Disrecommended: Carmel Car Service

In the past we've used Carmel Car Service to get from JFK to Manhattan, but after this trip, no more.

On the way in, the car picked us up at the gate on time, but then the car immediately broke down before we went 100 feet. We climbed into a taxi.

This morning, to go to the airport, the driver called my cell phone ten minutes early, saying he was across the street. "Great," I said. "You've got ten minutes to come around the block and come to our side of the street."

"I wait across the street," he repeated.

"No, pick us up in front of our building," I said, and hung up.

So, basically repeat that over and over again for the next fifteen minutes. I got downstairs and there the guy is across the street. Now this was 34th St. in midtown -- a very busy two-way street. There was no way to make a u-turn. But the guy had had plenty of time to do whatever he had to do to drive down, circle as many blocks as he needed to, and pick us and our luggage up in front of the building. He refused. He waved to us from across the street. I pointed to the curb at our feet. Repeat that several times. Finally we just said fuck it and got a cab.

Fortunately I had not paid in advance with a credit card for either trip. But in the future, I'm finding another way to get to and from JFK.

Carmel Car Service, complaints, Travel to JFK