International Car Service

No A/​C in car during summer heat and traffic for over an hour. A particular highlight was cruising through the tunnel at a snails pace with the windows down. Can’t wait to take my overseas flight smelling like a sweaty cloud of car exhaust.

I rode with them for 1 airport ride back in November 2014 and in May 2015 (when I’m not even in the same state anymore) started getting fraudulent charges totaling more than $ 400. Their drivers are actual thieves, not just metaphorical.

Thieves. They overcharge and the base assumes no responsibility. Use Über or flag a green or yellow taxi.

International Car service just had a driver call me a nigger. There was a fare dispute and I wanted the police to mediate, but the driver refused. He demanded I get my gear out of his car after I paid him more than I thought I should (but less than he thought) and he got REALLY abusive and called me the N word.
When I called the base to report it, the dispatcher actually hung up on me. That bothers me as much as the driver’s words; that the base was defensive and rude and «too busy» to hear about a driver treating someone like this.

The rage brewing in me for international right now cannot be contained. Villages will suffer. It pains me to say because the price is right ($ 35 for trip to JFK from BK) and they used to be much better but now I’m finding that you get what you pay for with this place. If I could give them zero stars, I would.
A car is always «5 minutes» away according to dispatch, regardless of where the driver is. I’ve often asked drivers why the long wait and they’ve been genuinely shocked, saying they were never asked how far out they were. Today I waited 25 minutes for a car that was first 7 minutes out, then 4, and then «close». Yesterday my car didn’t come at all and good thing I didn’t bother to chase otherwise I would have felt as foolish as I do now having waited for these asshats.
I’m no longer giving these guys the benefit of the doubt based on historical use. Eff ‘em. UberTaxi is your friend. Even a service like Black Pearl where you can actually hear dispatch put out the call and wait to hear back from their drivers before giving you wait time.
Don’t let International happen to you.

If you want to be treated like garbage by the dispatchers and told about extra charges AFTER you arrive at your destination, call these people. I keep several numbers of car companies in my phone. I used to call International often because of good prices and the dispatchers were only mildly annoying although never able to fully disclose pertinent details. But tonight is the end of our relationship. I will delete their number from my phone. These dispatchers need customer service training like nobody’s business. There is no word in any language to describe just how ridiculous, moronic and belligerent this guy was on the phone. If you ever use International Car Service and encounter any kind of problem, THEY WILL NOT HELP YOU SOLVE IT! You will need to hope that your driver is customer-​minded, intelligent, or at least nice. I will say that for the most part, I have not had trouble with the actual drivers, except one. Well… one and half.

Unreliable. Rude. This car service was supposed to take me from Brooklyn to Manhattan on a Saturday night. They left me waiting (with it snowing outside) more than 10 minutes beyond the time that they were supposed to arrive. And when the driver finally came, he was rude and so scary that I didn’t feel comfortable getting into the car. I would only call them again if it was a choice between using them and walking

Called International for a car at 8:32; was told it would be 7 minutes. Called back 10 minutes later to make sure they heard the address right, as it looked like one of their cars had just sped past without stopping; was told exactly where the car supposedly was and that it would be 2 minutes. Called back 3 minutes later and they’d stopped answering my call. Kept calling back and getting the «hold» music, no person. After half an hour of waiting in the rain, I managed to flag down a car from a different company.

Excellent car service!
Granted, I was in the area, but my car showed up within 5 minutes. Not only that, but they gave me a reasonable rate, which is more than I can say for their competitors — ahem, Eastern Car Service, who often quotes me between $ 12-​$ 18 for the exact route that I took tonight for $ 10.
Of course, I left a great tip, because that’s what you do for great service! But, my driver actually waited for me to get into my apartment and give him the wave that says, ‘I’m good, thank you”, before he drove off.
In the area that I live in, which isn’t a bad area, I always appreciate an extra eye looking out for me, so that was super appreciated. I’ll always call International in the future.
Also, last weekend, I had a few friends over, and we had a simliar experience. One friend was going to the place that I came from tonight, and another friend from a much farther destination. International still arrived super promptly, to great surprise after being blown off by Eastern several times (some of which were flat out no-​shows), and got everyone home safely, with excellent service, and not ripped off.
Like I said, I’ll always use International. I don’t even care how long of a wait time they quote me for because I know, unlike with other services, that at the very least, they’ll show up.
Way to be awesome! I know plenty of people (at the very least my roommates and neighbors) who will be using International due to these exact experiences and recommendations.

Not a bad service. Car came very fast, was brand new and clean. 1010 Wins on the radio. Driver didn’t talk to me much. Con: Driver couldn’t seem to find his way out of Brooklyn. Took forever! But it was only $ 35 to get from Crown Heights to East Harlem, so I can’t complain too much.

The first time I used this car service should’ve been a clue not to use them again. I arranged for a car to pick me up at 5AM, which was on time. However the driver asked me if it was ok is he played music, I said «Yes.» He then turned the music up as loud as it could go and proceeded to speed down my street toward Eastern Parkway at 60 mph! He continued driving that way until about half way at to the airport when he spotted a cop. Once we approached JFK I had to loudly speak over his music to tell him which terminal I was flying out of. They then made a sharp turn from the farthest left lane to the terminal.
When it came to paying I mentioned that the dispatcher said I could pay with credit card and he refused to take it saying that the dispatcher is «stupid and always messes up.» Luckily I had some cash in my purse otherwise he expected me to walk around JFK at 5:30AM to find an ATM.
The second time wanted to use them was the last. I called the night before for an SUV to travel with a large amount of photo equipment and one other person to JFK. The next morning I received a call 20 minutes before a car was to arrive stating that they did not have any SUVs or mini vans. They did offer to find me Lincoln Tower car which was not satisfactory, then offered to call another car service… Instead I called Delancy, which arrived within 15 minutes of calling them and arrived 5 minutes early.

Thursday, July 15
«Hello, I’d like to make a reservation for Sunday, July 18. I’m arriving at EWR at 11:45pm.»
«No problem!» *takes down my name and number.* «You’re set for Sunday.»
Saturday, July 17
two missed calls and a voicemail received at 11:47pm EST: «Hello. International Car Service. Where are you??»
Sunday, July 18, noonish PST
«Hello, I’d like to make a reservation for Sunday, July 18. I’m arriving at EWR at 11:45pm.»
«No problem!» *takes down my name and half number, perhaps realizing that I’m the girl from yesterday, although the dispatcher says nothing*
«Your flight arrives very late. Can you just call when you’re there? The driver is not very patient and will just leave if your flight is delayed.»
«Yes I know it arrives late, which is why I’m calling you now. Here’s my flight number so you can check for delays.»
«Better if you call. Driver will be there 10 – 15 minutes after you call.»
«Can you guarantee that?»
«No.»
Audrey L. takes «International Car Service» out of her address book.