Limousine Hire tips, guidelines and advice

By: Andrew Hughes  

Tips for renting a stretched limousine

Hiring a stretched limousine need not be a hit and miss
affair if you ask the right questions and take account of
the following.

No two limousine operators are the same and different
organisations place varying levels of emphasis on service
levels and investment in their fleet. You can gain an
insight into the way a company operates by how responsive
they are and the professionalism of their approach. For
example, if you have completed an online enquiry form, how
long does it take for them to respond, have they correctly
interpreted your requirements and is the quotation
professional or just a dismissive a one liner?

Similarly telephone enquiries can also provide an insight
into how a limousine operator is likely to handle their
customers. Is your call answered promptly and professionally
with the company name, are they friendly or evasive when
answering your questions, do they offer to send you a
written confirmation of the price, or is your call answered
by a telephone answering machine.

If you are visiting websites look for signs that they are a
professional limousine operator. Do they have a fixed line
number or just a mobile phone, does the website include the
name of the company or individual, is there a physical
contact address, or just a PO Box number, or worst still, no
address at all? These are indicators, not definitive signs
of a poor organisation, but you should ask yourself why, for
example, a limousine operator would not want tp include
their full company name or physical address.

Because the limousines are a critical aspect of the hire,
look to see if the website includes images of their own
vehicles. Study the pictures, many companies use generic
pictures of limousines, if this is the case, ask yourself
why they would not want to show images of their own
vehicles. One clue maybe to look at where the picture was
taken and the registration plate, if it looks as if it was
taken in the USA, then take care. Also ask about signage on
the vehicle, some operators use their limousines as
advertising hoardings, which can leave many hirers
disappointed.

If you come across a broker offering to secure quotations on
your behalf you will need to consider the following. Most
limousine operators will be paying for each enquiry they
receive or a percentage of the hire value, will you end up
paying a premium price for the convenience of using a third
party? Some of these brokers describe their limousine
operators as accredited or approved. If this is the case ask
what this process entails, what guarantees if any, the
accreditation process provides you, for example, will the
broker underwrite the hire and also how often are the
operators checked? You also need to bear in mind that you
are relying on a 3rd party to complete your research, which
means you are dealing with two entities of which you have no
previous experience.

Whilst there is inevitably a temptation to decide on price,
this should only form part of the process given, as should
become clear from your research, all limousine operators are
not equal. A professional limousine operator may charge £10
or £15 per hour more, but on an average hire of 5 hours,
this amounts to no more than £75, a small premium to pay in
order to secure a professional service, from an established
full-time operator with modern limousines.

Another aspect to consider is the length of the hire. The
average time taken to prepare a stretched limousine prior to
hire is around 2.5 hours. Therefore, most professional
operators will impose a minimum charge and/or a hire
duration of 3 hours or so, this may be higher during peak
periods. The minimum hire charge is likely to be in the
region of £150. Beware of any company that does not apply
these caveats given it often means that the operator intends
to use the vehicle for several hires on the day. Inevitably
this can lead to problems relating to reliability or timing
and more often than not, a vehicle that has not been
properly prepared. It is also worth bearing in mind that
many limousine operators offer a reduced hire charge for
mid-week hires, so if this is an option, don't discount it.

Another aspect to bear in mind when searching for a
limousine for your event is reliability. Stretched
limousines are expensive to service and repair which
inevitably results in some operators attempting to delay
repairs until the last possible moment. Unfortunately poorly
maintained limousines are notoriously unreliable. Whilst it
is reasonable for you to expect the limousine operator to be
diligent in such matters, it does not necessarily follow
that they are and it may well affect your hire! In many
cases a cheap hire really does result in a cheap service.
Listed below are some useful questions to ask of your
limousine operator.

Questions to ask Limousine Operators

How long have you been in business?
How many vehicles do you have?
Where are you based?
How old are you vehicles?
Where can I view your limousines?
Are there any minimum charges or hire durations?
Are you a full-time limousine operator?
What does the price include (VAT, Drinks, Gratuities etc)?
What contingencies do you have if the limousine breaks down?
What guarantee do I have that I will receive the limousine I
have chosen?
Do you have the appropriate private hire insurance, can I
view it?
Will I receive a written confirmation of the price?
Do you provide a booking confirmation with the itinerary and
price included?
What payment methods do you accept?
What is the deposit and when is the balance due?
What livery is on the limousine is it discreet?

Questions to ask Brokers

What does your accreditation or approval process consist of?
How often do you complete this procedure?
Will I be able to see a copy of the last report for the
company I book with?
How can I be certain that I will receive the limousine I ask
for?
Do you provide any guarantees regarding operator
reliability?
Will I have to pay any extra if I use your service, either
directly or indirectly?
Who do I pay?
How can I be certain that you are truly an independent
service?
Can I be sure that my email address will only be used for
the purpose of a quotation?

None of these questions are unreasonable and no professional
limousine operator will have any objections responding
positively, however, if you meet with resistance or the
answers are evasive, it should be a case of caveat emptor or
‘let the buyer beware’.

In summary:

Prepare your questions in advance
Know who you are dealing with (Trading name, physical
address, landline number etc)
Don’t be frightened of asking probing questions.
Insist on viewing images of the actual limousine or visit
the premises
Get everything in writing, the quotation and the itinerary
Make sure you are comparing on a genuine ‘like for like’
basis
Consider hiring your limousine mid-week, where significant
savings can be gained
Never be tempted to decide on price alone
If in doubt, keep searching!



This article was written by Andrew Hughes a Director of Cars
for Stars Limited. http://www.carsforstars.net

Cars for Stars® is a UK based franchised chauffeur car and
limousine hire operator with offices throughout the
mainland


This article is free for republishing