Gate 1 Travel

Terrible experience. CSR lie to sell a trip and it's allowed. I never received such terrible service in my life and lost out on so much money. I advise to go elsewhere because this is just not what you want to experience when trying to experience a trip. I left alone in a country I did not know and they kept all of my money. It was pure cruelty.

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the responseIf no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered] Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because:Clearly we are at a moot pointAfter hitting purchase, the price was raised beyond what was advertisedAfter purchasing at the elevated price, it was discovered the original package was not entirely delivered as advertisedThe invoice was deleted online after cancelling and I have provided all documentation on my endThere has been no documentation on Gate 1's side to show that it was indeed present upon delivery, and at this point would be also a moot point since if it was there it probably would have been furnished previously to justify their claimThere was no immediate action to provide myself or travel partner with any sort of assistance or refund until after several calls/elevationWhile this offer after the fact was very much appreciated, it still does not rectify the fact that this was not as deliveredI would appreciate the Revdex.com to advise where to go from here Regards, [redacted] [redacted]

Re: Gate Reservation [redacted] / [redacted] Upon review we found that indeed there was a delay in boarding the train The [redacted] did however board and depart as scheduled The train was reportedly high speed rail with only one stop in the town of Zaraogoza for the purpose of disembarking passengers The [redacted] did not have to disembark until they arrived at their destination The [redacted] received all services purchased and therefore we find no basis for refund of their tour However we do appreciate the confusion the [redacted] experienced at the rail station prior to embarking the train, and in respect for that issue are prepared to offer them $per person credit which may be applied towards any Gate escorted or cruise program purchased Upon written receipt of their agreement, the credits will be placed into their account They may be used at any time with no expiration date Respectfully, Ilene P [redacted] Senior Vice President

Thank you for your request for information in regard to the above referenced claim Ms [redacted] was booked to travel by her traveling companion on November 3, 2015, for a tour departing on January 29, All tour costs were paid by her traveling companion The traveling companion did travel to Peru and participated in the program When we were advised that only one passenger of the reservation showed up, we called Ms [redacted] on January to learn whether there was an issue, if perhaps she was ill, stuck in traffic, and/or whether she intended to join the tour She advised us that she was unable to depart her hometown due to severe weather, and demanded a refund for her portion of the tour It should be noted that on the day of the scheduled departure, January 29, all airports were open and all flights were operating We explained that a refund was not possible, based upon our cancelation terms In the case of a true emergency preventing travel, typically a travel protection policy covers the financial loss However, to our knowledge, no policy was purchased in this case All Gate Terms and Conditions including cancelation policy are necessarily agreed to by the passenger who reserves the program prior to making the reservation, in this case Ms [redacted] ’ traveling companion I regret that we are unable to provide Ms [redacted] with the requested refund Our policies are strictly dictated by pre-negotiated agreements with airlines, hotels and all suppliers Please advise if you have any additional questions Respectfully, Ilene P [redacted] Senior Vice President

Re: Gate Reservation [redacted] Thank you for your request for information in regard to the above-referenced claim.Typically when a client makes and pays for a reservation, and subsequently a promotion is released for the same product, we do not refund the difference But we do offer the client the amount of the difference in a future travel credit This was apparently not done in this case.We have remedied the issue and applied the $to [redacted] account for a future travel program I apologize for the service lapse and trust we will soon see [redacted] on another Gate escorted tour or cruise program.Respectfully,Ilene P***Senior Vice President

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the responseIf no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved] Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because: Regards, [redacted] To Whom It May ConcernDespite the Gate said that it is a minutes visit the school, but they should push the consumers to get gifts for the schoolAs it is not the charity tourTo me, I have no more energy to continue this argument with Gate TravelGate Travel should know their part of business for sightseeing tour, but not to push the consumers involve for the charity actNow I'm oversea to deal with the lose of my mom, I have no extra energy to flight with Gate TourI hope from now on Gate Tour should know their position of the main goal for sightseeing tour for the consumers, but not to push and waste the consumer's time and money for charityIf Gate Travel feel that charity is their goal, they shold donate money and spend time with the school directly but not use the consumer to reach the charity goal.Thanks for your attention! [redacted] ***

