A Touch of Class
Limos Prom
Contract 2010 114
S. Manning Blvd. Albany, NY 12203
E-Mail:
atoc@nycap.rr.com Tel.
(518)
482-1982
(Fax - call before & we'll turn fax on.)
-
Read AC- Realities
below contract.
__Fall/winter
Prom __
Spring Prom
School _______________
Day of week_____
PROM DATE
_______
Student
Name ____________________________________ Cell # ______________
Parent or student email
Address
___________________________________________ City _______ Zip
_________
Name
Parent
_______________________________ work #_______________
Cell
#___________________ Home # _________________
Split
package time measured from time of 1st pick up… to time of final
drop off. We transfer students to walk-in, Prom & either to
to after prom event or back to original pick up location. Drivers
always appreciate extra at final destination.
1.
Non-Refundable Deposit w/signed contracts reserves vehicle. See Rate
sheet for amounts.
2. All Cancelled Prom orders - $150 Service
Processing Fee if appropriate notice received.
3.
Checks
accepted up to 1 month before prom. Full payment due 3 weeks prior to
prom.
4. If Balance, Gas & Minimum gratuity given on arrival in cash to driver before leave 1st pick up location.
5. No Smoking/Beverages allowed in vehicles. Drink water before leaving- it helps you to STAY COOL.
6. Carry on bags OK in trunk. No gum allowed in
vehicles. Unopened water/soda OK in trunk.
7. No cash refund after vehicle accepted/used for any
portion of prom night.
8. Refunds, If and when justified are offered to students in
form of service time on another date.
9. Drivers go only by contract to photo location, walk-in,
to prom & to final drop location. No stops at any stores.
10.
AC is temperamental & doesn't always cool large vehicles. Stay calm
- you'll feel cooler for short ride to prom.
__10
psg Classic Mid 90s - __ 10 psg Late Model -
__
Sedan 2-4 Students
___
Party Bus
___Yellow
School Bus
__
14 psg Limo-Coach __Van
6 students ___ "Huge" SUV for 6-8 students of 7 Adults __Coach/Bus 30-46
& 54 psg
Vehicle Number of Cost per Split
Time
figured from First Pick up time - to Final Drop Time
cost $________ Students ____ Student $ ______ ___6 ___7
___ 8 ___9 ___10 Hrs.
__MC/VISA __AM/EX __Check ___Cash - See Rate sheet
for all costs including sales tax which is included.
___ Process charges
of: $________ . (Office can total) ___ Reserve Service Date
with Deposit of: $______
Security Codes
- AMEX 4 numbers on front side _____ MC/Visa 3 numbers on
back side _____
Credit Card #
____________________________________________ Exp. Date
_____
I understand that if I cancel my order without appropriate advance written
notice - all charges will be processed. Proms $175
service fee on all cancellations. I understand all damage costs caused
by passengers - will be processed on credit card.
CARD HOLDER Signature:
________________________________
Vehicle
Minus Minus
Cost $ _______ Deposit $_________ Date _________ Driver’s Minimum $
__________ = Balance Due $____________
pick up Tel. # ________ Pick-up Location _____________________________
1st PICK-UP
Time
________
Walk-in
___Y ___N Location________________________________ Scheduled
walk-in time:__________
Dinner
Before Prom ___ Y ___ N Restaurant Name_________________________
PROM
Location
________________________________
students
must arrive within 20minutes of Prom start time
Prom Starts ____________ Prom Ends ____________
(Students exit within 10 minutes & in vehicle within 15 minutes.)
Is group going back to 1st Pick up location? ___Yes
___No
Final Drop
______ If Prom ends 11pm drop by Midnight
Location _____________________________________________ ______
if Prom ends Midnight drop by 1am
________________________________
_______________________________________
__________________________________
A Touch of Class Limos Rep
Student agrees to comply with our rules.
Parent
_____________________________________________
Air Conditioning (& Heat Realities)
Eighteen and twenty
years ago, - if at the last minute AC didn't work - we would cancel the
limo and the customer as well as our company suffered. Prom students were
angry that we cancelled……..Brides were angry that we cancelled. Vehicles
are machines and as much as we do preventative maintenance we can’t promise AC
in limos. If AC doesn’t work or doesn’t work properly……. Stay calm and you
will still have a wonderful Prom, Wedding, or trip to Saratoga…….
Now – experience tells us – no matter what…..get to the customer and transport
them as best as possible.
If there’s a problem with AC – we no longer cancel a limo - because it's still
most important to get to the customer and transfer them to the prom,
Ceremony, Reception, dinner or Track etc. or where ever else the customer is
going …….with or without AC.
Of course we all want AC and most of the time AC works in most vehicles.
AC in large vehicles (10 psg and larger) it's another story. We've learned that by opening the front
windows and opening the back windows just a bit to circulate air - we can
still get the bride/groom to ceremony/reception or students to their prom -
with
minimal discomfort – with a breeze generated from the
open front windows.
AC always seems to work great in our Sedans, Vans and SUVs. However -
in larger 10 passenger and larger vehicles - including coach/buses- AC & heat
become problems. Everyone’s body temperature goes up a little on
prom and wedding days…so make sure you drink cool water before leaving home.
When doors open …. all heat in winter rushes out and in warm months cool air rushes out. Your limo can take 5-7 minutes to cool down again. For Weddings and Proms….If you have 8 in an eight passenger or 10 in a ten passenger – the back compartment may not feel as cool as you’d like it to feel even after 10 minutes. On hot days the back compartment feels warmer because peoples body temp effects coolness because of number of passengers. On hot days 20 minutes with a full car many times is not enough time to cool the back compartment. This is indeed a reality transportation companies must state to customers. A door opens and all cool air or heat rushes out. In winter - all heat can rush out even a window is open for just a few minutes.
A fan can stop blowing the cool air or heat at any time. This is a machine
part. On hot days the fan over works and then stops. On Feb. 7, 2010 - with
0-5 degree weather after 1am in Saratoga our back fan froze and didn't
start working again until next day. Same with new or old AC fans...they over
heat and then stop working. On occasion a Limo goes over a pot hole which
causes a fuse to loosen and the AC stops. Most of the time….AC will go back on
a little while later. No refund when this happens. We will offer service
credits.
On high temperature days where humidity is also high....AC system gets over worked and often completely stops working. Leaks in the system can occur at any time in new and older vehicles. When clients first enter a limo, they are anxious and click all buttons. Quite often the problem is that the heat button is pressed instead of AC. Sometimes driver can add coolant to AC and that does the trick - sometimes it doesn't.
AC should be turned off when limo is idling. Sometimes a client demands that the driver keep the AC on while idling 5 minutes. When we do this….most often the compressor dies and then we are without AC the rest of the night. The compressor can break on a new vehicle just as easy as on an older vehicle. AC is a never ending problem for limo companies and that’s why we talk about it up front!
No matter what preventative maintenance we do, AC is unpredictable and when problems occur, we ask driver and passengers to stay calm. When AC stops working – drivers get all upset as well as passengers. Drivers will open both front windows… all the way… to allow maximum breeze to circulate through to the back to make everyone as comfortable as possible. In this situation, back windows should also be opened no more than 1 in. so that air is pulled from front windows and circulates better. We don't encourage opening back windows more than 1 inch so that hair styles can stay intact.
If everyone stays calm……you’ll feel the breeze from the drivers windows. No one can predict when AC will fail. On most wedding days and prom nights, there usually isn’t a replacement limo available. If there is…..we most certainly try to exchange limos….if time and distance permits.
AC is the one aspect of the limo/bus business that is a problem every year during warm weather for all transportation companies. After 22 years of experience, we feel it is most important to address the AC problems up front. When everyone stays calm………you’ll feel the heat much less… than when you let yourself get angry and upset. Stay calm…and before you know it….you’ll be at your destination! In the heat….drivers get uncomfortable as well and do everything possible to keep you comfortable. Vehicles leave garage with heat and AC working.
True story. A number of years ago, AC was not up to par in one of our limos on the way to the ceremony from a famous hotel in Saratoga. During ceremony we found out it only needed more coolant. The groom’s mother angrily called us and offered a few threats and then some! We explained that it was beyond our control when a part breaks and we'll have a vehicle with AC at the church to take group to reception. When we got back to church we found out another limo was ordered - and I guess to get back at us- they did so without letting us know. Vehicles are machines! On this day the humidity was as high as temperature was. When it was time to announce the newlyweds just as dinner was about to be served……the hotel’s air conditioning units also stopped working because the humidity was so high. Groom’s mother was again upset. However, bridal party and all the guests shrugged it off. They all had a great time. (I was invited to wedding but deeply saddened when I was told by the Mother that family didn't want me to attend because AC didn't work well on way to ceremony.)
Moral of the story is…..
no AC in many vehicles.
If you drink
water before leaving - it really helps you stay cool - whether you have AC or
not!…
if you stay calm….you'll soon be having a great time on the short trip to your
event.
REFUNDS
- Vehicles that have AC leave garage with AC (or heat) working.
After vehicle
accepted & used - Refunds, if and when justified, are given only in form of
service credits. Cash refunds are not given when something goes wrong and
the AC or heat stops working. As a courtesy to let passengers know the
company understands….A Touch of Class Limos and most other companies only give
courtesy service credits if AC fails. If we don't show up for service - a
cash refund is justified. If something happens and we must end the service - yes a
partial cash refund would be justified. If ther types of problems refunds, if and when justified, are
given only in form of service credits. We want you happy. We work with
people, machines, traffic and weather. We do proper maintenance but
parts/machines do break and we never know when. We cannot
repair heat or AC problem until next day.
Many Brides & Prom goers have told us they wished they had selected a lower weight gown for their Wedding/Prom . Many gowns use a heavier material than others…….keep weight of gown in mind when shopping for gowns…… especially for events May – Oct.. Other customers have stated that with AC or without AC…. eight passengers in a ten passenger would have been much more comfortable…..which suggests….don’t crowd your group!
We consider timeliness and safety in traveling - the most important issues. It is not feasible to keep an extra limo in the garage just in case something goes wrong or ceases to function on a limo. Sometimes – on way to a pick up or during service - AC or something else can cease to work. We are not happy when something happens to a part in a vehicle… but vehicles are machines and machines can develop problems at any time. As stated in the beginning of this memo - "Eighteen and twenty years ago, - at the last minute when AC didn't work - we would cancel the limo and the customer as well as our company will suffer."
Thank you.
www.atouchofclasslimos.com