Often clients who book limo services get surprised in the end when they see the extra waiting charges on their receipt. That is the most frustrating part one can experience. The limo company knows that too, but in this blog post, we will explain why we have to do that. There are many reasons for that extra charge.
One thing to have in mind, unplanned extra waiting time is a disruption for both the limo driver and the company. For you might be 10-15 minutes- big deal. For us, the consequences are bigger affecting us both financially and health-wise.
Hopefully, when you finish reading this article, you will understand its necessity.
Limo Services Run On Scheduled Trips
Black car services run on schedules and trips one after the other. Drivers are assigned a number of reservations per day so they make good money. Chauffeurs don’t drive Uber or Lyft and prearranged trips are their bread and butter.
Also, the car company has a certain number of vehicles and any disruption will lead to covering the next job with IOs at higher rates, often out-of-pocket pay.
Read Your Booking Confirmation
To avoid any misunderstandings, read the outlined policies and procedures in the confirmation you get from the limo company. There is always a confirmation but many clients don’t pay attention to it and that’s why they are unpleasantly surprised in the end. In your email, you will most likely find the gratis time (including free wait time) and the charges after it expires.
How Is Your Rate Calculated
On-time is late for a reliable chauffeur service company. That’s why your limo arrives 10-15 minutes earlier than you have scheduled it for. That way clients have enough time to get ready and board the car at your actual scheduled pick-up time.
We know things happen and on top of that, all black car services give clients an additional 10/15 minutes of gratis/free/included wait time. So basically your car drove to your pick-up address and we are giving about another 20 minutes to board. That’s how your initial rate is calculated. Anything beyond that is not included in your initial rate.
What Happens When A Client Comes Out Late
When a client comes out later than planned and outlined in the confirmation, stress and adrenaline rush take place. The driver is about to lose his/her next trip which leads to missed earnings. On the other side, dispatch has to look for expensive IOs to cover the job which is very difficult to do at the last minute. The limo company loses money.
If the job cannot be covered, the next client will have to wait for the driver who was held up because of you being late. Don’t forget: we arrived on time for you because the previous client was out on time!
Being late hurts the image of the business and makes the driver nervous about picking up the next client. For example, if Chief Chicago Limo is late one minute, the ride is free. Neither the company nor the driver gets paid.
Worst case scenario, we lose that client! If we lose a client because of you, we have to drop you and/or charge you the extra waiting time fees. And ours are very high, but transparent, as explained in the confirmation.
Driver’s Mood And Safety Are Affected From A Client Being Late
Clients usually can’t notice that because chauffeurs are trained to hide emotions but that’s the case.
If your driver knows that he will not be compensated for the extra wait time and missed earnings you get an unhappy and stressed driver for the rest of your journey. The chauffeur becomes distracted and is likely to make a mistake or get into an accident. The limo driver has all rights to refuse to drive you again if he does not get paid for the wait time.
He/she may try to drive faster and unsafe to make up for the unpaid wait time only to drop off you faster at the destination. Pay your extra waiting time fees to prevent all that.
Driver’s Health Is Often Worsened When You Are Not On Time
No matter if we charge you or not for the waiting time, a few things are happening in the background you need to know. In these cases, the charges you pay seem not enough.
Stress. Stress kills. It triggers many things which may lead to mental problems and serious diseases. Check here to see why being a limo driver is one of the most stressful jobs.
Kidney problems. Remember, drivers run on schedules. They try to even time their restroom needs. If a client comes out 30 minutes later, it may cause a driver to hold his/her pee. Doing that for long leads to urinary tract infections, incontinence, and damaged kidneys. Unfortunately, it is typical for limo drivers.
After calmly dropping off clients at the destination I have screamed and almost cried in the car holding my pee till I got to the first restroom.
Fatigue. Almost every year a limo driver needs to work 30 minutes to an hour extra a day. That is due to traffic, increasing costs of doing business, and the inability to properly raise rates due to competition. Because of that, chauffeurs train to rest and take naps in between rides.
If you come out late, you will disrupt the rest schedule of a driver. Your chauffeur might fall asleep while driving. That is especially true for long-distance limo service. The driver drives 2+ hours to pick you up. Your car arrived earlier but you are not on time. The chauffeur can’t take a nap because he/she doesn’t know when you are coming out. On the way to your destination car may start swerving, hitting a shoulder, etc. Just come out on time and everything will be alright.
Do Uber And Lyft Charge Extra Waiting Time Fees
Even Uber and Lyft charge extra waiting time. It’s way less than what limo services charge.
However, a ride-share driver can cancel the ride after 5 minutes and leave you stranded. In addition to that, they don’t promise quality and availability. Limo services do! And that’s our strength and advantage. You are paying more and getting more.
What Does Chief Chicago Limo Do To Avoid Unhappy Clients
We know a happy client is very important and I have come up with a few ways to handle the situation very well. There are multiple scenarios I use.
If a client is late a few minutes for the first time, I warn them of the consequences of being late again. In this case, I don’t charge the passenger but pay the driver a few bucks out of my pocket.
When a patron is consistently late and already warned, I ask if they want to schedule a later pick-up on their next ride. If not, we charge the extra waiting fees.
For concerts and game pick-ups, clients often come later than scheduled. That’s why I advise you to book a pick up 15-20 minutes later than what they think the venue is. Even if ready earlier, the client should wait and save hundreds of dollars.
Thank you for your understanding and we are looking forward to driving you!
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