Royalty Limousines...Watch out for Rude Driver
Ok, so this a rather long post, so bear with me!
I have been married just over a month (September 24), and am in the process of putting my vendor reviews together. However, I wanted to draw the attention to one particular vendor, who would have received an A++++, but instead is getting a 'B' once my review is complete--that company is Royalty Limousines in Franklin Square.
I decided to go with Royalty, and frankly didn't go to any other limo companies, since my sister, who got married 5 years ago, really liked Royalty and my parents remembered that they were given a great deal. We met with Maria, one of the sales reps, who was very pleasant, and since we were a repeat customer, one of the owners/managers (not sure of his title), gave us a great deal on the price, which included complimentary pick-ups at our RH at Midnight for DH and I, and Mom and Dad.
Of course all of the drivers we had were all professional, courteous and helpful, which is what I remember from when my sister hired Royalty for her wedding. After a wonderful wedding, and experiencing the best night of my life (other than DH asking me to marry him), we were driven from Harbor Links, our RH to The Garden City Hotel, where we were spending our wedding night (my parents went in the other limo and were driven home). At the end of the evening, we were handed our bags by our driver, whose name I won't use, since I am a nice person, and don't want to embarrass him (but I am sure if Royalty reads this, they will know who I'm referring to), basically asked my new husband and I for a tip!! I was not only appalled, but had never been so taken aback in my life by such rudeness and inappropriate behavior!
As someone who owns my own business, and travels frequently and has used car services/limo companies, the tip is sometimes either included in the price, or if not (which I found out later), it is not only unprofessional, but downright RUDE to ask for a tip!!!
Both my husband and I worked in the service industry back in college, and neither of us would ever flat out ask a customer for a tip!! Maybe if this driver was polite or professional about it, I wouldn't have been as upset, but to be honest, after a beautiful day and evening, his rudeness put me in a bad mood on my wedding night! He said to my husband (in a Joe Pesci-like accent): 'You know youz had 4 drivers all night, and none of us were taken care of all night.' Which of course is a total lie.
My parents had tipped the drivers, and if he felt he didn't receive enough of a tip that he was entitled to, or if there was a miscommunication regarding the gratuity, then he should have spoken to my parents about it...not the Bride and Groom!! Since my husband is a very nice guy, he handed the diver 80 bucks, and then once he got his money, his attitude changed, and he was 'forever grateful.' He was so rude, I wouldn't have been surprised if the driver had asked us to give him some of the cash from our envelopes in our card box, if we didn't have our own cash on us!!!
After we returned from our honeymoon, I called to complain about this situation. I wasn't looking for my money back or something for free, or even a discount coupon. It was really just the principle of this driver rudely asking the bride and groom for a tip on our wedding night--I wanted to ensure he was either reprimanded and/or spoken to by management.
I called Royalty, and I spoke with a very lovely woman named Linda, who is the company's office manager. I explained everything to Linda, and she politely listened, offered sympathy, and apologized profusely for this driver's behavior. Before we hung up, she said she would 'look into the situation and would have a conversation with the driver' about what happened.
Again, I am not looking for anything from Royalty, but just wanted to alert the other brides-to-be on this site to watch out for this driver. If you want his name and description, message my offline, and I will provide it. It is a shame that 'one bad apple' spoiled my experience with a company that otherwise has a great reputation and is known for its quality customer service.
I have been married just over a month (September 24), and am in the process of putting my vendor reviews together. However, I wanted to draw the attention to one particular vendor, who would have received an A++++, but instead is getting a 'B' once my review is complete--that company is Royalty Limousines in Franklin Square.
I decided to go with Royalty, and frankly didn't go to any other limo companies, since my sister, who got married 5 years ago, really liked Royalty and my parents remembered that they were given a great deal. We met with Maria, one of the sales reps, who was very pleasant, and since we were a repeat customer, one of the owners/managers (not sure of his title), gave us a great deal on the price, which included complimentary pick-ups at our RH at Midnight for DH and I, and Mom and Dad.
Of course all of the drivers we had were all professional, courteous and helpful, which is what I remember from when my sister hired Royalty for her wedding. After a wonderful wedding, and experiencing the best night of my life (other than DH asking me to marry him), we were driven from Harbor Links, our RH to The Garden City Hotel, where we were spending our wedding night (my parents went in the other limo and were driven home). At the end of the evening, we were handed our bags by our driver, whose name I won't use, since I am a nice person, and don't want to embarrass him (but I am sure if Royalty reads this, they will know who I'm referring to), basically asked my new husband and I for a tip!! I was not only appalled, but had never been so taken aback in my life by such rudeness and inappropriate behavior!
As someone who owns my own business, and travels frequently and has used car services/limo companies, the tip is sometimes either included in the price, or if not (which I found out later), it is not only unprofessional, but downright RUDE to ask for a tip!!!
Both my husband and I worked in the service industry back in college, and neither of us would ever flat out ask a customer for a tip!! Maybe if this driver was polite or professional about it, I wouldn't have been as upset, but to be honest, after a beautiful day and evening, his rudeness put me in a bad mood on my wedding night! He said to my husband (in a Joe Pesci-like accent): 'You know youz had 4 drivers all night, and none of us were taken care of all night.' Which of course is a total lie.
My parents had tipped the drivers, and if he felt he didn't receive enough of a tip that he was entitled to, or if there was a miscommunication regarding the gratuity, then he should have spoken to my parents about it...not the Bride and Groom!! Since my husband is a very nice guy, he handed the diver 80 bucks, and then once he got his money, his attitude changed, and he was 'forever grateful.' He was so rude, I wouldn't have been surprised if the driver had asked us to give him some of the cash from our envelopes in our card box, if we didn't have our own cash on us!!!
After we returned from our honeymoon, I called to complain about this situation. I wasn't looking for my money back or something for free, or even a discount coupon. It was really just the principle of this driver rudely asking the bride and groom for a tip on our wedding night--I wanted to ensure he was either reprimanded and/or spoken to by management.
I called Royalty, and I spoke with a very lovely woman named Linda, who is the company's office manager. I explained everything to Linda, and she politely listened, offered sympathy, and apologized profusely for this driver's behavior. Before we hung up, she said she would 'look into the situation and would have a conversation with the driver' about what happened.
Again, I am not looking for anything from Royalty, but just wanted to alert the other brides-to-be on this site to watch out for this driver. If you want his name and description, message my offline, and I will provide it. It is a shame that 'one bad apple' spoiled my experience with a company that otherwise has a great reputation and is known for its quality customer service.
