Mears experiences…

[serenitynow]

Mears Connect has a rating of 4.4 out of 10 on the All Ears website.

 

[AnnabelleTheTalkingTree]

Just an update on the response I received from Mears after our debacle.

To their credit, their response was prompt and they offered a partial refund (for the return trip only). I had hoped for reimbursement for the extra money we paid to Mears to to secure alternative transportation via the Mears van, but I'm settling for the partial refund so I can just be done with it all. Also to their credit, they processed the refund quickly and it's already showing as pending on my credit card statement.

I am still disappointed with their customer service, though. They offered absolutely zero apology. They confirmed that the bus was late, AND that it did in fact leave after only two minutes at the stop. But they acted like it was our fault, and stated that the refund was a "one-time goodwill gesture." The wording of this really bothers me, because it implies that they're somehow doing us a favor by refunding us.

While I am glad to consider this resolved, I'm still upset with the way it went down and with the fact that they absolutely refuse to admit any error on their end. If they'd expected us to wait at a certain bench, that should have been noted in any of the emails I'd received upon booking/prior to pick-up (it was not, I double checked to be sure). Also, the driver should know how many passengers they are expecting to pick up at any given location. Pulling away after 2 minutes (after being late to begin with) knowing that you are 4 passengers short, is absurd. I know the driver is probably just following protocol and trying to make up lost time since they were behind schedule, so the issue there really lies in management. Their lack of communication and poor planning caused us a lot of stress and upset, and I guess I'm just bummed that they can't even be bothered to acknowledge that. I just get the impression they truly don't care as long as they have their money. And in our case, they do have their money, and then some.

 

[Miffy]

Just an update on the response I received from Mears after our debacle.

To their credit, their response was prompt and they offered a partial refund (for the return trip only). I had hoped for reimbursement for the extra money we paid to Mears to to secure alternative transportation via the Mears van, but I'm settling for the partial refund so I can just be done with it all. Also to their credit, they processed the refund quickly and it's already showing as pending on my credit card statement.

I am still disappointed with their customer service, though. They offered absolutely zero apology. They confirmed that the bus was late, AND that it did in fact leave after only two minutes at the stop. But they acted like it was our fault, and stated that the refund was a "one-time goodwill gesture." The wording of this really bothers me, because it implies that they're somehow doing us a favor by refunding us.

While I am glad to consider this resolved, I'm still upset with the way it went down and with the fact that they absolutely refuse to admit any error on their end. If they'd expected us to wait at a certain bench, that should have been noted in any of the emails I'd received upon booking/prior to pick-up (it was not, I double checked to be sure). Also, the driver should know how many passengers they are expecting to pick up at any given location. Pulling away after 2 minutes (after being late to begin with) knowing that you are 4 passengers short, is absurd. I know the driver is probably just following protocol and trying to make up lost time since they were behind schedule, so the issue there really lies in management. Their lack of communication and poor planning caused us a lot of stress and upset, and I guess I'm just bummed that they can't even be bothered to acknowledge that. I just get the impression they truly don't care as long as they have their money. And in our case, they do have their money, and then some.

I'm glad you got some kind of resolution.

Mears should absolutely be clear about the pickup points at all the resorts. Maybe this situation will give them the impetus they need to do that. At the very least, there could be signage indicating where the pickup point is. There is none at AKL and, as I mentioned before, I asked at bell services since I remembered that back in the DME days, they didn't pick up right out front. If I hadn't known that, I might not even have asked.

In the past, I've used Mears from the airport and a rideshare back to the airport, since I don't like leaving WDW any earlier than I have to (or, really, at all), but two trips ago I had a rideshare driver who missed the airport exit, there had been quite a bit of traffic, I had to get my boarding pass reissued with my Precheck number on it, and I thought maybe I'd be happier being at the airport early rather than having to run down the interminable corridor at Terminal C after arriving just in time.

Now, based on your experience, I'm rethinking that.

 

[ClaraOswald]

Anyone know if Sunshine Flyer and Mears buses use the same pick-up area at hotels or if it's different?

 

[MinnieMSue]

Anyone know if Sunshine Flyer and Mears buses use the same pick-up area at hotels or if it's different?

they use the same area that I have seen and experienced

 

[Once.Upon.A.Time]

We used Sunshine Flyer last week for our return trip to the airport. We stayed at BWV. Our flight was at 5:30 pm and our pick-up time was at 1:30. And we were the last pickup before leaving for the airport. Thats 4 hours early. I am one to always give myself plenty of time to get to the airport but 4 hours is way too much time. But, they were on-time and very pleasant.

We used Mears Connect about a year ago while staying at BLT and they never showed up for our return trip. The staff at the front desk said they had also not shown up for a family earlier in the day. I think we are just going to take Uber/Lyft in the future.

We felt the same way. Our flight was after 3:00pm and they picked us up at 11:00am.

