We bought this experience on the day of the flight. We completed the online form with everyone’s weight as requested, made the payment and received confirmation.
On arrival at the pick up point, the contact telephone number provided did not work. After multiple attempts without success, I emailed the company to say we’d been trying to contact them to arrange pick up. The response I received said, you’re late and will need to pay an additional $50 per person. They did not ask me what time we arrived at the pick up. While awaiting a response my daughter approached a young man to ask if he could try the number on his phone, just in case there was a problem with my phone. The guy said he’d been trying since he arrived and got the same couldn’t connect message. He was later charged $50 per person for his group (3 people $150). Another young couple also arrived at the pick up - they were 10th a late and were also charged $50 each even though the driver just arrived at the same time as them!
When the driver arrived, he didn’t have our names in the list, but he said to come along anyway. When we arrived at the hanger, there was a sign on the wall stating if you are about the maximum weight, you would need to purchase an additional seat - I fell into this weight bracket. The office manager called my party into her office and said I was over the weight and would need to pay an additional $185 as well as the helipad fee of $35 per person if I wanted to fly. I explained I couldn’t afford that and would have to sit out the flight and asked for a refund. I was told there would be no refund. My daughter asked if she could forfeit her seat to allow me to go as I was the one who actually wanted to go. The manager said if she didn’t fly we would lose her money too! She was quite rude because I challenged their rule, I said if all 4 of my party could be allowed to be the maximum weight, why couldn’t the combined weight be taken into consideration? She proceeded to show me a 3 page document of the “small print”. I explained I only booked it 5 hours earlier and hadn’t read the document. I asked why the website allowed me to put my weight in and didn’t flag I was over the allowed weight, she just said that’s the rules! She then told me I needed to pay the $50 per person late fee as well. I refused to pay this as I’d been trying their number without success. I’m sure they switched the phone off to prevent people being able to make contact on time.
I would not recommend this company to anyone, even the staff seem embarrassed by their late coming rules and charges. Why is the pick up driver not their at your pick up time? If they were expecting 9 people at 4.15 why have everyone try to phone at the same time, why not just have your driver there waiting on us?
As stated I refused to pay the late fee, but the other 5 people all paid it - that was an additional $250 and while sitting in the waiting room another couple arrived and were charged an additional $200.
Far be it for me to say, but it’s like a very lucrative scam!