When shopping around, please make sure you get the total price of the limousine service in writing before the limo arrives at your pick-up location. If not, the limo may show up with an invoice with a price that is a lot higher than what you were quoted. By then, it might be too late to negotiate the price or hire a different company. Especially if they already have your non-refundable deposit.
2. Is the vehicle that you are giving me a quote on in your fleet or does it belong to an outside (affiliate) company?
Please find out who the vehicle belongs to. If it does not belong to the company in question, there may be no recourse for you if they fail to show up or if they send the wrong vehicle. More importantly, if this job is being completed by an outside company, this company may not be properly licensed or insured. Make sure that you obtain all the information on the vehicle and the company that operates the vehicle ahead of time. This way, if something is not right, you have the necessary contact information of the company(s) involved.
3. What is the vehicle make, year, size, color, and license plate # of the vehicle that I am chartering?
This is a good way to be certain that the vehicle you are paying for is indeed the vehicle that arrives at your doorstep. Make sure that photo you see on-line is the vehicle you are renting. Make sure that there is a clear understanding and a written reservation with this information clearly described on the contract. Some contracts indicate that a vehicle may be substituted. Please be sure that there is a clear understanding between you and the limousine service of the acceptable and unacceptable substitutions. Finally, call the day before and the day of the charter to confirm that the vehicle you have rented will indeed be the one that is sent.
4. Where is the business located and where are the vehicles stored?
A reputable sedan and limousine service should have a place of business with adequate storage and facilities to effectively stock, service, and maintain its vehicles. Vehicles stored outside deteriorate faster, and are often not as clean as vehicles that are stored inside. Skye Limousine is housed in 10,000 sq ft building located in Downtown San Diego close to the airport and many San Diego attractions. Skye Limousine has a full-time detail and maintenance staff to ensure that the vehicles leave the garage sparkling clean, in a well-maintained and safe condition. Our vehicle prep area ensures that limousine bars, glasses, decanters, drink containers, and ice bins are cleaned and disinfected before and after each run.
5. If I charter a vehicle from your company, will the vehicle be available for my use the entire time that I am paying for it? Will any other parties be in the vehicle during these hours?
This may sound like a silly question, but you would be surprised how many limousine services double-book and triple-book their vehicles and attempt to service two or even three clients simultaneously. This happens most often on busy weekends with unsuspecting high school passengers attending their proms and other formal engagements. On these busy weekend nights, some companies book more jobs than they can handle in order to maximize their profits. When this happens, limos are often late for pick-ups and drop-offs and unauthorized strangers are often riding in vehicles with the personal property (purses, clothes, cellular phones, cameras) of the unsuspecting passengers. With Skye Limousine, if a vehicle is chartered, no one else will be inside this vehicle during this time period unless advanced arrangements have been made with the client’s verbal or written authorization or in the case of an emergency.
6. What sort of checks have been made in your chauffeur hiring process? What type of training does the chauffeur have. What will the chauffeur be wearing?
Our chauffeurs have drug and background checks completed before they are hired and are tested randomly during their employment with Skye Limousine. Every chauffeur endures an extensive training program both classroom and behind the wheel. The mandatory uniform consists of a pressed white shirt, black suit, tie and dress shoes.
7. For my child’s formal, what steps do you take to ensure his or her safety?
For every high school or child function where an adult is not present in the vehicle, all passenger parents must sign a Skye Limousie teen authorization that lists all passengers and pick-up and drop-off locations. No other passengers will be allowed in the vehicle. Additionally, teen passengers will not be permitted additional stops or drop-offs without prior authorization from the parent(s). If alcohol or any other unauthorized behavior takes place by one or more of the passengers, the parents will be notified of the situation and will be instructed to retrieve their child. Additionally, depending on the circumstances, the charter may be terminated if the chauffeur deems it necessary to do so.