Contiki Vacations

Hi [redacted] ,Thank you for bringing this matter to our attentionThis complaint is under review and will have a final response for you this week.Warm regards, [redacted]

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below
While we appreciate a response, Contiki has misrepresented some
information in their responseAdditionally, since we were so disappointed, a tiny discount on a
future tour doesn’t fix the problem (since we will never use the company again) For
the night tour my husband and I paid a total of $6,to Contiki and received services not near that value.
The physical brochure listed quite a few tour sights/activities that were not includedYes, some activities were included (we never said they weren’t),
but at around $a day (not including optional extra add-ons) the way the
trip was represented was unfairWe paid for a superior trip, not unsleepable conditions
and a few activitiesAs I said before, several activities that were listed in
the brochure turned out later to be “extra-cost” optional and of the hotels
had UNSLEEPABLE conditions due to the extreme heatOne hotel was dirty and did
not have "beds."
We DID wear clothing according to our tour manager’s suggestion regarding the Moulin Rouge and she literally said to us (when we were refused entrance and told to go across the street to a shop) that
Contiki would reimburse us for the cost of the pants I have been to the Moulin Rouge before and my
husband’s attire seemed completely fine to meOur problem wasn’t so much that we
were misinformed, but that we were highly inconvenienced and had to miss the beginning
of an expensive once-in-a-lifetime experienceOur tour manager literally told
us to our faces that the situation wasn’t right and that Contiki would
reimburse us for the( ill-fitting) euros pants (and socks) from a store across the street
The brochure says in Paris we
would see all sorts of sights during an "exclusive sightseeing tour" the first
night--but all the sights were drive-bys in the bus with the exception of the Eiffel Tower
(which we did go up in)(Now today I see that online the company CHANGED the wording
of this on their site for the Best of Europe Tour after what I would assume is a late realization that they
misrepresented info to customers and added the word “drive-by.” I’m not sure
what is “exclusive," as they put it, about driving around in a bus.)
In Berlin their brochure said we would see the site of Checkpoint
***, again, a drive-by, not included as part of the tour We did end up paying extra for a tour that
again pointed it out on footOn Day (Rome) the brochure says we would see the Coliseum,
the Roman Forum, Piazza Venezia, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, and Piazza Navona
and StPeter's Basilica in the Vatican In reality, the Coliseum and Roman Forum tour cost
an extra “add-on” euros a piece and an extra
euros each to see the Vatican
(wasn’t included) We never were shown Piazza
Venezia, the Trevi Fountain, Pantheon or Piazza Navona (all listed in brochure)
at all
The tour was far from “fully escorted,” as the company said the “delivered.” Practically the whole time in Rome was on our own OR an "added cost" optional excursionWe were NEVER once told we could have the driver take us places on the days we were literally given a subway/bus pass and a hotel room (that sold to the public for around $a night)We were never told we could change rooms if the room was bad (but that wouldn't have helped considering of the hotels were such low quality to begin with)
The company’s response to my
issue with the online Contiki review simply was untrueI had written a review
after my tour and given starsWhen I visited my review later as a guest of
the page it said my review gave starsWhen I log/ged in today as a former traveler it shows the stars I gave (while logged in as myself), again, different than what was shown to the publicNow when I
look under the reviews for Best of Europe my review is no where to be seen
We feel this company has unfairly represented this tour (Best of Europe, start Paris)I have a copy of the brochure I am happy to shareAt best the advertising is deceptiveWe do acknowledge we
received accommodations and a few activities, but the accommodations were not
as described in terms of a superior (the company's top level) tour and lack of actual included activities
Thanks for
your time We still would appreciate a
partial reimbursement since the tour was not as described
Sincerely,
Mrand Mrs*** ***

