The Original Party Trolley

I wish it would be possible to give zero stars on Unilocal,because that is what The Original Party Trolley deserves.
We had rented a party trolley for a going away party of some of our colleagues. What you expect from a party trolley is that you can have a party on it — some lights and music should be part of the experience. Well, there were 4 speakers on the trolley — 3 speakers were broken and the last one was barely functional. Every 2 minutes, the music died and the party stopped. This went on and on until we were so sick of it that we called them. Apparently, they were well aware that only one of the speakers was functional (although I would not call it that). Why would you really need music on a party trolley right?!
They said they would switch us to another party trolley near Harvard. Instead, we drove all the way to where their company is located (South Boston), which was not even close to the route we were on. It took us a ridiculous amount of time to get to the company and get back on track. As a compensation, we received an extra 1.5h on the party trolley. Given that we just had spent hours on a non-​working party trolley and almost an hour switching busses, that was pretty useless.
Concerning safety, the doors stay open — highway or not. We repeatedly asked to close the doors while driving, which happened in the end.
In addition, when you rent a party trolley, you pay 20% extra ($ 200 for us) for gratuities and fuel etc. When we talked to the driver, it turned out drivers don’t receive a dime from that extra 20%. I guess the employer of the year award will not be going to The Original Party Trolley.
Afterwards, I emailed Beth about what had happened and asked to get the 20% «gratuity» back — which we thought was reasonable as we should have asked for a full refund. No response whatsoever, not even to say sorry.

So they supply a free ride from Sam Adams over to Doyle’s and pump music and disco lights, can’t go wrong here. This is a must when visiting to get some grub and try a special beer only legged in Boston… Or it used to be…

Do not use them for your wedding
I hired the trolley for my wedding in July because I had a number of guests from out of town so I needed them to be shuttled from downtown to the venue.
The main concern is that this trolley is not safe-​I regret putting all of my loved ones on a death trap. First of all the trolley took the highway-​where it could not keep up speed and could barely stay in the lane. Secondly, the trolley had a fuel leak. The smell of diesel was nauseating. I am aware that diesel smells but this is far beyond what is normal. When I brought this to the attention of the company after they didn’t even address it.
When you ask about trolleys for a wedding they will tell you they have some for weddings but they are ghetto and not safe for the road. These trolleys are ok for a drunken birthday party but not for a wedding.

Major mishap at a wedding. Left the bridal party stranded without any ability to get to the church with little remorse. Would definitely not recommend for any event or outing.

We rented the Original Party Trolley for our wedding, it was a disaster. The trolley lost breaks and steering driving down the highway and after the honeymoon the company took no responsibilty for their actions. Please see the not recommneded section to truly understand how this company operates. My husbands comments got sent off of the page to that section as did plenty of others, i find it very interesting. The only reason i give this a two is to make sure they keep it on here. read reviews on the Knot too.

I noticed that my review had been moved to the «not recommended» section. Amazing how only the 8 positive reviews were listed and not the 54 negative responses. Anyone thinking about using this company… DO NOT! Our trolley to my son’s wedding had trouble getting out of the parking lot, doors and windows were not working, driver was reckless on major highway, the trolley LOST BRAKES AND STEERING! we had 4 children on this vehicle, all of our lives were in danger. It started blowing black smoke and the driver refused to let us out. We were more than an hour late to the wedding waiting for another trolley. Please read my other review on here. Please read The Knot and Wedding Wire to read other people’s horrible experiences with this company. Scroll down to read the 54 other bad ones on here. The owners responded horribly,…showed no concern or responsibility for the fact that this could have been a tragic
fact, Gideon swore at my son and hung up on him and Beth blamed us! Book elsewhere!

