Corporate Tailgate

Although I did not have quite the experience with the ownership as everyone here seems to be indicating, I did think the whole process seemed a bit shifty. From the gravel parking lot to park on with no signage to the «employees» who are not professional or even tremendously helpful, to the fact that they take handwritten on some rogue form your credit card number in the case of damage to the board, to the pontoon themselves which are in ok condition, to the end of the rental where we had to park the boat and tie it off ourselves with no employees around. Gone. Even when we came up to return to the parking lot, no one. The opportunity to use the pontoon and motor up and down the river ourselves, having lunch and enjoying a beautiful day in the city was great… but the rest, I’m not sure I would do it again.

We rented a pontoon for 12 persons on 8÷23÷15. Very happy overall and would recommend this place! The staff was very friendly and driving the boat was fun. I was confused at first with some negative reviews, but had no problems at all. Not giving all 5 stars because the boat was not as clean as I expected and the speedometer didn’t work.

I rented two pontoon boats for my birthday. At first we thought the rain was going to ruin the day but the owner still sent staff out to accommodate us. It turned out to be a beautiful day and we had an awesome time on the river.

I recently rented a pontoon boat for 8 people and let me tell you. The staff was super friendly with showing us how to work the boat and gave us directions on where to go. They also gave us their phone numbers just in case we had questions while out. The view is really great and the ride is perfect. I will definitely recommend this place to everyone I know. Make sure to bring snacks and drinks and enjoy the ride. 5 stars all around. Thanks

Buyer BEWARE. Avoid this place. On Fourth of July weekend my group of friends and I witnessed this company handle a situation (that they were responsible for) in a completely distasteful and unprofessional manner. Do not take your family, friends and loved ones to a place like this. Summer is too short to waste beautiful day or dollar at this joint.
#corporatefailgate

I recently rented a boat for two hours and it was so much fun. We had a great time and the staff was really friendly. The rental is worth it to hang out with friends or family. Definitely would rent again.

Had a great time! Keep an eye out for street names posted on bridges. Gps works on the river! BYOB&F. Music on the boat! Friendly customer service :) Mark was helpful.

We have been using this company for many years. They are very timely, they work very hard to give you an amazing experience and the owner Joe is hands on. His boats are the bomb !! Great pick up location, easy parking, and just a great time. Where can you go in Chicago and get so much fun for 8 – 10 people on the river so cheap? This is the spot for sure. We give them a 5 star and thumbs up.

Like many others, i wish i could rate zero stars. Do yourself a favor and stay away from this company. Not worth the headache when you have to deal with Joe who is an absolute shadeball.

The worst experience ever. The owner is horrible to do business with. Do not use this service!

Since when do this become the joe brown bash contest? I took my family out for the 4^th of July weekend for a day on the river. I was dealt with professionally and had a great time. Just wish the table was set up for food trays. Overall a great deal.

Too bad there isn’t an option for zero stars. Poor service and horrible response and attitude from owner Joe Brown. Do not waste your time or money on this company. I have no clue how this clown is still in business.

Terrible. In my opinion worse attitude problem ever from joe Brown. Is unsafe with his boats and the surrounding boats in the water. Personally I won’t ever pay to get on one of his boats. Shows a lot about the way someone treats others. That’s all I’m saying.

We rented this boat through Groupon and overall a good deal for the groupon price. We arrived about 25 minutes late and they extended us 15 minutes on the end which they didn’t need to do. The boat was clean and spacious. They gave us a quick run down on how to operate and recommended route and we were on our way.
The river is very busy with commercial tour boats that expect you to stay out of their way regardless of the rules of the road. I do not recommend this to first time boaters.
The only downside was the boat steering was tough and the engine was idling high.
A fun way to tour downtown Chicago from the water!

I, like others, wish that I could give ZERO stars. I have never in my life dealt with a business as unprofessional as this one. We purchased a pontoon rental for Corporate Tailgate through Groupon for today and arrived to the location given to us in the email more than a half hour before our scheduled time. Due to the bad weather, we expected to have to either cancel or reschedule our boat ride, but when we showed up there was nobody to even be found, not to mention, there was not a single boat to be found! Many attempts were made by multiple members of my family to contact the business about our reservation and we never heard back. A complete waste of money and a total scam.

We had the absolute pleasure of renting a Pontoon Boat to wrap up a trip for my son’s graduation from College. We decided to stay in Chicago for a couple of days as my other children have never been there and I wanted them to experience this «Great Litlle Town» as Sinatra put it. The boat cruise through the city was the BEST way to see the fantastic architecture. The boat was equipped with a blue tooth radio and my son’s friend played «My Kind of Town» by you know who. When we arrived the boat was ready to go, plenty of life preservers for the kids and very clean. The location where the boat was docked had an easy in/​out parking area. Wanna see Chicagp? do it this way.
There’s been some negative experiences posted it appears and I can only surmise the ones renting may have had the issues in the long run.
Thanks Joe,
Rich B. and family Worcester, Ma.

Went on Joe Brown’s boat today and had so much fun. The boat was ready for us, full tank of gas, plenty of life jackets. Cruised up and down the Chicago river seeing the beautiful architecture then docking at Dicks Last Resort for some lunch. We got to meet Joe Brown who is quite the character but very very nice. I recommend Corporate Tailgating when in Chicago.

My friend rented a «yacht» from Joe Brown for her bachelorette party and although we all had a good time, the boat itself and Joe Brown were a nightmare. First of all, Joe gave my friend a rental price for the boat then a few weeks later he told her she needed to pay him an extra $ 300 because it was a prime weekend and he could get more money elsewhere. She had already sent out invites and there was no time to book another boat, so she agreed to this forced upcharge. We were told to be at the dock at 11am to board the boat and start our day. Joe Brown and his «yacht» arrived 20 mins late. We all boarded the boat, which was very dirty and run down looking — definitely not worth the money he charged. He then told us, the passengers who paid him for a service to take a head count and also rummage around the boat to count the life jackets. I’m sorry, but as the boat owner isn’t it your JOB to count the passengers and the life jackets yourself? Who makes paying customers work? Also, shouldn’t you know exactly how many life jackets are on your boat? After we got a head count and made sure there was enough life jackets, we were forced to sit on the boat for another 20 mins or so while Joe’s crew fueled the boat. One would think that since Joe was 20 mins late to begin with, the boat would’ve already been fueled. But instead this «professional» business man made his paying customers sit on his dingy boat and inhale gas fumes for a good 20 mins. Joe sent the bachelorette pictures of the boat prior to booking. The pictures he sent must have been from the 90’s when he bought the boat, because the interior was disgusting! The paint was literally chipping off the walls, the carpet was filthy and I’m surprised no one got fungus from walking barefoot. The generator on the boat was not working which meant several things for us — the DJ we brought couldn’t play, the refrigerator would not keep our food cold, the water in the bathroom and kitchen was not running, there was no working A/​C, and the air pump we were told we could use once we were out on the water could not be used. I asked Joe if we would be receiving some form of refund for this huge inconvenience and he told me «I made no agreement with you, therefore I do not owe you an explanation.» When we got back to the dock he yelled at us to grab more garbage and clean up. I’m sorry what exactly did we pay you for? What business professional asks their clients to grab a garbage bag, fill it, and then also carry it off the boat?
Joe emailed my friend a week after the party and basically attacked her for everything we complained about. He said it didn’t matter that the generator didn’t work because we had ice to keep our food cold — sorry buddy, but wet sandwiches are not what we had in mind. He also told her that it didn’t matter that our DJ couldn’t play because we tied up with another boat that had a DJ — um, this lasted about 30 mins because I’m sure the boat we tied up to thinks you’re a huge douche just like the rest of Chicago. He said that he always fuels up the morning of a party and not the night before so we shouldn’t complain about his business tactics — well Joe, maybe you should’ve arrived at the dock at 10:30 am and had everything ready for our 11am boarding time. He said the multiple guests told him they had a good time — WE had a good time because that is what WE do, our fun had ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH JOE BROWN! He accused us of «trashing» his boat and soaking the bed with booze — Dear Joe, did you forget that it rained that day and we were all wet? That was rain water on your bed not liquor. I could go on with more of the nonsense this man said and did, but I won’t. At the end of the day, we all had a good time but we also learned a great lesson — do NOT ever again do business with Joe Brown. This guy is a complete joke and I am surprised no one has thrown his ass in the river yet.

There needs to be a Zero stars rating for this classless business. Joe needs to be thrown into the lake he claims to rent boats on. Don’t schedule boat rentals for 12 people (and have them come all the way down there) when you only have a boat for 6 people. Moron. Then you have the nerve to give people attitude AND your other lowlife classless valet parking idiot keeps the $ 10 paid to him for 5 minutes worth of frustration. No wonder he works parking cars on Sundays, he obviously needed it. This establishment was garbage and it wont last. Joe, keep changing your name, the next time we rent and bump heads, it will be fun. Loser!

Terrible, terrible experience with Corporate Tailgate. Joe from Corporate Tailgate is far from professional. I’m sorry to read (Elizabeth M.) I’m not the only one who experienced this fiasco of an experience.
Similar situation, was elated at the sale price of an 8 person pontoon boat, $ 0 plus a booking fee. Successfully reserved time slots, got pushed to Paypal and was immediately charged the $ 5 booking fee for each slot. Hours later, I get an email from VIP Chicago Parties saying there was an error in my booking and I must log in to pay the balance due. I responded back, asking what the error was, what balance was due and where would one «log in» to see this disparity.
The response I received was: «The promotion you signed up for was for a 99.00 boat rental. As you can see you were only charged 5.00. The rental and advertised price was 99.00. If you like I can cancel the boat and return the money you paid».
Um…no…the advertised price was $ 0 plus $ 5 booking fee, which is what I was charged.
10 hours later, I have two missed calls (no voicemails) and the following text messages (exactly as they appear) from «Joe» at Corporate Tailgate:
9:19am: Good Morning! Im Joe with the boat rentals. Your balance is due today on your 4 boat rentals. Please let me know what time you will be clearing this up. Thank you.
10:22am: I have called you twice and also texted you. You need to contact me before the close of business today. Otherwise I will be refunding you and canceling all 4 of your reservations.
My response to Joe at 11:19, the first time I’m able to glance at my phone between meetings:
Thank you for calling twice (9:15am and 10:20am) and enforcing a deadline on a change you are making. I work for a living, making it difficult to field your calls. therefore I will be unable to meet your deadline to forfeit the offer your company had available, which I purchased outright. Refund my money.
Joe felt it necessary to respond with the following:
11:22am: Im sorry. If u cannot afford the $ 99 per rental, we cannot afford you as a customer. Have nice day.
There is nothing corporate, VIP, ethical or even smart about this entire exchange. If Corporate Tailgate made a mistake on their website, then they haven’t owned up to it. Not only that, but they enforce tight deadlines for what appears to be their mistake and then insult my ability to pay $ 99. The advertised priced for the boat displayed $ 0, to $ 300, to $ 99 all within a 20 hour period. Either way, they are not honoring the advertised price that I saw and their system allowed me to book.
I’ve written to the BBB about this. Pictures of people having fun and celebrities does not outweigh old fashioned customer service and truth in advertising.
Thanks for the expeditious refund (this is true, I got it within an hour) and a glimpse into what you consider a «VIP» experience.