November 6th,
Revdex.com
Ref: *** - Best Of Europe Start Paris
Bkg: *** *** - *** x
Dear *** **,
*** ***'s correspondence regarding our Best of Europe tour was forwarded to our Guest Relations office in Geneva, Switzerland, where we
investigate and respond to all our guests' concerns regarding our European vacationsOur guests' feedback is a valuable resource to our company that allows us to continually improve the quality of the service we offer.
With regards to the accommodation at the Berlin Hotel and the Champagne Hotel in Rome, we do not guarantee that air conditioning will be provided at all of our partner hotels Should the guests not be satisfied with the room allocated to them, we encourage our guests to contact the Tour Manager or hotel staff at the time so that a solution may be found for our guest Nevertheless, we offer our apologies that they may have felt the rooms were not modern and comfortable on these occasions.
Concerning the value of our tour, we can confirm that we have delivered this product as advertised in our brochure, complete with accommodation, meals, a Tour Manager & Coach Driver, sightseeing of all major cities, metro pass and transfers, hotel tips, local taxes, service charges, plus itinerary inclusionsThe cost of the trip, contrary to the complaint filed with the Revdex.com, is not accommodation only We delivered a fully escorted trip throughout Europe
We have broken out the additional products within the trip price: $for people, $per person This price included:
" Flight from Prague to Rome - $per person internal airfare ($airfare and $air taxes)
" High speed train journey between Paris & Amsterdam
" Meals (breakfasts and three-course dinners)
" nights twin share hotel accommodation
" Hotel tips, local taxes & service charges
" Exclusive 'Paris by Night' sightseeing tour
" VIP tickets (skip the line) to the top of the Eiffel Tower
" Visit a French perfumery
" See canals & a windmill on a countryside bike tour in Edam
" Visit a cheese farm & clog maker's house
" Locally guided bike tour of Prague
" Special access Rome sightseeing coach tour
" Dedicated Trip manager and driver
" Modern, air-conditioned coach with electrical outlets for charging
We have also included a client itinerary for your records.
With regards to the Moulin Rouge optional activity, we have apologized for any frustration with regards to the dress code for the establishmentThe Moulin Rouge is a world famous cabaret experience, which is inherently a part of Parisian culture, and we were surprised to learn that they felt they were not informed of the proper attire before arrivalTheir Tour Manager *** *** has advised us that she expressed the importance of the dress code several times to the group, however we regret that there may have been a miscommunication in this instanceWe were pleased however that they were able to obtain appropriate clothing and attend the show.
Furthermore, occasionally we suggest that our guests make use of public transport as it is more economic for our guests, however, having said this, their Coach Driver, Raf, was readily available to pick up or drop off guests if they felt at all uncomfortable with public transport.
Please note reviews are not automatically updated on our tour pages and we never remove any reviews, they should be able to view recent reviews under the review page: www.contiki.com/reviews .
While we sincerely apologized for the inconvenience they have experienced Such situations are sometimes entirely beyond our control, and therefore, we regret that we cannot provide the compensation they have requestedHowever, we hope that they may one day consider affording us the opportunity to host once more, and we have enclosed in their letter a 5% Discount Voucher for both clients, which can be combined with their Frequent Traveler's Discount for a total of 10% savings on the land portion of a future tour with Contiki.
Thank you for giving us the opportunity to address this complaint.
Warm regards,
*** ***
US Customer Service

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below
I Reject Contiki' offer, but have accepted Liberty Travel, begrudginglyAt least they were willing to offer some sort of monetary refundAs well as talking to someone from corporate headquarters with a full apologyApparently no one else works at any Contiki headquarters.It is disappointing with the outcome of what was offeredI will never book a Contiki tour ever again after what I had experiencedThe tour manager, the TOUR MANAGER, from the very beginning said and I quote: "this is a BUDGET TRIP"Why would the TOUR MANAGER? Say that!!!! Contiki does not give a damn about the trips they offer, only collecting the money then offering what would amount to less then $off one of there "Fine" toursI can find %off coupons in the mail for things of that natureApparently Contiki only has one person working in there offices named "***"I want to talk to another manager/ceo/cfo/executive to find out why they state they are not budget tours, but your tour managers clearly state they areI have witnesses from my trip that are from different areas that all heard the same thing as we were all on the bus togetherThey will verify what I am saying to be true, along with the hotel rooms to be absolute slumsI have pictures of stained carpets, stained sheets, cracked/moldy/dirty tiles and bathroom areasThe same response to nearly every complaint on Revdex.com has been a %off, which I am SURE comes with every exclusion/blackout date/limitation/can not be combined/etc.It is truly pathetic that Contiki, who seems to be known for great experiences, offers a truly unexceptional customer service experience
Regards,
*** ***

