I-Team: Airport Transportation Company Scams Customers, Sends Rude Text Messages

BOSTON (CBS) – Consumers around the Boston area have paid for transportation to and from Logan Airport, only to get stranded at the terminal and charged for the rides they never received.

To make matters worse, the I-Team learned the company has a pattern of not providing refunds. Instead, angry customers have received rude text messages.

The I-Team also discovered the business does not have proper certification to provide paid transportation at the airport. The findings of our investigation are already prompting a police investigation.

STRANDED AT THE AIRPORT

At the end of the April school break, Susan Moura booked and prepaid with Boston Elite Transportation to get a ride from the airport to her home in Plymouth.

But an hour after landing in Boston, Moura and her daughter stood stranded at baggage claim. All the calls to the business went straight to voicemail. Eventually, she received a text message.

"Give it up already," the text said. "Obviously, we can't make it to the airport or pick you up. Grab a taxi or get an Uber."

Moura was stunned. Since then, all of her requests for a refund have been ignored.

Erin Holmes and Matt Jackson know the feeling. A son's out-of-state hockey tournament in April meant the couple needed to score a ride to the airport.

Jackson booked with Boston Elite, requesting a larger vehicle to accommodate all the hockey gear for his son and his friend. But a regular-sized sedan showed up at their Hudson home.

"We were only able to fit the hockey equipment in the trunk and we crammed in the back with all the luggage on our laps and the sticks between our necks," Holmes recalled.

The family figured it was an honest mistake. But then came the return trip.

At baggage claim, all calls and texts went unreturned. The family finally paid $170 to get a ride home with another company.

Holmes sent one last text message to express her frustration about the service, and received a surprising response.

"The message said, 'You didn't pay for an SUV. You paid for a sedan. Next time don't be so cheap.' I was shocked. It was infuriating," Holmes said.

Jackson followed up with a testy message of his own, demanding a refund. The response?

"You're the dumb (expletive). Good day," the text said.

NEGATIVE REVIEWS

Online reviews about Boston Elite Transportation detail similar horror stories.

All the reviews on Yelp are rated one star. Complaints are punctuated with warnings like "complete scam," "If I could leave zero stars, I would," and "I would not recommend this company to my worst enemy."

Jamie Tarquini decided to write his first Yelp review after his experience. He had booked transportation for a flight to Denver.

However, Tarquini said Boston Elite mixed up his departure time and tried to show up at 5 a.m. instead of his requested evening trip. A text message accused Tarquini of oversleeping and rebooking a later flight. The message also informed him there were no plans to pick him up.

"Acting like this doesn't make sense to me on any level," Tarquini said. "What kind of person does this? I was stupefied."

Mark Sanner and his wife were stood up on both ends of their trip.

The cancellations came just hours before scheduled pickup times, leaving the Quincy resident scrambling for alternate options. Sanner is one of a handful of customers who also complained to the Attorney General.

"This company is a total scam and needs to be shut down ASAP," his complaint said.

Sanner and other customers showed the I-Team text messages they received from Boston Elite, promising refunds.

But to date, the only way people have received money back is by disputing charges with their credit card companies.

DEAL PULLED AFTER I-TEAM INQUIRY 

A majority of customers interviewed by the I-Team connected with Boston Elite Transportation because of a deal offered through Living Social.

However, even though the negative experiences stretch back until at least February, the online discount site did not pull the deal until the I-Team inquired about it last week.

Spokesman Jim Bramson would not share the number of "negative customer contacts" the company received about the deal.

"With regard to how we vet merchants that we promote, there are internal guidelines that we follow, which include things like checking our own prior history with the merchant and published customer rating sites," Bramson said.

Elsa Conery is one of the customers wondering why Living Social left the deal online for so long.

The Newton resident booked transportation for February vacation and paid $67 in tips and tolls in addition to the Living Social offer.

On departure day, Conery said the driver was late. As a result, Conery, her husband, and two kids missed the flight to Mexico.

Scrambling to find a backup during a school vacation week, the family flew standby to Newark, NJ, where they spent 18 hours before finally finding a connecting flight to their destination.

On the return, Conery said the flight was delayed a couple of hours. She received a text from Boston Elite, informing her the company would not be able to accommodate the later pickup.

Connery later received refunds from Living Social and her credit card company.

"As for causing my vacation to start almost a day late and making it a travel nightmare for two 5-year-olds, there is really nothing that can be done to make that right," Conery told the I-Team.

OPERATING WITHOUT PROPER CERTIFICATION

Earlier this month, a WBZ producer booked a roundtrip to the airport with Boston Elite Transportation.

Both scheduled pickups were on-time. However, the I-Team noticed another problem: the sedan was operating without a livery plate.

Calls to Massport revealed the business also no longer had an active agreement to provide paid transportation at the airport.

"We do this to ascertain that the companies have proper insurance and the drivers undergo background checks to ensure the safety of our passengers," said Massport spokeswoman Jennifer Mehigan.

Massachusetts State Police and Massport employees patrol limo lots at the airport and issue violations to transportation companies that don't follow the rules. Last month, state troopers issued 30 citations for driver operating without livery plates or Massport agreements, Mehigan said.

The I-Team also discovered Boston Elite Transportation does not have an active business certificate in Marblehead, where it incorporated as a company late last year.

Town records provided to WBZ show owner Brad Dunbar received the certificate last October, but then discontinued it in December. All of the online complaints and customers interviewed had their negative experiences within the past few months of 2016.

OWNER DENIES, THEN HAS CHANGE OF HEART

Dunbar did not respond to a phone call, email or text message from WBZ requesting comment. But the I-Team caught up to him outside his black sedan and asked about all the customer complaints. Dunbar denied ripping anyone off before driving away.

He followed up with a text message, claiming to have more than 100 customers in good standing.

"Go make your living off somebody else you bloodsucker," the message said. "And another thing, I'm not ripping anyone off. I am providing transportation to the airport and if I'm not able to provide that transportation, I issue refunds."

Several days later, Dunbar apparently had a change of heart. He texted again, asking how he could "make it right" with customers interviewed by WBZ.

"I'm assuming refunds might be in order," he wrote.

POLICE INVESTIGATION LAUNCHED

But it might be too late for the owner of Boston Elite Transportation.

The I-Team has learned Marblehead police are investigating all the claims of customers owed money, along with operating without a valid business certificate.

Anyone wishing to provide information about their own experience can contact Marblehead Police.

Customers like Tarquini chalk it up as one of the more unusual customer service moments of his life.

"I just want nothing to do with him and I want everyone to know about him," he said.

Ryan Kath can be reached at rkath@cbs.com. You can follow him on Twitter or connect on Facebook.