SCAMMED AND LIED TO! DO NOT BOOK THIS COMPANY! We are 4 professional women who booked “Bike Rental Central Park” online (the Brooklyn Bridge Tour from 2pm-5pm, April 22, 2012) located at 348 W 57th St. On their website, they offer a full refund in the event of rain. On April 22, it was dark and overcast with heavy rain all afternoon, with gusts of winds from 35-40 miles per hour. Not only did this company refuse to issue us a refund, they lied, and were rude and belligerent to us.
On the morning of our tour, it was dark and raining constantly, and the afternoon forecast was for 100% chance of rain, with periods of heavy rain and winds up to 40 miles an hour. I called the company to verify that they were canceling the 2pm tour, and they said that they were not, and there were a total of 8 other people in our group who would be doing the tour. We advised that while we were prepared to go out in some light rain, we would not be going out if it got any worse, and I followed this up with an email. An hour before the tour, the weather was out of control with heavy rain and wind. I again called the company to verify that they would credit my visa, and was told that they were planning to go ahead with the tour. We were in total disbelief, and asked if the 8 others were prepared to go out, and was then told that there were no 8 others and he had been mistaken about the others. Total lies. All four of us have children at home, and strongly felt that it would be very dangerous to be biking in this weather, leaving aside the fact that we would be soaked and couldn’t see anything anyways!
For verification of the weather that afternoon, google “new york post weather april 22, 2012” for the headline (and photos) “Soaked! Atypical Weather Pattern Brings Heavy Rains to NYC”. Not only that, but the Mets vs. Giants game was washed out at 1:10pm that afternoon if anyone is in any doubt about the rain.
At this point, there was no manager on duty and the fellow on the phone was rude and bizarre, and essentially told us to shove off. We decided to deal with it on our return home. I called when home, and the Manager Kenneth (who would not give his last name or the owner’s name-never a good sign) told me he would look into it, and speak to the owner. He promised to return my call in 2 business days, No surprise, No call. On my second call, he said he would call me back in an hour, No call. On my third call, he kept me on hold for 7 minutes only to tell me that the owner would not give us a refund.
My experience is that the owner of a company will “do the right thing” if made aware that their customers were treated unfairly. Not in this case. WE WERE THOROUGHLY SCAMMED!! If you are the owner, can you honestly say that would have sent a family member out on that bike tour? Not only have you have stolen from four people, who would have recommended you to others had you just done the right thing, but you have done a disservice to your city, and the businesses in the your city. Tina Riley, Toronto (Notice how I provided my name!)