Wedding Service Nightmare — Major Negligence and Safety Issues
I know the review is lengthy but I highly recommend taking the time to read. This company and their vehicle legitimately put my entire bridal party’s lives in danger and followed up with the absolute worst customer service I have ever experienced. We reserved a trolley for our wedding on July 18^th. The price was fair but the events that occurred on that day severely impacted our day and put my entire family at risk.
The trolley arrived at our hotel to take us to the church. We were ready to leave the hotel approximately 45 minutes prior to the ceremony. To begin, it took the driver multiple attempts to get the trolley in gear to even pull out of the parking lot. Once we got onto the highway, the driver was reckless with his driving including cutting other drivers off. The windows of the trolley would not go up, so the entire bridal party’s hair was blowing everywhere. I wish I could say this was the least of our problems.
As our trolley went to exit Interstate 95, with the doors of the trolley literally blowing open, the driver got into the exit lane but as we approached he jerked the trolley back onto the highway. I then went to the front to ask him what he was doing and he asked if I knew where I was going, because he did not know. I told him to take the next exit, which he did. As we are getting to the traffic light I instructed him to make a right hand turn, he turned to me and said «Dan, the trolley has no breaks or steering.» The trolley had no breaks to stop at the intersection so we ran through a busy intersection at 3:15PM on a Saturday. The driver was able to get control of the trolley to make a turn. By this time, the trolley began to smoke black smoke. He pulled into a parking lot and said he could get us to the church. I told him the trolley was smoking and to open the trolley and he refused saying he could get us there. We then all finally yelled to let us out of the trolley. We had four children under 10 including a baby. Within being off the trolley for a minute a loud bang occurred on the trolley and more black smoke fumed out. At this time the driver had abandoned the trolley trying to get a replacement trolley. After roughly 45 minutes to an hour the company did send another trolley but by the time we got to the church we were an hour and half late. After the wedding, the trolley took us to our reception. The driver again had no idea where he was going and had to ask me for directions on top of him speeding and cutting cars off. We were late to the reception and had to pay overages to our vendors for being late. Our lives were legitimately in danger as the vehicle had no steering or breaks.
As if this was not bad enough, when my wife and I got back from the honeymoon we called the company expecting a full refund for the events that happened. We spoke to Gideon, who yelled at us and said we could «expect whatever the hell we want» but we weren’t getting a dime. He then hung up on us. We finally got a hold of Beth. Her initial reaction was to apologize that the trolley was late but stated the company still got us to the wedding and that we were not getting any refund. After I explained the horrific events, she then stated she would give us an hour refund, which was approximately a 14% refund. I again explained to her what happened which she continually dismissed the event and repetitively only spoke to what the driver had told her, seemingly making it seem as though my recollection was a lie and saying it only took 15 minutes to get us a replacement trolley. She eventually offered a full refund contingent upon me signing a legal release that I would not pursue any further action against the company. Finally, I said I could only sign for myself, she then refunded the full amount. However, we asked her to cover the overages we had to pay our vendors she declined again dismissing the entire event and even had the audacity to blame us for being late leaving the hotel, adding to the overall tardiness of the start of our ceremony.
What is just as concerning as the condition of the vehicle was the lack of concern from both Gideon and Beth. Gideon showed no remorse whatsoever and I believe Beth only showed remorse once she was concerned we would report the company, which we will. This company should not be allowed to operate from a safety standpoint and I would not work with them from a service standpoint. Please stay away from this company for your safety and to hopefully avoid going through what we did on our wedding day.

I’ve taken three different party bus and trolleys and they are all equipped with all these fun entertainment features! Let’s not forget Gideon was a very lively person that picked us up on time and drove us wherever we requested ! We got a good deal and they were very straight forward with pricing as other companies did not mention that they were going to charge us for the travel time which all limo companies we called do as a hidden fee.

Booked their biggest bus for a 30^th Birthday. They were fair in making the deal and quite clear on everything.
Driver (Will) showed up early and ready to go. He was cool with all of us (probably obnoxious) people and helped every way he could. Five stars for him as well.
Definitely reccommend. You can’t beat a party bus.

Last August we rented a party trolley to celebrate multiple birthday parties and a going away party. Gideon hooked us up with a bus instead at the same price! We had an amazing night and look forward to renting from them again. Gideon is a lot of fun!

