Cast your vote on the Lethbridge incident below!
Testimony
The most accurate reviews of a product or service money can't buy are those of the customers. While Naked Bus reviews itself with pride, we, the unfortunate customers, see things very differently.
It is true that many reviews are very high, from those who got discounted tickets but also got the basic service for which they paid. My concern, and that of others, is when things do not work out, what happens? Does Naked Bus take responsibility for it's failures, or does it save money by refusing to refund abused customers?
As the below reviews show, Naked Bus takes no responsibility for failures on it's part and passes that burden onto the customers.
It is true that many reviews are very high, from those who got discounted tickets but also got the basic service for which they paid. My concern, and that of others, is when things do not work out, what happens? Does Naked Bus take responsibility for it's failures, or does it save money by refusing to refund abused customers?
As the below reviews show, Naked Bus takes no responsibility for failures on it's part and passes that burden onto the customers.
Passenger Left Stranded by Budget Bus
LEFT BEHIND:Jordan Earl and his mother Audrey are
seeking a refund from nakedbus.com.
seeking a refund from nakedbus.com.
by KELSEY FLETCHER, Jan 18, 2012
An Auckland man travelling on a low-cost bus service was left behind after a rest stop in Paihia but the operator will not refund the fare. Pt Chevalier resident Jordan Earl, 19, was was on his way to visit his grandparents in Kerikeri earlier this month, travelling with nakedbus.com.
He got off the bus to use the bathroom at a passenger pick-up point in Paihia and was shocked to return and find it gone. Earl left all his belongings on the bus apart from his cellphone which he used to call his grandparents.
"My bag, laptop, money, everything was on the bus," he says. "I called my grandparents and told them to meet the bus and get my stuff." Earl, who was eventually picked up by his grandparents, says he asked the driver's permission to leave the bus for his toilet break but nakedbus.com disagrees. Marketing manager Angel Chen says the driver did not know Earl required a bathroom stop and would otherwise have happily obliged.
"Our investigation showed that our driver was not aware Mr Earl disembarked, supported by the shock exhibited upon reaching Kerikeri and discovering through family members that a passenger was missing," she says. "Our driver offered to return to collect Mr Earl, which is not our policy and so offered to go above and beyond the call of duty."
Earl's mother got a similar response when she first called the company's 0900 number to sort out the incident.
"The company said the driver had said he just got off the bus," Audrey Earl says. "What 19-year-old would get off and leave his laptop and money? What if it was a young child without a cellphone?" Mrs Earl says she wants an apology and compensation for costs incurred – including toll calls made to sort out the problem. "I want my calls credited. I don't think I should pay to complain, it's a valid complaint," she says. "We want the $39 bus ticket refunded and the grandparents compensated for their petrol – it's an hour to Paihia and back."
Chen says nakedbus.com is sorry for the frustration the Earls have experienced but did its best to communicate and resolve the incident. "Mr Earl is not entitled to reimbursement of his fare as our investigation showed he made no attempt to notify our driver that he required a rest break," she says. "Furthermore, as our driver offered to pick Jordan up, the petrol costs incurred by Jordan's grandparents could have been avoided." Chen says anyone phoning the company's 0900 number is told that calls will incur a charge before being given the prompt to proceed. "We explained to Mrs Earl she had the option of the free email service, and we did contact her via email, giving her the option of continuing with this matter via a free outlet."
- © Fairfax NZ News
http://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/travel-troubles/6275336/Passenger-left-stranded-by-budget-bus
http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/passenger-left-stranded-budget-bus-4691971
An Auckland man travelling on a low-cost bus service was left behind after a rest stop in Paihia but the operator will not refund the fare. Pt Chevalier resident Jordan Earl, 19, was was on his way to visit his grandparents in Kerikeri earlier this month, travelling with nakedbus.com.
He got off the bus to use the bathroom at a passenger pick-up point in Paihia and was shocked to return and find it gone. Earl left all his belongings on the bus apart from his cellphone which he used to call his grandparents.
"My bag, laptop, money, everything was on the bus," he says. "I called my grandparents and told them to meet the bus and get my stuff." Earl, who was eventually picked up by his grandparents, says he asked the driver's permission to leave the bus for his toilet break but nakedbus.com disagrees. Marketing manager Angel Chen says the driver did not know Earl required a bathroom stop and would otherwise have happily obliged.
"Our investigation showed that our driver was not aware Mr Earl disembarked, supported by the shock exhibited upon reaching Kerikeri and discovering through family members that a passenger was missing," she says. "Our driver offered to return to collect Mr Earl, which is not our policy and so offered to go above and beyond the call of duty."
Earl's mother got a similar response when she first called the company's 0900 number to sort out the incident.
"The company said the driver had said he just got off the bus," Audrey Earl says. "What 19-year-old would get off and leave his laptop and money? What if it was a young child without a cellphone?" Mrs Earl says she wants an apology and compensation for costs incurred – including toll calls made to sort out the problem. "I want my calls credited. I don't think I should pay to complain, it's a valid complaint," she says. "We want the $39 bus ticket refunded and the grandparents compensated for their petrol – it's an hour to Paihia and back."
Chen says nakedbus.com is sorry for the frustration the Earls have experienced but did its best to communicate and resolve the incident. "Mr Earl is not entitled to reimbursement of his fare as our investigation showed he made no attempt to notify our driver that he required a rest break," she says. "Furthermore, as our driver offered to pick Jordan up, the petrol costs incurred by Jordan's grandparents could have been avoided." Chen says anyone phoning the company's 0900 number is told that calls will incur a charge before being given the prompt to proceed. "We explained to Mrs Earl she had the option of the free email service, and we did contact her via email, giving her the option of continuing with this matter via a free outlet."
- © Fairfax NZ News
http://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/travel-troubles/6275336/Passenger-left-stranded-by-budget-bus
http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/passenger-left-stranded-budget-bus-4691971
Run Over by Nakedbus, No Apology
ON THE MEND: Thelma Symons, 86, would like an apology
from the bus driver who ran her down at a pedestrian crossing.
from the bus driver who ran her down at a pedestrian crossing.
21 January, 2012
NakedBus.com says it's not at fault for one of its buses striking down an elderly woman. And while the company won't apologise it wants to extend its "sympathies and support". Chief executive Hamish Nuttall today said their driver had the green light when 86-year-old Thelma Symons crossed the road. "We obviously regret the incident happening," he said.
Symons was heading into town on January 11, when she was hit and knocked unconscious outside the Hamilton Transit Centre about 9.40am. She said that while she couldn't remember a lot, she remembered seeing two people cross the controlled crossing in front of her and, with the green "cross" light still flashing, she stepped on to the road.
"I'm not that fast at getting across at any time but I mean I stepped on to it and it was still going green, he should never have come around the corner." Symons said she was later told the driver of the bus was obscured by a blind spot, and wanted an apology from the bus company. "I think it's shocking I never heard from them again. He was definitely in the wrong. I don't know what to do; I'd like an apology or something. To think that the joker's just got away with nothing, I don't think it's very fair."
But Nuttall disagreed with Symons' recollection of events. "Our vehicle was stationary at traffic lights when the green light came on, the driver waited for some pedestrians to finish crossing before he turned left," he said. "Mrs Symons crossed the road on a red light. She wasn't actually at the crossing, she was further down the road, and walked right into the path of our bus. It wasn't anything to do with bad sight or anything."
Nuttall said immediately following the incident, a representative went to Hamilton and attempted to contact Symons, but the hospital wouldn't release her details. "Now that we have them, we are quite happy to contact Mr and Mrs Symons and extend our sympathies and support." But Nuttall said the company would not apologise for the incident as they were not at fault. He would not comment further as police were still completing their investigation. He said safety was taken "extremely seriously" and it was a top priority at Naked Bus.
Symons yesterday was still recovering, with serious bruising and her arm in plaster. She underwent surgery on both her wrist and elbow. Since the accident Symons has had difficulty with everyday chores. Nine days after the accident, she and husband John, who is vision-impaired, have yet to receive any home help. ACC was in the process of organising some assistance, but Symons would like to see Naked Bus foot the bill.
While the Waikato Times made unsuccessful efforts to contact nakedbus for comment it acknowledges not all avenues were used.
- © Fairfax NZ News
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/6292590/Company-disputes-events-in-Bus-KO
NakedBus.com says it's not at fault for one of its buses striking down an elderly woman. And while the company won't apologise it wants to extend its "sympathies and support". Chief executive Hamish Nuttall today said their driver had the green light when 86-year-old Thelma Symons crossed the road. "We obviously regret the incident happening," he said.
Symons was heading into town on January 11, when she was hit and knocked unconscious outside the Hamilton Transit Centre about 9.40am. She said that while she couldn't remember a lot, she remembered seeing two people cross the controlled crossing in front of her and, with the green "cross" light still flashing, she stepped on to the road.
"I'm not that fast at getting across at any time but I mean I stepped on to it and it was still going green, he should never have come around the corner." Symons said she was later told the driver of the bus was obscured by a blind spot, and wanted an apology from the bus company. "I think it's shocking I never heard from them again. He was definitely in the wrong. I don't know what to do; I'd like an apology or something. To think that the joker's just got away with nothing, I don't think it's very fair."
But Nuttall disagreed with Symons' recollection of events. "Our vehicle was stationary at traffic lights when the green light came on, the driver waited for some pedestrians to finish crossing before he turned left," he said. "Mrs Symons crossed the road on a red light. She wasn't actually at the crossing, she was further down the road, and walked right into the path of our bus. It wasn't anything to do with bad sight or anything."
Nuttall said immediately following the incident, a representative went to Hamilton and attempted to contact Symons, but the hospital wouldn't release her details. "Now that we have them, we are quite happy to contact Mr and Mrs Symons and extend our sympathies and support." But Nuttall said the company would not apologise for the incident as they were not at fault. He would not comment further as police were still completing their investigation. He said safety was taken "extremely seriously" and it was a top priority at Naked Bus.
Symons yesterday was still recovering, with serious bruising and her arm in plaster. She underwent surgery on both her wrist and elbow. Since the accident Symons has had difficulty with everyday chores. Nine days after the accident, she and husband John, who is vision-impaired, have yet to receive any home help. ACC was in the process of organising some assistance, but Symons would like to see Naked Bus foot the bill.
While the Waikato Times made unsuccessful efforts to contact nakedbus for comment it acknowledges not all avenues were used.
- © Fairfax NZ News
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/6292590/Company-disputes-events-in-Bus-KO
Nice one guys!
A friend of mine was to travel from Tauranga to Auckland this morning. For some reason your driver drove straight past the stop. Now shes stuck there. Nice 1 guys!
No passenger should ever...
Rhyso Walker January 29th, 2013 - Absolutely disgusting service provided on Sunday from Auckland to Tauranga.....no passenger should ever be forced to stand in front of the bus just so the arrogant driver wouldn't take off early without all passengers being on it. Do you guys have an office I can come to and voice my OSH concerns/make a complaint??? Will be emailing you a formal complaint and cc'ing it to tourism NZ-- your driver turned me from a devout Nakedbus lover, to one who would never consider using your service ever again.....also may have to make a false advertising claim; no wifi on a bus saying there is....tut tut.
Oh, and asking an evidently blind lady to read out her booking number was a bit of a joke. She said she couldn't see, so instead of the bus driver helping her, he moves on to the next person that could read it out.....I'm pretty sure that was discrimination against her basic human rights.....
Calling a lady from Greenland a "f'ing German" was pretty disgusting too, also discrimination against her basic human rights....
Really doing our country proud Nakedbus!
Oh, and asking an evidently blind lady to read out her booking number was a bit of a joke. She said she couldn't see, so instead of the bus driver helping her, he moves on to the next person that could read it out.....I'm pretty sure that was discrimination against her basic human rights.....
Calling a lady from Greenland a "f'ing German" was pretty disgusting too, also discrimination against her basic human rights....
Really doing our country proud Nakedbus!
nakedbus.com Hi Rhyso, Thank you for bringing this to our attention. Please submit a complaint via our website or send this to [email protected] so a full investigation can be done. Nakedbus.com takes complaints against our drivers seriously as they are the face of our company.
Selahattin Tumer I completely agree with Rhyso Walker. I traveled between Queenstown and Christchurch on 2 February with my wife and daughter and the lady driver who drove between Queenstown and Tekapo (the company knows or can easily find who that driver is) had similar arrogant and bossy attitudes towards the passengers. Moreover she drove like crazy chasing another bus for about 10 minutes before overtaking it. She had no sense of timing at the stops. Her 10 minute stop was lengthened to 20 minutes because she was having her coffee and sandwich while everybody was waiting for her on the bus. etc. The bus was extremely uncomfortable with broken and non-reclining seats, no Wi-fi, no curtains for the sun etc. This low quality coaches can only be found in the 3rd or 4th world countries. I DO NOT RECOMMEND NAKED BUS TO ANY BODY. Pay a little more for other coach company and travel comfortably without being harassed by the arrogant driver.
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Nakedbus GrabOne Vouchers Useless
Owen WorldWatcher 18 January, 2013 - Naked bus is a usless service...no contact number..which is free..1.99 a minute..come on that's bollocks...I have 3 vouchers bought on grab one which still are valid till 9th March..won't process them...sort out your services ..should be USELESSBUS
nakedbus.com Hi Owen, Nakedbus.com operate an 0900 number so we can keep costs down and not have to penalize customers by raising ticket prices to pay for a full call centre. As we are a budget transport operator, most of our information can be found online. Please view this link on the trips you can redeem with the Grab One codes as it is subject to certain tripshttp://www.grabone.co.nz/auckland/nakedbus-13 Please email us at [email protected] if there's any more issues. Kind regards.
