Cowboy Limos

On Saturday, May 3, 2014, my son and his date met in Gates Four housing development with the group of friends going to the Jack Britt Junior Senior Prom.  We arrived at 4 pm for photos at the home, and waited for the 5 pm arrival of the contracted
?party bus? from Cowboy Limos.  At 5:20 pm, as the parents were anxiously waiting and wondering where the ?party bus? was, an unusual vehicle came slowly down the road. Several of us joked ?that can?t be the party bus?it looks like a
refrigerated truck?.  Well, that truck passed the house, did a U-turn, and pulled up in front of the house.  We really couldn?t believe this was the ?party bus? that had cost over $500 plus an additional tip making it over $600.  My husband, an Army Colonel, immediately went to check out the interior.  When he came back and said it was plywood walls, plywood seats with vinyl padding, and pretty dark, I actually thought he was joking. He was not. The lady who was the driver explained she was late because this was her first time driving this vehicle and in this area.
The six couples that were all dressed in formals and tuxedos then attempted to get into the ?party bus?.  The lady driver said she was supposed to have a step stool for the girl?s to be able to climb the two foot tall step into the truck/?party bus?,
but it wasn?t in the vehicle.  The girls with dresses that couldn?t be hiked up high enough to get into the vehicle had
to be lifted into it  by two dads. When the kids started to sit in the vehicle, crammed together, they commented on how hot it was.  The driver said she had the A/C on high, but it didn?t go back into the area where the customers sat.
There were no windows that opened, just a blacked out window on the side. The cooler that slid up under the padded plywood seat (that couldn?t be used if anyone was sitting on the seat) was bone dry?totally empty.  The driver explained she didn?t
know she was to get drinks. 
After the door was closed, the parents started to say we need to just cancel this mess and drive the kids ourselves.  We heard banging on the window but couldn?t see in.  We thought they were saying bye to us, and we waved at them.  Suddenly
the driver got out and came around to the sliding side door.  She opened it and one of the boys got out.  He had forgotten his wallet in the house and was banging on the window to get out.  The only way to get out was to open that door from the outside. 
The phone connecting the passengers with the driver was broken!!!  They had to bang on the glass between the
driver and themselves to get her attention.
After the young man got his wallet and got back into the vehicle, the driver headed down the road. The parents immediately voiced concerns about the passengers inability to get out of the vehicle without the driver?s assistance from the
outside.  One parent called her child, and told her to tell the driver to turn around and come back.  We were cancelling this ?party bus? and would deal with Cowboy Limo to get a full refund.  The driver would not turn around. The mom (Mrs Rostetter) whose teenage daughter had arranged for  the ?party bus? called the company, but got a voice recording.  I called the number
from the neon sign in the ?party bus? (my husband had taken a photo of it before the kids got inside) and I called the company.  I got the office and told the woman that we needed to get that vehicle to come back.  The office person needed the contract number and the mom?s last name on the contract, so I handed my phone over to that mom. The mom told the Cowboy
Limo office to call her driver and make her come back to the house.  She told her that
·   The party bus was late
· It was nothing like the advertised vehicle on the Cowboy Limo website 
·  It had no air conditioning
·   It had no drinks
·      Worst of all, it had no ability to exit the
vehicle from the inside.  It was like a work
truck and not a passenger vehicle

·    The passengers had no ability to communicate
with the driver as the phone wasn?t working
·  We wanted a full refund
The lady at the office said ?we will have to look into any refunds?. 
The vehicle did come back and the kids exited, sweating profusely and now late for their downtown photo shoot appointment and possibly late to their dinner reservations. 
The Cowboy Limo company was less than concerned with any of our issues and safety concerns for the kids.  The driver
apologized and said she had never driven this vehicle before.  As she drove away, she took off her long
sleeved white top down to a tank top because her front compartment was so hot.  She had air conditioning in front, and the kids had none in the back.  The outside air temp was approximately 85 degrees.
I called Cowboy Limo on Monday and talked with Mary Gray.  I asked for the manager (Scott) but he was unavailable.  She  took my name and phone number and asked what was the purpose of the call.  I went into the full details as listed above about the "party bus" and how it was not suitable for humans to be driven in.  I went over each point and Mary Gray responded "I have been in that VAN and you can get out of the back".  Apparently, the teenagers should have all stood up and moved the bench seats that block the back of the van to try to escape through the back hatch.
Scott did not ever call me back.
My husband tried calling him yesterday, but he was off.  He left his name and phone number to please call him regarding Saturday night.  No one ever called him back.
 I talked with Mrs Rostetter yesterday afternoon and was informed that Cowboy Limo is refusing to offer any refund and that Scott informed her that the vehicle normally rents for $1000 per night and that her daughter received a great deal for $600.
Today, we called Cowboy Limo.  We did finally get to speak to Scott.  His response to our issues was that the teenager who contracted for the party bus is on a recording reserving the party bus.  We informed Scott that you cannot contract with a minor for the rental of a limo.  He said he didn't know anything about "Livery Codes or Licenses" because all he does is reservations.  He said we needed to talk to Mark Wilkins.  He said he would transfer us to Mark.  We were left on hold, then disconnected.  We called back and asked to speak to Mark Wilkins.  We were put on hold.  It sounded like the phone was picked up and then put back on hold, then eventually we got his voice mail.  My husband left a message to please call him or his wife at our cell phone numbers in regards to the problems of Saturday night.  He also said he can not believe that the vehicle named "BOLT" is licensed to carry human beings.
In addition, we have found that Cowboy Limo has 17 complaints against them with the Better Business Bureau.  Now they will have #18.

