Company takes advantage of global pandemic to make a buck
We booked a party bus for my Fathers 80th birthday for March 28th and provided the required deposit of $300. COVID19 then started to spread through Canada and mostly Ontario. The federal government advising to cancel all group events and self isolate. The Ontario Government followed a day putting the province into a state of emergency and asking all non essential services to shut down.
Following the guidelines put forth by the government we cancelled the entire weekend. Every single company that we had given "non refundable" deposits to instantly without question refunded us our deposit... except for Dorchester Limo. We hadn't even initially asked for a full refund from Dorchester. My Sister called and asked if we could apply the deposit to a future date when we reschedule. They refused, would not listen to reason and basically brushed off my Sister.
I attempted to call multiple times the next day, and left a message with no response. I finally sent an email to them CCing in Ontario's Consumer Services, demanding a full refund. They responded stating that their policies had changed within the day and that my Sister should call back as they would allow us to use $225 of our deposit for a future date and charge us $75 for the cancellation. The also stated that many other companies are not refunding. Since then I have talked to many people and not a single person has had any issues with any company refunding them due to cancelations because of the virus.
Purely out of principal our family will not give another cent to a company so greedy that they would take advantage of the dire situation the whole world is in to make a buck. I will also do EVERYTHING in my means to fight for our deposit back. Not because we care that much about the money, but out of sheer principal. Companies like this need to be exposed, and unfortunately the F rating they have on BBB is not doing enough. I have now filed an official complaint with Ontario Consumer services, I am writing this complaint, I will be looking at avenues I can take with the Federal government, and am about to start a media blitz against this company (social and non social). By the time I am done they will be well known as the greedy bottom eaters that they are!