Owen WorldWatcher Crap link...doesn't help at all. I am not redeeming the coupon for myself it is for another family member. I have stayed within all the "demands" you lay on us in order to redeem our"super deal". To me it is no more than a have. As for the call centre to keep prices down, you will find intercity has the exact same prices and provides an 0800 number. Naked bus has been around over 8 years I WOULD HAVE THOUGHT YOU WOULD STEP UP YOUR SERVICE.
nakedbus.com Hi Owen, as what was stated in the terms and conditions of this promotion, there was limited seating on each bus for a voucher. So once these voucher seats are taken a normal fare will then need to be paid. If you do not see "free" on a fare then it means the voucher seats are taken for that trip. Kind regards.
Owen WorldWatcher Great thanks for the damage control rhetoric. You have not made an effort to resolve a paying customers issue.
So you claim that vouchers, which were recently sold on GrabOne, can only be redeemed by the buyer for their own purposes once, and if the "promo" code doesn't come up as "free" that the seating for vouchers has already been taken. This is an out right lie, I have attempted to book for everyday until the voucher expiry date to redeem a voucher, at no stage at all has the ticket come up as free. I doubt that you are fully booked for the next month every day, you are running a scam. |
Bus driver "John" is very rude
Jared Hunter Mason 6 January, 2013 - On the naked bus to Mt Maunganui. Bus driver John is very rude. If you're not a people person John maybe a career change might be a good idea.
GrabOne voucher refused
Bonita Zhu Hi there,
I wanted to use my grabone voucher but when i entered the promotion code, i kept getting messages saying that i cannot redeem this code today, please try again another day. I need to go back home (Whangarei) tomorrow but now i can't. I am not very happy with your online booking system AND customer service at all. Please fix this problem asap.
I wanted to use my grabone voucher but when i entered the promotion code, i kept getting messages saying that i cannot redeem this code today, please try again another day. I need to go back home (Whangarei) tomorrow but now i can't. I am not very happy with your online booking system AND customer service at all. Please fix this problem asap.
nakedbus.com Hi Bonita, Please specify what trip you are searching and the date. You may also view in this link the trips you can take as per the Grab One conditions http://www.grabone.co.nz/auckland/nakedbus-13. Kind regards.
Bonita Zhu From Auckland to Whanarei. I wanted to take the 5:15pm bus today but I was unable to redeem the code online. The bus didn't get filled up as I was still able to purchase the ticket w/o the code. Now I am leaving Auckland on Wednesday as it was my ONLY option, but I actually need to leave Auckland earlier than Wednesday. I contacted your customer representative first before I redeemed my code but she refused to refund me and told me to pick another date.
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I see what you did there... ... ...
Jurij Makarov 19 December, 2012 - Love that your website is extremely accurate and can help two travelers continue their journey together, and not having to split up every bus trip they go on. It's nice to know that your service is reliable. At least Ryan Air will get you there together if you've paid for their service... ... ...
nakedbus.com Hi there, If you have experienced any issues with our buses service that you would like to bring to our attention, please fill out a complaint form on our Help page so we may assist you. Kind regards.
Jurij Makarov We did, you were equally useless there.
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Nakedbus will not accommodate flight delays/cancellations
Cathy Mellett 'Hayward' 25 December, 2012 - Incredibly frustrating - I've been on your chat line for over an hour and I am left hanging.
6:17:19 p.m. start time of chat and i've got nowhere and it is now 7.18pm
7.23 am and I'm still waiting o the chat line... no one is coming back to me.
7:20:28 p.m.
6:17:19 p.m. start time of chat and i've got nowhere and it is now 7.18pm
7.23 am and I'm still waiting o the chat line... no one is coming back to me.
7:20:28 p.m.
nakedbus.com Hi Cathy, I believe we have been in contact with you via chat and are waiting for your sister to be in contact with her ticket details. If you need to contact us with this after hours please email [email protected]
Cathy Mellett 'Hayward' now I get a response and guess what when i started the chat there were seats on the bus but now that I'm told to book and claim back later - the seats have been sold.
I am frustrated and upset But there were two tickets when we started the call 7:54:22 p.m. This is so unacceptable. Operator Ahna has left the chat. The chat is ended. Great - call started at 6.17 - seats available... now 8;01 no seats... Your response: I am unable to create more seats. This means that the bus is literally full. 7:54:11 p.m. You'll need to email us from now as chat is closing Hari Mack Thanks to facebook, now several hundred people now know not to book their tavels on nakedbus. Thanks Cathy for the heads up but sorry you had to go through such bad service.
Cathy Mellett 'Hayward' All I was trying to doi was move my sister who I've not seen in over ten years up north. They could have put two tickets on hold while they were waiting for authentication. I was eventually able to give them serial numbers on boarding passes, fog reports out of Dubai, but it came down to me giving them a copy of the itinerary. Really difficult when you've got somebody off a plane who's not Internet connected in a new country.
nakedbus.com Hey Cathy, you were trying to claim under cancellation protection. As per our terms and conditions, "Cancellation Protection can only be claimed for unforeseen events that occur less than 24 hours before the original departure time. Bookings more than 24 hours away can be changed using the change booking function. This does not cover change of mind and we require proof of circumstances that prevent travel if you are claiming under Cancellation Protection." We do require the proof of circumstances (and that your sister was flying on a plane that got delayed) before we can re-book her free of charge. We also gave you the option of booking for her again and once the proof had been submitted (and if accepted) we would refund you the original ticket. But you did not choose to take this option. We are unable to hold seats for you, as we have a service that gives everyone the same opportunity to purchase tickets. We have held seats for people in the past and they have not showed up or paid for their tickets. As a budget carrier we cannot afford this and do not want to raise our prices.
Cathy Mellett 'Hayward' I sent the link with the fog report.....
6:44:59 p.m. http://gulfnews.com/mobile/news/gulf/uae/weather/fog-disrupts-dubai-flights-1.1123676 6:45:12 p.m. She flew in with Emirates. Ahna 6:46:35 p.m. This was for yesterday? it says flights yesterday were delayed and cancelled. Cathy 6:46:50 p.m. yes - but we are a day ahead of them... gulfnews : Fog disrupts Dubai flights gulfnews.com Dubai: Fog made life difficult for airport authorities in Dubai on Tuesday, causing cancellations, delays and diversions to other airports, confirmed authorities. Obviously this was a waste of valuable time. The Nakedbus has let the side down. Because of the delays, we've had to leave our holiday spot, drive to Auckland to pick up the passengers and return. I will be claiming back the ticket. However, a 24 hour online cancellation was not feasible. We did not know thiis was going to happen - as you would not with a delay in flight. In fact the plane only landed after the departure of the bus. The request for proof of fog wasted more valuable time in rebooking the tickets. At the end of the day - much time and effort would have been saved if after the LONG chat call, I was told in the beginning that there was limited seating. In light of this, I recommend you book the tickets now or we place them on hold whilst you attempt to get all the documentation. A complete thumbs down to the nakedbus for trying to think beyond the script and out of the square and to be on a call for that long where you are kept on wait for minutes at time is very poor service. Hari Mack Good on you Cathy.
nakedbus.com Hi Cathy, as stated in our terms and conditions we do need the proof before we can re-book or refund. You had ticket that you had read and understood these terms and conditions upon booking. We have still not received a claim from you but will do so on your behalf while we await the proof of circumstance.
Cathy Mellett 'Hayward' I am away at the moment . The ticket holder is still on route to me with all of the original documentation you require... Remember we DID NOT secure her booking on your bus this AM. It has meant a six hour round trip fir us. Once she has arrived I will make arrangements to obtain the documentation and send it too you. As per the low level of customer service I received yesterday and your companies inability to be in touch with reality... Miracles I can do but the impossible will take a little longer. You will get your original documentation you require!!! Again.. You've displayed a unique understanding of your customers situation and requirements!
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Broken Bus Schedules
Julie Balius-Curzey 20 December, 2012 - Since I can't seem to get an accurate response from you guys via your Live chat service and through email, I thought I'd ask here. I have booked at ticket from Hawera to Rotorua on the 27th of January. I got a "IMPORTANT: Change of time " email form you guys 2 days ago saying it will now arrive in Rotorua at 7.15pm. I wanted to know the time the bus would stop in Hamilton on the way, as previously there was a 30min wait and bus switch. But every time I have had contact since asking, you are telling me it arrives in Hamilton at 7.15pm. How can it possibly arrive in both Hamilton and Rotorua at the same time. Is the email wrong? Can someone please tell me the correct times.
nakedbus.com Hi Julie, I am sorry to hear you have had some confusing answers to your query. I can confirm your bus scheduled to leave Hawera on the 27 January is now due to depart Hawera at 1:50pm, get to Hamilton at 7:15pm and leave straight after. You will arrive into Rotorua at 8:50pm. This is due to a timetable change that affects your first bus. Kind regards.
Julie Balius-Curzey Thank you for your response. This is the email I was sent and if it's been sent out to others, that's going to suck if it's incorrect.
Dear Julie Thank you for your booking with nakedbus.com. There has been a recent timetable change to a service you are booked on for the future. This change has been implemented to improve this service. This is in regards to your booking (deleted for obvious reasons) on 27/01/2013 from Hawera to Rotorua. You will now depart from Hawera at 1:50pm. You will now arrive at Rotorua at 7:15pm. Please be at the stop at least 5 mins prior to this new departue time and visible to the driver. Please find information regarding all current timetables, bus stop locations and all available fares on the nakedbus.com website. You can view your current confirmed details by using the 'View/Change Booking' function located on the left hand side of the nakedbus.com website. If you have any queries regarding this change please do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected]. Kind Regards, The nakedbus.com team I'm getting transport times sorted, and when people need to travel another hour plus to get to Rotorua for pick up, that's a big time difference. nakedbus.com HI Julie, it appears there was an issue with your email. You are scheduled to depart Hawera at 1.50pm and arrive at 8.50pm. Sorry for any confusion.
Julie Balius-Curzey *sigh* and now I've received a text message saying the booking has changed. This is beyond confusing, its aggravating now.
So did you send a wrong text message as well ? nakedbus.com Hi Julie, I am sorry for the confusion caused. The text message would have been referring to the email you received. Just to confirm, you are scheduled to depart Hawera at 1.50pm and arrive in Rotorua at 8.50pm. We hope you have a great trip.
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I used to be an incredible fan of your service
Jay Perry 19 December, 2012 - I used to be an incredible fan of your service and used it more often than not, but now I have been horrified with the news that the POLi payment system you advertise as a secure payment system is infact insecure and is not endorsed by banks of New Zealand at all as bought to attention by ASB. I am also horrified by the blatant disregard of customer complaints your company displays time after time. Paying 1.99 per minute to call your company is also ridiculous, you have cheap busfares but awful, nasty tactics to make more money. Definitely done using your service now.
nakedbus.com Hi Jay. As you may be aware POLi released a statement in response to ASB and BNZ claims that the payment system was insecure, you can find their statement at http://www.polipayments.com/. We believe that the POLi payment system is secure, none of our customers have ever reported to us any security related issues about the payment system. POLi is used by a variety of both NZ and Australian companies including Jetstar, Air New Zealand and InterCity. We will continue to monitor the situation and take action if further information arises confirming any security risks about the payment system. In the mean time please be aware you do not need to make a payment through POLi if you do not wish as we do have a secure credit card payment system. In regards to your comments about complaints, we do take complaints we receive very seriously. Complaints can take up to five days to respond to but we do endeavor to respond to these as soon as possible. The reason we only have an 0900 number to call us on is that it allows us to keep our costs low, we are then able to pass on the savings to customers. We find that 99% of our passengers do not need to call us so we do not wish to penalise them. We do have a free email service and are also trialing a live chat option if customers do not wish to pay for a call.
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Worst and last Nakedbus experience
Samantha Keene 16 December, 2012 - Hi Team at Nakedbus. I am writing this here as discussions with those on your 0900 number have been unsuccessful in the past. Last night, I travelled on the 6.35pm bus from Palmerston North to Wellington. I was left waiting at Palmerston North for over an hour for the bus to arrive. Once the bus arrived and I was on it, the driver informed us that the bus was actually travelling on time, however, scheduling difficulties had meant that two half hour breaks for the driver had not been factored in. To me, this is unacceptable. Not only is your website falsely advertising a service, it is then being justified by "scheduling issues". Moving through to Shannon and Levin, there were supposed to be passengers waiting to be picked up, but nobody was there, likely a result of the significant wait time. Upon leaving Otaki, the driver informed us that he had driven to his maximum hours and a new driver would be waiting at Plimmerton weighbridge to take us into Wellington. Again, this furthered delays as the new driver was not waiting immediately for when we needed to leave. Once he got on he said "cheer up guys, it's not that bad" - clearly he hadn't put up with everything we had during the trip. Finally, we arrived in Wellington at after 10pm (the original service was supposed to arrive at 08.50pm). As it was a Sunday, most exchange travel such as buses, ends early so alternative travel had to be arranged adding extra time and cost for many travellers. One traveller was meant to be catching a 09.30pm bus from Johnsonville to Newlands, but the bus did not arrive until after 09.30pm when it should have been there a lot earlier. My biggest concern after all of this is that your website is still advertising a 6.35pm service from Palmerston North, however this is clearly not the time it leaves and is blatant false advertising. I'm sure this must be in breach of some advertising law, it does not seem right to me that you can advertise this and then have a driver continually apologise because he had to have his breaks. Not only is this causing delays and disillusionment with your service, it is making drivers feel embarrassed and humiliated when they pick up passengers. This experience with Nakedbus has been my worst yet and I will most certainly not be using it again.
nakedbus.com Hi Samantha, I am sorry to ehar of this negative experience. Please fill in a ormal complaint form on our website on the Help page so we may investigate this issue for you. Kind regards.
