Let’s start out with a story. I planned a nice Spring trip for my parents…in style – Emirates First Class, which at the time of booking included complimentary chauffeur drive (Emirates has since removed this perk). My parents had never flown Emirates First Class before and they were extremely excited about the trip. However, a little incident arose when they were picked up from their hotel in New York.
This is a guest post by Enoch, a Juicy Miles award booker.
Emirates partners with Boston Coach in the tri-state area for their executive car services. We received a phone call from them confirming the pick up at 8:05 a.m the next morning. My parents were told that the driver would be right in front of the hotel, displaying their names on the car window—pretty standard.
Five minutes past the scheduled pick-up time, my parents still couldn’t find the driver. They saw a black Chrysler across the street with flashers on, so they went to inquire. There were no names on the window, but the driver claimed he was picking up two passengers with the same last name as my parents, just not my parents. Our last name isn’t very common, but okay.
Fifteen minutes later and still no driver, there was an incoming phone call from Boston Coach. They connected us with the driver, who did not sound happy. He was screaming, saying he had been there since 7:50 a.m., the passenger is a no-show, etc. Lo and behold, it was the driver across the street (I still don’t understand why he was way across the street). Turns out, my parents were his passengers.
Well, no big deal. We found the driver. My parents crossed the street to approach the driver, but the driver refused to unlock the door until he saw my parents’ ID and airline reservation. After, he stayed inside the car and refused to open the trunk. It took some serious intervening from the hotel bellhops that ran across the street to finally get him to open the car trunk to load the luggage. When my mom got into the car, the driver adjusted/pushed his seat as far back as possible. My mom asked nicely whether he could move it just a little bit, and the driver responded, something to the effect of “well, the car is just small and you’re going to have to deal with it.” Throughout the entire trip to JFK, he continued cussing and swearing.
Now, I get it. Waiting for people is frustrating and perhaps the driver was having a bad day. However, as a professional service provider, I think most will agree that this is simply unacceptable in the service industry.
My question – Would you lodge a complaint? Of course, my parents were receiving the chauffeur service for free. Though of course with the free ride came a yelling driver the entire way to the airport. What do you think? When do you decide to complain about unprofessional behavior?
Related Emirates Trip Reports:
- Trip Report Part 1 – Emirates First Class on the A380 w/ Shower Suite – LAX – Dubai (DXB)
- Trip Report Part 2 – Emirates First Class on the A380 w/ Shower Suite – LAX – Dubai (DXB)
- Emirates First Class Lounge – A380 Terminal – Concourse A – Dubai
- Emirates First Class Lounge Concourse B – Dubai
- Emirates A380 Business Class – JFK-Dubai Trip Report
- Emirates Business Class Lounge – A380 Terminal – Concourse A – Dubai
- Trip Report – Emirates First Class DXB- Malé (MLE) – DXB B777-200LR
- Trip Report – Emirates First Class DXB – Milan (MXP)
- Trip Report – Emirates Lounge Milan
- Trip Report – Emirates First Class MXP – JFK B777-300ER
Related Emirates News:
- Further Cuts to Emirates Chauffeur-Drive, This Time Impacting Qantas Codeshares
- Is the Emirates DXB-MXP-JFK Flight Illegal? US carriers think so…
- Emirates Sheikh to American/Delta/United: Stop Whining and Try Winning on Service!
- Emirates to Airbus – “We Will Buy 100 More A380s…if you give us a Neo engine upgrade”
- Emirates – “We Will Take Over the Trans-Atlantic Market” – Adding A380s on Most US Routes
- Is the A380 Production Era Over? No New Buyers in 2014!
- Inside an Emirates B777 Crew Rest Compartment…Pretty Pimp!
- It’s Official – Dubai overtakes Heathrow as World’s Busiest International Airport
- Emirates Drops FIFA Sponsorship, Qatar Waiting in the Wings?
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11 comments
Free or not – a rude encounter should be reported.
Absolutely You should !!! What a horrible way to start this trip.
of course you complain a firing is in order.
It isn’t a complaint as much as it is reporting unprofessional behavior. You area actually doing Emirates a HUGE favor because they have no way of knowing that the service they are paying Boston Coach for is degrading the “First Class” experience that Emirates works to create!
The ride was certainly not free. It was supposed to be part of the First Class service.
Rude drivers do not reflect well on the company, and they ought to let the airline know.
OMG – why did your parents get in a car with this man! Are we so desperate to get our perks that we would put ourselves in danger and be trapped in a vehicle with a belligerent and weird acting driver? Not saying “hello” is rude, this guy was not safe.
Was his name ‘Larry David’ ?
Only in America would we complain about something so trivial.
100%, I would lodge a complaint; that was completely unprofessional. BTW: Etihad Chauffer for the same trip was fantastic.
I’ve been a chauffeur and as drivers WE ARE NOT PAID WAITING TIME! Also, it’s a standard procedure to wait 30mins at the pickup address free of charge. Now to the point, even though the passenger states that they were 25mins late, I think it’s B.S . Arabs and first class passengers take the piss big time, stroll out an hour late, booked a sedan but turn up with 25suitcases, expect the driver to bendover and they are above everyone, the driver must have waited more than 30mins, also he may have been pissed off due to Boston Coach making him work for than 12hours, now think about health and safety, the driver may have been shattered, exhausted, Boston Coach just thinking about profits, remember people it’s a 2 way street, 2 sides to a story.
My passéngers were awesome, a few dicks here and there, but hey they got to be brought down to earth, no one is above you, we’re all human. Never underestimate people, I own 50+ properties and drive only to pay my tax bill. Therefore I’m worth a lot more then those silly passengers who think the sun shines out of their rear ends, but I don’t brag or think I’m Jay Z, I just roll in my S-Class, nice suit, nice shoes, 12k Rolex and just let the watch do the talking.
BENSON, I have a personal connection to the passengers, and while I am not one to argue, I feel compelled to respond. Most of us in the miles and points game are not the demographic that “think the sun shines out of their rear end.” We redeem miles for our tickets, and want to make good use of the amenities provided.
You are right, an agitated driver would indeed translate into unsafe driving. The passengers were not late—in fact, they checked with the driver right around scheduled pick-up time, only to be denied (until intervened). Regardless of what the work condition of the day may have been, I would like to think that drivers pride themselves in the ability to provide professional service.