This is a letter of complaint against the travel company South America. Travel.
We are a family of five living in Johannesburg, South Africa.in October we started planning a family holiday (for 5 people) to Peru with SouthAmerica. Travel. The consultant we communicated with was Ms Vera Wentzel. The first step in order to secure the bookings was to pay for all of the international flights. The full amount of USD 11 108.05 was paid to their account on the 4th November.
The finalized itinerary was faxed through to us on the 31 October.
The quote for the tour was faxed through on the 8 November and the amount quoted for the land tour was USD 26 142.00
A deposit of USD 3000.00 was paid on the 9 November and a final payment of USD 21 842.00 was paid on the 13 December.
The tour dates for the holiday was 14 January to 1 February.
One week before we were due to leave (on a Friday night, the 6 January) I received an email from Ms Vera Wentzel stating that the cost of our tour was under-estimated and that an approximate further amount of USD 7000.00 was required.
We were shocked and appalled by this news at the ‘eleventh hour’ and felt extremely insecure about a holiday that was paid in full and that we even went over budget for because SouthAmerica. Travel had promised us a trip of a lifetime. The next morning (Saturday) Ms Wentzel called me to apologise, saying that it was a mistake on their computer system, which had not charged for two hotels. She said that her boss had only come into the office the previous week when he discovered the mistake and would only be available to sort out the issue with us on Monday.
On Monday afternoon (5 days before departure) my father received a call from her boss. He stated emphatically that his company would under no circumstances ‘run at a loss’ and that we simply ‘had to pay the extra amount’, the implication being that they would not honor the tour. It was simply not negotiable.
Knowing how unfair and unreasonable this was, we stated that we would not pay anything more than the quoted amount that was agreed to on the invoice. He was not open to discussing the matter any further and stated repeatedly that they would not run at a loss. He never qualified what exactly he meant by that and hung up the call a few times that afternoon.
Our interpretation of his attitude and treatment was tantamount to extortion. For us, it was already an extremely expensive tour that we went way over budget for, yet had still paid in full. And 5 days before we were due to leave, with all our plans having been made and a trip that was paid in full, it seemed that both our money and our holiday was in serious jeopardy.
About half an hour later, we received a call from Mr Bradley Nehring who assumed the role of a negotiator. He wanted to settle the issue claiming that they had indeed made a mistake but that they needed us to pay the extra amount. Fearing that everything was now at risk, we agreed to pay 50% of the extra amount they were claiming, which was USD 3700.00, to which, Mr Nehring happily agreed. This was paid on the 10 January. Mr Nehring gave us his personal assurance that there would be no further problems and that the itinerary would be followed to the letter.
We departed from Johannesburg on the 14 January and arrived that evening in Sao Paolo, Brazil. Here were due to take flight 029 to Lima, Peru with TACA airlines. We arrived at the TACA counter where they told us that there was no record of us being booked on the flight. Their office confirmed this. However, our itinerary clearly stated that exact flight time and number and even stated pre-booked seats.
We called SouthAmerica. Travel immediately. We were told that Ms Wentzel was not in but that another representative would help us. We informed her of our predicament and also that the flight was due to leave within the hour. We gave her the number of the Taca office at the airport where she could call to sort out the problem. However, we never received a call back from SouthAmerica. Travel.
Now being stranded in Sao Paulo, with no assistance from our travel company and knowing that our entire trip was yet again at risk, we knew that we had to board the flight to Lima (due to leave in 20 minutes) in order to make good of the itinerary as we were supposed to fly to the Amazon the very next morning. So we were essentially forced to purchase new airline tickets, which TACA informed us had to be return tickets according to the law, for the exorbitant and non-negotiable price of 12 124.00 Rials or 55 677.45 Rands.
This obviously drained us of our credit card reserve right at the beginning of the holiday and left us with very little faith. This not only added insult to injury despite Mr Nehring’s assurance, but made us feel extremely insecure and worried. This was supposed to be a holiday of a lifetime but seemed to be turning into a nightmare.
The morning after we arrived at the lodge in the Amazon, we received a letter from SouthAmerica. Travel, which acknowledged their mistake and asked for the receipt of the flights so that they could organize a refund. We forwarded all the documentation immediately to them on the 16 January.
This amount to date (14 March) has still not been refunded despite ongoing pleas and correspondence with SouthAmerica. Travel.
We encountered further problems on the holiday that deserves mention. Our itinerary included Machu Picchu by First Class Train, however we travelled on the regular class, despite paying first class rates.
After Machu Picchu, our itinerary stated that we would travel from Cusco to Puno (Lake Titticacca) on board the luxury Orient Express. This is a luxury 11-hour train journey, which promised scenic panoramic views of the Andean Mountain range and a first class wining and dining experience. While in Machu Picchu (2 days before we were due to board the train) our tour guide informed us that there was yet another mistake and that the train does not operate at all on a Sunday. It was and still is unfathomable to us how a tour company can ‘book’ and quote things on an itinerary that simply doesn’t even exist. We had no booking for the TACA flight to Lima and now no booking on the Orient Express, which doesn’t even operate on the day we were supposed to board it according to our itinerary. However, we paid for these tickets.
They offered us the option of a mini-bus ride or a flight to Puno instead as well as lunch and dinner to make up for the loss. We chose the flight option with great disappointment. We were not offered any lunch and the dinner that they gave us that evening in Puno was appalling to say the least. We would have been far better off making our own dinner arrangements.
This was supposed to be a holiday of a lifetime that turned into a nightmare. Not only did we spend a fortune unnecessarily, but we also suffered great disappointment, distress and anxiety on many occasions as stated above. SouthAmerica. Travel have conducted their business with us extremely poorly and unethically.
We have delayed writing this letter in the hope that they would partially redeem themselves by at least refunding our extra flight costs. However, almost 3 months later they still have not.
We sincerely hope that no other person has to endure a similar experience and would like to warn all travelers and South Africans against using this company.
The Singh Family
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