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6 minute call costs $30
Angie Read 9 December, 2012 - I called your call centre and talked to someone for 6 minutes i was charged for 15 minutes which 9 minutes out of that time was waiting for them to answer so for a 6 minute call it cost me $30!!!! that is disgusting that phone call cost more than your fares, it should be a 0800 number, $1.99 a minute is disgusting calling over seas is cheaper, and having to pay to wait to talk to someone is even more disgusting, i think you should rethink about your services!
Whiti SickDrumz Warbrick amen!!!
nakedbus.com Hi Angie, you are only charged for the time that you are on the line with an operator. If you have been charged that much for your call it is something that we would like to look into. Please visit http://nakedbus.com/nz/bus/faq and fill in a 'Request a service' form. The reason we do have an 0900 number is 99% of our customers do not need to contact us, by having an 0900 we are able to keep our costs low to pass on the savings to our customers. We do have a free email service and are currently trialing a live chat option on our website also if you need to contact us again in the future.
Angie Read Well obviously your not charged for the time you are talking to an operater because i talked to someone for less then 6 minutes, an yes it is something you should look into, an your customers obviously dont contact you because of the high charge.
Amy Mclaughlin so when u think about it there fares aint really that cheap at all if u add the cost of ur call to ur bus fair u might as well of gone through like intercity or somthing like that
nakedbus.com Hi Angie, We would like to look into this situation further. If you could please email us at [email protected], with your phone call records for further investigation. As you should only be charged you for the time you are speaking to the operator.
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Refundable Ticket Non-Refundable?
Alexei Zarya 4 November, 2012 - Very cool company, trying to get through to them all day to cancel a ticked due to unforeseen circumstances and they couldn't careless. I ever paid extra for the protection encase I needed to cancel the ticket. Its not worth the extra money as they make it impossible to refund. and unfriendly help on the end of the phone I might add after spending a day trying to make contact. will be using intercity I think....
nakedbus.com Hi Alexei, Sorry for inconvenience, however the best way to go about applying for Cancellation Protection if you are unable to speak to one of our Customer Service representatives is to visit our FAQ page via our website nakedbus.com. Once contact is made correspondence can made via our free email service.
Alexei Zarya yea, but got told that I had to show proof of my job interview for me to get my money back.. Yea ill go to the person who interviewed me for a job and say " oh excuse me can I please have proof that you interviewed me for a job so that I may get my refund back for the bus fare" as if nakedbus.. you guys got to get your refund policies sorted out, otherwise you will loose customers. by the way intercity is looking more promising than nakedbus. looks like intercity has just as low fares as nakedbus, plus they give your money back straight away without having to show proof of things..
Danielle Cleverdon the other plus is they have a anumber you can call without it costing you money
Alexei Zarya so true.. I noticed nakedbus has not replied yet, I guess they are thinking of a good comeback ... goodluck
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$16 Ticket-Changing Fee?
Brayden Collier-Nukunuku 22 October, 2012 near Waiouru, New Zealand - Well well . Changed a bus trip .. well was gonna anyway . Original ticket was $49.95 , and i changed it to a ticket that was $39.95 ... So how in the world am i being charged $16 to change it ? i knew i would have to pay a fee for it , but i didnt expect to pay that much . Im sure i should've got a $10 refund for it meaning that i should of only paid $6 . I would call to ask if im wrong in what im thinking but it cost $1.99 a minute to talk to phone reps .
tbh im not a broke ass haha , but you guys are seriously money hungry ... Cheap my effing ass . i wont be using your guys services anymore .
tbh im not a broke ass haha , but you guys are seriously money hungry ... Cheap my effing ass . i wont be using your guys services anymore .
Nakedbus dodges the Question?
Hamiora Tai Rolleston 17 October, 2012 - Hi nakedbus.com, Ive never travelled your services before, but, One morning when i had just arrived in from Wellington on InterCity , A passenger on your night service came to me and told me of how his bags went flying out the cargo door of one of your coaches between Desert Road and Turangi! I was pretty shocked and now its left me wondering should i ever travel with you guys in the future?
nakedbus.com Hi Hamiora, There was a bit of an incident when the strong winds last week blew up the undercarriage lockers. We have been on top of this situation with our operations department to ensure everything is sorted out for all passengers involved accordingly.Kind regards
Hamiora Tai Rolleston did the bags get picked up though?
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Cops pulled the bus over
Samm Glowstick 29 September, 2012 - just heard another little kid was left behind in tokoroa..... kid only got back on the bus because the cops pulled the bus over. good work naked bus
nakedbus.com We have been in contact with the driver and can confirm the boy is safe on the bus. The bus has left at the scheduled departure time. We will be looking into this matter further tomorrow morning.
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The Lethbridge Incident - Abandoned Mid-Journey
Click to for the full Facebook message!
Haley Lethbridge > nakedbus.com
Dear Nakedbus.com
My 15 year old son traveled on your service today. He went from Palmerston North to Mokau, well almost to Mokau.
Around 3.03pm I get a phone call at work from my husband to tell me that my son is standing at the I-Site service in New Plymouth and the bus has left without him. At the stop he was told the bus would leave at 3.10pm so he went across the road to the toilet. When he came back at 3pm, the bus was gone.
I spent a few minutes looking for the nakedbus phone number only to find its a 0900 call. I ring anyway and spoke with Moana. Moana tells me that she is sorry but maybe I could arrange to have someone pick up his bag from the arranged stop? I dont care about the bag....what about my son they left behind?!!!!!!
Moana then rings the bus driver. This would have been at around 3.08pm. When Moana calls me back she tells me that the bus driver wont turn the bus around because she is already 10 mins away.
10 minutes?????
My underage son was left in a town on his own without money, a bag, food or adult over 10 minutes??????
Upon further investigation I fond that there is no other service AT ALL going that way tonight. No other bus is going there and my son was left behind over 10 minutes!!! Does any of this sound stupid to you yet?
Long story short, I have spent around 2 hours on and off the phone trying to find a way to get him to Mokau I spent $25 on a taxi to get him to Bell Block where a truckie will take him to Mokau. I had to top up his phone with $20 so he could text me. He has no food and no jersey. These things are in his bag on the bus. Then to make things even more fun....I find that the bus didnt even stop in Mokau and the bag is STILL on the bus. What on earth am I supposed to do now?
Another call at $1.99 per min so you can make up excuses to me about why my son is stranded in New Playmouth and why his clothing is missing!
My son is 15 years old and your driver left him at a stop along the way then completely failed to drop his bag off at all.
I am sure you can appreciate how mad I am right now. I am sure you even have some fantastic excuses for me. I am sure that you have a great legal advisor. I dont wish to hear any of it. I simply want you to know that if anything had happened to my son the weight of that 10 minutes would forever play out in your nightmares.
I hope you think twice about this next time before someone else loses their child. How completely irresponsible.
Haley Lethbridge
Dear Nakedbus.com
My 15 year old son traveled on your service today. He went from Palmerston North to Mokau, well almost to Mokau.
Around 3.03pm I get a phone call at work from my husband to tell me that my son is standing at the I-Site service in New Plymouth and the bus has left without him. At the stop he was told the bus would leave at 3.10pm so he went across the road to the toilet. When he came back at 3pm, the bus was gone.
I spent a few minutes looking for the nakedbus phone number only to find its a 0900 call. I ring anyway and spoke with Moana. Moana tells me that she is sorry but maybe I could arrange to have someone pick up his bag from the arranged stop? I dont care about the bag....what about my son they left behind?!!!!!!
Moana then rings the bus driver. This would have been at around 3.08pm. When Moana calls me back she tells me that the bus driver wont turn the bus around because she is already 10 mins away.
10 minutes?????
My underage son was left in a town on his own without money, a bag, food or adult over 10 minutes??????
Upon further investigation I fond that there is no other service AT ALL going that way tonight. No other bus is going there and my son was left behind over 10 minutes!!! Does any of this sound stupid to you yet?
Long story short, I have spent around 2 hours on and off the phone trying to find a way to get him to Mokau I spent $25 on a taxi to get him to Bell Block where a truckie will take him to Mokau. I had to top up his phone with $20 so he could text me. He has no food and no jersey. These things are in his bag on the bus. Then to make things even more fun....I find that the bus didnt even stop in Mokau and the bag is STILL on the bus. What on earth am I supposed to do now?
Another call at $1.99 per min so you can make up excuses to me about why my son is stranded in New Playmouth and why his clothing is missing!
My son is 15 years old and your driver left him at a stop along the way then completely failed to drop his bag off at all.
I am sure you can appreciate how mad I am right now. I am sure you even have some fantastic excuses for me. I am sure that you have a great legal advisor. I dont wish to hear any of it. I simply want you to know that if anything had happened to my son the weight of that 10 minutes would forever play out in your nightmares.
I hope you think twice about this next time before someone else loses their child. How completely irresponsible.
Haley Lethbridge
+4,500 Likes and +500 comments! Why no link to the above post? Nakedbus.com deleted it as a cover-up.
Chris Glen 28 September, 2012 - Oh no you didn't just delete that post did you Naked Bus.
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Shame on you Nakedbus!
Chris Glen > nakedbus.com 29 September 2012 - How can a bus driver leave a kid behind in the middle of nowhere by himself, refuse to go back 10 minutes to pick him off, and then refuse to drop off his luggage at a later stop?
And even worse, after word gets out online nakedbus makes excuse after excuse, never apologising and finally deletes all references to the complaint after more than 1000 shares, 5000 'like' & 500 comments? Shame on you nakedbus.
I wish I had a better screen capture [see left photo], I hope someone else does.
And even worse, after word gets out online nakedbus makes excuse after excuse, never apologising and finally deletes all references to the complaint after more than 1000 shares, 5000 'like' & 500 comments? Shame on you nakedbus.
I wish I had a better screen capture [see left photo], I hope someone else does.
How hard is it to do a quick headcount of your passengers?
Isabel Paske 28 September, 2012 - How hard is it to do a quick headcount of your passengers, happens on every other coach service i've used . as you say there was a communication error however all it would have taken was a quick check before you left. and for the driver to not turn around because of ten minutes, that is shameful !! imagine if that was their child left alone in a strange place with nothing . wouldnt happen on intercity
FIRE THE DRIVER COMPENSATE THE BOY!
Tangaroa Love Jahrasta 28 September, 2012 - It is soooo wrong and bad for your buisness to leave a kid stranded no food money nor clothes TAKE A REALITY CHECK FIRE THE DRIVER COMPENSATE THE BOY! !
Good News Travels Fast, Bad News Travels Faster
AllanYa Misiepo 28 September, 2012 - Dear naked bus, good news travels fast but bad news travels faster...much like your driver who feels it acceptable to leave a passenger stranded because they are in such a hurry. It would pay not to underestimate the power of social media. In the 4hrs since Haley Lethbridge posted to your page 2,500 people have shown their support of her feelings regarding the atrocious service you have provided regarding her and her son. Imagine what will happen to the reputation of your company when the networks of those 2,500 people see that their friend has "liked" her complaint. I would be concerned if I were your management! #WillNeverPatroniseYourBusiness
What kind of business puts baggage above the well-being of a child?
Angela Baxendine 28 September, 2012 - Dear Naked Bus, on account of hearing about the atrocious service afforded to the Lethbridge family I will ensure that myself or my children will NEVER use or reccomend your service to anyone. What kind of business puts baggage above the well being of a child??? Shame on you Naked Bus, SHAME!!!
You guys should be ashamed!
Myra Otene 28 September, 2012 - I will never ever use this service after reading the story posted by Haley Lethbridge. You guys should be ashamed. Your service is terrible, and I will tell everyone I know who will tell everyone they know to never ever ever use your service. I hate you guys!
29 September - If people didn't make a big deal about all of these "slip ups" then they would be more common. If people didn't complain about a problem, then the problem wouldn't be seen, therefore allowing companies to continue to get away with bad and unacceptable service.
29 September - If people didn't make a big deal about all of these "slip ups" then they would be more common. If people didn't complain about a problem, then the problem wouldn't be seen, therefore allowing companies to continue to get away with bad and unacceptable service.
Do you people have no empathy!
B Riar Jo Just read the story about Haley Lethbridges' son and am utterly disgusted in the behaviour of the company! Do you people have no empathy!
