Prior to purchasing a three day London Pass (and optional Oyster card) with Viatour we had a telephone conversation with a Viatour representative as to the things that were included. We believe that the representative's name was Apple. We were uncertain about the hop-on/hop-off portion of the offering since it was available as a 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 day package and, given that the oyster card was only optional, it seemed logical that the hop-on/hop-off transportation would depend on how many days were purchased.
The representative confirmed (verbally) that the hop-on/hop-off bus was included for each of the three days that we would be purchasing the pass. This obviously made sense since the three day pass offered entry into about sixty different venues located at a wide variety of locations so transportation would be required and the Oyster pass was optional.
Upon booking and paying for this tour on the Viator website for the four of us who are travelling together, we received the emailed voucher and noticed that it indicated the hop-on/hop-off was only for one day. We believed that it would be logical that this inclusion would be for each day purchased (in our case three days) but called back to Viatour on April 7th to confirm this. The initial telephone conversation with a representative was cut off and I then called back. We then had a conversation with a representative named Dariel but he was unable to reach the London supplier due to the time zone difference. He suggested that we call back early on Sunday, April 8th.
We called that morning and spoke to a representative named Hazel. Like the previous Viator representative (prior to booking), Hazel indicated that the hop-on/hop-off bus was included for each of the three days. Given that the voucher indicated otherwise, I requested that she reach out to the London supplier to confirm this. She did so and, after a short wait on the phone, Hazel came back on line and indicated that the London supplier told her that the hop-on/hop off bus was only for one day...not three.
I indicated that this was not acceptable and that we would be cancelling this tour at which point we were told that it was non-refundable. This, in spite of the fact that the inclusions had been misrepresented by two sales representatives and are unclear on the Viator website.
We could not get a resolution in our conversation with Hazel and, accordingly, requested an escalation to a supervisor. We were transferred to Lemuel.
This was an exercise in frustration. Lemuel suggested that we discuss this with the London supplier and we noted that it was not the London supplier who mis-represented the inclusions in this package...it was Viator. Why we should be expected to deal with the supplier is beyond comprehension.
The lack of product knowledge among Viator staff is astounding. Lemuel did not appear to understand the concept of hop-on/hop-offs and how they work. One has to wonder whether or not these sales reps have ever travelled themselves. It was like banging your head against a wall trying to explain to this "supervisor" as to how Viator should make good on the misrepresentations of their employees.
Since we failed to be satisfied with our dealings with this "supervisor" we asked that it be referred to a higher level of management. We were assured that it would be and then....nothing! No phone calls, no emails, no contact. We then searched out contact information for customer service (with great difficulty as Viator does not have contact email addresses on their website) and then dispatched our concerns in an email. This email went unanswered for over ten days and we only finally received an answer upon placing yet another phone call (and being on the line for nearly one hour). This was the reply: (unedited including any spelling, grammar or punctuation mistakes).
I have checked our phone recordings for the number that you provided when the booking was made but could not locate any recordings.
Furthermore , It is the customers responsibility to carefully check all the details ,especially the inclusions and exclusions before placing a reservation.
Unfortunately we are unable to provide any kind of refund or compensation at this time.
We appreciate your understanding in this matter.
Regards,
Jennifer
Viator Customer Service
Incredibly, in spite of the fact that on every phone call to Viator they advise customers that phone calls are recorded, they are unable to locate the multiple phone calls that we made although we provided the names of the various representatives. Obviously they only locate phone records when it is convenient to them.
Our advice to others....do not ever book with Viator! We will not do so and, in fact, we will not be moving forward with about six other tours planned to be booked with them for this trip. You can save money and get more accurate information by dealing with the local tour operators. read more