We thank you for giving us an opportunity to address your client’s complaintAfter review, we know we delivered our product but it did not meet their expectations.Please know our Ireland trip is a Hotel trip not BudgetWe categorize through travel styles with example picture belowIreland is
one of our most favorable reviewed trips; we provided the service that was promised.Liberty has decided to give a refund for the unhappy accommodations and the client agreed that was a suitable responseAlso, we do value our past passengers, *** and ***, so we offered a 5% discount voucher to be combinable with their 5% past passenger discount

Dear [redacted], Guest feedback is a valuable resource to our company. Contiki has received a copy of your complaint filed with the Revdex.com.  It has been forwarded here to our Global Guest Relations team. We take travelers’ health and safety as a priority and all your feedback...

has also been sent to our European operations team. If you want to continue talking with us directly, please feel free to email us here at [email protected].  We appreciate the time you have taken to share your comments with us and are grateful for this opportunity to address the issues you have raised. We do want to start off by saying we deeply regret that you had this experience.  We do sympathize and acknowledge the frustration and stress from the multiple cleanings of your clothes and also the itchiness and discomfort from the bites.  You did purchase Travel Insurance which does provide coverage both for your personal items should they be stolen, lost, or damaged and also for your medical costs for issues that occur while on your trip.  We sent you a copy of the coverage which also lists the contact information (866-580-4871, Policy Number: [redacted]) so you can file a claim for reimbursement. The plan overview and FAQ can be viewed here:https://affinitytravelcert.com/document/pdfs/ctp_index.html If you need any additional details from Contiki while processing your insurance claim, please let us know as we would like to ensure that your requests gets processed as quickly as possible. Sincerely,Contiki Guest Relations

Hi [redacted],Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. This complaint is under review and will have a final response for you this week.Warm regards,[redacted]

November 26th, 2014
 
 
Revdex.com
Ref: 
[redacted] - Best Of Europe Start Paris
Bkg:  CHLAX
[redacted] x 1
 
 
Dear [redacted],
 
[redacted]’s second correspondence regarding our Best of Europe tour was forwarded to our
US Sales office to review. Again, our guests’ feedback is a valuable resource
to our company that allows us to continually improve the quality of the service
we offer.
 
With regards to the accommodation at the Berlin
Hotel and the Champagne Hotel in Rome, we do not guarantee that air
conditioning will be provided at all of our partner hotels.  Should the guests not be satisfied with the
room allocated to them, we encourage our guests to contact the Tour Manager or
hotel staff at the time so that a solution may be found for our guest.  On page 13 of our brochure we break down the
different ways of traveling with Contiki, including accommodations “Superior
Multi-Country Hotel Trips.”
 
Concerning the value of our tour, we can confirm
that we have delivered this product as advertised in our brochure, complete
with accommodation, 17 meals, a Tour Manager & Coach Driver, sightseeing of
all major cities, metro pass and transfers, hotel tips, local taxes, service
charges, plus itinerary inclusions. The cost of the trip, contrary to the
complaint filed with the Revdex.com, is not accommodation only.  We delivered a fully escorted trip throughout
Europe.
 