Re: Gate Reservation [redacted] /***Thank you for your request for information in regard to the above-referenced claim Upon review of the reservation history, [redacted] was advised at the time of cancellation that the fees would be applicable towards travel within one year from the original travel date, and that she would need to speak with a Reservations SupervisorAlthough ** [redacted] called the reservations department, she never asked to speak with a supervisor as she had been instructedPlease advise her to contact a supervisor at ###-###-#### and they will help ** [redacted] with a new reservation Sincerely, Ilene P [redacted] Senior Vice President

The airline will not entertain any further credit or refund Deducting our real costs on this reservation, we can furnish a maximum of $ Please advise if the Venturas are willing to accept this amount as full settlement Thank you & best regards,Ilene P***

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the responseIf no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered] Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because:the provider is being unreasonableI have previously stated my fiancé was not able to obtain a passport and we will therefore not be able to use the airline ticketsI notified them well in advance and became unresponsive to their calls because their customer service agents were rude and offensiveI didn't appreciate their comment that "even if you had cancer we wouldn't be able to give you a refund"At this point, we are unable to take a honeymoon and I believe we deserve a refundTheir stringent policies should be more accommodating for people in situations that prevent them from traveling (I.e cancer, not able to obtain valid passport, etc.).I will not be traveling this weekend and I would like a refund since we did not use their services Regards, Jessica B***

