Complaint Review: TOURSFORFUN

Complaint of Toursforfun and okPapillon

Dear Sir/madam,

I’m writing to complain the travelling agent “Toursforfun” and the US local travelling company “okPapillon ”.

I have reserved the tickets to go to the Grand Canyon in Las Vegas on 20 June 2013 with my fiancee through the website of Toursforfun in April 2013. The reservation no is C-77036. The tickets are Grand Canyon Airplane, Boat, Helicopter Combination Tour with Skywalk西峽谷直升機及小船陸空探險之旅 07:54a B-Grand Voyager Expedition (GBW5). We have contacted “okPapillon ” to double confirm the event on 19 June night. In the morning of 20 June, we arrived the pick-up venue North Entrance of Paris Hotel at 6:15am. They said the shuttle bus will come to hotel at 6:24am but we haven’t seen the shuttle bus although we saw many shuttle buses going to the Grand Canyon there but not was belonged to “okPapillon ”.

I called “okPapillon ” the hotline (702)736-7243 at 6:31am, they told us to wait there. And I kept calling the emergency hotline 1(888)635-7272 at 6:34am , 6:36am, 6:47am(the phone record attached as attachment 1), they said the bus has already arrived at 6:30am but the driver didn’t see us. I said we kept staying there and haven’t been away for any moment. Therefore, I left my mobile no to them and told them to contact us to meet. The staff told us the bus will come again to pick us. I have already asked every driver of each shuttle arrived, but we still can’t find “okPapillon ” one and then I called again at 7:09am(Refer to Attachment 1).

The male staff told us that the flight was about to depart so it was hardly possible that we can catch the flight and thus joined the tour. We were shocked and disappointed in two ways. First, the company lacks responsibility in which the driver hadn’t tried his best to reach us when he/she didn’t see us. It’s their job to reach the missing tourists and ensure our safe. We didn’t think that the company had tried his/her best to cater to customers’ needs. Secondly, we felt dissatisfied that the company didn’t provide an effective way for us to ease the situation. It’s entirely absurd that the male staff of the company told us to give up the trip due to the departure of the flight until the third time of our telephone conversation. Instead, he should ask us to reach the airport during our first call. Feeling discontented, we believe that the company should keep an eye on their poor service provided to the customers and it’s a must for them to make immediate improvement in order to avoid similar cases from happening again.

And then I called toursforfun by (626)288-3667 at 7:21am(Attachment 2) and the customer officer Lena served me. She investigated our situation and said will help me to handle. We explained we only want to go to the Grand Canyon because we came to Las Vegas aims to go to the Canyon only, we don’t want to get any refund at that moment!!! And we just stayed in Las Vegas on 20-21 June and we will back to Hong Kong by the flight at 00:00 on 22 June. We hoped we can go to the Canyon again on 21 June.

We didn’t receive any phone reply and then we called 1(866)933-7368 at 4:12pm and the staff Lucia talked to. She said they already emailed to reply us but we can’t check email in the whole morning! She said Toursforfun has tried their best to contact with “okPapillon ”, “okPapillon ”said their shuttle has come to Paris Hotel three times in that morning but still can’t see us. So they will treat us as “No Show!” If rearrange us to participate the same event on 21 June, they need us to pay extra about 70% of the original price (about US$7XX). We refused to pay extra since we haven’t did wrong, we really waited at the right position and right time in the morning. And We have already immediately to ask for help from 6:30 to 7:20am but they can’t help us!!! And we haven’t need any extra benefit, just want to go the original event we have paid to go on the next day! We have already changed our own schedule to replace the event on 20 June.

And then Lucia asked me to wait for a moment. And then she replied us Toursforfun can arrange us to go the same event on 21 June without any extra payment after fighting for us with “okPapillon ”(Refer to Attachment 3, Page 3). She said they will send us a confirmation email about this offer and told us to reply accept or not asap. And then I received the email immediately and I replied as “Accept!” immediately! (Please check the attached email content, it can show they really promised us to this offer!)

After half an hour, another male staff Eric Wang called me. He told me the next day event on 21 June, I need to pay the extra 70% payment if we go the trip. He explained originally there were two participants want to cancel their trip without any refund. So Toursforfun planned to let us to replace their vacancies. However, these two participants didn’t cancel it and keep to go. So Toursforfun can’t offer us without extra payment. This story Lucia hasn’t told me before she promised us, even haven’t mentioned in the email you can refer. Eric just persuaded us to extra pay for them first!!!

We felt were cheated by them! We are extremely upset and disappointed about it!

1.      Why they didn’t do what they promised us to do?

2.      Lucia said this offer was the result of they work hard to fight for us with “okPapillon ”, however, Eric explained another story?? They are not consistent!

3.      Although the two participants didn’t cancel their trip, I really don’t agree that our arrangement is depended on their decision??!!! Because Toursforfun has promised us before, how can they use this ridiculous reason to reject us??

4.      Eric said there were vacancies in the trip on 21 June, but also need us to extra pay! I think Toursforfun is not UNABLE TO REAARANGE for us, they are NOT WILLING TO ARRANGE for us even they has responsibility to arrange it!!!

We still gave the last opportunity for them. We said we only want they rearranged us to go the same trip on 21 June without extra payment by reply us before 11pm on 20 June. Because we really want to go the Grand Canyon, we didn’t want to get refund actually!!! Moreover, I originally planned to propose the wedding for my fiancee at the Grand Canyon on 20 June! I’ve enquired with Toursforfun before about it through email.(Refer to Attachment 4) They destroyed our dream!!! No money can compensate!!!

However, they replied finally they can’t rearranged for us the same trip on 21 June without extra payment because of the reject of “okPapillon ”. And “okPapillon ” said we waited at the wrong place on that day, I was so upset that why they can so sure that we waited at wrong place because there’s no staff at the phone asked us our place!!! We do think that Toursforfun has their responsibility to arrange for us! Why always excuse of the explanation of “okPapillon ”??

On the Hong Kong time 6^th July 2013 morning, I received an IDD phone call from the staff Eric Wang from “Toursforfun”. He explained we should phone to them in the morning of 20^th June, not should phone to “okPapillon ”. However, the instruction in the confirmation email asked us to phone to “okPapillon ” emergency hotline we dialed in the time before 9am when any problem occurred on that time.(Refer to Attachment 3, Page 1) Many things are not consistent! They always tell many lies to cover another lies!!! He tried to settle this complaint by paying us only 25% of the whole fee. I rejected it immediately because we don’t think it’s our false and we should get back what we paid and haven’t got anything!

So we are now writing to complain these two companies! We want to get the full refund of the amount US$ 1,010 we have paid in April through my credit card!

We have the phone contacted record on 20 June and all the email contacted.

We look forward to receiving your reply asap and I really hope your council can really help us to get back what we should have.

Thanks a lot.

Yours faithfully,

Daniel Fung