How to avoid limo rip-offs

[attach]4451[/attach]You’re standing at the curb, your bridal party in tow. You made it to the church on time, but now it looks like you’ll miss the wedding photo shoot in the park because your limo service provider is AWOL.

You may just have been taken for the ride of your life — one you didn’t anticipate.

Scams involving limousine service providers can be more common than you may think according to those in the biz.

A Celebrity Limousine Service owner Rob Iafrate says this is the time of year when he receives calls from frantic brides saying their limo service provider can’t be found.

“I get this on a weekly basis,” Iafrate says.

The Dufferin Street and Highway 401 business owner says he’s seen a rise in the number of bogus or fly-by-night operations over the years.

“Especially when the economy’s bad,” he says. “That’s when the bad apples come out.”

But Iafrate says there are ways of protecting yourself so you don’t end up stranded at the curb.

Cost shouldn’t be the governing factor, he suggests, but if the price is too good to be true, it probably is. For instance, Iafrate says when he hears a bride and groom have paid $300 for a wedding limo service, that’s a big red flag as such services typically average about $1,000.

On the topic of payment, if a service provider accepts only cash, you should be leery as a reputable establishment should accept multiple forms of payment.

Though it’s common to pay a deposit — roughly 30–50 percent, he says — a company should never ask you to pay it all before services are rendered,

“Nothing should have to be paid in full.”

Normally you place a deposit at the time of booking and pay the remainder when the limo shows up, he says.

Deposits, by the way, aren’t bad things.

“If they don’t ask for a deposit I would really be concerned.”

That could mean your space isn’t really reserved and the operator could be inclined to go with a better offer and bump you, he says.

While there’s always risk a company will legitimately go belly up and you’ll lose your deposit, Iafrate says to be leery of companies that declare bankruptcy only to set up under a different name — a trend he’s also seen.

Other ways of ensuring the limo company or rental provider is legit is to check out its website.

Reputable companies have a photo gallery and not just stock photos, he says. Stock pictures can indicate a broker instead of an actual limo company, he says, and those kinds of operations are riskier for consumers.

“You don’t know what you’re booking when you book with these people.”

Brokers typically can’t guarantee what you get even if you ask for something specific, he says, as often the request can get passed to multiple companies.

There are a lot of reputable limo companies out there, he says, and you have to do your research to find them.

Having said that, Iafrate says you should trust that inner voice.

“Go with your gut feeling.”