The owner, Gideon, and his wife were a pleasure to do business with. Their driver, Marlin, was such a friendly and fun driver! I would defintiely use this party bus comapmny again. Thanks for a great bachelorette party. My sister (the bride) had a blast.

Last night we rented a trolley for a birthday party and had one of the most fun nights in recent memory. The driver picked us up right on time and was extremely friendly and accommodating. We were allowed to bring our own booze on the bus so long as we cleaned up afterwards (no big deal!) and we could hook up our iPods to the phenomenal sound system. We made about three stops to various bars and at each stop the driver made sure everyone got on and off the bus safely and picked us back up exactly when we requested. The night would not have been as memorable as it was it it weren’t for the phenomenal service.
On a side note, the owner offered to personally drive us back home free of charge when we visited the office to give our down payment. The fact that they went the extra mile for us didn’t go unnoticed. If you’re planning a party and want a great experience, don’t hesitate to use OPT.

Original Party Trolley provided transportation to and from my daughter’s wedding. They were easy to work with, on time, clean, professional, and fun. The drivers were cheerful and easygoing, and they called when they arrived to let me know everything was ready to go, and in plenty of time. They stayed late to make sure the last guest got picked up and safely delivered. Our guests arrived home safely, and everyone felt like we got an extra half hour of party at the end of the reception! Couldn’t have been any better!

Best. Night. Ever.
As our bachelorette party bus cancelled last minute, my maid of honor called OPT, and they were able to accommodate us for the night. The rest of the night involved drinks, clubs at our request, pulling random French men up on the trolly, feeling famous, and free pizza. AMAZING! A night I will never forget. Thank you OPT!

I wish I could give them NO stars. What a WASTE of my time.
Now I will wholeheartedly admit that I was last minute on the booking but they were quick to accommodate me. I found myself asking questions to Beth about things that were not touch based upon, such as what the 20% actually covers ETC. While sending a series of emails back and forth, I had specifically requested that they NOT run my card as they needed a full balance before the bus was sent out. I was not seeing my guests till the night of and didn’t have a grand laying around to spare. They ran my card, did NOT answer emails that I stated I would be touching base with her after noon. (as I am at work trying to make money to apparently waste on this sh*t show.) I am now fighting with my bank to get the money back as well as being ignored by the company. And NOT for nothing, if there a specific hours that «Beth» works, it would have been nice to know as I went out of my way in between my work to touch base with her and have a friend fax forms to her.
SO SO not worth the aggravation.

