So disappointed!
So disappointed!
I’m extremely disappointed with my experience with this tour company. I was due to join one of their day trips and arrived approximately 12 minutes late due to circumstances outside of my control. Importantly, I was in constant communication with the representative on the coach throughout the delay. I had informed them that I was on my way and was travelling by bus to the pickup point. At 7:40am, I told them I would be there within the next seven minutes. I arrived at the designated pickup point at approximately 2 minutes later at 7:42am instead and immediately messaged to say that I was there.
I was then told where the next pickup was and to make my own way there (Notting Hill), the coach was leaving. Unfortunately, as I arrived (7:42am) at the original Ilford pick up point, I could see the coach and waved to the driver while I was crossing towards it, but the driver drove away. I was only moments away from boarding. What makes this particularly disappointing is that the representative knew I was on my way and knew that I was almost there. In these circumstances, I feel the coach could reasonably have waited another minute or so to allow me to board, particularly given the ongoing communication.
I have actually used this company before. I went on their Durdle Door trip approximately a year ago with two kids, and on that occasion the departure was delayed by more than 30 minutes beyond the scheduled departure time. I therefore find it difficult to understand why, on this occasion, there was no flexibility to wait even another minute when the representative was in direct communication with me and knew I was arriving.
As a result, I lost an entire day trip that I had been looking forward to and £49 that I had paid for the trip. The £49 is non-refundable under the company's stated policy. I appreciate that the company has a policy stating that payments are non-refundable, and I understand that such terms may be part of the booking conditions. However, a blanket non-refundable policy does not necessarily make every customer experience feel fair, particularly where a customer has been in constant communication with the company's representative and has physically arrived at the pickup point only moments after the coach has departed.
I have known of this company for over a year and have watched it grow and establish a much stronger online presence as their customer base has grown. That is precisely why this experience has been so disappointing. I expected a company that has grown its reputation and customer base to show a little more understanding and flexibility in circumstances such as these.
£49 may not seem like a huge amount to some people, but only I know how much effort it took me to save that money for a day out that I had genuinely been looking forward to. Losing both the money and the opportunity to enjoy the trip was extremely upsetting. I am not writing this review because I expected special treatment. I simply believe that, given the circumstances, a little understanding and a further minute of patience could have avoided the entire situation. I hope the company takes this feedback seriously and considers whether its approach to situations like this could be handled with greater discretion and customer care in the future.