Things you should consider before hiring a limousine service ...
Hiring a limousine is not quite as simple as you think and some limousine rental service might just take you for quite a ride, if you?re not very careful. It?s therefore quite important that you select a good and reliable limousine service and ensure a smooth and safe ride all the way.
First of all you should decide on which factors are important to you and your party. Some of the important points would be the type of limousine, quality or age of limousine, timeliness and cleanliness of vehicle, quality and knowledge of chauffeur and dress of chauffeur. All of these factors will affect the cost of the service, which is of course yet another factor. A group of college students going club hopping won?t have the same requirements as bride on her wedding day.
All events will have different requirements, the more important your event the more these factors may come into effect. For an example, you have a reservation for dinner or an Opera, the vehicle being on time may be a very important issue. As well as your trip to the airport, your transportation being late may cause you to miss your plan or your dinner reservations. On time guarantees are fairly useless as a free hour or not being charged for your transfer doesn?t do much good if you miss your plane and in turn miss the meeting with that VIP client. Another example if you may be going to an award dinner or prom, where you may be making an entrance from the limousine to your event. It can be quite embarrassing climbing out of a 30 year old car covered in dents and rust.
While looking at websites of limousine operators, its best to check if they have a fixed line number and a physical contact address. A mobile number only may be a signs of poor or fly by night operations. Many companies may have only a P.O. Box listed as a mailing address, when calling you should ask for a physical address if not listed on their website. It would be wise to check maps online to see if the address is a business or just a home address. Companies with an actual business address are sometimes more stable and successful than someone working from their home. It is also a good idea if using a company for the first time to see if you can make an appointment to view the vehicles that you may be considering; this may be an inconvenience to you but may save you many headaches in the long run.
It?s also important to see if the website of the company whose services you?re considering hiring, displays images of their own vehicles. Many companies use pictures of brand new limousines but have cars that are battered and beaten. It?s best to physically examine the vehicles. While an older vehicle may be a little cheaper, if you are broken down on the road and miss your event, will it be worth the savings in the long run?
You can sometimes judge how a limousine service treats their customers through a telephone inquiry. If your call is answered courteously by a company representative that gives you all the important and relevant information without hesitating, then this is a good sign that they should be on your list of finalist.
There are times when you might come across agents who will tell you that they can secure quotations on your behalf or a company that doesn?t actually have any vehicles. In such cases, the limousine operators pay for each inquiry or reservation they receive or a percentage of the hire value. It means that you will pay a higher price for a lesser vehicle than you would otherwise. These brokers often make claims that their limousine operators as ?accredited? or ?approved?. It?s best to stay away from such types. Most brokers and agents first concern is how much money they are making off of you and not the service provided to you. Many hotel concierges and front desk personnel work in the same fashion; they make a minimal amount hourly and rely on tips and kickbacks to generate additional income. Unfortunately, you may be the one paying the final price.
Price is an important determining factor. Note that all limousine operators do not charge the same price. A professional limousine operator will also generally have a minimum of hours required for a vehicle to be rented. Even if you have to pay a slightly higher price in order to hire a service from a reputed and established limousine operator, it?s always worth it.
There are many reasons limousine operators vary in price. The major factor is the age of the vehicle. Newer vehicles in general have a less likelihood of leaving you stranded due to break down. Limousines are modified from the very beginning of their life and are loaded with extras, extra air conditioning units, lights, televisions, dvd players, stereo systems, ect; and all add to the likelihood of issues over time. Stretch limousines are expensive to maintain and repair and poor companies often overlook many much of the maintenance or repairs. Hiring from such companies can be quite disastrous. Your limousine may not show up on time or breakdown mid-way on your journey.
Another reason for a higher price may be the chauffer?s pay scale. Just like any job, a better chauffeur cost the limousine company more money. A company that wants the best chauffeurs will attract them with money and benefits, which in turn increases their overhead, but will increase the likelihood that you have a great and problem free experience.
It?s also important to keep in mind the duration that you will need the limousine for. It generally takes about an hour to prepare a limousine for dispatch. Therefore, most operators ask for a minimum charge or minimum hire duration of 3 hours or more, depending on the vehicle. This is generally higher during peak periods like Christmas, New Year?s Eve etc. Be leery of a company that is willing to do a in town transfer while other companies will not, as you may get a dirty limousine that someone has just exited leaving there trash and dirt in (such as beet bottles or still smelling like a bar).
It?s also important to know how long has the company whose service you plan to hire been in business. If they are well established, they are obviously more reliable than someone who has just started out a few months ago.
Try and find out how many cars the operator has in its fleet. Just in case the one you have hired breaks down, will they be able to send you another one at once.
Also check what the rental price includes. Does it include VAT, Drinks, gratuities etc? Don?t ever hesitate to ask if your chauffeur is licensed, trained and polite and the company is insured and licensed. Don?t take this for granted, you would be surprised on the number of operator that run illegally. There are very different kinds of insurance for limousines; you will want a company licensed with city, county, state or USDOT. Most will require proper insurance to obtain the license.
It?s also sensible if you have a confirmation of the price and detail of service. A good limousine company should do this without you having to ask. They will want an email, mailing address or fax number to send it to you.
What are the payment methods they accept? What is the deposit you have to pay and when is the balance due? It?s important to know these in advance to avoid confusion later.
What will attire of the chauffeur be? Sounds like a silly question, but you don?t want your chauffeur to show up in shorts and a tee-shirt to your wedding. Different companies have different requirement for their chauffeurs. If you hire a tour company by mistake you may just get a chauffeur in very inappropriate attire.
In closing, a limousine rental, for most, is a fairly major purchase, so take the time to do the research to insure you find the limousine service that is the right fit for your event. Keeping in mind that it is a service not a product. A product or item that is the same at store A and store B so the best price is the winner, where a service is more like comparing restaurants where The Capital Grille is different than McDonalds even though the both have a hamburger on the menu. All services are NOT created equal.
For more information about Orlando Limousine, check out http://www.vip-orlando.com/
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