We have broken out the additional products within
the trip price:   $5390 for 2 people, $2695
per person.  This price included:
 
·        
Flight from Prague
to Rome - $205 per person internal airfare ($120 airfare and $85 air taxes)
·        
High speed train
journey between Paris & Amsterdam
·        
17 Meals (12
breakfasts and 5 three-course dinners)
·        
12 nights twin share
hotel accommodation
·        
Hotel tips, local
taxes & service charges
·        
Exclusive 'Paris by
Night' sightseeing tour
·        
VIP tickets (skip
the line) to the top of the Eiffel Tower
·        
Visit a French
perfumery
·        
See canals & a
windmill on a countryside bike tour in Edam
·        
Visit a cheese farm
& clog maker's house
·        
Locally guided bike
tour of Prague
·        
Special access Rome
sightseeing coach tour
·        
Dedicated Trip
manager and driver
·        
Modern,
air-conditioned coach with electrical outlets for charging
 
Brochure states our
inclusions including Me Time Optionals to be purchased additional to their trip
cost.
 
EXCLUSIVE INCLUSIONS
• Exclusive ‘Paris by Night’ tour
• Check out Paris from the top of the
Eiffel Tower
• 300km/h trip on a high speed train (start
Paris option)
• Explore windmills, canals & dijks
by bike
• Bike ride through Prague with our local
expert
• Special access Rome sightseeing tour
Plus all of the inclusions in the itinerary marked with (•)
ME TIME OPTIONS
M Parisian cabaret show
M Guided Vatican tour
 
Day 1: Arrive Paris
Check-in to your hotel & explore the stylish,
cosmopolitan city of Paris for the afternoon. Later meet up with your
Contiki team & fellow travelers
for dinner & evening
sightseeing. (D)
• See the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, the
Louvre, the Champs-Élysées & Notre Dame Cathedral
 
Days 2-3: Paris
Indulge in this sophisticated city for a couple of
days & find magic, romance & history. Day trip to the illustrious
Château Versailles & opt in for a cabaret show & dinner. (B)(B)
 • See
Château Versailles (entrance not included)
• Visit a French perfumery
 
On day 7 of our brochure under our M (Me time
optional) we feature local guide as an option.
 
Day 7: Berlin
Savor the mix of old & new in this
ever-changing city. You’ll find historical significance in everything from the
streets to the grand monuments. (B)
 • See the
site of Checkpoint [redacted]
M Locally guided historical tour
 
With regards to the Moulin Rouge optional activity,
we have apologized for any frustration with regards to the dress code for the
establishment. Their Tour Manager [redacted] has advised us that she
expressed the importance of the dress code several times to the group, however
we regret that there may have been a miscommunication in this instance. As a
gesture out of good, we will issue Ms. [redacted] a check in the amount of
$50.00 USD.
 
Furthermore, occasionally we suggest that our
guests make use of public transport as it is more economic for our guests,
however, having said this, their Coach Driver, [redacted] was readily available to
pick up or drop off guests if they felt at all uncomfortable with public
transport.
 
Please note reviews are not automatically updated
on our tour pages and we never remove any reviews, they should be able to view
recent reviews under the review page: www.contiki.com/reviews .
 
In regards to Mr. & Mrs. [redacted] paying
$6,346.94, we have attached an invoice to reflect a total payment of $5,390.00.
 
Thank you for giving us the opportunity to address
this complaint.
 
Warm regards,
 
 
[redacted]
US Customer Service
1 x $50.00 USD check

Review: I went through the process of booking a Contiki tour online, using the company's online booking engine. After selecting my desired trip and dates, I added promotional codes advertised on their website - reducing the price of the trip. Based on this quoted price, I determined that I was able and willing to purchase and continued to the payment screen. I was required to pay a $400 non-refundable deposit up front, based on a total trip price of $3,262.51. My payment was processed with no error and I received a confirmation e-mail. A couple days later, I was contacted by Contiki and told that the price of my trip had increased to $3,588.75, even though I had already paid the non-refundable deposit. I feel like this is a blatant bait-and-switch advertising tactic, where customers are incorrectly and knowingly quoted lower prices, only to be told after making their first payment that the price is higher than originally stated.Desired Settlement: I ask that Contiki honor the original price of $3,262.51 that I was provided with when I made a $400 deposit. I feel that it is dishonest business to later charge a customer a higher amount than the one they agreed to pay.

Business

Response:

February 14th, 2014

To the

We would like to address Ms. [redacted]’s dispute with Contiki Holidays and appreciate this opportunity to work with the Revdex.com to explain the situation from our perspective and to attempt to find a resolution.

Our reservations team contacted Ms. [redacted] within 24 hours with a customary courtesy call for her online reservation of our Simply Italy Tour. We have team members who specifically focus on quality control for online reservations following standard procedures. Ms. [redacted] attempted to apply promotions online including 15% off Make 2014 Amazing discount, 5% off Past Passenger discount and 5% Early Payment discount. In our terms and conditions it states ‘not combinable with other dollar or percentage off promotions.’ The Early Payment discount at this point was not a valid promotional offer and removed 1/28/14 which we advised the client. Ms. [redacted] then requested to speak with a manager.

The situation then escalated to our call center manager, [redacted], who provided a solution of honoring the 15% off Make 2014 Amazing promotion combinable with 5% off past passenger discount for Ms. [redacted] which she had declined. On 1/30/14 we honored Ms. [redacted] $350.00 off Travel Animal Discount to be combinable with 5% Past Passenger discount. We advised that we could not apply 15% off Make 2014 Amazing discount to be combinable with $350.00 off Travel Animal discount and 5% off Past Passenger discount which Ms. [redacted] has accepted.

We are sorry that Ms. [redacted] misunderstood our market promotions has terms and conditions. However, we feel that we have addressed this issue to the best of our ability and made a fair and adequate solution for Ms. [redacted].

Should there be any further questions, please feel free to contact [redacted] at ([redacted]) [redacted] or [redacted] .

Best,

Contiki US Customer Service

Review: I'm writing in regards to a trip my husband and I took for the Best Of Europe start Paris tour 27 Jul 2014 - 08 Aug 2014 (confirmation [redacted]) with Contiki . On this "superior level" tour- two of the 5 hotels that were part of the tour were UN-SLEEPABLE and not as advertised. Many of the activities listed on the brochure were not included--but actually "optional add-on" excursions that cost an extra $900-some.

The brochure gives false information as far as what the tour includes. Many of the activities that it says are included are in fact optional excursions and some listed activities never happened at all. For $500 a night there were days my husband and I literally just got a sub-par room (that goes for around $60 a night) and a subway pass.

The hotel in Berlin Tryp city East didn't have "real" beds (strange foam faux mattress) and there were stains all over the carpet and wall, and the worst part is we were unable to sleep due to the extreme heat and no AC. It was an extremely low quality hotel-not the SUPERIOR level tour as advertised. The hotel Champagne Palace, Rome was also so hot at night we literally couldn't sleep and had inferior quality.

The activities that the Contiki brochure and web site said were included that were not in reality included include: please see image of brochure page http://www.contiki.com/destinations/europe/tours/225-best-of-europe-start-paris<...⇄ />
First night--Brochure says we would see a bunch of things during exclusive sightseeing tour first night--but all were drive-bys with the exception of the Eiffel Tower see attached brochure page, day 1 .

In Berlin it says see the Tiergarten, Alexanderplatz, Russian War Memorial, Brandenberg Gate, and historic Reichstag building again, other than a drive-by, this was an optional Me time excursion everyone had to pay extra for to go on a tour of--not as described. Rome, see the Colosseum, Roman Forum-not included, paid for extra walking tour.Desired Settlement: This company misrepresented the tour. Items that were listed on the brochure were not included as part of the tour. The tour was listed as superior and included Un-SLEEPABLE "hotel" accommodations at $500 a night.

We think what would be fair is a partial refund (we paid over $6,000) of $3,000.

Thank you.

Business

Response:

November 6th, 2014

Revdex.com

Ref: [redacted] - Best Of Europe Start Paris

Bkg: [redacted] - [redacted] x 1

Dear [redacted],

[redacted]'s correspondence regarding our Best of Europe tour was forwarded to our Guest Relations office in Geneva, Switzerland, where we investigate and respond to all our guests' concerns regarding our European vacations. Our guests' feedback is a valuable resource to our company that allows us to continually improve the quality of the service we offer.

