Viator is a horrible, dishonest, classless, unscrupulous company. Our tour was scheduled to start at 1:45 pm. My husband and I were at the meeting point at 1:45. We had waited all week for this tour, intentionally not going to the most iconic parts of London so that we could enjoy them with a native tour guide. We allowed several minutes for the guide to come, but I got worried when 10 minutes passed. I started trying to text, email, and chat with someone from Viator and the local tour guide. But the local company was based in Poland- and when I called (at great personal international phone charge expense) I was put on hold for several minutes only to be sent to a voicemail in Polish (which I do not understand). Finally someone on the Viator app Chat responded saying that the guide was there and had left without us. I was confused as we were not late and the Chat person said that if we find her at a specific location within 10 minutes of the start time, we could join the tour. Because I had been on hold with Poland for so long, it was already past 2pm and the "10 minutes past the start time" had passed. I asked if I could speak with the tour guide and we could try to find them- but was told that no, it was too late. Next, I had a series of horrible conversations with people from both Viator and the local tour company. I was told that they would not refund my money because I "missed the tour", even though I was there and on time. They said we should have been there early- which, while they recommend coming early, they do not require. I would have been happy to come at anytime they asked. If they had said we had to be there at 1:35, we would have been. Instead, they just recommended being early. I was then told they would not refund the money because of pre-purchased tickets to get into museums/buildings. I explained that this tour was outdoor only- and had no exhibitions or tickets to be purchased. So it would literally cost them nothing- the tour had 12 other people who were allowed to partake in the tour, so it was not an example of the tour guide having no participation. When I tried to explain all of these things, they said they would absolutely not refund the money, regardless of any situation. This tour guide, Viator, and the local tour company made ZERO effort to include us in the tour. They did not call us, they did not text us, they did not allow us to catch up with them. They did not care at all that we had been on many tours all over the world with them and been loyal customers. They did not care that my first time in London was ruined- I was not able to see Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, or Big Ben, as we had to leave the next day. I am disgusted with how I was treated. I do not understand their lack of customer service and I do not understand their lack of compassion. They care nothing about their customers. read more
