monkey H.
DO NOT BOOK CARMEL!
I unfortunately did not come across these reviews when I booked Carmel, had I, I definitely would not have booked them. I travelled from the UK to New York and received an email around 10pm 27th May and was due to fly out 2pm 29th May. The email said that I needed to call a number once I had collected my suitcases upon arriving in New York. My first thought was, how much is this phone call going to cost me?! I queried with them if there was another form of contact, being from the UK calling a USA number would be costly for me. They told me to find the nearest customer service desk and ask to use their phone. Ok so I get off a 7.5 hour flight and first I have to travel around the airport looking for a point of assistance? great! I though to myself, it's my fault I didn't read the small print that they are not a meet and greet service so will just have to pay for the phone call I make. Before leaving the UK I asked them to confirm how long I would have to wait for them to pick us up - convinced now I should have booked someone else but it's already too late, I can't get a refund. I was told I would be waiting 5-7 minutes and even online on Expedia it reads that on maximum a customer would need to wait 10 minutes. We were waiting 30 minutes in the pouring rain! The journey to our hotel wasn't great either, not bothered by the pouring rain and continuous skidding of the car the driver continued to drive fast until I told him to slow down. This should be common sense to any half decent driver. We knew we would have to pay for toll charges (even though no toll roads were taken) and tip would be at our discretion, however we were told to pay $20 for toll roads and tips - we didn't have a choice in the matter. Again no toll roads were taken so I'm not sure what we're paying for. On the return journey back to the airport from the hotel the driver was late and I had to call the company twice to find out where he/she was. they were 15 minutes late. Not sure what the excuse was for the lateness because it's not as if we were getting off a flight and would need to collect luggage?! Although this time we were given a choice of tip, once again we had to pay for the non existent toll road. We booked via Expedia who were very understanding and were of the impression that the point of booking a taxi in advance is to avoid any waiting around or paying too much, however neither happened with Carmel so they would speak with Carmel regarding a refund. They spoke to Carmel who whilst accepted they were late, denied me a refund. I would pay the extra when picking a transfer so you're not dealing with a company who will charge you extra for non existent roads and tips (even when they put your life at risk). I wish I had seen these reviews before I booked Carmel.