With regards to the accommodation at the Berlin Hotel and the Champagne Hotel in Rome, we do not guarantee that air conditioning will be provided at all of our partner hotels. Should the guests not be satisfied with the room allocated to them, we encourage our guests to contact the Tour Manager or hotel staff at the time so that a solution may be found for our guest. Nevertheless, we offer our apologies that they may have felt the rooms were not modern and comfortable on these occasions.

Concerning the value of our tour, we can confirm that we have delivered this product as advertised in our brochure, complete with accommodation, 17 meals, a Tour Manager & Coach Driver, sightseeing of all major cities, metro pass and transfers, hotel tips, local taxes, service charges, plus itinerary inclusions. The cost of the trip, contrary to the complaint filed with the Revdex.com, is not accommodation only. We delivered a fully escorted trip throughout Europe.

We have broken out the additional products within the trip price: $5390 for 2 people, $2695 per person. This price included:

" Flight from Prague to Rome - $205 per person internal airfare ($120 airfare and $85 air taxes)

" High speed train journey between Paris & Amsterdam

" 17 Meals (12 breakfasts and 5 three-course dinners)

" 12 nights twin share hotel accommodation

" Hotel tips, local taxes & service charges

" Exclusive 'Paris by Night' sightseeing tour

" VIP tickets (skip the line) to the top of the Eiffel Tower

" Visit a French perfumery

" See canals & a windmill on a countryside bike tour in Edam

" Visit a cheese farm & clog maker's house

" Locally guided bike tour of Prague

" Special access Rome sightseeing coach tour

" Dedicated Trip manager and driver

" Modern, air-conditioned coach with electrical outlets for charging

We have also included a client itinerary for your records.

With regards to the Moulin Rouge optional activity, we have apologized for any frustration with regards to the dress code for the establishment. The Moulin Rouge is a world famous cabaret experience, which is inherently a part of Parisian culture, and we were surprised to learn that they felt they were not informed of the proper attire before arrival. Their Tour Manager [redacted] has advised us that she expressed the importance of the dress code several times to the group, however we regret that there may have been a miscommunication in this instance. We were pleased however that they were able to obtain appropriate clothing and attend the show.

Furthermore, occasionally we suggest that our guests make use of public transport as it is more economic for our guests, however, having said this, their Coach Driver, Raf, was readily available to pick up or drop off guests if they felt at all uncomfortable with public transport.

Please note reviews are not automatically updated on our tour pages and we never remove any reviews, they should be able to view recent reviews under the review page: www.contiki.com/reviews .

While we sincerely apologized for the inconvenience they have experienced. Such situations are sometimes entirely beyond our control, and therefore, we regret that we cannot provide the compensation they have requested. However, we hope that they may one day consider affording us the opportunity to host once more, and we have enclosed in their letter a 5% Discount Voucher for both clients, which can be combined with their Frequent Traveler's Discount for a total of 10% savings on the land portion of a future tour with Contiki.

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to address this complaint.

Warm regards,

US Customer Service

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

Review: My phone was taken my an individual on a trip I was on with contiki. Are tour manage kept on telling the other people on my tour to keep passing my phone down from person to person. By the time I received my phone it was unable to preform anything it completely locked me out of the phone. This ended up having to pay 200 dollars for a replacement phone and a having to pay a bill of 133.00 dollars, while during this time I had no phone because of this issue. I had mentioned to the VP all of this and how I expected the money I had to spend in order to get a phone and pay the bill due to her employee's lack of ability to take things serious, instead the tour guide made things worse. This happened on the first part of the tour!

The second part of the tour I was butt grabbed by someone in my tour at the time this happened my tour guide was not around she was sick and went back to the hotel and see a doctor. So there was nothing see could do. This person that grabbed me also grabbed a locals behind and I got accused and got thrown out of the establishment we were in.Desired Settlement: I wish to be given a check for my replacement of my phone (200) and the bill to be paid during the time I didn't have a phone (133.00). So a check of a total of 333.00 dollars.

Business

Response:

Hi [redacted],