A shuttle disaster

Christopher Elliott Travel columnist • Profile • E-mail

Q: I recently made a reservation for a van ride from New York to Newark airport through SuperShuttle. I called hours in advance of my scheduled pick-up and was given a confirmation number by phone.

My van was supposed to arrive by 11 p.m. I waited 45 minutes and no one showed up. I called the dispatcher and was told that someone had tried to call my cell phone to tell me about the delay. But I hadn’t received a call.

A SuperShuttle dispatcher said the earliest they could send someone over was three hours later. I reluctantly agreed to wait. But at 3 a.m., there was still no one.

I called the company and spoke with the same dispatcher. He said there was no van available to pick me up. Then he told me to take a cab and to contact SuperShuttle’s customer service department to receive compensation for the $70 fare.

I filed a claim more than a month ago, but so far — you guessed it — I haven’t heard a thing from SuperShuttle. Can you help me?
— Lana Carlson, Minneapolis

A: SuperShuttle should have picked you up when it promised it would. And when it didn’t, it should have immediately advised you to take a cab, for which you should have been promptly reimbursed.

Instead, you waited four hours for a van that never showed up. Then you waited weeks for a refund.

That doesn’t seem so super.

What’s the company’s policy on no-shows? Who knows. Although SuperShuttle has a no-show rule for customers — according to its Web site, if you cancel a reservation four hours before a scheduled pickup, you get a full refund — it doesn’t seem to have one for itself (and if it does, it’s not clearly disclosed on its site).

You were much too generous when you agreed to wait four hours for a shuttle. I would have called SuperShuttle and asked to speak with a manager. You wouldn’t have been out of line to politely request either an earlier pickup or for the company to cover your transportation expenses to the airport.

Past Travel Troubleshooter columns Half a room or twice the price A not-so-magical Disney vacation Still waiting for my refund Uh-oh! Optional car rental insurance isn't A canceled cruise, a missing refund Charged twice for a Cayman Islands hotel Help! My rental company ran out of cars Now that’s a change fee Right state, wrong Ramada Forced to buy another airline ticket Is my insurance claim lost in translation?

I contacted SuperShuttle on your behalf and asked about your delayed reimbursement. Although a company representative promised to look into the matter right away, you didn’t hear back from anyone until two weeks later, when I checked with SuperShuttle about the status of your case.

A representative then contacted you directly, apologized for the delays, and processed your refund for $70.

Christopher Elliot is the ombudsman for National Geographic Traveler magazine. E-mail him at chris@elliott.org, or troubleshoot your trip through his Web site, http://www.csr.elliott.org

MORE FROM TIPS

Tips Section Front

A traveler's guide to shopping abroad Tips for choosing a hotel 7 ways to avoid checked baggage fees No ticket, but they remembered the bill How to get fit on vacation The travel secrets of war reporters The best iPhone apps for travelers Great things to do in the airport Airline safety course teaches life-saving skills How to leverage social media for a better vacation Tips Section Front   Add Tips headlines to your news reader: