Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  01/13/2025

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I booked an ********************* Cart tour through Viator on 12/17/24 for 12/28/24, priced at $200 for my family of 3. The tour was advertised as a private experience.Issues: 1. Last-Minute Time Change: On the day of the tour, the time was changed through the Viator platform at 9:58 AM, with a notice of Updated time /// 12 PM /// combine. I was notified by phone at 10:03 AM. My family had already traveled by taxi and settled near the 11 AM meeting point. The operator falsely cited rain as the reason; however, weather data for 12/28/24 shows that between 6 AM and 12 PM, the temperature ranged from 75 to 81F with partly sunny conditions. The actual reason was to combine tours.2. Delayed Start: Despite arriving promptly for the rescheduled 12 PM time, the tour did not begin until 12:20 PM due to waiting for other passengers who were unresponsive to calls. 3. Tour Interruption: During the tour, the guide received instructions to pick up the late passengers, whose tour was originally scheduled for 1 PM and had been merged into ours. This required rerouting through heavy traffic, caused further delays, and undermined the private tour experience. 4. Unprofessional Conduct: When I requested a refund, San Juan Scene Hopper stated that a refund could only be issued if I left a positive review - explicitly against Viators policy.5. Private Tour Misrepresentation: Advertised as a private, 1 hour 10-minute tour, it was instead a combined experience far exceeding the expected duration. 6. Impact on My Family: We spent an additional 2.5 hours waiting for delays and a mid-tour pickup of other passengers, with our experience lasting 3x the advertised duration. The disruptions stressed our family, disrupted my childs nap schedule, and rushed the tour itself, compromising the overall experience. I have continued to escalate this matter to ****** and the partial refund of $44 is insufficient and does not address the Viator policy violations or misrepresentation.

  Business response

  01/14/2025

  Good day.  San juan scene hopper goes great leghts to satisfy every single customer as shown on out trip advisor reviews, but sometimes its impossible. The customer was advised of the changes and she was totally ok with it.  She did the trip with her family, and she sat through the whole duration of the tour also stating the ******, her driver did an excellent job. 
  1. customer showed up for her tour
  2. customer participated through the duration of the tour
  3. while the tour was happening, she did not  raise any complaints or concerns
   ****** has a very strict 24 hour cancellation policy. Taking all of the above into consideration, customer is not entitled to any refunds. 
  
  Further, to clarify the word private as advertised on our booking page, it states very clearly that private means no street walkings allowed  meaning, noone can flag us down and sit in the cars.    (See attachments)

  Customer response

  02/02/2025

   
  Complaint: 22785232
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  Rescheduling and Late Notification:
  I was verbally notified of the rescheduled tour less than an hour before the original tour was set to begin. I immediately rejected this rescheduling in a verbal conversation, as I was told the tour delay was due to weather, even though there was no rain at the time. I was informed that I had no other option but to wait for the delayed start time, which I found unacceptable. Additionally, your response references ******'s 24-hour cancellation policy, but this policy should not apply in this case, as the tour was rescheduled less than an hour before the original start time, and I was explicitly told that I did not have the option to cancel. I was very vocal about my disappointment both during the tour and immediately after, seeking a resolution directly with your team.

  
  Mid-Tour Pickup and Delay:
  The further delayed start to wait for and later mid-tour pickup of additional passengers during the tour, which added several additional hours of delays, was done against my will. This forced disruption wasted valuable time for my family. While I was polite to the tour guide, ******, I was very vocal about my dissatisfaction with this operational decision. ****** herself even encouraged me to seek retribution from San Juan Scene Hopper for these operational mishaps, which further emphasized how disruptive the situation was.

  
  Misleading Advertising Regarding "Private" Tour:
  The term "private" as advertised on your booking page explicitly states that only my group would participate in the tour, as per the information I captured in my original screenshot of the tour information private tour and length (reattached here). The attempt to redefine "private" in your response, does not address the fact that the tour was not private in the way it was clearly advertised. The practice of adding passengers mid-tour contradicts your promise of a private experience and reflects poorly on your operations.

  
  Taking all of this into consideration, I feel that the service I received was not in line with the advertised tour and the customer experience I was promised. I request a refund due to the multiple issues that occurred during the tour, and I am not satisfied with the response.
  Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to a prompt and satisfactory resolution.

  Sincerely,
  
  ******* ********

  Business response

  02/19/2025

  We adamantly refuse to give any sort of refund.  The customer sat through the full tour, and did not raise any concerns to management while the tour was going, had she done so, the outcome would have been different.  As far as we understand, we consider this matter closed.

  Customer response

  02/19/2025

   
  Complaint: 22785232
  
  I am rejecting this response because: same information and documentation shared previously. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******* ********

  Business response

  02/20/2025

  As far as we are concerned, we consider this matter closed. Theres no middle ground here, customers take our tour, and theres no refunds for anyone.  We already stated our position, and nothing is going to change it.  We are very busy and we urge the BBB to close the matter. 
   Cheers!

  Customer response

  02/20/2025

  Hi ******,

  Im very disappointed in the outcome of this complaint, as well as the vendors complete disregard for their failure to meet the advertised service, the operational mishaps that resulted in significant wasted time for my family, and the inaccurate statements in their responses.

  I would appreciate confirmation on where the complaint will be posted publicly. Could you provide a timeline for when that will happen, or better yet, a direct link once it is available?
  Thank you for your time and assistance.

  Best,

  ******* ********

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