SMC Coach Hire

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Reviews

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  Shelley Blakey

  We were delighted with the professional service that SMC delivered and the ease at which they dealt with our booking. The transport was immaculate and the driver was very pleasant and accommodating. We would highly recommend and would definitely use SMC again. Thank you for making our day go very smoothly

  25-05-2023
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  Prestige Leisure

  We booked travel from Livingston, Scotland to Birmingham for a work trip in February 2023. This was booked in July 2022. We booked an executive bus for 9 people and which was all confirmed by SMC. On the morning of the departure from Livingston, we arrived to our place of work where we were met with one small Mercedes van and one small Ford van. When we asked why there were two vehicles we were told that the bus had mechanical issues and these were the replacement. We were not made aware of any of this until that morning. Upon speaking with one of the drivers, when he rolled down his window there was a strong stench of alcohol coming from him and the vehicle. We were also told there was nothing they could do. The men also told us they had 1 hour of sleep in their vans the night before, as the company they worked for hadn’t given them accommodation. This was after they had already made their journey up from Birmingham. The journey started off fine, but things took a turn after our first stop. One of the drivers went to fill his water and by the time we got back in the van he was erratic and displayed very concerning behaviour. This is where the journey became completely unsafe. The driver became agitated, he swayed back and forth whilst driving and completely stopped communicating with us. He was speeding and weaving continuously in and out of the traffic. He then at one point drove beside the other van doing 70MPH on the motorway where they both rolled down their windows and were shouting across to one another – in moving vehicles. Then, we eventually got stuck in stopped traffic on the motorway at which point both drivers decided to get out of the vehicles and urinate next to them – in full view of our team. We complained to SMC about these safety issues on the Monday morning and had requested a replacement for our journey home as we would not be travelling with these drivers again. They did then provide us with an executive bus for the journey home, and the driver was brilliant. It was a completely different experience from the one we had on the trip down. When we returned to the office we followed this up further as we weren’t satisfied with how the concerns around our safety were handled. We had mentioned that we would like some kind of resolution regarding the journey down, and were told that since they had arranged an executive vehicle for the return, our requests were met. We then had a frequent back and forth – where we had multiple times asked for contact information for where we could escalate to. At this point we were told the director was on holiday and that they don’t have any ombudsman. They had eventually offered to refund us £150 and refused to go anymore than this. This was after we had said the entire outward journey was not what was expected or paid for and that at the very least we should be refunded for that. The £150 doesn’t even cover the cost of the upgrade to the executive vehicle. As there was no other point of escalation we had to accept the resolution but wanted to make others aware that SMC don’t value customer service and more importantly, customer safety. Throughout our correspondence we had mentioned how our primary concern was the safety of our team and that this is not something to be taken lightly. As a company who prides ourselves on our level of customer service, we are appalled at the service we received and will not be using SMC again. We just hope that they implement stricter driver checks before it results in anyone getting hurt.

  24-05-2023
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  Lesley Shedwick

  We used SMC coach hire to transport our wedding guests from the registry office to the reception venue. The coach company was very easy to deal with and very prompt in giving us a quotation and confirming details. On the day the coach was on time with a very nice driver who was smiling and helpful throughout. The coach was absolutely immaculate and perfect for our needs. All the wedding guests said they thought the coach was lovely. I would highly recommend SMC coach hire and would certainly use them again.

  23-05-2023
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  Deirdre Dyson Carpets Ltd

  Excellent from start to finish - communication, vehicle, a lovely driver. All dealt with very efficiently and for a reasonable price - would recommend SMC without hesitation.

  22-05-2023
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  carl maughan

  20-05-2023
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  Charlie Field

  Used them for a cup final on Sunday, driver was bang on and enjoyed a great day!

  20-05-2023
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  Phil Honeyman

  Needed to book a coach last minute due to train strikes. SMC were quick to respond and with a fair price. 5* service.

  20-05-2023
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  Wayne Phair

  Great service from start to finish, will be coming back

  20-05-2023
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  Julie Sale

  Would have no hesitation to recommend these guys! Very professional, friendly and helpful from start to finish! Kept us updated with every step. The driver was brilliant and the mini bus was very posh!!

  13-05-2023
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  Lynne Edwards

  Regular communication prior to trip, personal call from driver to confirm details with mobile number to contact. Driver was well presented, on time, polite and courteous and made good time to venue Clean and tidy coach Overall experience excellent and will be using this service again.

  06-05-2023