Trip overbooked -

Old Nov 2nd, 2007, 10:42 AM
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Trip overbooked -

Has anyone had their trip cancelled by the tour company......one week prior to departure due to overbooking???? Overseas Adventure Travel has dropped this on me today and I would like to hear from others. JKR
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Old Nov 2nd, 2007, 10:54 AM
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What??? Need more details. Sounds like a strike against OAT.

regards - tom
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Old Nov 2nd, 2007, 10:54 AM
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Sorry to hear, but Overbooked?
Usually a tour can be cancelled because it is underbooked.

Where were you supposed to be traveling? Did you have to obtain Visas? Did you do this directly or did OAT handle? Are you being fully refunded for everything?

This is not the first I've heard of OAT cancelling (for whatever reason) within a short time before departures. If a tour looks to be under/over-booked, OAT should know well in advance and not be springing this on people.

Had this happen to a friend booked on a trip to Morocco when she had to quickly find another tour. She did, fortunately but it fell short of what OAT had promised. And, this gal has travelled with OAT on numerous other of their tours. Needless to say, she wasn't at all pleased.

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Old Nov 2nd, 2007, 11:03 AM
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Sorry to hear this has happened to you. Which tour were you scheduled to go on?

I've read some instances of last minute cancellations due to under/over-booking on OAT tours on other forums (I think Asia, Europe) and their parent company has a unsatisfactory rating according to the BBB http://reports.bosbbb.org/Boston/Pub...aspx?firm=3848
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Old Nov 2nd, 2007, 11:31 AM
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My Nov. trip was booked in April, paid completely and I received airline tickets two weeks ago. Yes, an overbooking clause is in the small print of the contract. Buyer beware of OAT !!! I just checked with better business bureau and they have a long list of complaints and consider Grand Circle (parent company)NOT A MEMBER because of that. JKR
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Old Nov 2nd, 2007, 12:20 PM
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This just floored me!

Are they re-imbursing all of the money you paid plus visas? And, I hope they are giving you LOTS of good incentive to not only be calm and rational about missing a trip of lifetime, but to not tell everyone you meet not to ever book with them?

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Old Nov 2nd, 2007, 12:23 PM
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Get back to them for a full explanation and make sure they reimburse you for everything! Given that their groups are only 16 max, there should be no way they could overbook. Where were you going with them? Couldn't they get you on the trip some way?

When I went with them to Egypt, they combined three departure dates into one (mainly due to the fallout from "9/11"... this was March 2002.)
Once you get "in country" with OAT, they are great, but the Boston office always seems to mess something up. I've experienced that on every trip I've taken with them.
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Old Nov 2nd, 2007, 12:58 PM
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I can't believe it! Very poor business practice indeed! Even if you get every penny back from them (and I hope you'll keep us posted!), it'll be some time before you recover from the disappointment at not being able to go as planned!
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Old Nov 2nd, 2007, 01:16 PM
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You bet I'm disappointed- devastated is more like it. I also had booked a trip to Peru with them in March.....guess how fast I've cancelled that one!! I am getting a complete refund, at least so they say. The trip was to Egypt and I hope you all will tell everyone you know to avoid this company. Thanks for your support. JKR
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Old Nov 2nd, 2007, 01:22 PM
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This from the beter business bureau in MA:

Based on BBB files this company has a pattern of complaints concerning contract issues. Consumers state that they purchase vacations advertised with specific amenities and itineraries. Consumers state that they are not kept informed of changes made to trips until days before departing or sometimes changes are made while on the trip. Consumers state that the amenities, activities and locations of the hotels are not what was advertised and that adequate substitutions are not made. Consumers state that they are unable to receive refunds or reimbursements from the company. Consumers state that they are dissatisfied with the level of customer service they have received trying to find resolution to these issues.


The Bureau processed a total of 113 complaints about this company in the last 36 months, our standard reporting period. Of the total 113 complaints closed in the last 36 months, 30 were closed in the last 12 months.

On 12/22/06 the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office announced a settlement with Grand Circle LLC. The company has agreed to pay cash and travel voucher refunds to more than 730 travelers resolving allegations that the company did not give it's travelers adequate notice of cancellation of the cruise portion of their trip.
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Old Nov 2nd, 2007, 01:27 PM
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Overbooking like this seems amazingly irresponsible on their part. Just out of curiosity, did you ask them why you were bumped rather than someone else?
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Old Nov 2nd, 2007, 03:38 PM
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jkr2006,

I am so sorry. You are not the first to mention this. I think my opinion of OAT is going downhill fast.