Editor's note:
The bottom line here is the driver made no head count, which would have alerted him to the fact that a passenger was missing. If a head count was done and the missing passenger noted, the driver could have gone into the I-site, they are not very big, and announced the Nakedbus to X was leaving. Nakedbus alleges the time of departure was ten until three and not ten past three, but that does not change the fact that a head count would have prevented this abandonment of a minor child. Additionally, the roads are not so perfect, nor the buses so fast, that the bus could have gone anywhere fast in the first 10 minutes of it's journey. There is no reason the driver could not turn around and collect the passenger left behind due to the driver's negligence. Given the testimony on this page to show a course of conduct by Nakedbus to continue this policy of leaving people behind, I can say without reservation the fault for this incident is of Nakedbus.com for failure to properly train the drivers to, among other things, keep track of their passengers. It is not acceptable for an officer in the military to "lose" men from his unit by merely not keeping track of them, nor is it acceptable for a driver to leave a minor child on the roadside in the cold with no jumper.
The bottom line here is the driver made no head count, which would have alerted him to the fact that a passenger was missing. If a head count was done and the missing passenger noted, the driver could have gone into the I-site, they are not very big, and announced the Nakedbus to X was leaving. Nakedbus alleges the time of departure was ten until three and not ten past three, but that does not change the fact that a head count would have prevented this abandonment of a minor child. Additionally, the roads are not so perfect, nor the buses so fast, that the bus could have gone anywhere fast in the first 10 minutes of it's journey. There is no reason the driver could not turn around and collect the passenger left behind due to the driver's negligence. Given the testimony on this page to show a course of conduct by Nakedbus to continue this policy of leaving people behind, I can say without reservation the fault for this incident is of Nakedbus.com for failure to properly train the drivers to, among other things, keep track of their passengers. It is not acceptable for an officer in the military to "lose" men from his unit by merely not keeping track of them, nor is it acceptable for a driver to leave a minor child on the roadside in the cold with no jumper.
The bus drivers are rude and the buses are unreliable
Nicole Tildesley 25 September, 2012 - if you are looking for a reliable bus company. DO NOT use this one. The bus drivers are rude and the buses are unreliable.
"didn't feel like stopping for just one passenger"
Heather Bannister 23 September, 2012 - Abe bought a ticket off them once and was left stranded as the bus went straght past him. Apparently didn't feel like stopping for just one passenger ....so....left in an indiscreet town....too late to find somewhere to stay....no way of contacting them...had to hitch.
Spent $8 on Phone Costs and Still Booking is Incorrect
Lydia Cole 21 September, 2012 - I spent $8 on phone costs talking with your company today trying to change a booking. I've logged in on your website tonight to view my booking and it has been done incorrectly and your website is not allowing me to amend it myself, even though we are traveling in more than 24 hours (Monday). I refuse to spend money on calling to get it fixed but I need things amended before I travel on Monday. Help would be appreciated, thanks.
I No Longer Use Nakedbus Unless there is No Other Option
Cass Parker 15 September, 2012 - Yes...great service. Like that time the bus was 45 minutes late and nobody was contacted. Or that time a lady was travel sick and didn't quite make it out of the bus, so we had to listen as the driver rang two different people to complain about how disgusting she was. Or the time the bus was so full four people were on the floor. Or the time the driver told a man it was the bus to Rotorua, when it was actually bound for Hamilton, adding hours to his trip and then blaming it on him. Or the time the driver made up his own route and left me stranded in town because he cut out my stop (you actually rescued me that time Jordan,lol). I could go on, but you get the point. The response from the complaints team is normally just 'it's not our fault, deal with it'. I no longer use naked bus unless there is no other option.
ALL NAKEDBUS.COM TICKETS NON-REFUNDABLE
Niqs Belz 15 September, d2012 - Hi there, just wanted to make a point about your cancellation of booking been non refundable. I booked a month in advance of actual trip, and now cannot make it due to unforseen circumstances. I can understand that a couple of days might be inadequate to cancel due to having to fill the seat, but if Im wanting to cancel two weeks in advance of a booking I made, then that gives Nakedbus plenty of time to fill the seat wouldnt it? in which case I think Nakedbus should reconsider and review their "non-refundable" policy.
nakedbus.com Hi Niqs, thank you for your feedback. We are always looking for ways to improve all aspects of service. Your point regarding our non refundable policy has been noted and will be brought into consideration for implementation in the near future. As per the current policy, all nakedbus.com tickets are still non refundable. The option of changing your booking is open to you and be done on our website using the 'Change/View booking' tool =]
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Public Humiliation
Jordan Pickering 15 September, 2012 - Hi, I took nakedbus down from HLZ-WLG return the other day. Great service, however I did happen to have 2 minor complaints. Firstly the connecting buses, joining onto the southbound bus we late in both Taupo and this made us late to the driver swap in Turangi. This also made the trip 30 mins longer. I understand that nakedbus doesnt have the power to control the roads of NZ but it would have been nice to be told that there was a 30 min delay so we could go have a coffee or something and not just sit on the bus waiting. The 2nd thing was how a customer on the bus was treated by the bus driver. This passenger was late to return to the bus by 1 minute- if that. And came running after the bus. He gave her a 2 min speech over the microphone about how he should just leave her there and not let her on the bus. Also her passenger number showed that she never got on the bus. I personally got on at the same stop as her and her stuff was on the bus. He made her feel guilty about the fact that there was no tick next to her name. Once she was seated and the bus started to move again he continued on for 10 minutes about the importance of being on time etc. I do not think this is professional and I feel sorry for how the girl's trip was ruined due to public humiliation. I have used nakedbus prior to this and I will continue to do so. However that trip I saw some faults. Thank you for the service u uphold within NZ
"Ex-Cops" Driving Your Buses
Takotoroa Mareikura 6 September, 2012 near Whangarei, Northland 04/09/2012 : WLGTN-AKLND you guys might wanna get people who dont come across as "ex-cops" to drive your buses . Although its new zealand law to wear seatbelts no-one i know has worn a seatbelt on the bus . the bus driver we had was such an anal fella i couldnt believe it . made me not want to catch naked bus anymore . sort it out nakedbus or you will lose out on customers .
nakedbus.com 6 September, 2012 - Hi Takotoroa, Please note nakedbus.com do take driver complaints seriously and we have passed this onto our operations department to keep on record. It is advised that the buses equipped with seat belts should be worn, however it is every individuals choice whether to wear them or not. The driver should not have been enforcing for everyone to wear them. Our apologies for this.
Please also remember that there is a $150 fine for the individual who does not wear a seat belt if they are available. The driver would have been enforcing the use of seat belts for this reason also. Kind regards. Takotoroa Mareikura I acknowledge the fact that you replied nakedbus.com (: firstly yes i understand that an infringement of $150 is given if it just so happens that the bus shouold be pulled over and inspected by police. and it is up to the individual themselves to wear a seatbelt. The bus driver we had from WLGTN-TURANGI was patrolling up and down the bus telling making sure we had our seatbelts . Others were quite shocked at the extents he was going to, to make everyone wear their seatbelts. and then the remark he made to another customer was "have you ever scraped someones face off the ground?" how rude is that ? And then he even threatened the customer that he was going to kick him off the bus because he didn't want to wear his seatbelt . Then the funny thing is , the next bus driver we had gave us the "regulation" warning about seatbelts. But said it was up to us if we wanted to wear them . So enough said . Hope you guys can make some changes . (: Kind Regards ,
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DO NOT TRAVEL WITH NAKEDBUS!
Jesse Archer 23 August, 2012 - DO NOT TRAVEL WITH NAKEDBUS! I sent them a complaint about a driver who left earlier than the scheduled time - and I missed the service despite being at the stop 5 minutes prior. They didn't take the complain seriously & are refusing to process a refund or apologize. I'll be contacting the bank on Monday for a credit card charge-back.
nakedbus.com Hi Jesse, we are sorry to hear that you were not able to board your bus. As per our email response to this situation we conducted an investigation with our operations department. Our GPS data shows that the bus departed at 11:20am, in line with the Vodafone GMT +12:00, New Zealand Standard Time. All other passengers were able to board the service successfully. As a gesture of good will please see our email response for a discount voucher for future travel.
Jesse Archer A discount voucher is useless as I will never (attempt to) travel with you again. I've filed a refund-request back to my credit card via my bank
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Joan Brown 20 September, 2012 - We had a buas leave early on us too - but got nice service from Naked Bus afterwards (but what's with the buses leaving early?)
Changing Pick-up Doubles Cost of Trip
Fiona Hill 19th August, 2012 - Well I am certainly seeing your nakedness now. It is very frustrating to discover that naked bus will not make it easy for me to change my stop from Levin to Palmerston North - which I'm sure would be a lot easier for the bus drivers since Palmy is a much bigger stop. Last time I was the only passenger to be picked up in Levin by the lovely bus driver Sarah (always a pleasure to have her in charge of the wheel:) To change it requires rebooking and paying basically the cost of a whole round trip all over again; and the 900 contact number at a minimum of $1.99 per minute is not pleasing either. I think it is time to rethink some of your policies and be a bit more flexible!
nakedbus.com You are able to change your bookings online at nakedbus.com, there is a $4.99 changing fee plus any difference between the price of the tickets. This is in place as if you do board in Palmerston north the driver would have out you down as a no show in Levin and if the service was fill they would then be able to re-sell your seat to other passengers wanting to purchase cash fares. We do apologise for the inconvenience caused.
Fiona Hill Thanks for your reply. Yes as I stated above I realise that can be done, but the ticket price (despite the shorter distance) has skyrocketed. So when you add that fare difference along with the booking fee, I will have paid the entire original price again. I can understand if people are wanting to board or disembark at a different stop which if it in a more remote area or further away, however this is not the case. It would be nice to see you correct this in the future - there must be a way to update the driver's PDA when given plenty of notice.
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NakedBus.com Driver to win Rudest Driver Award
Di Bundy August 8th, 2012 - wow! just got off the bus from Hamilton to Rotorua with your driver Chris Douglas who wins the prize for being the rudest driver I have met in twenty years of travel all over the world!! Wont be recommending your company again Naked Bus!!
RE: CHRIS DOUGLAS for Johnsons Bus Company
I had an issue with the driver of this evenings bus from Hamilton to Rotorua. I had booked the ticket online as I was traveling home from overseas where I now live. As per the instructions on the site, I wrote down the booking reference number as instructed but when I showed it to the driver, he became most upset and rolled his eyes, sighed like a child and barked at me to recite the number to him. I apologised for not having a local number as I had only just arrived in the country. The man was rude and insulting and when I asked his name to report him to you he also became sarcastic. If this is the way he responds to locals then I shudder to think what an ambassador he is for tourism in NZ! As it is I had spoken to another driver who was heading from Hamilton to Auckland, now he was polite and didnt seem to think that a number written down was a problem. He looked at the notebook (writing is clearly legible) and even went to the bother of phoning this rude driver to see where he was and then advised us that the bus would be late. So I know that not all your divers are rude but really, this man must need a holiday himself. As we were entering Rotorua, he made an announcement over the speakers telling people that "those people with phones would be able to text people to advise of arrival at the Information centre in Rotorua, information that ANY LOCAL would know" Since you are in the business of transporting tourists, I wonder why your driver expects people to have local information?
As a travel writer and promoter I will be mentioning my bad experience with you driver and wont be using your service again NOR WILL I BE RECOMMENDING IT TO ANY OF MY TOURISTS OR VISITORS TO NZ as I have previously done
NakedBus.com Olympics $0.12 Fares a Bait and Switch
Bronwyn Harford August 5th 2012 - This statement "What routes should we put on SALE when our team wins a medal? Remember it is YOUR vote that decides!", under the Fair Trading Act is Misleading behaviour "A trader is misleading you if they lead you to think something is true when it isn't". So at least the 2 top voted destinations should have been in today's sale, whether they have been on sale already or not.
Paris Strickland August 5th 2012 - I was just about to say the same thing after consulting with a lawyer relative of mine. In short really, people voted for where they wanted to go and the leading votes should have got the trips. At least that is what your statement insinuated, nakedbus.
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No Refunds Under Any Conditions?
Alison Denton August 3rd 2012 - Shame that while you're offering low fares to celebrate our medalists you're also ripping people off!! My son booked a bus with you, turned up a minute earlier than he was told to and the bus had already left!! No way to contact you without paying through the nose on your 0900ph # and complaint form takes 5 days to be answered, not much help when he needed to travel and couldn't afford a second ticket. I note too that your website says no refunds under any conditions - does that include when your driver f*** up? Shame on you!!
The Bus Didn't Even Stop
Nami Verasche Hey everyone. My friend had a ticket booked with Nakedbus from Wairoa to Auckland on Friday. The bus driver went straight through the town without picking up her or one other customer. The company proved very hard to get hold of (many people tried the 0900 number, and it was engaged almost every time), and on top of this, their idea of fixing the issue was giving her a new ticket for Sunday, ignoring firstly the possibility that she may have needed to be there sooner, and secondly without offering any form of compensation (such as a partial refund or even simply changing her return date free of charge - this latter option is ALL SHE ASKED FOR IN RETURN).
tl;dr: If the driver decides he can't be bothered picking you up, Nakedbus don't give a shit. Don't go with them. I won't be anymore; even if I haven't had problems with them personally, hearing about that puts me right off.
I'm also going to say that seriously, you need to ditch the 0900 number idea. At the very least have a normal (non-0800) landline that people can ring; all prepaid mobiles, which make up a VERY significant portion of what people have (and even more so when you consider people aren't exactly going to have their landline handy when they're at the bus stop), are unable to call 0900s and this restriction cannot be lifted by the network. Even for friends who tried to contact it via a landline, it turned out to be engaged and had one hell of a time getting through - I understand you're tryin to keep costs down, but there's a difference between "low cost" and "shit service", and this very clearly falls into the latter.
