Londonretrobushire Reviews 6

Last week for our event in London, we hired a retro London red bus to take us from Excel London to Masthouse Terrace Pier, and we had a really tight schedule to stick to.

Our lovely bus driver arrived on time, was incredibly friendly, and the bus itself was amazing. Our clients were really happy, and everything ran perfectly.

I would highly recommend this company, they have been amazing from start to finish.

Really disappointed with the company. They communicated to us that the bus we booked almost a year before the event will not be available because there were issues. The communication wasn’t even 24 hours before my wedding day. It was extremely distressing and many people who had no means of transport to the wedding couldnt come because of this.

London Retro Bus Hire seemed to have a reliable reputation; however, on our Wedding Day, they totally failed us. Though the bus arrived early, we were informed that the battery was flat. We were told it would take an hour and a half for assistance to come—time that we simply did not have, due to our reception commitments. Not only did the delay shave off over an hour of our important celebrations, but it also meant that we had to pay additional charges to our reception venue for spoiled food due to lateness. We were left embarrassed and devastated on one of the most important days of our lives.

It was mortifying to ask our guests—including mobility-impaired elders and those with young children—to arrange their own alternative transport, at curbside on a freezing cold October night. We had specifically hired the bus to keep our guests together, warm, and comfortable. None of which happened. The driver was sympathetic, assuring us that we'd receive a full refund, as well as reimbursement of additional taxi costs. As the groom, I trusted his word during a chaotic moment.

After the event, the company never contacted us. We had to approach them to raise our disappointment, and though the refund was processed promptly, any discussion of compensation for the disruption and additional taxi fares (15 taxis at a cost of £150) was dismissed, citing their terms and conditions, which exclude compensation for mechanical issues.

The company claimed: "All our vehicles are on a strict 8-week maintenance plan and are inspected before and after each job they go on due to the nature of our business and the age of the vehicles." So was our bus just not checked? They also noted that their "driver has no authority to authorise any monetary transactions." And if so, perhaps staff should be trained to better manage these situations, as the driver’s assurances led us to expect full support from the company, which we have not received.

Adding to our frustration, it was implied that our taxi reimbursement could be deducted from our refund—which is both absurd and rude. We were owed the refund for a service we didn't get. If we had wanted our guests to take taxis, we would have arranged it ourselves to begin with.

To sum up: book with caution. If anything goes wrong, expect zero empathy. Judging by the company’s curt responses on reviews similar to ours, we wish we'd noticed the red flags!

Rachel the driver and Jess the hostess with the mostess provided us with a superb experience driving around London for a Hen do. Serving drinks, driving great and joing in with dancing. Great people. When it stopped raining Jess ensured upstairs as it was an open top bus was good for us to sit down.

What an amazing experience. Booked a bus for a birthday tour around London. The driver Rachael was efficient and drove safely and her assistant Rose was lovely and very interactive with the children. All in all an amazing day out for friends & family
A++

We hired two buses for a short journey on our wedding day, only one turned up and the other bus ended up driving over an hour in the wrong direction, up the motorway to the services and back with half the wedding guests on board (the other half had to pay for their own taxis). Our entire wedding day was delayed and the timing was ruined. When I asked for a refund the customer service was awful. They have refused to issue a full refund despite me asking several times, and stated that their choice of route (to the motorway services on the M1) was valid and it's not their problem that I 'didn't like it'. This is also despite all of the satnav options showing direct routes that did not go anywhere near the motorway. Extremely upsetting as this is now the overriding memory that hangs over our wedding day. Absolutely would NOT recommend this company.