BEWARE OF PATRICK and Motutaxi.com

[Carole444]

We are in Bora Bora today. I wrote to Patrick last December and booked him for a private snorkel trip for 8 of us. I confirmed several times since then. We were supposed to meet him on dock at 9. He didn't show up. We finally found someone to call him for us at 9:30. The company looked for him and said they would call me back. They called back 10 minutes later and said Patrick was at the airport, but in 30-45 minutes they would send someone else for us. They did. We set out and went to a great snorkel place--we contracted for 5 hours and said we only wanted to snorkel. After we left that place we rode and rode and rode--for about 45 minutes--the guide didn't speak English and we couldn't communicate to figure out where he was going. We finally asked him to stop--and as he put down the anchor a big rain came up. We stayed there about 15 minutes and he said there was rain all around and we should go back. We got back at 12--2 hours after we had left (by this time it was sunny, but we were back at the dock.) We thought we should not have to pay for 5 hours--we were quoted $400 for the boat for 5 hours--we figured this was $80 per hour and we should pay for 2 hours. We communicated on a ship to shore phone with people at motutaxi.com and they insisted that if we didn't pay $350 they were going to call the police. We finally gave it to them because we didn't feel like arguing anymore. They insisted that we had contracted for 5 hours and they couldn't rerent the boat--but we had missed Patrick--and the worst part is that we sat on the dock for an hour and missed an hour of sun. It was our worst experience here to date--Incidentally--we had Bruno in Raiatea and HE SHOWED UP--and he was great!!!! Do not use Patrick and Motutaxi.com--they are not nice!!!!

[laurieb]

I haven't run across a Patrick on Bora Bora before. Is it someone you found online?

[RET_REF]

Carole 444: Was this fellow named Patrick Labataille by chance and does he have a grey car with yellow letter TAXI BOAT called TAXI MOTU ?

 

I have him booked for a Catajet boat tour on Bora Bora next month and I'm hoping that what happened to you doesn't happen to us !

[Carole444]

Ah O--

 

YES YES YES---that's our Patrick! Do not take a chance--our day was ruined. Stephane's wife is on the left as you get off the tender and everyone who wanted to go with him was able to. I would not use motu taxi for anything--it's too pretty a day to miss!

 

Carole

[Carole444]

Hi everyone--

I am home now and able to write easier--I am so sorry for the confusion. This is NOT Patrick in Papeete and I hope this doesn't hurt him. We were in Bora Bora--it was Patrick from motutaxi. Please write me if you have any more questions!

Carole

[RET_REF]

Carole444,

 

Glad your back home safe and I hope you enjoyed the rest of your time in Tahiti!

 

Just FYI, I wrote to Patrick in Bora Bora and told him of your bad experience with his company. He said he is sorry, and wants to write to you to apologize so you should be hearing from him soon. Maybe he will try and make things OK, although it may be a little late.

 

I still want to do this Funny Cat Jet boat tour. However, I did tell him that I better not get stuck like you did, or he would be receiving a lot more bad publicity on the cruise boards.

[Carole444]

Hi REFOREE--

Thanks for your help. I actually have heard from Patrick since I've been home--I thought he had seen my post on the board, but maybe it was in response to your note to him. He has changed his attitude--from calling me his "baddest client yet" to saying maybe his substitute just didn't feel like working and he "loves me." I'm really not looking for anything from him, but I hope that maybe I could save others a bad experience. The fact remains that he did not show up and did not bother to send anyone else til we called his company (which was not easy fete in itself). He tells me about all the famous clients he has and all the trips to the airport he makes--I'm sure he just got a better offer and blew us off. Glad you warned him!

Carole

[LauraS]

A number of posts were removed from this thread for clarity.

 

I think Carole444 was clear and concise in her post....in the Subject and first four words you learned the NAME OF THE COMPANY and WHERE SHE WAS. She couldn't have made it simpler.

 

The purpose of these Ports of Call forums is to share your experience with other cruisers. I know everyone was trying to be helpful but mixing up tour operators on a message board isn't fair to the tour operators, hence the removal of posts.

 

Now, that isn't to say some of the posts about the other company didn't contain valuable information...it just wasn't in the right place.

 

Laura

[RET_REF]

Thank you Laura for cleaning up this thread, You are very helpful !

 

I was getting upset with one particular poster whom I will not mention now since you took the time to clean this matter up. However, some posters should not be permitted to bash tour operators they didn't even use because of a reservation snafu.

 

After reading Carole's posting and because I had an upcoming reservation with this tour operator I contacted him by email to let him know that this kind of treatment wouldn't be very favorable for future buisess. Hopefully, he has tried to explain his position. Just remember there are always two sides to a story and both should be heard before final judgement is passed.