Avoid Avoid Avoid

I unfortunately booked Allied Wedding Cars for my wedding in June, I am only writing this review now as I have JUST got my money back after going back and forth with the insurance company and then escalating my case to the financial ombudsmen!

I booked my car – the Rolls Royce Silver Cloud – a year before my wedding,I paid my balance 6 weeks before the wedding and 2 weeks before the wedding I hadn't heard anything so called the owner to confirm, firstly he couldn't find my booking form, then he rang me back to say he found it and gave me the drivers name.

The night before the wedding arrived and at 9pm I received a phone call from the owner telling me that the driver had called him at 5pm to say he had put his back out and couldn't drive so he had been calling other companies since 5pm trying to find a replacement, but could only find a 'Rolls Royce Silver Shadow'. I do not know anything about cars and wasn't given a chance to look up the car or discuss it any further, instead he hung up. I then looked up the car and discovered it looks NOTHING like the car I had booked a year ago and wasn't white, it was actually cream with a green/red stripe down the side so I tried to call the owner back to tell him we did not want the car as it was not what I wanted. However he wouldn't answer the phone, we continued to ring him and leave messages until 10pm when his website said he would be available until. By this point I was hysterical, in fits of tears and had my Mum & Dad calling him and my husband to be, sister in law, usher and bestman calling local car firms to find a replacement. Many of the companies which they called informed them that this is something which Allied Wedding cars do regularly to brides. My husband managed to find a Jaguar company who could supply a wedding car the next day which we agreed to (at 9:50pm) so I emailed Allied wedding cars & left another message to ask for a full refund and asked them not to send the replacement car the next day.

The morning of the wedding arrived and the replacement Rolls Royce arrived so my Mum spoke to the driver and explained the situation to which he replied that he was so sorry and had been booked for our wedding for a week and a half (not since the night before like the owner had claimed), in fact the Silver Cloud which I had booked originally had been in the garage that week with engine problems but they had a replacement which they could have used which wasn't booked out. He was very apologetic and said he had no idea as he had been booked for over a week he had no idea that there was an issue. So as we didn't want his car he left and our replacement Jaguar arrived.

After the wedding we attempted to contact the owner to request a refund and had rude responses. Stating 'you wanted a rolls royce you got a rolls royce' I'm sorry, but a Ford KA is not the same as a Ford Mustang!! He seemed to believe the cars were of the same value.... in fact there is over a £100 difference between the 2 (and the ombudsmen found a version of the website which had these prices listed) and the car we booked is described as the most popular car and the one we got is described as a budget car.

He ruined the evening before the wedding as no bride should be crying and stressing that close to the wedding day, it should be excitement!

The fact that I was lied to regarding the car availability and driver was disgusting and very unprofessional. I have reported the company to trading standards and would urge anyone to think twice before booking!