EDIT: Or maybe a premium txt number, even, that charges for a txt sent then calls back. That way, you can keep your desire to make people pay for knowing where the fuck their bus is (as much as that's shit service in itself) while not alienating the 99% of people who have a prepay mobile. Those who can afford plans probably don't go with low-cost buses (or for that matter, buses at all).
tl;dr: If the driver decides he can't be bothered picking you up, Nakedbus don't give a shit. Don't go with them. I won't be anymore; even if I haven't had problems with them personally, hearing about that puts me right off.
I'm also going to say that seriously, you need to ditch the 0900 number idea. At the very least have a normal (non-0800) landline that people can ring; all prepaid mobiles, which make up a VERY significant portion of what people have (and even more so when you consider people aren't exactly going to have their landline handy when they're at the bus stop), are unable to call 0900s and this restriction cannot be lifted by the network. Even for friends who tried to contact it via a landline, it turned out to be engaged and had one hell of a time getting through - I understand you're tryin to keep costs down, but there's a difference between "low cost" and "shit service", and this very clearly falls into the latter.
EDIT: Or maybe a premium txt number, even, that charges for a txt sent then calls back. That way, you can keep your desire to make people pay for knowing where the fuck their bus is (as much as that's shit service in itself) while not alienating the 99% of people who have a prepay mobile. Those who can afford plans probably don't go with low-cost buses (or for that matter, buses at all).
No Refund for Error in Booking
Abandoned Passenger must resort to Hitch-hiking
Shin Yin June 2nd, 2012 It has been bothering and haunting me for quite some times and finally I took the courage to express and share it out..It was an extremely worst and most horrible experience and nightmare I've had in New Zealand taking nakedbus and I truly appreciate the concerned parties could assist to investigate about this particular issue and provide a favorable response as well as take the necessary actions towards the irresponsible, heartless, cold-blooded driver.
I just could not forget about the hurtful and upsetting experience with nakedbus; it happened on 16th May 2012, I took the 11.50pm bus from Te Puke to Auckland and the driver didn’t seem friendly since I boarded the bus. Anyway I didn’t bother much about that until when the bus stopped at Paeroa(information centre) for a short break. I went down from the bus and visited the information centre and then I entered the café, wanted to grab a piece of cake and then realized my purse was in the bus, therefore I hopped onto the bus again and got my debit card. While I was half way walking into the café, I met the nasty bus driver and he shouted at me saying that “Hey the bus is going to leave sharp at 2.05pm!!”. I told the driver politely that I was just going to buy a piece of cake and I looked at the time, it was 2.02pm at that particular moment so I think it was pretty alright since the driver saw me and aware of my whereabout.
Just right after I’ve bought the cake which I believe it was settled within 2-3mins time and I came out from the café wanting to get onto the bus, the bus has already gone! with all my bags and luggage which including laptop, passport and some important documents!!
How could the bus went off without his passenger? I was on time and even if I was late for just 1min and I swear that the bus driver knew so well that I’ve yet to board the bus, how could he just drove off and leave a foreign girl without her important documents and belongings in a foreign country? Is he being racist? This is just so unbelievably mean!
I was frightened and terrified, and the kind lady in the information assisted me to contact nakedbus customer service. I was not provided with any help but I was requested to pay another 22NZD if I want to catch another bus passing Paeroa but will only reach Auckland at 9pm while my initial schedule to reach Auckland was 4pm. This is very unreasonable as I’ve paid the bus fare and I was left by the bus driver and now I have to pay again to my destination even later and what worse is without my bags and belongings with me? I explained to the customer service officer my situation but I was answered that according to the bus driver, he has already warned me not to get down from the bus but I insisted therefore he has to drive off. He was lying!! If I were still in the bus and the bus was going to depart, I and I believe anybody else would not insist to hop down from the bus! I met the bus driver on my way into the café, not on the bus as he mentioned and it was not the time yet! No matter how I cried or begged to the officer, I was not offered with any help but I was asked to pay another 22NZD or else she has no way to get me onto another bus. Under the helpless circumstances, I have no choice but to hitchhike to Auckland from Paeroa. Nobody knows how painful the experience was and my bags and belongings were then claimed from the office at Quay Street by my relative. I know I’m not paying a big amount for the bus ticket but I believe this is not the way I should be treated as a customer. I paid for a full journey but i was only driven half way. It was truly hurtful and painful to get such a bad service and experience by leaving me half way and a few hours away from my destination and while my luggage and bags were still on the bus.
I beg and pray that nakedbus to please investigate about this matter and provide a favourable feedback on what I’ve suffered and hope to also call attention and awareness of other passengers about this issue/driver.
Thank you.
I just could not forget about the hurtful and upsetting experience with nakedbus; it happened on 16th May 2012, I took the 11.50pm bus from Te Puke to Auckland and the driver didn’t seem friendly since I boarded the bus. Anyway I didn’t bother much about that until when the bus stopped at Paeroa(information centre) for a short break. I went down from the bus and visited the information centre and then I entered the café, wanted to grab a piece of cake and then realized my purse was in the bus, therefore I hopped onto the bus again and got my debit card. While I was half way walking into the café, I met the nasty bus driver and he shouted at me saying that “Hey the bus is going to leave sharp at 2.05pm!!”. I told the driver politely that I was just going to buy a piece of cake and I looked at the time, it was 2.02pm at that particular moment so I think it was pretty alright since the driver saw me and aware of my whereabout.
Just right after I’ve bought the cake which I believe it was settled within 2-3mins time and I came out from the café wanting to get onto the bus, the bus has already gone! with all my bags and luggage which including laptop, passport and some important documents!!
How could the bus went off without his passenger? I was on time and even if I was late for just 1min and I swear that the bus driver knew so well that I’ve yet to board the bus, how could he just drove off and leave a foreign girl without her important documents and belongings in a foreign country? Is he being racist? This is just so unbelievably mean!
I was frightened and terrified, and the kind lady in the information assisted me to contact nakedbus customer service. I was not provided with any help but I was requested to pay another 22NZD if I want to catch another bus passing Paeroa but will only reach Auckland at 9pm while my initial schedule to reach Auckland was 4pm. This is very unreasonable as I’ve paid the bus fare and I was left by the bus driver and now I have to pay again to my destination even later and what worse is without my bags and belongings with me? I explained to the customer service officer my situation but I was answered that according to the bus driver, he has already warned me not to get down from the bus but I insisted therefore he has to drive off. He was lying!! If I were still in the bus and the bus was going to depart, I and I believe anybody else would not insist to hop down from the bus! I met the bus driver on my way into the café, not on the bus as he mentioned and it was not the time yet! No matter how I cried or begged to the officer, I was not offered with any help but I was asked to pay another 22NZD or else she has no way to get me onto another bus. Under the helpless circumstances, I have no choice but to hitchhike to Auckland from Paeroa. Nobody knows how painful the experience was and my bags and belongings were then claimed from the office at Quay Street by my relative. I know I’m not paying a big amount for the bus ticket but I believe this is not the way I should be treated as a customer. I paid for a full journey but i was only driven half way. It was truly hurtful and painful to get such a bad service and experience by leaving me half way and a few hours away from my destination and while my luggage and bags were still on the bus.
I beg and pray that nakedbus to please investigate about this matter and provide a favourable feedback on what I’ve suffered and hope to also call attention and awareness of other passengers about this issue/driver.
Thank you.
akedbus.com Hi Shin Yin. I am sorry to hear that you were not able to re-board the bus. Could you please fill in a 'I have had a bad experience' form at http://nakedbus.com/nz/bus/faq. We will then be able to begin an investigation and will have contact details to get back to you.
Shin Yin Hi, I've already filled in the form as per your request, kindly look into it and appreciate your favorable response and hopefully there are no story twisting and lying around as shared and experienced by other passengers/customers on how you use to reply/feedback. believe that truth and justice will reign. Thanks.
what's disappointing and what i have to emphasize is i was not extended with any help, unless the ONLY solution provided was asking me to pay extra money(which is even more expensive compare to my actual bus fare) to get onto another bus(to reach the destination in another 5hrs later as mentioned above) but i have to find my own way despite the fact that i was INTENTIONALLY left behind. May I call your higher level's attention and explanation please. HanLin Kok Holy crap! Glad you are safe & belongings can be found. I can't imagine NZ bus company treat their client in such way!
nakedbus.com Hi Shin, we have completed our investigation and have found that the bus stopped for 15 minutes. The bus driver warned you what time he was departing, our GPS records show that the bus didn't depart until after this time. The bus driver has been warned about his tone and bluntness, and we are really sorry for the way you spoken to. Please check your email to see our full formal response. Thanks
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Nakedbus Calls Passengers "Liars"
Miz Vix May 12th, 2012 - On the nakedbus.com bus to Auckland , from Tauranga, with your grumpiest and down right rudest bus driver possible!!!! not a good look nakedbus, where do I start with the list of complaints.. firstly being shouted at for not having a booking number when I had a txt proving it.. then throwing my bag in a puddle.. not letting anyone stop for the loo, rude and uncurtious responces to questions about loo stops
you need to teach the bus driver some manners!! we stopped at Nagtia for a pick up.. and the bus driver tried to drive off with 2 people not on the bus, yet he said they could go to the toilets.. we all had to shout at him to stop the bus... one if them had to bang on the door to get let in!
he wont tell us his name! but naked bus will know who he is. He has upset lots of other passengers! Not a Good Look nakedbus.com!!!!
you need to teach the bus driver some manners!! we stopped at Nagtia for a pick up.. and the bus driver tried to drive off with 2 people not on the bus, yet he said they could go to the toilets.. we all had to shout at him to stop the bus... one if them had to bang on the door to get let in!
he wont tell us his name! but naked bus will know who he is. He has upset lots of other passengers! Not a Good Look nakedbus.com!!!!
nakedbus.com Hi Miz, if you would like to fill in the form on our website we can begin the investigation. We like to be able to keep a record of all incidents so if you could fill in a form this would be much appreciated.
Miz Vix its recorded here too unless you delete it! I sent you my complaint.. but just like I thought would happen I haven't even had an acknowledgement of my email I sent to you!!! HOW RUDE!!!!!!
Jacqui Barrow If naked bus get a complaint whilst the bus is still moving, how easy it must be to track it down, maybe even get a rep out there to witness the event. Just not good enough to put ll this on the customer , not a customers job to fix this problem guys, it's yours! Might have forgiven a rogue driver, but your customer support here is poor to say the least. Shonky outfit, no bookings from me or mine!
Miz Vix To be fair Nakedbus.com a full 48hrs is enough time to talk to a driver that you will have a personal number for!! I work in HR I KNOW how long investigations take I know that initial contact from the reporting of a situation to the actual talking in the first instance tot he people involved can be completed within a 48 Hour time frame, its a lame excuse that you have to wait for a driver to have a day off! If this complaint was important to you and important for the look of your company within the media then you would act on it rather sharpish not come up with lame excuses for not dealing with a situation... I have not even recieved an apology regarding the throwing of my bag on the ground into the puddle!! If i want to talk to you I have to pay to call you the nakedbus.com helpline charges 1.99 a minute to call. Would it not have been better customer service to have someone call me on the number I provided you with to let me know that my email complaint had been received and that it was being dealt with... you know a more personal message than you talking to me on a wall on facebook???
nakedbus.com Hi Jacqui, we needed more information from Miz Vix (like her reference number etc, which the form asks for, which customers often don't like being published on Facebook). We have many services operating between destinations at one time. We needed this information in order to carry out an investigation on the correct journey and ensure we have the correct driver that she was referring to. Our investigations can include talking to other passengers on the bus so we can get another perspective on events to establish the correct way to move forward so we can ensure that no event like this happens in the future. Rest assured we are are here for our customers, and an event like this is totally unacceptable.
Miz Vix What utter tosh!!!!!! you have had my reference details and booking details since sunday evening when I got off the bus!!! There is only one service operating at that time from Rotorua to Auckland via Tauranga and I was on the bus at the time when I made the complaint and I was updating you as more events occurred with the driver, we were driving up the country to Auckland how hard can it be to know which driver it is?
If the event is totally Unacceptable' why have you not contacted me personally to make an apology or made a personal effort on behalf of your company to speak with me anywhere other than this facebook wall??? and guess what ladies???? Yes you are right they still have not been in touch with me unless you count the posts on this wall Vanessa Wilson Hama Winiata wow i was gonna book with nakedbus.com but after reading this i think i might book else where, shame on you nakedbus.com, thanks ladies for your feed back :)
Shin Yin June 2nd, 2012 - hi, im not sure if it was the same driver you were talking about but I had a similar experience as yours, taking the bus from Te Puke to Auckland. I hope nakedbus will look into this matter seriously as it looks like a lot more passengers are becoming victims of this driver/service.
Miz Vix June 2nd, 2012 - naked bus got back to me about my complaint and the driver made me out to be a liar. naked bus said they had spoken to other passengers on the bus and no one else had complained.. i can send you the email if you want and you can read what they wrote and how they lied and made me out to be a liar lucky for me i recorded everything on my smart phone and can prove them wrong.. its all at TV3 at the moment with Target ;O)
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Maintain Your Crappy Buses
Damian Johnston April 6th, 2012 - The service from Wellington to Napier on Thursday night the 5th the air con was on all the way and the personal reading lights didn't work. I got on in Palmerston North and the lady next to me said something was wrong with the bus. There always seems to be something wrong with the busses on this route. Maintain your crappy busses.
nakedbus.com Hi Damian, I am sorry to hear of the dissatisfaction you had on your service. We will be in contact with our operations department regarding this issue. If you would like to receive a response in regards to this matter please feel free to fill in a form at http://nakedbus.com/nz/bus/faq
Damian Johnston It's ok, I'll just be picking intercity on this route where possible instead.
