Talk of The Villages Florida
Page 1 of 2 1 2
Show 40 post(s) from this thread on one page

Talk of The Villages Florida (https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/)
-   Contractors and Services (https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/contractors-services-91/)
-   -   Bad News Village Transportation (https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/contractors-services-91/bad-news-village-transportation-193847/)

baileysdad 05-15-2016 08:08 AM
Bad News Village Transportation
 
Village Transportation - stay away !!!

Had trip to Orlando for family guest. Taxi pick up @ 4:45 for 8am flight. Booked on 5:30 shuttle. Taxi RIGHT ON TIME , dropped off at Lake Sumter. waiting for bus. Called " HOT LINE" several times ...only to be HUNG UP ON. Finally one of the taxi drivers took it upon themselves to take 8 unhappy customers to airport. Missed flight...had to buy new ticket. Time to let them know how HAPPY we are with them and the HOTLINE !!!!

Ted Skolits 05-15-2016 08:31 AM
Use Village Airport Van - extremely reliable. 24/7. ALWAYS a manned phone. No taxi ride needed; they pick you up at your house. Many, many trips a day. 10th ride is free.

Challenger 05-15-2016 08:40 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by baileysdad (Post 1226729)
Village Transportation - stay away !!!

Had trip to Orlando for family guest. Taxi pick up @ 4:45 for 8am flight. Booked on 5:30 shuttle. Taxi RIGHT ON TIME , dropped off at Lake Sumter. waiting for bus. Called " HOT LINE" several times ...only to be HUNG UP ON. Finally one of the taxi drivers took it upon themselves to take 8 unhappy customers to airport. Missed flight...had to buy new ticket. Time to let them know how HAPPY we are with them and the HOTLINE !!!!
Sorry to hear this. Have been using VT for 6 years personally and for numerous guests. Never even a minor blip. Has something changed or is this an anomaly?

Fraugoofy 05-15-2016 08:54 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by baileysdad (Post 1226729)
Village Transportation - stay away !!!

Had trip to Orlando for family guest. Taxi pick up @ 4:45 for 8am flight. Booked on 5:30 shuttle. Taxi RIGHT ON TIME , dropped off at Lake Sumter. waiting for bus. Called " HOT LINE" several times ...only to be HUNG UP ON. Finally one of the taxi drivers took it upon themselves to take 8 unhappy customers to airport. Missed flight...had to buy new ticket. Time to let them know how HAPPY we are with them and the HOTLINE !!!!
"Booked" using their automated phone service. Called to confirm twice. No response. No return call. No confirmation.

Made other arrangements to ensure airport arrival. The day of the supposed service Villages Transportation called us to ask where we were! Um, why would we be with the Villages Transportation? We had never received any word from them prior to this phone call. Totally unprofessional...sorry you had a bad experience, too.

Sent from my SM-N910R4 using Tapatalk

graciegirl 05-15-2016 09:03 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by baileysdad (Post 1226729)
Village Transportation - stay away !!!

Had trip to Orlando for family guest. Taxi pick up @ 4:45 for 8am flight. Booked on 5:30 shuttle. Taxi RIGHT ON TIME , dropped off at Lake Sumter. waiting for bus. Called " HOT LINE" several times ...only to be HUNG UP ON. Finally one of the taxi drivers took it upon themselves to take 8 unhappy customers to airport. Missed flight...had to buy new ticket. Time to let them know how HAPPY we are with them and the HOTLINE !!!!
What was their explanation?

JoMar 05-15-2016 11:59 AM
We, and out guests, use Village Transportation and have never had an issue. Will continue to do so until we have a reason not to......for Sanford we are trying Signature Coach.

Miles42 05-15-2016 12:29 PM
I could not take a chance on this happening to me. I will not be tempting fate. LOL

graciegirl 05-15-2016 12:31 PM
Be interesting to know what the company said about this.

bagboy 05-15-2016 12:38 PM
I'm thinking when the OP has some time to calm down a little and have a conversation with management or the owner, the "stay away" heading might change somewhat.

Barefoot 05-15-2016 12:57 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ted Skolits (Post 1226737)
Use Village Airport Van - extremely reliable. 24/7. ALWAYS a manned phone. No taxi ride needed; they pick you up at your house. Many, many trips a day. 10th ride is free.
:agree: We always use Village Airport Van for our guests.
We like the pickup and delivery to the door, and the fact that it runs after midnight.

JoMar 05-15-2016 06:13 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Barefoot (Post 1226902)
:agree: We always use Village Airport Van for our guests.
We like the pickup and delivery to the door, and the fact that it runs after midnight.
That's good if you are the first to be dropped off or the Van isn't full, otherwise you wait in line till they drop off others. Also, it'a a van...lol.

