Viator Excursion Warning

[rome2009]

This the message I got back when the tour I was supposed to be on was missed.

 

Thank you for your patience as we looked into your refund request. 

 Unfortunately, we are unable to offer a refund for this booking. 

Our local tour operator said they cannot issue a refund since they were notified late about the new disembarkation time and they offered you an alternative tour in the afternoon but it was declined.

We appreciate your understanding in this matter.

Regards,
Reiman
Viator Customer Service

 

As you can see, Viator has taken no responsibility for their vendor not being able to accommodate our excursion. Here are the facts:

1. We were told by the Viator booking agent that, yes, we could take this tour.

2. The tour was to pick us up at the port, but we did not find out that the vendor was picking us up at 7:10 and no later. This time allotment would be impossible to meet as the ship was docking at 7:00 am and the guests would be tendered to the port. Knowing this, Viator nor the vendor did not have the courtesy to inform us of the logistical issues prior to us leaving for our vacation. Not only that, but the Viator agent either was clueless to the time issue and the vendors demands or he didn't care as long as he got his sale.

3. We were offered an afternoon tour in place of the missed morning tour. The tour was to end at 6:30. The last tender was at 5:00. Nothing more needs to be said about this.

4. As you can see from the above letter I received, the claim for a refund was dismissed.

 

What is most upsetting is that a company like Viator should take responsibility for their product and have agents who aren't just interested in a sale, but in the selling a product that would be suitable to their customers. 

In learning this unfortunate lesson, I will never be using Viator again and I suggest the same for all future travellers. Book directly with a local vendor so that you can get the details regarding times, pick up, and services promised.

Please tell all your friends and family to avoid Viator for any and all future tours.

[highloyo]

That’s the problem with prepaying for an excursion not associated with the cruise line. If you wish to use an independent tour operator it might be best to do it at the port. Or make sure ship delays are covered with a refund. It seems you checked but the operator was not accepting it.

[satxdiver]

We have had bad experiences with Viator before on two separate cruises.  They do not support the cruisers as they promise.  Last time we contacted our credit card issuer and contested the charge.  It was removed from our account.  Use Viator with this in mind that they are only a collection agency.  

[Mike45LC]

Was the ship’s arrival time changed, as ViaTour stated in its response to you?  When did you (and the tour provider first learn that the ship’s arrival time was 7:00, making a 7:10 pick-up impossible?

[riffatsea]

Viator does not actually run any tours

They are a 3rdmparty clearing house

We never book with companies like that!

I would either book a excursion with the cruise line or even better book with the local tour operator

You can always find them bynusing Google in the town you are visiting

[Steelers36]

Not if this thread is going to last, but I will say that I did book us through Viator for a day-long tour of Rio back in Winter 2018.  I had checked into the actual tour and so forth we were doing - it was a small group - I think just us and our friends.  Anyway, the guide was wonderful and it worked really well how he timed out the day and we did well dodging crowds.  Not sure if I used them at another port on our Around S.A. voyage that Winter.  

 

I think it is a higher risk to use a third-party booking agent in these uncertain times when ports may be missed and ship schedules adjusted. 

 

And aside from what I mentioned above, Viator has had a good reputation in many areas in the past, but I generally avoid booking with anyone other than the direct provider. 

 

I do research using TripAdvisor or other means to get tour ratings.  Then, I seek out the actual provider and select one and book with them.  I always book with one where you can cancel very close to the tour date and one that is used to working with cruise guests and knows about port times, etc.  Anyone I deal with understands if a cancellation has to happen for a missed port and no obligation.  Most we pay in full on day of tour (very nice of them), or give a deposit up-front and pay balance on tour.  Rarely do I end up selecting one where we have to pay in advance - and even so, they still have a great cancellation policy.  As long the firm has been around for eons and is reputable, I am not too worried about paying up front.  

 

It can be reasonably easy to recruit others via the Roll Call and never looking to build a large group.  I believe we end up with the best experiences this way.  Yes, it takes some more effort than just picking a decent-sounding Princess tour, but we don't like the big bus approach and of course you also over-pay most of the time.  On our 60-night S.A. Tour with 50% ports, we booked a Princess tour twice.  It made sense due to circumstances and worked out fine.

 

 

ETA:  When booking direct, I always make sure the operator knows the port times for arrival/departure and we agree on the meeting time to start the tour.  I would never end up in a situation like the OP and be expected to meet the tour guide 10 minutes after posted dock time.  Even if booking through a third-party, YOU are responsible to know what you are booking, and the arrangements, etc.

 

Edited May 16, 2022 by Steelers36

[azbirdmom]

22 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

 

Not if this thread is going to last

 

I think it will last even though Viator is a sister company of Cruise Critic. The tour vendors have to be more flexible in these uncertain times. 

[capriccio]

2 hours ago, riffatsea said:

I would either book a excursion with the cruise line or even better book with the local tour operator

You can always find them bynusing Google in the town you are visiting

Cruise Critic's Ports of Call boards are also an excellent source for local tour operators.  https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/2-ports-of-call/

[CynCyn]

5 hours ago, rome2009 said:

This the message I got back when the tour I was supposed to be on was missed.

 

Thank you for your patience as we looked into your refund request. 

 Unfortunately, we are unable to offer a refund for this booking. 

Our local tour operator said they cannot issue a refund since they were notified late about the new disembarkation time and they offered you an alternative tour in the afternoon but it was declined.

We appreciate your understanding in this matter.

Regards,
Reiman
Viator Customer Service

 

As you can see, Viator has taken no responsibility for their vendor not being able to accommodate our excursion. Here are the facts:

1. We were told by the Viator booking agent that, yes, we could take this tour.

2. The tour was to pick us up at the port, but we did not find out that the vendor was picking us up at 7:10 and no later. This time allotment would be impossible to meet as the ship was docking at 7:00 am and the guests would be tendered to the port. Knowing this, Viator nor the vendor did not have the courtesy to inform us of the logistical issues prior to us leaving for our vacation. Not only that, but the Viator agent either was clueless to the time issue and the vendors demands or he didn't care as long as he got his sale.

3. We were offered an afternoon tour in place of the missed morning tour. The tour was to end at 6:30. The last tender was at 5:00. Nothing more needs to be said about this.

4. As you can see from the above letter I received, the claim for a refund was dismissed.

 

What is most upsetting is that a company like Viator should take responsibility for their product and have agents who aren't just interested in a sale, but in the selling a product that would be suitable to their customers. 

In learning this unfortunate lesson, I will never be using Viator again and I suggest the same for all future travellers. Book directly with a local vendor so that you can get the details regarding times, pick up, and services promised.

Please tell all your friends and family to avoid Viator for any and all future tours.

I had a bad experience pre-pandemic.  A whale tour wrecked a boat.  They keep stringing us along all day and I missed all other tours.  I was angrier that they wouldn’t cancel and kept expecting me to run across Victoria twice to meet a boat that was never going to be there.  I eventually got a refund, but it made my day frustrating.

 

I have had my fill of third parties after this and a bad experience with a hotel booking.  I’m going straight to the source from now on.

[donaldsc]

I regard companies like Viator as a useful resource to help me find tours.  Once I find a tour that I like, I try to find the company that is actually doing the tour and book it directly with them.  This gives the tour company 100% of the fee and I am dealing directly with the tour operator.

 

DON

[ekka49]

12 minutes ago, donaldsc said:

I regard companies like Viator as a useful resource to help me find tours.  Once I find a tour that I like, I try to find the company that is actually doing the tour and book it directly with them.  This gives the tour company 100% of the fee and I am dealing directly with the tour operator.

 

DON

Good advice

[donaldsc]

13 minutes ago, donaldsc said:

I regard companies like Viator as a useful resource to help me find tours.  Once I find a tour that I like, I try to find the company that is actually doing the tour and book it directly with them.  This gives the tour company 100% of the fee and I am dealing directly with the tour operator.

 

DON

 

I should also add that this sometimes also works w ToursbyLocals although it can be harder to find the guides on who work on this site.  I have had ToursbyLocals guides who have given me their personal cards at the end of the tour so that I or my friends can book directly w them although I suspect that this is a violation of ToursbyLocals rules.

 

DON

[ontheweb]

10 hours ago, satxdiver said:

We have had bad experiences with Viator before on two separate cruises.  They do not support the cruisers as they promise.  Last time we contacted our credit card issuer and contested the charge.  It was removed from our account.  Use Viator with this in mind that they are only a collection agency.  

I was also going to recommend filing a claim with the credit card company, but you beat me to it. To the OP, just make sure you have everything documented, and then let Viator fight it out with the credit card company.

[hunt182644]

Dispute the charge with your credit card provider.

[evandbob]

Just a question:  Was Viator quoting port time and was the OP on ship time?  Was the ship one hour ahead of the port?

 

Most Caribbean locales do not switch to a summer time frame like we do in most of mainland USA.

 

Florida has passed state legislatio to not spring ahead but needs Federal Congressional approval to effectuate this change.  Just imagine all the confused postings re ship port departure times vs. airline arrival time if it does get approved!!

[Hlitner]

Keep in mind that Viator is not a real tour company but simply a booking company.  So you are dealing with a third party.  That is why many experienced travelers suggest only booking directly with a tour provider.

 

Hank

[navybankerteacher]

7 hours ago, CynCyn said:

…

 

I have had my fill of third parties after this and a bad experience with a hotel booking.  I’m going straight to the source from now on.

Especially important when booking a hotel .  Yes, the third party will get you a room, but twice, once in Rome and once in Paris we got shuttled from the booked hotel to an alternate because the booked hotel had been “overbooked”.  In the case of Rome, it got us a better hotel - but in each case it cost us many hours of our first day in a desired city

[cruizergal70]

Honestly, I don't see the problem. There was an unexpected change. They offered another tour later in the day. It was declined by the OP.

 

Viator's refund policy is clear: "You'll receive a full refund if you cancel at least 24 hours in advance of most experiences." The OP tried to cancel with less than 24 hours notice.

 

This was an unfortunate circumstance but Viator did nothing wrong. The tour operator tried to make it right by offering the tour at the next available time slot.

[Charles4515]

I try to book direct with local tour operators. Viator is a middleman. There is no advantage to using them if you can find the actual operator. If you see something on TripAdvisor offered by Viator google the tour name or description. You will usually find the tour operator they are using. 

[capriccio]

1 hour ago, cruizergal70 said:

Honestly, I don't see the problem. There was an unexpected change. They offered another tour later in the day. It was declined by the OP.

 

17 hours ago, rome2009 said:

3. We were offered an afternoon tour in place of the missed morning tour. The tour was to end at 6:30. The last tender was at 5:00. Nothing more needs to be said about this.

 

@cruizergal70Did you miss this?  Even if Viator didn't know when the ship was leaving, I would expect a local vendor to know that since his/her scheduling is dependent upon when ships will be in port.  The information should be readily available on the port's information site or by calling the port authority.  Offering an excursion that would be impossible to make is not an alternative.

Edited May 16, 2022 by capriccio

[lynncarol]

Be careful when booking anything through TripAdvisor.  I booked a tour in Ravenna for the mosaics. The tour company emailed me and said they were sorry but the tour was only in Italian.  I responded back to cancel it, as it was still before the deadline to cancel.  Later, I found out my card was charged anyway, and only when I disputed it with my credit card company did I learn the booking was through Viator.  They then sent  a 24 page  response to the cc company insisting we had been offered another tour and just never showed up. My statement that no such email ever arrived had no effect, and the charge went through. Worse, when I wrote up a bad review about the place, the company contacted me, validated my version of what happened and said they would get the money back to me. Hah!  That was in September and still nothing. Since it was a phone call....I have no proof.

[Fishboy1947]

Many Viator tours are not ship shore excursions. They are not necessarily geared to cruises and aren’t setup based on ship arrivals. They are tours offered for all travelers.

 

As an aside, I was booking a tour in the British Isles. I found the actual tour operator but did not like their cancellation policy and was ready to book the same tour using Viator. I advised the tour operator and they changed their cancellation policy. Always use the actual provider if possible

[ontheweb]

8 minutes ago, Fishboy1947 said:

Many Viator tours are not ship shore excursions. They are not necessarily geared to cruises and aren’t setup based on ship arrivals. They are tours offered for all travelers.

 

As an aside, I was booking a tour in the British Isles. I found the actual tour operator but did not like their cancellation policy and was ready to book the same tour using Viator. I advised the tour operator and they changed their cancellation policy. Always use the actual provider if possible

I was also going to post that one has to remember that private tours are not just for cruise ship passengers. One does not know if the tour company knew it was for someone on a cruise, and thought that their alternate offering was reasonable. 

[rkacruiser]

My traveling companion booked two tours for us in Amsterdam through Viator.  The first tour was a dinner Canal Cruise; the second was a Canal cruise during the day.  Both tours were excellent with no issues.  Maybe we were lucky?  

[CruisingWalter]

20 hours ago, rome2009 said:

 

1. We were told by the Viator booking agent that, yes, we could take this tour.

2. The tour was to pick us up at the port, but we did not find out that the vendor was picking us up at 7:10 and no later. This time allotment would be impossible to meet as the ship was docking at 7:00 am and the guests would be tendered to the port. Knowing this, Viator nor the vendor did not have the courtesy to inform us of the logistical issues prior to us leaving for our vacation.

 

Can you clarify statement number 2? You say the tour was to pick you up at the port at 7:10am when your ship was docking at 7:00am. Did you not receive some sort of confirmation when you booked the excursion with this information? We always receive a confirmation from our excursion operators almost immediately with all the pertinent details including pickup time and location. You should have received this within the hour of booking the excursion, did this not happen? 

 

What DID you get as a confirmation when you booked the tour? 

 

We never use an aggregator for third party excursions, we only book directly through vendors we have researched.