On Saturday,
May 3, 2014, my son and his date met in Gates Four housing development with the
group of friends going to the Jack Britt Junior Senior Prom.  We arrived at 4 pm for photos at the home,
and waited for the 5 pm arrival of the contracted ?party bus? from
Cowboy Limos.  At 5:15 pm, as the parents
were anxiously waiting and wondering where the ?party bus? was, an unusual
vehicle came slowly down the road. 
Several of us joked ?that can?t be the party bus?it looks like a
refrigerated truck?.  Well, that truck
passed the house, did a U-turn, and pulled up in front of the house.  We really couldn?t believe this was the
?party bus? that had cost over $500 plus an additional tip making it over $600.  My husband, an Army Colonel, immediately went
to check out the interior.  When he came back and said it was plywood walls, plywood seats with vinyl padding, and
pretty dark, I actually thought he was joking. He was not. The lady who was the driver explained she was late because
this was her first time driving this vehicle and in this area.
The six couples that were all dressed in formals and tuxedos then attempted to get into
the ?party bus?.  The lady driver said she was supposed to have a step stool for the girl?s to be able to climb the
two foot tall step into the truck/?party bus?, but it wasn?t in the vehicle.  The girls with dresses that
couldn?t be hiked up high enough to get into the vehicle had to be lifted into it  by two dads.
When the kids started to sit in the vehicle, crammed together, they commented on how hot
it was.  The driver said she had the A/C on high, but it didn?t go back into the area where the customers sat.
There were no windows that opened, just a blacked out window on the side. The cooler that
slid up under the padded plywood seat (that couldn?t be used if anyone was
sitting on the seat) was bone dry?totally empty.  The driver explained she didn?t know she was
to get drinks.
After the door was closed, the parents started to say we need to just cancel this mess and drive the kids ourselves.  We heard
banging on the window but couldn?t see in. We thought they were saying bye to us, and we waved at them.  Suddenly the driver got out and came around to the sliding side door.  She opened it and one of the boys got out.  He had forgotten his wallet in the house and was banging on the window to get out.   The only way to get out was to open that door from the outside. 
The phone connecting the passengers with the driver was broken!!!  They had to bang on the glass between the
driver and themselves to get her attention.
After the young man got his wallet and got back into the vehicle, the driver headed down the road.  The parents immediately voiced concerns about the passengers inability to get out of the vehicle without the driver?s assistance from the outside. 
One parent called her child, and told her to tell the driver to turn round and come back.  We were cancelling
this ?party bus? and would deal with Cowboy Limo to get a full refund.  The driver would not turn around.  The mom who had contracted the ?party bus? (Mrs. Rostetter) called the company, but got a voice recording. 
I called the number from the neon sign in the ?party bus? (my husband had taken a photo of it before the kids got inside) and I called the company.  I got the office and told the woman that we needed to get that vehicle to come back. 
The office person needed the contract number and the mom?s last name on the contract, so I handed my phone over to that mom. The mom told the Cowboy Limo office to call her driver and make her come back to the house.  She told her that :
      

• 1. The party bus was late (5:20p.m.)

 2.  It was nothing like the advertised vehicle on the Cowboy Limo website 
3.  It had no air conditioning
4.It had no drinks
5.Worst--of all, it had no ability to exit the vehicle from the inside.  It was like a work truck and not a passenger
vehicle
6.  The passengers had no ability to communicate with the driver as the phone wasn?t working

•        

We refuse to allow our kids to be driven anywhere in this vehicle.  We wanted a full refund
The lady (Devon) in the office said ?we will have to look into any refunds?. 
The vehicle did come back and the kids exited, sweating profusely and now late for their
downtown photo shoot appointment and possibly late to their dinner reservations. 
The Cowboy Limo company was less than concerned with any of our issues and
safety concerns for the kids.  The driver apologized and said she had never driven this vehicle before.  As she drove away, she took off her long sleeved white top down to a tank top because her front compartment was so hot.  She had air conditioning in front, and the kids had none in the back.  The outside air temp was approximately 85 degrees.
On Monday, May 5, 2014, I called the Cowboy Limo office and spoke with Mary Gray.  I asked if she had received any other calls about the problems we had with the "Party Bus" on Saturday night in Fayetteville.  She said she didn't know.  I asked is she were the person that I had gotten at the office on Saturday night, and she said that must have been Devon.  I asked to speak to the manager, Scott, and she said he was busy, but took my name and phone number and wanted to know exactly what the problem was.  I went through each of the above mentioned items, specifically about the kids being unable to get out of that vehicle without the driver stopping, getting out and opening the sliding door from the outside.  Her response was, " I HAVE BEEN IN THAT VAN BEFORE, AND YOU CAN GET OUT OF IT THROUGH THE BACK".  So apparently the kids could have all gotten up from the bench seat that block the back door and attempted to get out through the escape hatch.  Even this employee couldn't describe the vehicle as a "party bus".  She called it a van, and that is exactly what it looked like, a work van.
Mrs Rostetter called the company on Monday and talked to Scott, the manager.  He shot down every single issue we had, saying that we were lying.  He also refused to give us a refund.  He actually told her that that vehicle normally rents for $1000 a night and that he gave us a great deal.
My husband called the Cowboy Limo company yesterday, and was told that Scott didn't work on Tuesdays.  We will call him again today.
I have several photos of the "party bus" they sent to transport our twelve teenagers for their senior prom, including the outside and interior and empty cooler.   
This company should never be licensed to transport human beings.  They baited and switched the vehicles on their website for a van that was not appropriate for anyone to be in.     This was criminal!  The Better Business Bureau has had 17 complaints against Cowboy Limo for poor service practices.  Here is another for them to work on!