Thank you for your request for information in regard to the above-referenced claims As the claimants are all of the same Gate reservation and traveled together, I will reply as a unit The relative Gate reservation number and passenger names are [redacted] / [redacted] / [redacted] / [redacted] Below please find our full November response to the claimants, answering each of their issues We have offered compensation where we believe it was warranted and explanations where required I believe that our response has been full and accurate, however if any of these clients wish fuller explanation on any particular topic it would be our pleasure to research where needed and revert with our answer Respectfully, Ilene P [redacted] Senior Vice President Gate Travel Nov 201411:22:From: "Christine S [redacted] " [redacted] @gate1travel.comTo: " [redacted] " [redacted] Subject: Reservation Numbers [redacted] / [redacted] / [redacted] / [redacted] / [redacted] / [redacted] / [redacted] Friday, November 21, 11:AMDear [redacted] and all Group Members,First of all thank you very much for your patience while we reviewed your concerns about your recent Discovery tour to Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa.We regret if any portion of your time traveling with us did not fully meet your expectationsThis is certainly never our intentionWe do appreciate that you have taken the time share your comments with us and given us an opportunity to research these issues for youThis particular Discovery program does not include a tour managerWe do try to give as much detail as possible in the tour package highlightsThis package included the services of various English-speaking hosts and guides throughout, but no tour managerI regret any misunderstandingAfter my contact with some of the group members while you were traveling, we decided to add a manager and made arrangements for Tessa to join the group as soon as feasibleOnce Tessa joined the group I believe the overall experienced improved.With regard to whale watching, I am advised that it is not required to pre book this excursion There are apparently many options available and at different times throughout the dayWhen asked, Tessa advised that due to the limited amount of time and because October is the end of whale watching season, and the tours are weather and ocean condition dependent, not to book the excursionAdditionally Hermanus is approximately a two hour drive from Cape Town, and therefore an entire day would have been requiredFlight itineraries only include whether or not a stop is included, not where that stop might beI can understand your apprehensions at learning that the stop was in West Africa, however not all countries in West Africa have been affected by EbolaSenegal is not within the affected region (Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone) [redacted] takes guidance from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) as well as the World Health Organization (WHO), and have advised that they will continue to stop in Dakar until or unless they are advised that it is unsafeWith regard to your unanswered questions prior to departure, if you will please advise the dates of those issues, I will review our telephone recordsThe reservation process is several months long with numerous phone calls, and therefore those details would be necessary in order to research these concernsRegarding your delay at the Victoria Falls Airport, I am advised that the cause was the arrival of two flights at the same timeThe South African Airline flight that usually arrives before the British Airways flight, was delayed thereby causing both flights to arrive simultaneously, and causing delay for all of the passengers Although you arrived later than expected to the lodge, we are pleased to know that the David Livingston lecture was able to be rescheduled and all of the included services were providedI’ve itemized below each of your concerns regarding the [redacted] Lodge, and the hotel’s management’s responses.1) In regard to the claim that T.GMumba did not have good customer service skills, they are confused as they have no staff member with that nameNever-the-less, they will review their greeting and customer services.2) Regarding inaccuracies given by the front desk personnel, including the availability of blankets on safari, they have addressed the issues with their guest relations staff, who acknowledged that blankets were not provided as the weather conditions did not require them.3) Regarding the [redacted] and [redacted] party having booked a triple room, but given two rooms far from one another, apparently the guests after raising the issue with the hotel staff, were accommodated with a cot in one of the roomsThe lodge sincerely believed that providing two rooms was an offer of superior service, however they were pleased to provide the triple room as requested4) With regard to the inoperable ladies room lock, as all rooms, locks and services are checked prior to guests arrival, it is concluded that this must have occurred during the stay.5) As for meals, the executive chef has taken note of your comments, and believes that there are sufficient variations on the buffets and its presentationI understand that the lines to the breakfast fryer and dinner roastary were occasionally long, due to only one attendant chef at each 6) As for the forgotten wake up service, upon further investigation it appears the phone volume control had been silenced, perhaps by previous guestsThe hotel management apologizes for this.For the above inconveniences, the hotel wishes to provide a refund equivalent to one nights stay, $per room, for each of the group reservations, plus $per person for reservation [redacted] as compensation for their undercooked meal.As for the lack of triple accommodations (reservation [redacted] ) in Capetown, the hotel claims they had no knowledge of this requestHad they known, they would have surely and immediately made the necessary changes We regret your disappointment with the Namibian Village excursion, and wish to offer a full refund for each reservation in the amount of $per personWe are very pleased to read that overall the group enjoyed their stay at the [redacted] ***, and that you received exemplary serviceThe management kindly shared with with us the evaluations received from the group members, and we are pleased to relate that their facility received very high ratingsAs a few issues were mentioned we have contacted the hotels management for their review.The suggestion of fans is now being investigated further for implementation for the new seasonThe scorpion and mouse in the guide’s room has been personally looked into by the lodge manager No previous groups had reported any similar issuesHowever as this is an authentic lodge in the bush, mice are certainly in the surroundingsTaking the feedback of the guests very seriously, they have flown rodent specialist to the lodge to ensure the avoidance of a bigger problem and also to inspect any possible way to avoid any mice making it into the camp/lodge.With regards to the drinks not being cool enough, it seems that the bar/fridge was brokenThe lodge manager made an alternative plan to use a gas freezerNo feedback was given to the guide on the drinks not being cool enoughFollowing our feedback he made the assumption that the gas freezer was not cooling fast enough.Again, the lodge owner and team are grateful for the feedback, mostly positiveIn conclusion, we believe that some issues do warrant compensation as noted aboveWe think that providing Tessa to act as your tour manager and adding some enhancements such as a private boat safari and enhanced wine tasting, helped to make your tour more pleasurableI was personally in contact with several tour members via e-mail It seemed to be the most efficient method of communication, in consideration of the time differencesI assure you that MrD [redacted] alerted us immediately regarding your concerns, and we responded in kind.As we wish that no client is disappointed in any of our services, and look forward to another opportunity to have you travel with us again, we ask all the group members to kindly accept our additional goodwill gesture of $per person future travel credit, valid for any guided tour, escorted tour or river cruise until December 31, 2016.Upon receipt of each passengers written agreement, our accounting department will immediately refund $for each room at that [redacted] Lodge, $per person for the Namibia Village excursion and have the $per person travel credit added to each applicable reservation.Should you have any remaining questions please do not hesitate to contact me.Kind regards,Christine S [redacted] Vice President, Customer service Ilene P***Senior Vice Presidentip***@gate1travel.comph: ###-###-####, Ext ***fx: ###-###-####GATE 1More of The World For Less!Become a fan: www[redacted] .com/gate1travelFollow us: www[redacted] .com/gate1travel