Do not rent this trolley for a wedding. What a waste of $ 1,000.
Here is an email exchange I had directly with Original Party Trolley. I’ll let you decide why you shouldn’t book with them. In brief: vehicles were unsafe, the HEAT was on in the summer (it was legit 100 degrees in the bus), and the vehicles were not clean.
Hi Beth,
I hope this email finds you well. I’m not sure if Gideon filled you in, but we had a less than desirable experience with Original Party Trolley. I think part of it was my misunderstanding or lack of information but part of it was also Original Party Trolley.
The trolley arrived on time, which was great. However, a lot went wrong from there.
1) The door of the trolley wouldn’t close, even while driving. Very unsafe, especially when guests are standing near the front.
2) The trolley was not air conditioned. Here is where I claim a misunderstanding or lack of information. I went back and looked over the contract and website and see that there is nothing noted about air conditioning. I don’t know how that slipped my mind to ask. I also don’t know how any company could advertise a ‘wedding trolley’, knowing guests would be in gowns and suits, and not have air conditioning in the summer.
3) The worst part however, was that the HEAT was on. Not only was there no air conditioning and it was 80 degrees, but the heat was on the bus and the driver told us he didn’t know which switch was needed to turn it off.
4) While we were driving a few windows slammed shut, one nearly cut my guest’s wrist as they were waving. It was extremely unsafe.
Instead of the 2 hours of the Wedding Party touring the city and taking pictures, we had to reduce our trip to 2 minutes (Royal Sonesta to North Point Park) and then to the Museum. There was no way we could been on that hot trolley any longer.
Your company did try to reconcile the ‘heat being on’ situation by bringing an alternative trolley. However, the new trolley wasn’t very clean and it wasn’t much cooler, so we directed the driver straight to the Museum.
My Wedding Party was on the trolley a total of 15 minutes maximum.
Gideon did stay and offer a couple shuttles to guests from the hotel to the venue, but guests were not pleased with the safety (or lack there of) with the vehicle and most chose to walk.
Please let me know if the experience we had meets the standards of Original Party Trolley rentals and/​or what you think is fair compensation for what has occurred.
Thanks,
Lindsay
Their response:
Hello,
Thank you for taking the time to write to me about your experience on board the trolley. On behalf of the Original Party Trolley I apologize if the service was different than you had anticipated, specially no AC on board. The signed contract specifically states that there is no AC. This is not something that we hide but rather are very clear at the outset prior to anyone signing the contract or paying. The operations manager, Gideon worked very hard to try and alter the trolleys and meet your needs. In addition, we set aside both a trolley and a driver for this entire event pursuant to the contract which we feel we did. I can not refund you for a service that was not contracted for which was an AC vehicle. Should you like to discuss further please call Gideon directly at 617−251−9646. Thank you. Beth
My response and subsequent post:
Hi Beth,
I’m very discouraged to hear you don’t feel any sort of compensation is in order following our experiences. Having the heat on in the summer is ridiculous. I am an Event Manager and have never worked with a vendor such as yourself when no compromises are made for poor service.
I will not refer your service. Please anticipate my further review on Unilocal.
Best,
Lindsay

One of the trolly’s from this company pulled over in front of my property last night just before 2am. Several people, between 15 – 20 people got off and were hanging all along our property/​fence. There were several more people on the bus still, possbily another 15 – 20. They were extremely loud, waking up my entire household including myself, my husband, and my children. We witnessed a few of the highly intoxicated party goers vomiting and urninating on our property (our lawn). My husband had to speak to them several times before the bus driver was able to get everyone back on the bus and pull away. This is a residential neighborhood. The police was alerted to the situation and given the name and liscence plate of the trolley.
I called the company and spoke to allegedy the person in charge whom responded with a simple «I’m sorry, I will look into this and talk to my staff.»
Not a very good/​responsible practice for this company. Very disruptive to the neighborhood.

We booked a party trolley for my friend’s Bachelorette party a few Saturdays ago and I would highly recommend!
The trolley came early and dropped us back off late. It fit 18 girls comfortably. They let us bring our own alcohol, snacks, and nonalcoholic drinks on the trolley. There was also an ipod jack to play our own music.
The driver was great about balancing driving around and letting us party on the trolley, while also getting us to the bars in a timely manner. The driver gave us his cell phone number so we could ask let him know when we were ready if he had to drive around the block.
Overall, I would highly recommend.

This thing saves the Sam Adams Brewery Tour. If not for this guy and his trolley, I would’ve been very disappointed! [Clenches Fist] Doyle’s!
Doyle’s is expensive — especially the beer, be careful.

Update:
After Gideon (the owner, I believe) saw my review, he contacted my friend who had rented the party bus to apologize. According to my friend, Gideon was really upset with the driver. The driver was told to give us a few free hours (due to the trolley breaking down), which he didn’t. Gideon fixed the problem with our original party trolley in 15 minutes, and called the driver to see if we wanted to switch back to the trolley. The driver told him we didn’t want to, without asking us first.
The driver no longer works there and Gideon offered us a free party bus ride whenever we want in the future. Considering that most of our issues with the party bus were directly related to the driver, and judging from everybody else’s experiences with The Original Party Trolley, I’m confident that this was an isolated incident. In addition, Gideon’s apology and promise of a free party bus ride more than makes up for the issues we had on my friend’s birthday!