Disasterous tour of South Africa/Zimbabwe
I booked a package holiday with Travel Experts that included travel to South Africa and Zimbabwe, and it turned out to be one of the worst travel experiences I have ever had.
The South Africa portion of the trip was delivered, although there were changes to the itinerary and some of the hotels provided were of a lower standard than the accommodation that had originally been booked. The much more serious issue arose when the Zimbabwe portion of the holiday was not provided. We were informed that there had been problems involving the South African travel supplier through whom the arrangements had been made, and that the Zimbabwe arrangements could not be fulfilled.
Throughout this ordeal, I found the tour operators, both husband and wife, to be rude and dismissive whenever concerns were raised. At a time when customers were in a very difficult and stressful situation, I felt that our worries and the impact the situation was having on us were not treated with the seriousness or empathy that I expected.
What happened next was extremely distressing. We were given downgraded accommodation for only two nights and then informed that no further accommodation had been arranged. We were left to sort out our own onward or return travel and make our own arrangements. Some members of the group were not familiar with booking flights and accommodation online, which made the situation even more overwhelming.
I had to arrange the money myself to book a return flight and organise transport to the airport. What I found most distressing was that customers were left to sort these matters out on their own, regardless of whether they had immediate access to the funds needed for flights, accommodation, or other essential travel arrangements. Travelling alone in an unfamiliar place was frightening, and I felt unsafe during the taxi journey back to the airport, with a driver I did not know. Thankfully, I eventually arrived home safely.
I was particularly concerned when the tour operators clearly stated that they did not have any insurance, travel indemnity cover, or other financial protection in place to protect customers in the event of this type of situation. As a result, despite customers having paid for a package holiday, there was no apparent provision to reimburse travellers or provide alternative arrangements when the Zimbabwe portion of the trip could not go ahead. This left customers in an extremely vulnerable position, having to find their own solutions at short notice.
It has now been nearly seven months since returning home, during which time I have been attempting to recover the money for the part of the holiday that was not provided, along with the losses I incurred. Despite this, the matter remains unresolved, and Travel Experts have still not provided any specific date by which they intend to repay the money owed.
Therefore. I would strongly, strongly, strongly advise anyone considering booking or travelling with Travel Experts to think very carefully before making any arrangements because if the holiday cannot be delivered as promised, you should be prepared for the possibility that you may have to take legal action to recover your money, rather than receiving a voluntary refund from the company.
Before booking, I would recommend checking directly with Travel Experts Limited whether they hold appropriate travel indemnity insurance, professional liability insurance, or any other financial protection cover that would protect customers in the event that the company is unable to fulfil the holiday arrangements.
However, based on my personal experience, the handling of this situation fell far below what I expected from a company selling a package holiday. I would not book with Travel Experts again.
Antwort von The Travel Experts
Dear Mrs Ramzan,
We are disappointed to read your review, as we do not believe it presents a fair or accurate account of the circumstances surrounding our South Africa and Zimbabwe tour.
Whilst we acknowledge the unfortunate circumstances that affected the Zimbabwe extension, we must respectfully disagree with several statements made in your review, particularly those concerning the assistance provided to clients and the considerable efforts undertaken by our company to manage an extremely difficult and unforeseen situation.
We wish to reiterate that the South Africa tour was substantially completed, despite certain necessary changes to the itinerary. The Zimbabwe extension was affected by the failure of our overseas supplier, a matter which we continue to pursue actively in an effort to achieve a satisfactory resolution for all concerned.
We do not consider a public review platform the appropriate forum to discuss the full circumstances or address individual allegations, particularly while efforts to resolve the outstanding matters remain ongoing.
In view of this, we would respectfully request that you consider temporarily removing your review until the situation has been resolved, as we believe it does not reflect the complete facts or the substantial steps taken by our company to assist those affected.
Please be assured that we remain fully committed to working towards a fair resolution. Should you require any further clarification regarding the actions taken to date, you are welcome to contact us directly.
Kind regards,
The Travel Experts Ltd