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What the Hell is Going On???
Charles Whautere March 2nd, 2012 - So someone tell me, why can't I ring your contact number now?????My daughter is waiting for her connection to Wellington in Palmerston North with no-one to say what the hell is happening???I try the 0900 number and it says all outgoing calls are barred!!!What a lot of crap, especially when there is a number short in the 0900!!
WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON WITH THIS BUS SERVICE??
WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON WITH THIS BUS SERVICE??
nakedbus.com Hi Charles. Sometimes service providers bar outgoing calls to 0900 numbers and you need to ring them to have it removed. If you would like to contact us via our website at nakedbus.com we will be able to investigate what occurred with your daughters service.
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$35 Out of My Pocket
Lionel Cottrell-Ta - I'm sorry i have a job and can't contact you straight away! FML! I mean its only $35 - but its still $35 out of my pocket. I see in no way this is fair. It was a honest mistake, and you should refund the my money. I may have contacted you a little later than needed but i did within the evening of booking it. :(
Thanks for nothing, I now know not to travel with you or suggest you to friends again. ARG >:(
Thanks for nothing, I now know not to travel with you or suggest you to friends again. ARG >:(
No Refund for Cancelled Gisbourne Route?
Nikolasa Biasiny-Tule March 1st, 2012 - We've had a colleague get told the Gisbourne bus won't be running today because the Gorge is closed, she asked for a refund and was told NO!!!??? Your website says the following "The ONLY situation in which we will provide a refund is when we fail to provide the service as advertised." - this seems to fit that criteria, what's up with telling her no refund, she needs to get there today, not tomorrow and needs those funds to get there. she was contacted initially saying she could have 2 other tickets on another day, she initally said yes, as she wasn't given the option of a refund, but after I showed her your website, she replied saying, really she wanted a refund because she wanted to try and get there another way and she just now received an email back saying a refund would not take place and that she can only have 2 the two tickets
Booking Non-Existent
Stacey Douglas February 24th, 2012 - Not happy that i booked my partner on a bus from Manukau last night, we got there early and waited only to find out there's been some sort of mix up and he wasn't booked on even though i got the confirmation email and booking number. Now i don't know how to get a hold of anyone to sort it out and he needs to get to where he is going by 2pm and looks like i will be forking out more money for petrol to drive him. not happy!!
nakedbus.com Hey Stacey, I do believe that this has been addressed in an email that has been sent to you.
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Bus Crash Passengers Uncompensated
Anna Palmer-Oldcorn February 16th, 2012 - Your response after the crash this morning is disgusting. Will never use your services again.
nakedbus.com Hi Anna. I am sorry to hear that you are unsatisfied with the way this was dealt with. We believe all necessary steps were followed both internally within nakedbus.com and externally with the police. As mentioned in our earlier email we are taking the necessary steps internally to ensure that a similar situation doesn't happen again in future.
Anna Palmer-Oldcorn I appreciate the prompt response. I hope the others on the trip have also had their fares refunded.
Lauren Jennett no i was only offered 50 percent off on my next trip
Anna Palmer-Oldcorn I was offered the same thing Lauren, until I emailed to complain. There is no way I'm travelling nakedbus again so a 50% discount is worthless to me.
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"They're acting like it's an international flight"
Morgan Smillie February 9th, 2012 - Missed a bus with these guys (I was waiting on the wrong side of the bus terminal 'whoops my bad' so I tried to call the office as the bus passed me by hoping they could contact the driver but they where engaged) Now the mugs won't even hook me up another ticket for the next day and no the ticket cancellation fee I payed won't help my situation. I have to buy another ticket. They're acting like it's an international flight or something. Please Naked Bus, Fall Back!
Shana Crystal This is ridiculous. I was just going to book a trip with Nakedbus, but now I'm reconsidering. That's incredibly unfair.
nakedbus.com Hi Morgan. I understand you have been offered a discount voucher for booking again. Unfortunately it is very clear in our terms and coniditons which you accept when booking that you agree to be waiting at the correct bus stop. Please refer to section 3 of our T's&C's.
http://nakedbus.com/nz/bus/terms-and-conditions Shana Crystal Unfortunately, it is very clear that this was an honest mistake. I hope you feel that it's worth it to lose customers over.
Morgan Smillie Forget the terms and conditions for a sec ,Where's the common decency? Let's just get real
Marissa Zena Findlay 'Unfortunately..' say's it all
Nina Kirkwood You gave them $39 bucks and they had to do nothing in return for it, simple. This is not a good way to run a business, and charging $1.99 per minute to call them is an outrage! Voucher? He shouldn't need one you should just do the decent thing.
nakedbus.com Hi everyone. When we do things like send a driver around to look for passengers, which delays services and could end up with another passenger or more missing a connection or other flow on effects, it increases the cost of providing the service. We have looked into providing a free phone number but our costs would increase at least 20% for that, and that would have to be covered by increases in fares. We really don't want to do that to our customers, so we provide the service that we promise, but it also means that we do have some conditions that our customers need to agree to (which is what I referred to earlier). Sometimes we do get it wrong, after all we are all human and drivers, customer service, IT and all the rest do also make mistakes, and we will do everything to put it right. On this occassion we provided the service we promised, at the correct place, and still provided Morgan with a discount voucher for booking again. If we provided refunds and etc. our costs would increase and from everything we have had feedback on from customers, that's not what everyone wants. We are here for our customers and without you our business wouldn't exist.
Nina Kirkwood I don't think you understand, how will you lose out by putting Morgan on another bus tomorrow? Morgan booked his ticket with you guys 30min before the bus was to leave so I am guessing your buses are not full at the moment.
Marissa Zena Findlay sometimes it pays to be fair.
No response?
So your in the wrong? I guess the silence is proving that. |
I can't be the ONLY person who loses her reference number
Demelza Purcell January 25th, 2012 - Just want to say that I am NOT happy with this service! 1: We had an emergency this morning in which I was required to ring the 0900 number for a reference number- It was engaged, tried again- Fax Tried again and the bus driver left! I mean how hard was it to see that I had booked 3 people from Rot-Tpo? 2: I think if you have all our details and full our inbox with "Great Deals" why cant you just put our names on the drivers phone he uses to get our ref numbers? 3: The driver ignored us trying to wave him down because we had the number and he was just across the road, even other passagers tried to tell him to stop but he wouldnt! 4: The information centre will not help people using your services, I think that many issues need to be address! I think this service is rude and inefficient!
Euan Cameron Demelza - nakedbus.com don't have any terminals and do not employ staff to work at terminals such as other companies. This is probably why the information centre staff were not willing to help you. Other companies have agreements with information centers. As nakedbus.com does not employ staff the work at information centers, nakedbus.com can afford the keep prices down
Demelza Purcell Yeah would just hope they could answer their phones or even just simply have our first and last names on their data when catching the bus! My 3 children only had to give our names when I had to re-book them on Intercity, which in fact was only $3.00 dearer than Nakedbus.com and I booked it on the same day!
nakedbus.com Hi Demelza. We do require passengers to present their reference numbers for boarding, as these are hard to copy and prevents further problems. As per our terms and conditions 1.3 Passengers will not be accepted onto the service without a valid booking reference. You are required to produce the booking reference number when boarding or boarding will be denied. By purchasing a ticket, you agree that by not producing a valid booking reference, you will not be allowed to board the service and will not be entitled to a refund of this ticket (unless required by law). It is the passenger’s responsibility to approach the driver with their reference number to be checked prior to departure.
You are shown the reference number on booking, sent an email with it, and given an option for it to be sent to you in a text message for 99c. We will be in touch directly via the email you sent. Demelza Purcell Yes but I cant be the ONLY person who loses their ref number, and yes I realise I have to present that number but surely even he could see 3 people Rot-Tpo then he ignores to stop the bus PLUS the naked reward points are a joke, booked several trips and only have $1 something in "Rewards"
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I hope the bus stops today
Paul Meredith Booked my mother, daughter and sister-in-law on a bus trip ftrom Waikanae to Tauranga for the second day in a row. They had a booking yesterday but the bus never stopped to pick them up! Just tried to ring the 0900 number to make sure the bus stops this time. Couldn't get through. I hope the bus stops today. thought I would give Naked Bus one last chance. I also hope you guys follow up on my complaint asap re yesterday's driver error. Cheers.
nakedbus.com Hi Paul. We are currently investigating what occurred yesterday that caused you not to be able to board the bus. We will contact you via email when we have further information. The bus is confirmed to stop in Waikanae again today. Please make sure you are there at least 5 mins before the time stated on your confirmation.
Karen Hill Just following up on this. I talked to the driver this morning - he stopped at the wrong stop yesterday - he stopped at the Southbound stop. He knew he had to pick up three people in Waikanae and saw them sitting across the road ( at the correct place ) but drove on because there weren't three people where he stopped ( at the incorrect place ! ). Told me it was his first day on the job yesterday. Today he stopped at the incorrect bus stop again but this time we ran across the road to stop him before he drove off again. We explained that he was at the wrong stop and he said that's where he was told to stop. He might need some clarification from Naked bus before more people get left behind ???
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"Appalling customer service!"
Belinda Lau Appalling customer service! Is this an endless luck/waiting game? Countless emails: wrong itinerary/booking reference numbers, slow + no responses, insincere apologies with invalid booking code (opportunities to get things fixed have been given again and again, the end result - 'no response')! Couldn’t get any worse, very disappointing! The time and effort spent - it's not worth really!
nakedbus.com Hi Belinda, I am sorry to hear of the difficult and lengthy process you were put through. I would be more than happy to look into why this was the case if you provide me with the email ID, this will also allow us to see where we are needing improving to ensure no future incidents such as yours
Belinda Lau Tell me if I have been unreasonable, but so much time is wasted in collating the information every time I contacted you, and each time my effort has gone to waste. Isn’t it about time for you to show some effort/sincerity from your end?
Anyway, this would be the last: I have submitted emails to both your website (17 Oct - 147245, 148454) and [email protected]. I wasn’t given any reference number for those going to your email address directly (25 Oct, 1 Nov, 21 Nov, 9 Dec). You can find most information on the complaint email on 25 Oct (7 attachments). Invalid promotional code for apologies: 30540982! Staff that I have dealt with: Tim, Helen, Charlotte, Milena |
"Unresponsiveness and bad customer care to the max"
Hans Marggraff complained about a lost suitcase via web form. It took 4 days just for a resonse, which just said it takes another 5 days for investigation.
Unresponiveness and bad customer care to the max.
Unresponiveness and bad customer care to the max.
Kim Harris That is truly shocking service and I can't believe nakedbus have not made this kind of thing a priority!! I feel so bad that the girls have had to go through this experience while they are in New Zealand! I really hope that nakedbus will stand up and take responsibility for the lost suitcase when it is clear that the nakedbus driver did not close/lock the luggage door properly!
nakedbus.com Hi Hans, Our team is currently looking into this matter and does appreciate your patience. As the issue you have raised is in reference to a physical aspect of the bus, we do need to investigate this with our operations team before continuing. There was another bag left over on this service so it may be possible that someone mistook your bag for thiers. Our CSR team will get back to you as soon as possible.
Hans Marggraff The physical aspect of the bus is not relevant for my kids. They need new clothes and recompensation before they travel back. Why the bus was not closed can be determined later.
It is of no help if the suitcase reappears when they are back in Europe. I think, that nakedbus should trat this with a higher priorirty to avoid the impression, that you are just trying to win some time until they have to fly back. Euan Cameron Hans, your kids could have just left the suitcase on the bus by accident? Do you actually have proof that the luggage compartment was not closed by the driver? Luggage compartments can blow open in strong winds etc.
nakedbus.com Hi Hans, we spoke to the driver on the day and the operations team to find out exactly what happened and believe another passenger has mistakenly taken your daughters' bags, the bags did not fall out of the luggage compartment as claimed in your message. At this stage no one has contacted us in regards to the mistaken bags. Should the luggage compartment be open then everyone on the bus would have heard the warning bells (it sounds like a car/van reversing). The reason the investigation took so long was because we hoped the other passenger would contacted us about the mistakenly took bags. The best thing to do now is to go to the Police and your insurance company to file a lost property claim and see if another has handed your daughters' bags in. I have emailed you back with more detail so please check your email. Sorry this has caused frustration at your end and unfortunately, we have done all we can at this stage.
Hans Marggraff Apparently there was no warning sound (but this I do not know for sure). This raises questions whether the bus was in good condition.
@Euan - they alerted the bus driver, hat the compartment was open during the journey and he stopped and they searched the compartment to check for missing luggage. So it was definitely open. @nakedbus You ask for the phone number and email of all the travellers when they book. So you can easily call them up and ask.There weren't many people on the bus. Because the compartment was open, it is still nakedbus who is at fault here and who I will seek compensation for the lost values from. And if nakedbus is not willing to do all that is required, then it will be through legal action. nakedbus.com Hi Hans, please note in my replies (especially in my email) we understand the luggage compartment was NOT left open during the journey. The driver did go back at the customers request to check if anything could have been left behind and did not find anything proving that there was no luggage that had fallen out of the luggage compartment. We sincerely hope that the person who mistakenly took your daughters' luggage contacts us or the police as soon as possible so they can be reunited with their belongings. Unfortunately, as mentioned above we have done all we can at the moment and if we hear anything we will contact you as soon as possible. I strongly recommend that you contact the Police and your insurance company to resolve and register the current situation.
Josh Hill It is Wise to NAME AND LABEL ALL YOUR LUGGAGE! Then it would be quicker!
Hans Marggraff It was named and labelled. The fact remains, that the luggage was on the bus when they left, and that it was gone when they arrived and it disappeared while it was under the responsibility of nakedbus. If nakedbus does not check, if passengers take the wrong luggage, then they allow luggage to be stolen from their supervision. It all boils down to the simple result: Nakedbus is liable for the lost property. We can have this resolved directly or through a court.
Josh Hill I Understand Hans, If only they had a 0800 Number and then it would so faster than email and their current number, I wish you luck with your mission, and by any side I do hope (if) your luggage is found and returned,
nakedbus.com Hi Hans, please check your email for our latest update. Once again, if there is any news of your daughters' luggage we will contact them (and you) immediately.
Lisa Taylor Hans, there's a specific clause in the terms and conditions of travel that reads as follows "9.5 Nakedbus.com does not take any responsibility for any luggage left on the bus at any time, both stowed luggage and items left inside the vehicle – you should ensure that you have insurance to cover you for any loss or damage to your luggage. The return of any items is at the customer’s expense and it is the customer’s responsibility to submit a lost property form through the website so luggage can be identified and found" this can be found here: http://nakedbus.com/nz/bus/terms-and-conditions As accepting and purchasing tickets, this was Agreed to by your daughters/you at the time of ticket purchase.
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Reviews from Rankers.co.nz
Kristina Wells from New Zealand gave NakedBus.com a 1/10 and said:
I arrived at the correct bus stop 20 minutes early. A bus that said "nakedbus.com" approached in the distance at correct arrival time of 4:40pm. I stood up and waved at the bus, the driver never even looked my way. It continued to drive and I ran after it until it stopped at the light. I knocked on the door and said I believe I am on this bus and showed my confirmation number and I asked if he was going to Moteuka. He said, "I am, but you are not on this bus." He said I was on another bus. Not knowing if he was wrong or right I thanked him and quickly hopped off and before the light turned green and I got run over. I proceeded to call the information line (she was very helpful). She said she would call the driver of my bus and call me back in case he was running late. I waited 10 minutes and called her back. She said she wasn't able to get a hold of the driver and would call me when she hears from him. I waited 10 more minutes in the hot sun and called again. She said she would try and call the bus company in case the bus was having problems and was late. I asked if they were usually half an hour late and she said not usually. Ten more minutes passed and no bus and she called back to say it must have already gone. I agreed and said it had to have been the bus that I had to chase down. She offered to give me a ticket for the next day, but I needed the ride that day to meet my husband in Moteuka. She then offered to refund my money and to hopefully talk to the bus driver once he arrives. I am NEVER using Naked Bus again - chased after my bus who didn't stop, was refused bus service and then sat on the sun for an hour. Nice and helpful phone service, but horrible bus service!
Reviewed 22 January 2013
I arrived at the correct bus stop 20 minutes early. A bus that said "nakedbus.com" approached in the distance at correct arrival time of 4:40pm. I stood up and waved at the bus, the driver never even looked my way. It continued to drive and I ran after it until it stopped at the light. I knocked on the door and said I believe I am on this bus and showed my confirmation number and I asked if he was going to Moteuka. He said, "I am, but you are not on this bus." He said I was on another bus. Not knowing if he was wrong or right I thanked him and quickly hopped off and before the light turned green and I got run over. I proceeded to call the information line (she was very helpful). She said she would call the driver of my bus and call me back in case he was running late. I waited 10 minutes and called her back. She said she wasn't able to get a hold of the driver and would call me when she hears from him. I waited 10 more minutes in the hot sun and called again. She said she would try and call the bus company in case the bus was having problems and was late. I asked if they were usually half an hour late and she said not usually. Ten more minutes passed and no bus and she called back to say it must have already gone. I agreed and said it had to have been the bus that I had to chase down. She offered to give me a ticket for the next day, but I needed the ride that day to meet my husband in Moteuka. She then offered to refund my money and to hopefully talk to the bus driver once he arrives. I am NEVER using Naked Bus again - chased after my bus who didn't stop, was refused bus service and then sat on the sun for an hour. Nice and helpful phone service, but horrible bus service!
Reviewed 22 January 2013
hirini2371 from New Zealand gave Nakedbus.com a 1/10 and said:
I'm hurt that my mother was left in Hamilton on Saturday. It was her first time on a bus since she was a child. She was travelling to Rotorua and the bus had stopped in Hamilton for a 10 minute break. She went to buy her a drink and the bus was still in the bay. She went to walk out of the terminal towards the bus and it drove off. She rang me from Hamilton saying the bus left her behind and that it wasn't even 10 minutes that they had stopped for. So I had to drive to Rotorua to pick up her luggage and the driver wouldn't give her luggage until he had finished his break which I had to wait about 35 minutes to get. Then drive all the way to Hamilton to pick her up and drive back to the Eastern Bay of Plenty. Whatever happened to checking that you have your passengers before you leave the terminal??? Bloody sucks!!! A call to let your passengers know that you are leaving would've been nice!!! A 4 hour trip ended up turning into an eight hour trip for my mum. The only reason The Naked Bus arrive early at their destinations is because they half of their passengers behind. So much for saving money!!! The trip in total cost us $80. Myself and all my whanau are travelling with THE NAKED BUS EVER AGAIN!!! Thanks for nothing!!!
Reviewed 13 November 2012
I'm hurt that my mother was left in Hamilton on Saturday. It was her first time on a bus since she was a child. She was travelling to Rotorua and the bus had stopped in Hamilton for a 10 minute break. She went to buy her a drink and the bus was still in the bay. She went to walk out of the terminal towards the bus and it drove off. She rang me from Hamilton saying the bus left her behind and that it wasn't even 10 minutes that they had stopped for. So I had to drive to Rotorua to pick up her luggage and the driver wouldn't give her luggage until he had finished his break which I had to wait about 35 minutes to get. Then drive all the way to Hamilton to pick her up and drive back to the Eastern Bay of Plenty. Whatever happened to checking that you have your passengers before you leave the terminal??? Bloody sucks!!! A call to let your passengers know that you are leaving would've been nice!!! A 4 hour trip ended up turning into an eight hour trip for my mum. The only reason The Naked Bus arrive early at their destinations is because they half of their passengers behind. So much for saving money!!! The trip in total cost us $80. Myself and all my whanau are travelling with THE NAKED BUS EVER AGAIN!!! Thanks for nothing!!!
Reviewed 13 November 2012
Hokang Kim from Japan gave Naked Bus a 3/10 and said:
I made several reservations and payments for my guest through the website in September 2009. but the bus driver of 'Atomic Shuttles' which operates in South Island in co-operation with Nakedbus refused to give the ride to him, for the reason that the bus driver did not have my guest’s reference number both in his list and in his mobile phone. Surprisingly, the driver did not have an office to make a contact with, and demanded my guest make a phone call to 0900 number, although my guest did not have a mobile phone which was able to call 0900. The bus driver refused to call saying he was NOT ALLOWED to do so. My guest had to travel on that day definitely, so ended up paying cash to the driver, although all the credit-card payments were approved and went through. In retrospect, this event seems to be common given the info on their website. My guest is requesting a refund of the payment that he had to pay to the driver, since this was obviously caused by the driver, or his company, or Nakedbus. The driver had a hand-written list of 3-digit numbers - which did not resemble the reference numbers of Nakedbus - and ordered my guest to find the number himself. Furthermore, the driver did not load luggage himself but let customers load all the bags into the bus, which looked unsafe and unusual from the normal practice of bus companies in NZ. In fairness, this kind of event, i.e. the bus driver did not have the reference number, has happened to me several times in NZ in the past five years of my stay here when the payment was made in advance by credit card. However, in every case I had the ride given the possible mistake of the companies concerned in the operation which often involves several transport companies. The bus company, Atomic Shuttles rejected to give the ride to my guest, insisting that he did not have the number, although my guest had the evidence of payment, the bus ticket. I am going to cancel all the tickets I bought in order to avoid future troubles.
Reviewed 16 December 2009.
I made several reservations and payments for my guest through the website in September 2009. but the bus driver of 'Atomic Shuttles' which operates in South Island in co-operation with Nakedbus refused to give the ride to him, for the reason that the bus driver did not have my guest’s reference number both in his list and in his mobile phone. Surprisingly, the driver did not have an office to make a contact with, and demanded my guest make a phone call to 0900 number, although my guest did not have a mobile phone which was able to call 0900. The bus driver refused to call saying he was NOT ALLOWED to do so. My guest had to travel on that day definitely, so ended up paying cash to the driver, although all the credit-card payments were approved and went through. In retrospect, this event seems to be common given the info on their website. My guest is requesting a refund of the payment that he had to pay to the driver, since this was obviously caused by the driver, or his company, or Nakedbus. The driver had a hand-written list of 3-digit numbers - which did not resemble the reference numbers of Nakedbus - and ordered my guest to find the number himself. Furthermore, the driver did not load luggage himself but let customers load all the bags into the bus, which looked unsafe and unusual from the normal practice of bus companies in NZ. In fairness, this kind of event, i.e. the bus driver did not have the reference number, has happened to me several times in NZ in the past five years of my stay here when the payment was made in advance by credit card. However, in every case I had the ride given the possible mistake of the companies concerned in the operation which often involves several transport companies. The bus company, Atomic Shuttles rejected to give the ride to my guest, insisting that he did not have the number, although my guest had the evidence of payment, the bus ticket. I am going to cancel all the tickets I bought in order to avoid future troubles.
Reviewed 16 December 2009.
Annabel from Australia gave Naked Bus a 0/10 and said:
I often travel from Auckland Airport by public transport & decided to give Naked Bus a try but NEVER again. The instructions they emailed me were to catch the 5.08 local bus from the airport which would have a Naked Bus sign in the window (it didn't & the bus driver was uncertain of what to do with my ticket) That bus got me to Manukau City at 5.40pm so I could catch my connecting Naked Bus at 5.30pm! Seriously! I thought I had misunderstood, but no - those were the directions and of course I missed the connection by 10 minutes. I had to wait in the freezing cold with all my luggage, making frantic phone calls, for an hour (thankfully there were lots of helpful people around who did also mention that Naked Bus was very unreliable) until an Intercity Bus came along. Then had to stay the night at another town and catch an Intercity bus to my destination the next morning. Not a great start to my holiday. Naked Bus has ignored my letter of complaint and have not refunded my ticket as requested - which was not one of the cheap ones. Its Intercity all the way for me from now on (they are great). Please don't risk spoiling your holiday by using this incompetent bus company. I only gave them a one out of ten rating as there was no zero option. [Fortunately for you Anabel, I have a 0 option]
Reviewed 13 October 2009.
I often travel from Auckland Airport by public transport & decided to give Naked Bus a try but NEVER again. The instructions they emailed me were to catch the 5.08 local bus from the airport which would have a Naked Bus sign in the window (it didn't & the bus driver was uncertain of what to do with my ticket) That bus got me to Manukau City at 5.40pm so I could catch my connecting Naked Bus at 5.30pm! Seriously! I thought I had misunderstood, but no - those were the directions and of course I missed the connection by 10 minutes. I had to wait in the freezing cold with all my luggage, making frantic phone calls, for an hour (thankfully there were lots of helpful people around who did also mention that Naked Bus was very unreliable) until an Intercity Bus came along. Then had to stay the night at another town and catch an Intercity bus to my destination the next morning. Not a great start to my holiday. Naked Bus has ignored my letter of complaint and have not refunded my ticket as requested - which was not one of the cheap ones. Its Intercity all the way for me from now on (they are great). Please don't risk spoiling your holiday by using this incompetent bus company. I only gave them a one out of ten rating as there was no zero option. [Fortunately for you Anabel, I have a 0 option]
Reviewed 13 October 2009.
A local from New Zealand gave Nakedbus.com a 3/10 and said:
Normally I would say that nakedbus is a cheap and reliable service from my previous dealings with them. However, a recent experience has lead me to change my view.
The other night I was booked on the overnight bus from Massey University in Palmerston North to Hamilton, departing at 10:30pm. I arrived at the bus stop at 10:20pm, 5 minutes before their recommended arrival time and at the pickup point shown on the ticket, on the southbound side of the highway, 150m south of the main university gates. I still have the printout of this ticket as proof. Here I waited until 11:05pm when a nakedbus went past...on the other side of the road. Thinking I may just have been on the wrong side of the road, I ran out into the middle of the highway with my bags, jumping and waving. The bus driver didn't stop or slow down. I thought perhaps he was going into the centre of town to pick up people there and then driving back out to where I was, where the ticket specifically told me to be. Even the marker on the map they provided was on the side of the road I was on, so there was no other way I could think of that I was in the wrong place. At 11:30pm, a passer-by stopped to check if I was OK, then very nicely drove all the way to the bus station in town to see if it was still there for me. It wasn't, the entire place was locked up. The passer-by then stayed with me until 12:05am, when I gave up waiting and they very kindly drove me home. I had tried all the lines nakedbus said to contact them with (the 0900 number didn't work on my phone so I had to call home to get them to call it) but their opening hours are 7am to 7pm, which is not very helpful to a young girl waiting by herself late at night. However, they did redeem themselves somewhat. The next morning when we called them and explained what had happened and I was given a full refund of that ticket and my return ticket without too much hassle. Though, needless to say, I will not be taking another overnight bus with nakedbus again.