 

[bakerworld]

We've never had a bad experience with Mears however we were on a Mears transport that had plenty of room for more people and did a brief stop and go at another venue. They were called by base and the driver said no one was there but he didn't really leave enough time to look for his customers. Consequently we always are waiting for the pickup about 15 minutes early and use the link that shows the drivers progress so you can see their arrival on your phone.

We continue to use Mears Connect as we like the service but we are proactive in tracking our pickup.

 

[AnnabelleTheTalkingTree]

We've never had a bad experience with Mears however we were on a Mears transport that had plenty of room for more people and did a brief stop and go at another venue. They were called by base and the driver said no one was there but he didn't really leave enough time to look for his customers. Consequently we always are waiting for the pickup about 15 minutes early and use the link that shows the drivers progress so you can see their arrival on your phone.

We continue to use Mears Connect as we like the service but we are proactive in tracking our pickup.

I wonder if this is what happened to us. Except we WERE there early. I was tracking the vehicle (but tracking was broken) and I had called Mears a few minutes prior to check in as they were late. There were also plenty of people around - any of them could have been the intended passengers, but the bus still left before we could get on it. I was about as proactive as you can get, and my family was still left stranded.

 

[tinkerbella16]

Used Mears Connect in November and we are in no hurry to use them again. Our arrival was fine, no issues. Getting back to MCO from BW was another thing. Our pick up time was 4:15am for our 7am flight. There were 4 families of us waiting, and they were over an hour late picking us up. It was very stressful and we had to rush at the airport to make it in time.

 

[Goldelpack]

My MEARS experience (May 2023 Sunday)
Cost: $16. Great communication prior to pick up time. Departure area very easy to find (especially after using DME and Mears previously) (in comparison Mears is to the far right @ MCO whereas Sunshine Flyer equi-distant to the far left)
Arrived at Terminal B Mears at 240pm.
Got scanned in and I was sent to line 11 (AK area) - If I remember correctly there were 12 -13 lines each with list of resorts/areas for each line. Not sure if more than 1 line serves any given resort.
2:45 I boarded the bus (5 minutes went very fast)
2:52 - bus left Terminal B
2:58 - stopped at Terminal c for pick up
3:01 - departed Terminal C
3:24 - bus slowed down for WDW maingate
3:27 - 3:29 ART OF ANIMATION
passed thru but no stop @ pop century, car. beach
3:37 - 3:38 Riviera
passed several epcot resorts
3:48 - 3:49 Yacht Club
3:56 - 4:00 Coronado Springs
4:06 - ALL STAR SPORTS.
The elapsed time will completely depend on 1- what resort you are staying at; 2- what resorts your bus will stop at - which completely depends on where the guests are staying at your particular arrival time. I would think that every experience will be different based on the somewhat randomness of when and where people come and go. The loading/unloading stops are extremely short - but the distance from one resort to the next is a bit longer (comparatively).
I was aboard the bus for a whopping 81 minutes - the people at art of animation were on board for just about half that time.
For $16 I can't complain (I pay close to that to drive through the Lincoln tunnel every time I drive in to NYC!)
The outer decorations of the bus make zero difference to me while I'm riding the bus to my destination. Be it a decal of a train, a cruise ship, or jail cell - I'm simply happy for a comfortable and safe ride. Having the driver blow a whistle isn't important. The uniform they're wearing isn't as important as having a clothed driver. I would like to add that both good and bad experiences happen with all the providers and are not necessarily indicative of their overall service. If price is the deal breaker - I'd suggest whichever company is offering the cheapest of the relatively cheap fares. If TIME is the deal breaker - go with Uber, Lyft or any car service available. Personally I'd use Lyft the most because of it's affiliation with Delta Sky Miles - but there's been many times I used Uber because of time & availability. I also dislike the very ridiculous pick up from resort to MCO times both Mears and Sunshine Flyer give but do understand that traffic and multiple loading stops can make the trip itself ridiculous. My return to MCO time was 3 hours and 40 minutes before my flight. I would prefer to spend that time at the resort rather than the airport - but again - for the $16 and the comfortable reliable service - that was my choice over the time.

 

[jimmymc]

I used Mears connect for the first time a few weeks ago, and it's one and done. Pickup was fine, since I was one of the last people on the bus after our flight was delayed 30 minutes. We made a few stops before mine, but it wasn't an issue.

On the way back to the airport, we were picked up about 4 hours early in a small van, then proceeded to drive around property for 90 minutes to pick up people all around property. The van had really bad legroom (I had to sit sideways at 6'1") and smelled like dirt. Completely different experience, and I would gladly pay a bit more for an Uber on my own schedule. I also realize I was lucky on arrival, and most people would have to wait longer. I might try them again for one way if I don't have plans the first evening, but I'll stick to rideshare or cabs for going home.

 

[ClaraOswald]

Wait...the picked you up in a van instead of the bus??

 

[Leigh L]

Wait...the picked you up in a van instead of the bus??

Not the OP, but we were also picked up by Mears in a van in Sept 2022. It was quick though. We were first from Shades of Green and one other stop, maybe 2. I remember stopping at Grand Floridian, but not sure if we stopped at the Poly too.

 

[Goldelpack]

My MEARS experience (May 2023 Sunday)
Cost: $16. Great communication prior to pick up time. Departure area very easy to find (especially after using DME and Mears previously) (in comparison Mears is to the far right @ MCO whereas Sunshine Flyer equi-distant to the far left)
Arrived at Terminal B Mears at 240pm.
Got scanned in and I was sent to line 11 (AK area) - If I remember correctly there were 12 -13 lines each with list of resorts/areas for each line. Not sure if more than 1 line serves any given resort.
2:45 I boarded the bus (5 minutes went very fast)
2:52 - bus left Terminal B
2:58 - stopped at Terminal c for pick up
3:01 - departed Terminal C
3:24 - bus slowed down for WDW maingate
3:27 - 3:29 ART OF ANIMATION
passed thru but no stop @ pop century, car. beach
3:37 - 3:38 Riviera
passed several epcot resorts
3:48 - 3:49 Yacht Club
3:56 - 4:00 Coronado Springs
4:06 - ALL STAR SPORTS.
The elapsed time will completely depend on 1- what resort you are staying at; 2- what resorts your bus will stop at - which completely depends on where the guests are staying at your particular arrival time. I would think that every experience will be different based on the somewhat randomness of when and where people come and go. The loading/unloading stops are extremely short - but the distance from one resort to the next is a bit longer (comparatively).
I was aboard the bus for a whopping 81 minutes - the people at art of animation were on board for just about half that time.
For $16 I can't complain (I pay close to that to drive through the Lincoln tunnel every time I drive in to NYC!)
The outer decorations of the bus make zero difference to me while I'm riding the bus to my destination. Be it a decal of a train, a cruise ship, or jail cell - I'm simply happy for a comfortable and safe ride. Having the driver blow a whistle isn't important. The uniform they're wearing isn't as important as having a clothed driver. I would like to add that both good and bad experiences happen with all the providers and are not necessarily indicative of their overall service. If price is the deal breaker - I'd suggest whichever company is offering the cheapest of the relatively cheap fares. If TIME is the deal breaker - go with Uber, Lyft or any car service available. Personally I'd use Lyft the most because of it's affiliation with Delta Sky Miles - but there's been many times I used Uber because of time & availability. I also dislike the very ridiculous pick up from resort to MCO times both Mears and Sunshine Flyer give but do understand that traffic and multiple loading stops can make the trip itself ridiculous. My return to MCO time was 3 hours and 40 minutes before my flight. I would prefer to spend that time at the resort rather than the airport - but again - for the $16 and the comfortable reliable service - that was my choice over the time.

For purposes of comparison I wanted to add the approx. cost to use LYFT in the above situation - where Mears was $16 and an 80 minute bus ride - LYFT would be ~$35 - $42 to all star sports with an estimated time of 35 minutes. Essentially twice the price but half the time. My next short trip is in July and I'm considering using Lyft to see how that works. I use from my home in (smokey) New Jersey to NY area airports frequently.
Operator Cost Time to ALSports as example
Mears $16 (+) 80 minutes
Lyft $32 (+) 35 minutes

 

[ClaraOswald]

Not the OP, but we were also picked up by Mears in a van in Sept 2022. It was quick though. We were first from Shades of Green and one other stop, maybe 2. I remember stopping at Grand Floridian, but not sure if we stopped at the Poly too.

Wow...that's not good. My son would need a booster seat in a van, which is why we are looking into Mears since he's safe on a large bus without one! Now this has me concerned.

 

[Leigh L]

Wow...that's not good. My son would need a booster seat in a van, which is why we are looking into Mears since he's safe on a large bus without one! Now this has me concerned.

Yes, this would definitely be something I'd ask about. Maybe they have boosters and can note it on the reservation if they go with a van? My littles are all bigs now so I wasn't really paying attention to how they handle that.

When is your trip?

 

[ClaraOswald]

Not until January. Haven't booked anything yet.

 

[AnnabelleTheTalkingTree]

Wow...that's not good. My son would need a booster seat in a van, which is why we are looking into Mears since he's safe on a large bus without one! Now this has me concerned.

This was one of the reasons I was so upset with Mears. We chose the bus over Lyft/Uber whatever because of the car seat situation. Then the bus left us in the dust, and we had no option but to get a van. My kids were not in car seats and I was stressed the whole way.

 

[georgina]

OK, going to dip my toe in the Mears water. Booked a trip from MCO to resort (will Uber/Lyft back). My plane arrives on a weekday at 8:20 AM. I am not in a huge hurry, since my room won't be ready and MK is open until midnight for deluxe gusts that night. Will post my results!

 

[miksicnarf]

trip itself ridiculous. My return to MCO time was 3 hours and 40 minutes before my flight. I would prefer to spend that time at the resort rather than the airport - but again - for the $16 and the comfortable reliable service -

When you make your reservation you can enter info for a later flight if you want a later pick-up.