Nucky 05-15-2016 07:27 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by baileysdad (Post 1226729)
Village Transportation - stay away !!!

Had trip to Orlando for family guest. Taxi pick up @ 4:45 for 8am flight. Booked on 5:30 shuttle. Taxi RIGHT ON TIME , dropped off at Lake Sumter. waiting for bus. Called " HOT LINE" several times ...only to be HUNG UP ON. Finally one of the taxi drivers took it upon themselves to take 8 unhappy customers to airport. Missed flight...had to buy new ticket. Time to let them know how HAPPY we are with them and the HOTLINE !!!!
I'm sorry for your trouble, that is terrible. I have dispatched Taxis & Limos on a part time basis when our kids were young. There is a chance that this company could have had a problem or series of problems that caused them to not perform for you. Employees call out sick, a simple flat tire, a driver who is robbed, a accident, a car with a dead battery. There are many variables. If we ever missed an appointment we always made it right by picking up the tab for the next airport trip. It was a token gesture to show gratitude for a second chance. Trust me that company would have rather picked you up on time and had no drama on their end either. Hope your next trip goes better. Take Care.

graciegirl 05-15-2016 07:37 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nucky (Post 1227111)
I'm sorry for your trouble, that is terrible. I have dispatched Taxis & Limos on a part time basis when our kids were young. There is a chance that this company could have had a problem or series of problems that caused them to not perform for you. Employees call out sick, a simple flat tire, a driver who is robbed, a accident, a car with a dead battery. There are many variables. If we ever missed an appointment we always made it right by picking up the tab for the next airport trip. It was a token gesture to show gratitude for a second chance. Trust me that company would have rather picked you up on time and had no drama on their end either. Hope your next trip goes better. Take Care.
Well said. I am sure that there was some reason for the problem. Sometimes no matter how well things are run, something bad or unexpected happens.

asianthree 05-16-2016 07:57 AM
So far no explanation from op of problem. using service three times in the next two weeks .

Retiring 05-16-2016 08:15 AM
When you have a moment and want to share their response to your complaint please post here. Many of us are curious. It could be something as simple as the driver calling in sick and the standby driver being a bad egg and no longer employed which means case solved. I don’t know what happened but would like to know.

If it’s a systemic problem that goes up the chain into management, then no one should use them because it’s just a matter of time till you have to buy another ticket due to the flight you just missed. I love learning by other peoples mistakes and in return I post when I make a mistake with a company, product or service. Other should learn by my mistakes too.

outlaw 05-16-2016 08:22 AM
The OP said he/she tried to contact the company several times on their hotline, and was "hung up on". Does that sound professional to you? Another poster confirmed a similar bad experience with the same unprofessional company non-responsiveness. What else needs to be said?

outlaw 05-16-2016 08:28 AM
Based on certain comments providing speculative excuses for this company, I can only conclude that it is the developer endorsed transportation service. Flat tire?! Really?

Muzik 05-16-2016 08:30 AM
I always use Village Airport Van. Very reliable.

HimandMe 05-16-2016 09:26 AM
It sounds like the OP needs a big apology, an explanation, a future free ride to the airport and the cost of purchasing new airline tickets! He has had enough aggravation through all this. Perhaps then, he can be open to understand what may have been a real problem or human oversight.

Nucky 05-16-2016 09:36 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by outlaw (Post 1227307)
Based on certain comments providing speculative excuses for this company, I can only conclude that it is the developer endorsed transportation service. Flat tire?! Really?
Yes a flat tire really. Sometimes in the people moving business things seem to snowball. One problem leads to another. The person in charge may have been trying to solve the problem they were facing and a driver waiting to go to work hung up the phone in a very unprofessional manner. I believe they made a television show about this nutty business once. Being a dispatcher is a mix between a commodity trader and a airline traffic controller....it is insane and you are at the mercy of many variables, people and mechanical. A flat tire was our favorite excuse when we were late for a pickup and most people would accept it as fact. In the real world things happen. I would be upset if I had to pay for another ticket. That is terrible.

Nucky 05-16-2016 09:37 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by HimandMe (Post 1227337)
It sounds like the OP needs a big apology, an explanation, a future free ride to the airport and the cost of purchasing new airline tickets! He has had enough aggravation through all this. Perhaps then, he can be open to understand what may have been a real problem or human oversight.
On the money. You said it better than I did. :agree:

graciegirl 05-16-2016 10:30 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by outlaw (Post 1227307)
Based on certain comments providing speculative excuses for this company, I can only conclude that it is the developer endorsed transportation service. Flat tire?! Really?
I think many of us identify with management. I wonder if the people who really have the power to straighten this out know about it, because certainly it is not right.