Reviewed 27 February 2010.
Normally I would say that nakedbus is a cheap and reliable service from my previous dealings with them. However, a recent experience has lead me to change my view.
The other night I was booked on the overnight bus from Massey University in Palmerston North to Hamilton, departing at 10:30pm. I arrived at the bus stop at 10:20pm, 5 minutes before their recommended arrival time and at the pickup point shown on the ticket, on the southbound side of the highway, 150m south of the main university gates. I still have the printout of this ticket as proof. Here I waited until 11:05pm when a nakedbus went past...on the other side of the road. Thinking I may just have been on the wrong side of the road, I ran out into the middle of the highway with my bags, jumping and waving. The bus driver didn't stop or slow down. I thought perhaps he was going into the centre of town to pick up people there and then driving back out to where I was, where the ticket specifically told me to be. Even the marker on the map they provided was on the side of the road I was on, so there was no other way I could think of that I was in the wrong place. At 11:30pm, a passer-by stopped to check if I was OK, then very nicely drove all the way to the bus station in town to see if it was still there for me. It wasn't, the entire place was locked up. The passer-by then stayed with me until 12:05am, when I gave up waiting and they very kindly drove me home. I had tried all the lines nakedbus said to contact them with (the 0900 number didn't work on my phone so I had to call home to get them to call it) but their opening hours are 7am to 7pm, which is not very helpful to a young girl waiting by herself late at night. However, they did redeem themselves somewhat. The next morning when we called them and explained what had happened and I was given a full refund of that ticket and my return ticket without too much hassle. Though, needless to say, I will not be taking another overnight bus with nakedbus again.
Reviewed 27 February 2010.
William Burdge from the United States of America gives Nakedbus.com a 0/10 and said:
I have had two negative experiences with Naked Bus.
First, on a Picton-Blenheim route, the driver was a dick. I asked the driver if this was the bus to Blenheim and he said yes and demanded my ticket. I told him it was with my bags and turned to get them, but he started ranting about how you can't get on a plane or a train or a ship or a bus without a ticket, but he was "going to be nice" and let me because I was on the roster. I then got my ticket and asked him to check my reference number. I read each letter, very slowly, just to piss him off. His rudeness was completely uncalled for.
My second bad experience was a no-show. I arrived at the bus stop in Queenstown at 8:50AM to catch the 9:00 Christchurch bus. I waited until 10:30 for that bus. It never came. When I contacted Naked Bus and politely requested a refund, I was completely ignored. After several messages went unanswered for over a week, I got an answer, which was to "piss off". The time on record of the bus' departure was not discussed; it would have vindicated me. Instead, a rude member of customer service told me, in his personal opinion, he was "sure" the bus did not leave early. I contested the personal opinion of customer service is irrelevant, the time record will show that the bus left early. I am a seasoned veteran of international travel and I have never missed a bus, plane, train, or ship. If I "missed" this bus, it would be an exception to the rule. On the contrary, I have heard many cases where NB drivers have, through negligence, abandoned customers, failed to keep head counts, and left bus stops early, all of which are inexcusable business practices.
And I found this:
"Bus does a Runner"
http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/811365
Nakedbus drivers are RUDE and their customer service is HORRIBLE,.
Whenever Naked Bus fails, it attempts to maximize profit at the customers' expense. "Screw the customer".
Well, screw you too.
www.NakedTruthNakedBus.weebly.com
Reviewed 28 January 2010 and experienced in November 2009.
I have had two negative experiences with Naked Bus.
First, on a Picton-Blenheim route, the driver was a dick. I asked the driver if this was the bus to Blenheim and he said yes and demanded my ticket. I told him it was with my bags and turned to get them, but he started ranting about how you can't get on a plane or a train or a ship or a bus without a ticket, but he was "going to be nice" and let me because I was on the roster. I then got my ticket and asked him to check my reference number. I read each letter, very slowly, just to piss him off. His rudeness was completely uncalled for.
My second bad experience was a no-show. I arrived at the bus stop in Queenstown at 8:50AM to catch the 9:00 Christchurch bus. I waited until 10:30 for that bus. It never came. When I contacted Naked Bus and politely requested a refund, I was completely ignored. After several messages went unanswered for over a week, I got an answer, which was to "piss off". The time on record of the bus' departure was not discussed; it would have vindicated me. Instead, a rude member of customer service told me, in his personal opinion, he was "sure" the bus did not leave early. I contested the personal opinion of customer service is irrelevant, the time record will show that the bus left early. I am a seasoned veteran of international travel and I have never missed a bus, plane, train, or ship. If I "missed" this bus, it would be an exception to the rule. On the contrary, I have heard many cases where NB drivers have, through negligence, abandoned customers, failed to keep head counts, and left bus stops early, all of which are inexcusable business practices.
And I found this:
"Bus does a Runner"
http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/811365
Nakedbus drivers are RUDE and their customer service is HORRIBLE,.
Whenever Naked Bus fails, it attempts to maximize profit at the customers' expense. "Screw the customer".
Well, screw you too.
www.NakedTruthNakedBus.weebly.com
Reviewed 28 January 2010 and experienced in November 2009.
Danpaley from New Zealand gave Nakedbus.com a 1/10 and said:
The price of a ticket was $19.99 but it ended up costing me $40 because of all the additional fees, the transfer I had to make when there sites server botched up and the 0900 number i had to call for customer service. When i asked for them to refund the transfer because it was there mistake i basically got an email back quoting terms and conditions that had no relevance. Therefore this company is not in compliance with the 1986 fair trade act. I strongly reccomend that you do not use this company.
Reviewed 01 January 2012
The price of a ticket was $19.99 but it ended up costing me $40 because of all the additional fees, the transfer I had to make when there sites server botched up and the 0900 number i had to call for customer service. When i asked for them to refund the transfer because it was there mistake i basically got an email back quoting terms and conditions that had no relevance. Therefore this company is not in compliance with the 1986 fair trade act. I strongly reccomend that you do not use this company.
Reviewed 01 January 2012
smileyducky from New Zealand gave Nakedbus.com a 1/10and said:
I was told that the naked bus would be arriving at the airport at 10am, and I had been outside waiting since 9:40am and hadn't seen any vehicle with the words "naked bus" on either the windows or side. This is my first time using this company, and have never seen what it would look like, but after seeing pictures later I'm now 100% sure no naked bus showed up. After waiting outside for nearly an hour (and several airport employees witnessed this, and all confirmed that they hadn't seen the bus either and i was in the correct spot) I called them (and took information 15mins to find the number). The lady on the phone basically said the bus had indeed shown up, and it was my own fault i missed it and there was nothing she could do. All the employees who were listening in were appalled by how rude she was and that she didn't even try to find another way to where i was going. The man driving the airport shuttles wanted to take me from Christchurch to Geralding himself and simply charge nakedbus (a fee of $300!) but I only learned this after I bought another ticket from a different bussing company. Naked bus caused me stress that I really didn't need after flying on different planes for over 24 hours, and they can go f*ck themselves.
Reviewed 19 September 2011
I was told that the naked bus would be arriving at the airport at 10am, and I had been outside waiting since 9:40am and hadn't seen any vehicle with the words "naked bus" on either the windows or side. This is my first time using this company, and have never seen what it would look like, but after seeing pictures later I'm now 100% sure no naked bus showed up. After waiting outside for nearly an hour (and several airport employees witnessed this, and all confirmed that they hadn't seen the bus either and i was in the correct spot) I called them (and took information 15mins to find the number). The lady on the phone basically said the bus had indeed shown up, and it was my own fault i missed it and there was nothing she could do. All the employees who were listening in were appalled by how rude she was and that she didn't even try to find another way to where i was going. The man driving the airport shuttles wanted to take me from Christchurch to Geralding himself and simply charge nakedbus (a fee of $300!) but I only learned this after I bought another ticket from a different bussing company. Naked bus caused me stress that I really didn't need after flying on different planes for over 24 hours, and they can go f*ck themselves.
Reviewed 19 September 2011
TripAdvisor : What's so bad about Naked Bus?
coaster2 Nov 14, 2009
Re: What's so bad about Naked Bus?
There are many facets of nakedBus dot com that I do not like and should not be tolerated in NZ.
1
There marketing strategy is 'comparituive marketing' by which means they compare their prices to Intercity, attempting to show intecity in a bad light.
2.
They 'sell surplus capacity' of other operators. however the commission that theoperator must pay to Mr hamis Nuttal, is around 30%. in other words the operator carries the costs the run, while Mr Nuttal receives the profit.
3
operators who are on their last legs, tend to grasp for straws, and think that the naked Bus dot com will bring them more patronage. trouble is, they are all the same catchment of people, and the operator, unwittingly, does him self out of potential profit, the part of the budget that is required when it comes to plant replacement etc. Southern Link went to the wall after a very short time in bed with naked Bus.
4
Pavlovich coaches in Hamilton own the majority of the North Island, and is a major share holder in naked bus. All Pavlovich do is provide the buses, hamis does the marketing so the only competition is Intercity whom they bad mouth in their marketing.
5
Companies who are already doing runs, have already been marketing their runs. 'Surplus capacity ' is a non-exiseant term as numbers tend to fluctuate, there for if the company has offered say 6 seats to NB, then they can not sell for them selves their own seats. why would any company introduce additional competition n their own run?
Christchurch to Dunedin is currently in crisis due to excessive competition with fare as low as $20.00. that sort of rate is non sustainable. I warn you "watch this space' and see the adverse long term effects of companies effectively drawing down on their capital value.
For the discerning traveler, no I would never travel naked Bus dot Com, it is bad for our industry they do not belong to industry organizations either.
the worst case i saw was where a driver was preparing to drive off with a load of passengers, with an eye patch on one eye. Blind in one eye means he should never be driving a passenger bus. that is how bad it can get.
sorry about the long winded explanation but hopefully you get some idea seeing you asked
Re: What's so bad about Naked Bus?
There are many facets of nakedBus dot com that I do not like and should not be tolerated in NZ.
1
There marketing strategy is 'comparituive marketing' by which means they compare their prices to Intercity, attempting to show intecity in a bad light.
2.
They 'sell surplus capacity' of other operators. however the commission that theoperator must pay to Mr hamis Nuttal, is around 30%. in other words the operator carries the costs the run, while Mr Nuttal receives the profit.
3
operators who are on their last legs, tend to grasp for straws, and think that the naked Bus dot com will bring them more patronage. trouble is, they are all the same catchment of people, and the operator, unwittingly, does him self out of potential profit, the part of the budget that is required when it comes to plant replacement etc. Southern Link went to the wall after a very short time in bed with naked Bus.
4
Pavlovich coaches in Hamilton own the majority of the North Island, and is a major share holder in naked bus. All Pavlovich do is provide the buses, hamis does the marketing so the only competition is Intercity whom they bad mouth in their marketing.
5
Companies who are already doing runs, have already been marketing their runs. 'Surplus capacity ' is a non-exiseant term as numbers tend to fluctuate, there for if the company has offered say 6 seats to NB, then they can not sell for them selves their own seats. why would any company introduce additional competition n their own run?
Christchurch to Dunedin is currently in crisis due to excessive competition with fare as low as $20.00. that sort of rate is non sustainable. I warn you "watch this space' and see the adverse long term effects of companies effectively drawing down on their capital value.
For the discerning traveler, no I would never travel naked Bus dot Com, it is bad for our industry they do not belong to industry organizations either.
the worst case i saw was where a driver was preparing to drive off with a load of passengers, with an eye patch on one eye. Blind in one eye means he should never be driving a passenger bus. that is how bad it can get.
sorry about the long winded explanation but hopefully you get some idea seeing you asked
Naked Bus
merlotcat5, Christchurch, Aug 31, 2008, 1:10 AM
I travelled with this company earlier this year and the administration service was a disgrace - there is no landline phone to contact them except an 0900 number and they never answer emails. If you want courtesy, communication and reliability from your transport provider then don't choose Naked Bus. Cheap and nasty usually always turns out to be the expensive, stressful and inconvenient option.
I travelled with this company earlier this year and the administration service was a disgrace - there is no landline phone to contact them except an 0900 number and they never answer emails. If you want courtesy, communication and reliability from your transport provider then don't choose Naked Bus. Cheap and nasty usually always turns out to be the expensive, stressful and inconvenient option.
Lonely Planet Travel Forum
dave_the_pom said:
i think the proverb of "you get what you pay for" is true for these guys. i ran in to a couple of other backpackers in Rotorua who booked with nakedbus only to be left stranded in cambridge when it didn't show. i don't think there's a number to call if you have a problem, it's all online?
26 September 2007
i think the proverb of "you get what you pay for" is true for these guys. i ran in to a couple of other backpackers in Rotorua who booked with nakedbus only to be left stranded in cambridge when it didn't show. i don't think there's a number to call if you have a problem, it's all online?
26 September 2007