Re: Gate Reservation # [redacted] / [redacted] Thank you for your request for information in regard to the above referenced claim Upon review, we provided the full sightseeing itinerary per the posted information on our website and that was provided to [redacted] prior to finalizing her reservation It so happened that the day that was allocated for a brief (under minutes) visit to the school, it was a national holiday and therefore the school was closed I can assure you that no scheduled activities were omitted from the itinerary, and therefore we do not find that any compensation is in order Please advise if we can provide any further information or clarification Thank you & kind regards, Ilene P***

I am unable to find this individual in our reservation system Can you please ask them to provide the exact names of the passengers and the Gate reservation number? Thank you & best regards, [redacted]

Re: Gate Reservation [redacted] / [redacted] Thank you for your request for information regarding the above referenced claim Upon review of this booking history, the airfare can be removed per the client’s request, resulting in a $reduction The promotion of $would still be applicableWe are awaiting a reply from the passengers to advise us how to proceed Respectfully, Ilene P [redacted] Senior Vice President

Re: Gate Reservation [redacted] / [redacted] ’s comments have been noted We will not be able to offer her the trip at the price she requestsIlene P***

Gate Reservation [redacted] Thank you for your request for information in regard to the above referenced reservation Based upon the complaint, had these passengers purchased a travel insurance policy, they would have been covered for their losses The policy we offer all passengers covers common carrier delays resulting from inclement weather, mechanical breakdown or organized labor strikes that affect public transportation Never-the-less and as a goodwill gesture, we have reached out to vendors for leniency and can offer refunds of $ This represents their full airfare plus a significant portion of their land costs Respectfully, Ilene P [redacted] Senior Vice President Gate Travel

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response If you wish, you may update it before sending it.] Revdex.com: I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] , and find that this resolution is satisfactory to meThank you so much for your interventions, which I believe went a long way towards settling this dispute Regards, [redacted] [redacted]

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response If you wish, you may update it before sending it.] Revdex.com: I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] , and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me Regards, [redacted]

It can take several days to two weeks to process refunds. The checks ($100 each to [redacted] and [redacted] ) have been issued and will be mailed no later than Monday December 21. Thank you

Dear Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me I have contacted the merchant and the changes and refunds have taken effect as of this afternoon.
I greatly appreciate your assistance in opening lines of communication with the merchantPlease let me know if you have any questions or need any follinformation.
Regards,
*** ***

To Whom this may concern,Re: Gate reservation ***/***Thank you for your request for information in regard to the above referenced reservation.*** *** made this reservation directly online on behalf of herself and *** on September 17, 2015. At that time
some of the requested ground services were not available, and therefore the instant purchase airfare could not be issued. This is a safeguard that Gate has in place to protect customers from purchasing a non-refundable airfare when one or more of the land services are unavailable. The invoice that *** *** received did state that clearly.The ground services were confirmed to Gate on September 21, and *** *** received a revised invoice to that effect. *** *** phoned our office and spoke with an agent who confirmed all the above and they discussed adding airfare, which was now available, but at a higher price.A supervisor explained it all to the customer who agreed, but was still upset at having to pay more for the airfare. Gate did nothing incorrect. It is unfortunate that the airfare will cost them more, but again as stated above, it is better than having paid in full for airfare which potentially could not have been utilized if land services had not been confirmed.Respectfully,Ilene P***Senior Vice President