I don't think the developer owns it anymore. I think I remember that it was sold to someone else about three years ago. It appears to be part of the developers business plan, as they sold the Newspaper, and the entertainment department and successful restaurants that they ran themselves at The Lighthouse, Cane Garden and the place where Panera now is.

I think that it would be interesting to find out what happened exactly, (hangover, car and driver stolen by extraterrestials, mechanical difficulty?) and whether anything was done about it. Someone's head should roll and restitution be made.

trueorange 05-16-2016 11:49 AM
I have successfully used Villages Transportation before. However, their reservation process is cumbersome. It would be nice to have an email confirmation or a printed confirmation or a confirmation number or something along those lines. I'm a person who likes to double check arrangements ahead of time and Villages Transportation makes it difficult to do so.

ahayward65 05-16-2016 01:08 PM
I'm confused
 
I am confused about the names of these airport transportation companies. Some call it Villages Transportation, some Villages Airport Shuttle and now I hear of a third one called Signature van.
Are there 3 different ones ? i and my family and various friends have used a shuttle but now I am not sure which one we took.

Carla B 05-16-2016 04:48 PM
Yes, AHayward, there are three different companies. Villages Transportation has a regular schedule running to and from MCO. They pick up and drop off only at Lake Sumter Landing. If you don't have a way to get to Sumter you can call for a taxi pick up at your door and drop you at Lake Sumter to catch the shuttle at extra cost. The OP's complaint was that the taxi was on time to pick up their passengers but the bus wasn't at Sumter to deliver them to the airport.

Village Airport Van is a shared-ride shuttle that picks up and drops off at your door. You call and talk to someone to make a reservation. We like to take them from MCO to home 'cause the flight doesn't have to arrive at MCO on time to catch a van. If you live in the southern part of TV it makes more sense because they drop those residents off first.

Signature Van is a new service. I'm not familiar with how it works, so maybe someone else knows.

dietpepsi 05-16-2016 06:55 PM
cost?
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by JoMar (Post 1226861)
We, and out guests, use Village Transportation and have never had an issue. Will continue to do so until we have a reason not to......for Sanford we are trying Signature Coach.
what is the cost sanford? how often do they go?

Matzy 05-16-2016 07:49 PM
Off the main topic---I am just wondering that you have to buy a new ticket after a missed flight. I had that several times but never I had to buy another ticket, in one case I just had to pay 25.-- $ for re-booking.

Barefoot 05-16-2016 11:31 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by ahayward65 (Post 1227448)
I am confused about the names of these airport transportation companies. Some call it Villages Transportation, some Villages Airport Shuttle and now I hear of a third one called Signature van.
Are there 3 different ones ? i and my family and various friends have used a shuttle but now I am not sure which one we took.
If you were dropped at the shuttle station at LSL, you used Villages Transportation.
If you were dropped at your home, you used Village Airport Van.

GreggB 05-17-2016 07:30 AM
I personally appreciate the service The Village Transportation offers & think that us Villagers are lucky to have multiple airport transportation options available to us. SUGGESTION: The ability to also make reservations online would definitely be helpful as well. I travel weekly & many times when I have called and been placed on hold and a few times have shown up when the driver did not have my reservation - this was rectified by driver calling the office but an email confirmation would certainly be nice.

Nucky 05-17-2016 07:44 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheVillagesTransportation (Post 1227773)
On behalf of The Villages Transportation, we would like to send a sincere apology for the series of events that happened on this particular shuttle trip. Our company has always strived to offer excellent customer service and have not swayed from this belief. Our service relies on our employees to maintain this standard. It is unfortunate that on this morning an employee failed to show for his shift. A driver was sent out as soon as the Office Manager was made aware of the shuttle not being at the station in order to rectify the problem. The passengers were dropped off at the airport 20 minutes later than what they normally would have been if the shuttle left on time from Lake Sumter. We would like to assure you along with fellow posters, that this is not the norm for The Villages Transportation. Our services have been consistently reliable over the past 20 years and we hope that one post, such as this one, does not prevent you from using our services in the future. As for the cost you incurred for re-booking the flight, we are only aware of one passenger that missed their flight. That matter has been resolved with full reimbursement of the cost to rebook their flight. If we are not made aware of your individual circumstances how are we supposed to address it? Please contact the office and ask for Claudine, Office Manager, so we can take care of this as soon as possible.
Bravo...That's customer service. All Transportation Companies have a glitch now and then....it can be as simple as one driver calling out or a flat tire. Reimbursing your customer shows your commitment to Service Excellence. We will be using your service often. :eclipsee_gold_cup:

