguing, and letting it "ruin" their entire night is something that could have been avoided had they not been so wrapped up in having a limo and pre-prom pictures and all the other excess stuff.

kid_lit_fan May 10 2009, 20:27:36 UTC

IAWTC. the limo didn't come, OP's cousin and friends drove their own cars, OP's cousin didn't get a limo, didn't end up paying for a limo, even-steven.

It sucks they were late for prom, but it seems that they decided that the luxury of having a limo (most HS seniors would think having a car is a luxury), the experience of sticking their heads out of the sunroof and going "Wooooo!" was more important than being with their sig-O's and friends.

It seems to me that when the driver didn't answer his phone (and seriously, I'd've started calling maybe 10 minutes after the scheduled arrival time), that was the time to get moving, maybe calling the limo company and demanding a refund at that point.

But what's done is done, and suing for "pain and suffering" or "emotional distress" should be for things that cause LIFELONG, debilitating problems, not "Oh noes, my prom!"

(If a perfect prom would've been the best night of their lives, I'd feel sorry for them; there's a heap of living to do past high school.).

Thread 8

hotclaws May 10 2009, 19:14:22 UTC

I saw just this on Judge Judy,the kids got compensation for missing their prom.The company overbooked and couldn't fulfill it's obligations therefore were at fault.

eponymic May 10 2009, 19:41:02 UTC

Wow, you're not kidding. This was on Judge Judy -- Simon/Copenhaver V. Arzaga, according to a Google search.

Assuming this happens to be a really similar case, and not the OP (or the OP's cousin) confusing TV for real life, I don't see how the limo service is liable for "pain and suffering" in this case. If there was a professional photographer waiting at the park that they then couldn't use, then perhaps you have a case with recouping that money, but that's probably it. The limo service offered a refund, and you should take it. That's probably all you'd get out of small claims court anyway.

paisley80 May 10 2009, 20:26:49 UTC

They got there like 2.5 hours late and weren't allowed in because the driver was late, got lost, and couldn't speak enough English to understand directions. That's a little different than this. These kids went to their prom, though late. Who's actually ever on time?

nandexdame May 10 2009, 20:02:31 UTC

If they received the refund, then they have nothing to sue over. You normally cannot get "pain and suffering" in contract cases.

paisley80 May 10 2009, 20:15:59 UTC

They were given a full refund, and went to their prom. They're not out any other money, unless they prepaid for the photographs. What could your cousin sue them for? There's no monetary value on an experience. Letting this ruin his prom was his fault - he could've shrugged it off and gone and had a good time.