People would be forgiven for thinking that to select a vehicle for a private trip or airport transfer these days is a simple and easy task. For the most part this is completely true – choosing a company is usually nothing more than carrying out a web search and finding the best company providing mini bus hire Ashford can offer.
However, selecting the right coach company is a little bit more difficult. While general standards have improved significantly over the last couple of years and it’s rare to really go wrong when booking, you need to know what to look for in order to make the best decision. The chosen company will determine in many ways the success of failure of your trip or transfer, so a little bit of proactivity can go a long way and save you a ton of headaches.
The good news is that these days the market has been mostly cleared out of dodgy providers or they are easy to spot. In order to make sure you know what you need to be on the lookout for, here is a brief guide to recognising a few warning signs of a transfer firm that you’d best avoid:
Unprofessional Websites
First and most important to realise, the website of a company is in many ways highly revealing of the standards and professionalism of the said company. The same way a physical office that is in complete chaos and disarray will make any prospective client turn away and book somewhere else, a website that lacks anything particularly professional will alienate customers. And they most likely will not come back again in the future. A website represents the stature and image of a company and should be inspected for any signs that it had been put together by amateurs with no real knowledge or experience in the field.
Stock Photos of Buses
Also don’t forget to check out the buses themselves for reasons that don’t need to be explained. Most coach companies will nowadays offer plenty of pictures of their vehicles on their websites, but what you need to check is whether these are the actual vehicles that are used by the company. It’s never too difficult to copy photos from other websites or make use of stock pictures for any vehicle. Professional companies on the other hand will only show real-life photos of their actual vehicles. If you are not sure or if it’s obvious that the images are not real, ask yourself what the reason might be.
A General Lack of Guarantees
There’s a big difference between a transfer service firm that claims to offer the lowest prices on the market and another that really backs such claims with guarantees. All dealers found today should be willing to beat or match the best prices of a rival company – there is no need to pay extra for a service if you can get it cheaper elsewhere.
No Feedback
Transfer companies in the UK today rely heavily on word of mouth and good feedback to give their appeal and reputation a boost. It’s rare to find a provider’s website that is not showing plenty of feedback from past clients that have tested their services. If there is no feedback, it’s not unreasonable to assume it has been kept behind closed doors for a reason that is not entirely flattering.
A Lack of Professionalism
It’s important to listen to your gut when you first contact the company – do they act professionally enough or do you feel you’re dealing with amateurs? First impressions cannot always be reliable or tell the whole tale, but one should never turn back to their instincts if they feel something’s wrong. Pay attention to details and if something bothers you, turn to another provider.
Vague Quotes
And finally, long are gone the days of being given one price only to be charged 60% more upon arriving at the final destination – or at least such instances should be gone when choosing professional transfer companies. The quote given prior to booking must be the real price you pay and nothing more, no matter what and how many unexpected stops the driver had to make during the trip or how many diversions were made due to traffic. Accept final quotes in writing and don’t settle for less.
