A Cautionary Tale + Rome Cabs

[Deb0702]

We had a very unfortunate experience at the Rome airport prior to our Med cruise in September. Here's what happened and how you can avoid it:

 

We planned to stay in Civi for one night prior to our cruise so I contacted a few companies for quotes for a transfer/tour from FCO to Civi. I'm interested in Etruscan stuff so I looked at going to Cerverteri or possibly Tarquinia with a drop off at our Civi hotel. I checked out a few companies, got some quotes, and settled on Rome Cabs. Done and done.

 

When we arrived at FCO we went to the meeting place and found our driver with a sign with my name on it. I've used Rome Cabs before but this guy looked very different. He was wearing jeans and sneakers. Plus he did not speak a word of English. Not a single word! We tried to tell him we needed to go to an ATM to get some Euros and he had no idea what we were talking about.

 

This was not what I was expecting at all. I grabbed my husband's phone and called Rome Cabs to complain and they said "What? That guy is not your driver! Go away from him! Your driver is calling your name right now, can you hear him?!" I heard him and rushed over to find him and yes he was in a suit and he spoke perfect English. Whew!

 

So then the Rome Cabs driver started a heated discussion with the other driver. I couldn't understand a word but voices were raised and people were looking. I was getting alarmed and then I made out the word "polizia." Yikes! What is going on here? How did this other guy who doesn't speak a word of English get my name?

 

Then I heard the word "Tarquinia" and the light bulb went off over my head. I had only contacted one tour operator about Tarquinia. I contacted them 6 months earlier via their web site for a price quote and the web form included flight information. Without thinking I filled it out. They sent me a price quote via email with instructions for booking. I did not reply to the email and I never had any further communications with them. I had decided to go with Rome Cabs and never thought another thing about it.

 

Eventually we got in the car with our Rome Cabs driver and went on our way. I felt rotten about the misunderstanding and confused because at this point I didn't have access to my email. It didn't help that my teenagers kept saying things like "That guy was really ticked" and "Way to go Mom". GRRRRR. Anyway, we drove along and then our driver pulled off to the side and said "Just a minute". I couldn't believe it, here was that guy again!! He was following us on the highway!! There was another heated conversation in Italian and then things calmed down and the guy left. We never saw him again. We went on to Lake Bracianno and Cerverteri and had a wonderful time.

 

It doesn't seem like a company would send a driver for someone who never officially booked and they hadn't had contact with for SIX MONTHS. But our Rome Cabs driver said that sometimes people with very limited English will send a driver JUST IN CASE. He said they don't want to screw up and get a negative review on Trip Advisor. Okay, but they had my email address the whole time. Why didn't they just email me if they weren't sure about something??

 

Do not let this happen to you. DO NOT put your flight information on quote request web forms. DO reply to rejected quotes with NOT INTERESTED or some such. Let them know definitively that you're not going to use their services. Just to be safe. The people you are communicating with via email may not understand English as well as you think they do.

 

Finally, let me just say that Rome Cabs is totally awesome, professional, top rate, and our driver JON LUCA IS THE MAN. He had everything under control. At first he was maybe a little bit rough with the guy (he had to be) but then he successfully calmed him down. Let me tell you, it's not a good feeling to have someone mad at you in Italian! But we felt 100% safe and taken care of. We're planning another trip to Italy for 2014 and honestly I wouldn't even consider booking with anyone other than Rome Cabs. No more price quotes for me!

 

PS. Cerverteri was amazing. :)

[CathyCruises]

Wow, thanks for posting! You're right, I would have done the same thing and never given it another thought. Lesson learned.

[cberge]

Than you for posting. It serves as a warning as well as an atta boy,and I found it very informative.

[agabbymama]

Just to add another warning. You are dealing with a totally different culture in Italy!

 

I had booked a Bed & Breakfast on THEIR website, received a confirmation right back. The next morning, I received an email from the proprietor of the establishment that he was sorry, the system had made an error and he would not be able to accommodate us on our dates. I thought nothing of it, and booked another accommodation.

 

Now for the good part, 6 months later at 3:00 AM my telephone rings and he is confirming my booking for the following week. I said NO, he had cancelled the booking. He says "You want to cancel your booking", I repeated "he had cancelled the booking, I had his email". He says "so you don't want the room?" I said "no, I had booked elsewhere". I kept an eye on my credit card to make sure he did not charge me for the room, and he didn't, but it sure was a worrysome way to start a 3 week trip to Europe.

 

So be just be prepared to go with the flow, things are not always done the same in different countries.

[Hlitner]

Very interesting and enlightening post. You have just added further verification to our own practice of confirming and even reconfirming just about any arrangements in Italy. As Agabbymama says, Italy has a totally different culture. We have spent a lot of time in Italy and after years of trying to understand Italy we now simply explain away many things by simply saying, "Ahhhhhh, it's Italy!" And of course we use the appropriate hand and arm movements to emphasize the statement :)

 

Hank

[Crusin6]

I can't begin to count the number of reconfirmation emails I send. I even reconfirm my cancelled tours.

 

 

European travel any travel for the most part requires diligence and forethought.

 

Thankfully romecabs looks out for their clients and they are the only ones we use. When my kids travel to schooling in Italy they are the only ones that will ever transport my girls.

[Keith1010]

Thank you for posting this.

 

A good reminder about being careful and being careful about what information you share and to double check things.

 

Keith

[konamichele]

Reading this thread, remembered my trip to Rome 3years ago:

About 6 months prior to start of our cruise departing from Rome, I emailed a tour guide from USA living in Rome and gave him my dates at the bnb We were staying and my cell number.He emailed that he was NOT available for the day I requested, so I made hoer arrangements.

Ended up staying at another bnb

First morning in Rome at breakfast, I get a phone message that that the guide is at our (previous bnb) waiting to meet us for our tour! :confused: