One of the owners of Aberdeen VIP Party Bus Hire has responded following several claims that bookings had been missed.
The luxury vehicle hire cancelled all bookings at the weekend, leaving customers unsure if deposits would be returned.
The business temporarily took down its Facebook page and was accused of a lack of communication.
One customer who booked the party bus paid £300 to take primary school children to their prom.
It was due to turn up on Friday, but was cancelled with less than two hours to go.
Aberdeen VIP Party Bus Hire response
John Harper, one of the owners of D & J’s Party’s, which operates the hire business, has now responded to the complaints.
He said the cancellations were due to the bus “breaking down and unsafe for passengers”.
It left the firm with no choice but to cancel bookings.
He said the buses are “really difficult and not cheap” to fix.
Mr Harper said: “Unfortunately if something does break, which it did on Friday, everything for that weekend then needs to be cancelled.
“The brake line had melted, there were no brakes.
“We could’ve put a patch on it, but I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if anything happened to anyone on it.”
He said the party bus will be repaired by a garage in Glasgow at a cost of £4,000.
Customers cancel bookings after social media complaints
Mr Harper said the response by customers on social media has “blown up well out of proportion”.
It has had a detrimental impact on the business, with bookings for months in the future being cancelled.
He said: “At the moment we’re taking no more bookings.
“People are cancelling bookings for as far as November, so we have to find that money as well.
“To release that kind of funds, it’s not an hour long job. This is gonna take a bit of time.”
Mr Harper said he had already processed £3,500 of customer deposits.
He said he would refund remaining customers by the end of the week.
The company’s Facebook page has since asked for people to come forward with details for refunds.
Aberdeen VIP Party Bus Hire claims to be Aberdeen’s “number one limousine and party bus hire company” with four vehicles available on its website.
John Harper and David Fenwick have owned D & J’s Party’s since July last year.
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