.:. Airport Connection Complaint 11/19/2009

Dear Person in charge,
My husband and I experienced a bad incident in Milan.
I made a booking with Airport Connection Italy for a private transfer for 100 euros for 10th November 2009 at 4am for Malpensa airport.
We waited till 4.45am and the car did not arrive and it was impossible to find a taxi on the street at such early morning.
My husband found a hotel near our apartment, Hotel De La Ville, and the reception helped us call for a taxi.
I called Airport Connection Italy that same day for a refund for service not done, they promised to call me back but did not.
I called them another 2 more times over the next 6 days and no refund was given.
Over the phone, they kept saying that the driver arrived at 4.15am and we were not there, but its not true. We were there waiting from 4 - 4.45am. There was an emergency number to call but after calling almost 20 times, it still did not get through and since it is international call for me, I have it printed on my phone bill. We left our apartment at 445am and the taxi driver can be our witness that the airport transfer did not arrive.
On the 10th day, which is 19th November, I made the 4th call and they still in insist that the driver arrived at 4.15am and we weren't there.
I almost missed my 7am flight with Lufthansa to Paris and had to spend additional 85euros to reach Malpensa airport.
It made our trip very unhappy.

For your reference, below is my confirmation from the Airport Connection Italy.
ACS Airport Connection Italy
Phone +39 06.3383221 (Rome)
Phone +39 02 47957087 (Milan)
Fax +39 06.97252927
Skype airportconnectionromeitaly
For USA: +1 2139853045
For UK: +44 2071933062
For Australia: +61 280033173
For Ireland: +353 1 4428788
For Hong Kong S.A.R., China: +852 8170 3563
FOR EMERGENCY AT THE AIRPORT PLEASE CALL +39 393 0895814
Thank You
THANKS FOR CHOOSING AIRPORT CONNECTION ITALY
YOUR RESERVATION IS CONFIRMED
AIRPORT CONNECTION CONFIRMATION NUMBER IS MIL22102009174404
FOR ARRIVAL AT THE AIRPORT the driver will wait outside custom holding a sign with Your name on it.
FOR ARRIVAL AT THE PORT the driver will wait at the cruise ship's gangway holding a sign with Your name on it.
FOR ARRIVAL AT THE TRAIN STATION the driver will wait outside the station holding a sign with Your name on it.
THE NUMBER TO CALL IN CASE OF EMERGENCY IS +39 393 0895814.

Itinerary:Pick Up time: 10/11/2009 04:00
Estimated arrival time: 10/11/2009 05:00
Pick Up point Milan
Drop off point Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP)
Number of passengers: 2
Number of luggages: 2 medium/large, 0 small
Travel information:Pick up address: [... ]
Drop off address: address not necessary
Name: [...]
Surname: [...]
Email : [...]
Telephone : [...]
Type of vehicleAirport Shuttle 1: € 77.00
Night time or festivity extra charge: € 24.00
Additional services:
No additional services
Total € 101.00

Best regards,

.:. CiaoMilano answer

Dear [...]

Thanks for writing to CiaoMilano. We are very very sorry for the incident you experienced.

Unfortunately, CiaoMilano is not any official tourist information center. We're only a free group of journalists who love their city.
You can get in touch with the Milan tourist authorities by writing to iat.info@provincia.milano.it (they read in cc:)

We phoned Airport Connection Italy (they read in cc:), but apparently there was no one in charge around. We'll try again tomorrow.

Your complaint has been given due visibility on our CiaoMilano website.

See what we can do. Keep in touch
________

Dear [...]

On Fri November 20 2009, around 10am, Airport Connection Italy called us back, saying they did wait for you at the agreed time at the relevant address, but were forced to leave around 4:45am because other customers on the same limousine were afraid to miss their plane.

Airport Connection Italy also said they were going to answer your complaint through CiaoMilano and they will do so today.

Keep in touch anyway

PS - We're beginning to wonder whether you were waiting for each other in different places...

.:. Re: Re: Airport Connection Complaint 11/24/2009

Dear Mr Bianchi,
You claimed that I called. Please answer my following questions.

1. What day and time did I call to make the 1st change?
2. What day and time did I call to make the 2nd change?
3. My local subscriber sends a SMS with a number to us if we miss any call, even if our phone is switched off. If you did call me via international call, please produce proof. I have proof if you CLAIMED that I made changes to the booking, because it WILL be reflected on my mobile phone bill for international calls made and received.
4. After ACI repeating the story 4 times that the driver was there at 415 am, this is the FIRST time that you said I changed my booking. Why wasn't this mentioned over the last 4 phone calls I corresponded with your staffs? Because, it's untrue.
5. First you said the driver was there at 410am, now you said 415. And what I booked for is a private transfer at 101euros for 2 people at 4am, but now, there were other passengers too.
6. How strange it is to miss your driver when I was standing right outside from 4 to 445 am.

Before you make any accusations, please touch your heart and tell yourself that you have been clear to your own conscience. It is such a shame that for 101 euro refund for non performance of service, your company can cook up such stories to malign a tourist at a foreign land. I count myself very unlucky to have acquainted with your company. Now, only god knows the truth.

Roberto, thanks for your assistance, I know this will lead to nowhere since ACI is not willing to take up responsibility for non performance of agreement.

Thanks

.:. CiaoMilano answer

Thanks for answering back.

We're wondering what "iat.info@provincia.milano.it", or the official Milan Tourist Center, can do...

Hear from all of you soon