Also thanks for the BBB report. That lends credibility to your particular complaint.

Do you have a Plan B?
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Old Nov 2nd, 2007, 04:45 PM
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I was told by a supervisor that I was the last person to reserve this trip, and since no one else would voluntarily give up their place, I was the chosen one. Actually my friend and I. This says to me that they were overbooked when they accepted my reservation.

Plan B???? I really don't have one. Smartours is completely booked for Nov. for all trips. I just returned from Scandinavia and will be taking my Grandson to St. John in Dec., so I think I will have a glass of wine and go read a good book tonight! Boo-hoo! JKR
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Old Nov 2nd, 2007, 06:18 PM
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Really unbelievable. I really do hope that others read this and just don't use OAT. This seems like a persistent problem with them.
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Old Nov 3rd, 2007, 04:28 AM
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We totally agree that this should never happen, either on a tour on an airline flight, but it does happen. We have traveled with Grand Circle 8 times and have a trip scheduled with OAT in March, with another in planning for September. We have always been totally satisfied with Grand Circle and will continue to travel with them. If we stopped traveling with an airline because of overbooking, we wouldn't be able to fly anywhere.

Jack and Ann
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Old Nov 3rd, 2007, 05:27 AM
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If you stopped traveling with an airline...because of overbooking..you would not be able to fly anywhere???

I suppose I am very fortunate because in a lifetime of international travel, I have never missed a flight due to overbooking..
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Old Nov 3rd, 2007, 06:05 AM
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jkr2006,

If you had just been told up front that you were being waitlisted and someone would have to cancel, then I think that would have been fine. That post-cancellation explanation should have been laid out for you while you were inquiring. Then you could take your chances or not.

You certainly should have been notified long before now that your trip was cancelled so you could put together a Plan B. It appears you have lots of travel opportunities and can take this in stride. (Enjoy the book.) But this could have been someone's big once-in-a-lifetime trip where time off from work has already been scheduled and cannot be changed.

Now look what this silly policy of theirs has done. They've lost your business on another excursion--Peru. I'll never book with them, especially because your case is not the only one I've heard of. When people ask about OAT on travel boards, I'll certainly reference this thread.

I've also been lucky never to have been involuntarily bumped from a flight due to overbooking. But I feel I have some control over that, like arriving early. Also the result of a flight bump is usually a delay and an inconvenience, not a whole vacation cancelled.

Thanks for the BBB report. It is helpful and very definitive.
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Old Nov 3rd, 2007, 06:48 AM
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<<If you stopped traveling with an airline...because of overbooking..you would not be able to fly anywhere???>>

In the instances where airlines are overbooked, the typically first ask for volunteers (which OAT did not do), and they then offer those volunteers substantial compensation.

An appropriate analogy would be if OAT not only fully reimbursed JKR, but offered compensation equal to a similar trip.

I have never, and will hopefully never, book a tour, but if I did, such as to Antarctica where you cannot visit independently, I would only book if the departure was GUARANTEED. I will never book with OAT -- this is absolutlely reprehensible behavior, an action that I would think would suggest to every potential customer that they look elsewhere.

Michael
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Old Nov 3rd, 2007, 10:31 AM
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jkr - that's awful! For what it's worth, I too have taken GCT and OAT off my list of possible tour providers.

But, don't give up hope - you can still have a fun trip, although maybe not exactly what you were originally planning. Here is some stuff I pulled out of a google search:

general info:
http://www.independenttraveler.com/r...94&category=43
http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/...ss/P129587.asp
http://www.concierge.com/cntraveler/...articleId=1101

Booking:

http://www.lastminute.com/

http://travelocity.lmdeals.com/

http://www.expedia.com/daily/deals/l...ls/default.asp

http://www.11thhourvacations.com/

http://www.orbitz.com/App/PrepareVacationsHome

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Old Nov 3rd, 2007, 10:52 AM
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Momliz, you are most kind!! I must say, I am still reeling from the treatment by this outfit. But I think I'm in good company- those 730 plaintiffs who won their class action suit against Grand Circle. I plan to contact the attorney general from MA and get some follow up and let him know they are still up to their old tricks.
Thanks, everyone, for your support and kind words. JKR
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