Very poor service delivery, rude customer service, not worth the money

Review of Custom Travel, Worcester, UK Experience: I hired two coaches for my wedding day to transport my guests from the hotel where they were staying to the reception venue which was 8 miles away. As it was in the countryside, my fiance and I sent an email to the coach company with the address and 2 routes: the shortest route by distance which was down narrow country lanes and a suggested slightly longer alternative route which would be quicker and easier for a coach. On the day of the wedding, the coaches arrived at the hotel on time. Unfortunately, neither coach driver had checked the address of the venue or looked at the route. The first coach driver got completely lost and drove my guests around the countryside for one hour. The second coach driver, who was the owner of the company, took my guests to the wrong venue where they had to tell him he was in the wrong place and the name of the correct venue. The welcome food and drink we had organised and paid for were largely wasted, a considerable cost as we had organised champagne and canapes. We were unable to get formal photos of all of our family and friends as planned as they were so late we had to start the evening meal as the caterers had prepared it according to the planned schedule and it was going to be overcooked/cold. When I called the company owner to discuss this, I was told where to go in no uncertain terms. He said that he had not read the email or checked the venue address or route as he was too busy. He admitted to driving to the wrong venue but told me that 'mistakes happen'. He also claimed that the other driver was following a satnav but a guest gave different directions so the coach got lost. The 30 guests on the coach give a different story: the driver was lost and drove up and down the same wrong route 3 times and refused to stop to ask for directions. They reported that she appeared embarrassed and refused to take advice from them. In the end she called the second coach driver to ask for directions. The owner told me that next time I wanted to book a coach I should not choose such a cheap company. I do not think that offering a competitive quote to get someone's business should mean you are justified in giving a poor service and I was shocked that he seemed to find this funny. He also advised me that if I wrote a formal letter of complaint it would be filed in the bin. Needless to say I was not offered an apology. It is difficult to believe that a company would care so little about offering a good service and be so rude to their customers. What a sad thing to happen on your wedding day. Conclusion: My experience with this company has been very poor and stressful. I strongly advise other potential customers to avoid Custom Travel.

Jenny B - 04/09/2012 | report this review