As a former bride I feel it is my duty to warn brides about this terrible limo company! Basically dont do it unless you want a wedding disaster! Below is a post my husband wrote.
Be warned. New Orleans Limo Service, a.k.a. Bourbon Street Limos, is not a company you want to use unless it is absolutely a last choice. Even then, taxis are a safer and probably cleaner bet than relying on New Orleans Limo Service. Nobody likes to be 40 minutes late to their wedding, much less show up in a taxi that has 14 people crammed into it.
I first made the reservation on January 30, 2012. This is rather late to be looking for a limo when the wedding was on St. Patrick’s Day about a month and a half later. We agreed on using a 24-passenger limo bus for three hours (4:45-7:45) at a rate of $540. I called several times between January 30, 2012, and the day of the wedding just to confirm the reservation. I called about an hour before the 4:45 pickup to find out that the reservation had been canceled; however, I was assured that a bus would show up on time. The bus ended up being late because it had gone to the wrong Hampton Inn. When it gets to the hotel, I’m asked to sign a contract with the wrong amount on it. I talked to a manager with the company that told me that we would work it out and to just sign the contract so we could leave. Prior to signing the contract, I scratched out the incorrect amount and wrote in the negotiated amount down and initialed. I also wrote the negotiated amount above my signature for the transaction total. I was then told on the phone to never write on the company’s contract again and that he was a man of his word. I can tell you that working in the bank, that a man’s word doesn’t mean squat if there’s a binding contract that says otherwise. How many contractors swindled money out of Katrina victims? The revised contract was a counter offer that they had already agreed to. The bus was absolutely dirty. I’m guessing it was just used prior that day and hadn’t been cleaned yet.
After dealing with the contract, we had to worry about getting the bus running again. Apparently, the bus needed a jump start as well as a few gallons of oil. I understand that as I was told on the phone that buses are man-made machines that break down from time to time, but they should at least be serviced appropriately. The engine had nearly no oil in it, which caused it not to work. So we waited and waited for someone from New Orleans Limo Service to come and give us a jump start and help put oil in the engine. By the time we got the jump start, it was too late to bring the groomsmen to the church and come back for the bridesmaids. So, in the interest of time we decided to combine the groomsmen and bridesmaids. Once the bus was up and running, I was told that the charge on my card did not go through and that they needed cash before the bus could leave. I proceeded to show the driver on my phone that money was in the account. This is the bank that I work for. I put only what was needed for the original negotiated price. I wasn’t prepared for paying what was on the contract because I was given the manager’s word that I would be charged the negotiated price. Eventually, after what I guess was a successful charge for the correct amount, we left. Then, about three blocks away from the hotel, the bus dies again. At this point we decide to get off the bus and try to hail a cab. All 14 of us stood on the side of the road in formal attire trying to get a cab. Eventually we found one that would let all 14 of us fit in his Suburban. After the wedding the wedding party left for the reception in two taxis that we had waiting for us outside the church.
Needless to say, this was quite an ordeal. I guess we should have known right away by the looks of the bus and the driver’s non-professional appearance that we should have just walked off the bus and found a taxi. Time is very valuable. I was supposed to get to the church an hour before the wedding started to make the finishing touches on different aspects of the ceremony. Instead, I get there about 40 minutes after the ceremony was supposed to start. I can’t get that time back. I also can’t get the money back for the time that was paid for but not used for the reception. That in itself is between $8000.00 and $10,000 right there alone, as well as the extra money for going over our 3-hour limit. I wasn’t able to make final adjustments that my now wife talks about on a daily basis. New Orleans Limo Service’s only response to my request for compensation was, “it just ain’t going to happen.” I think that is ridiculous.