outlaw 05-17-2016 07:59 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheVillagesTransportation (Post 1227773)
On behalf of The Villages Transportation, we would like to send a sincere apology for the series of events that happened on this particular shuttle trip. Our company has always strived to offer excellent customer service and have not swayed from this belief. Our service relies on our employees to maintain this standard. It is unfortunate that on this morning an employee failed to show for his shift. A driver was sent out as soon as the Office Manager was made aware of the shuttle not being at the station in order to rectify the problem. The passengers were dropped off at the airport 20 minutes later than what they normally would have been if the shuttle left on time from Lake Sumter. We would like to assure you along with fellow posters, that this is not the norm for The Villages Transportation. Our services have been consistently reliable over the past 20 years and we hope that one post, such as this one, does not prevent you from using our services in the future. As for the cost you incurred for re-booking the flight, we are only aware of one passenger that missed their flight. That matter has been resolved with full reimbursement of the cost to rebook their flight. If we are not made aware of your individual circumstances how are we supposed to address it? Please contact the office and ask for Claudine, Office Manager, so we can take care of this as soon as possible.
That's a little more reassuring. But can you address the OP's claim that he was hung up on, and that he and several others had to take a taxi to the airport? Thanks in advance.

Nucky 05-17-2016 08:13 AM
When your in the water drowning and someone finally throws you a life preserver do you throw it back because it's the wrong color? I think what they have offered is enough. More than fair. Are they supposed to drop to their knees? I don't think so.

Taltarzac725 05-17-2016 08:27 AM
I often use this service. It has gone well most of the time. Had a few problems with the other van services though which I described at length on TOTV. This was the Villages Van door-to-door that we had the problem with and it was with the prospect of their leaving a couple of teenage girls stranded at the airport if they did not get paid. They had been paid but there was some kind of mess-up that involved a lot of calls to my parents, credit card numbers and the like and some girls almost in tears. This was a few years ago though.

I am glad to see that they are responded on TOTV.

I had a very bumpy ride to Sumter Landing last May of 2015. I do hope they have better shock absorbers.

HimandMe 05-17-2016 08:34 AM
It's good to see a response. I hope the OP realizes he helped correct a problem and has received satisfaction in this matter. Obviously the company cares about this service enough to try to correct things. It's always better to quickly and as calmly as possible bring problems to a company's head to be solved rather than just stew about it.

Midorisour 05-17-2016 11:50 AM
Yuck! I can't stand sitting in those uncomfortable vans that the airport van has. Not to mention being drove all over the place and last time we used them we waited for over 30 minutes for a couple to come out, because they were not ready. I used the big white shuttle many times and never had a problem. I prefer the direct ride to the airport.

Midorisour 05-17-2016 12:03 PM
Village shuttle
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by GreggB (Post 1227806)
I personally appreciate the service The Village Transportation offers & think that us Villagers are lucky to have multiple airport transportation options available to us. SUGGESTION: The ability to also make reservations online would definitely be helpful as well. I travel weekly & many times when I have called and been placed on hold and a few times have shown up when the driver did not have my reservation - this was rectified by driver calling the office but an email confirmation would certainly be nice.

I always book online for the Village Shuttle, they call us back and confirm it too.
I looked up their website address for you.
The Villages Transportation | Shuttle service to and from Orlando International Airport

I hope this helps. :spoken:

graciegirl 05-17-2016 12:43 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Midorisour (Post 1227999)
Yuck! I can't stand sitting in those uncomfortable vans that the airport van has. Not to mention being drove all over the place and last time we used them we waited for over 30 minutes for a couple to come out, because they were not ready. I used the big white shuttle many times and never had a problem. I prefer the direct ride to the airport.



What is your opinion on tipping the shuttle drivers?

Taltarzac725 05-17-2016 12:50 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by graciegirl (Post 1228025)
What is your opinion on tipping the shuttle drivers?
I usually give them 10% or so.

Nucky 05-17-2016 01:45 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by graciegirl (Post 1228025)
What is your opinion on tipping the shuttle drivers?
If they are on time and hustle it up with the luggage and drive like a human, the low end $5 per person, excellent service as high as $10 per person.

Bogie Shooter 05-17-2016 02:03 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by HimandMe (Post 1227840)
It's good to see a response. I hope the OP realizes he helped correct a problem and has received satisfaction in this matter. Obviously the company cares about this service enough to try to correct things. It's always better to quickly and as calmly as possible bring problems to a company's head to be solved rather than just stew about it.
And not post to a public forum...................until after the service provider had a chance to fix the problem.
(A busy signal on a phone is not the trigger to go post on the Internet)


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 07:32 AM.
Page 1 of 2 1 2
Show 40 post(s) from this thread on one page

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2025, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Search Engine Optimisation provided by DragonByte SEO v2.0.32 (Pro) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2025 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.