Review from a too demanding tourist

Well, at least from the reviews I found out who we were dealing with in a completely spoiled so-called travel company (but in fact - a sharazhkin office), proudly calling itself a tour operator (!!!) "Winter-Summer". From the reviews and our trip, there was a feeling that this company had one director (he did not introduce himself, the quote: "where does it say that I should introduce myself ??quot; and he is also an escort guide (which is too strong a word, given his professional . quality), two drivers mentioned above in the reviews of tourists, and a guide Svetlana (at least she introduced herself and quite tolerably performed her duties in the first half of the tour).

We, like the previous "satisfied with the tour service" tourists, were attracted by "a lot of impressions and an unforgettable vacation." Rest really became unforgettable due to primitive unprofessionalism, base rudeness and complete lack of response, including regarding the safety of tourists' lives.

But everything is in order, so that inexperienced tourists do not fall for the bait of these so-called. tourist workers.

The tour we went on was called "Montenegro - a new season in a new way" and promised the most beautiful places in Montenegro, Croatia and Serbia: Plitvice Lakes, Skadar Lake, Tara River Canyon, Budva Riviera, as well as excursions to Belgrade, Budapest and Zagreb. Alas and alas, it is not given to those born to plant potatoes to plan and conduct tours (the question is "why then get involved in tour operator activities?quot; They would do what is given by nature).

The first puncture was that the documents for the trip were not given to us in a day, as it is written in the contract, but right on the bus, and even then, not in a complete set. They learned about the finally issued visa right there, on the bus. We didn’t receive an infolist AT ALL, but we were given advertisements for the company and questionnaires, by filling out which we became participants in the drawing of vouchers from ZL, thus competing with the relative of the director of the company, alas, oh, the fate of the villain, without winning anything ... at least an infolist gave...

Departure from Kyiv was postponed for 2 hours from the time that their manager Svetlana told us (although the information posted on the website generally indicated 14.00, and in the end we left at 22.00). Then we were delayed for 3 hours in Lviv and arrived at the border exactly at 14:00, that is, we got to the very end of the traffic jam (qualified travel agencies, for the information of APs, plan to leave in such a way as to pass the border early in the morning or at night). We ended up at the hotel at 2 am.

By the way, about hotels. The contract promised hotels not lower than 3*, but the AP does not worry about such trifles (there is a bed and that's enough for you, say "thank you" that you don't sleep on the street at all). Hotels are generally normal, but in the Plitvice Lakes region and in Belgrade they did not have official 3-star certification.

We visited Zagreb and Plitvice Lakes on the same day (brilliant route planning, students from Poplavsky University applaud!). As a result, we didn’t really see either one or the other - we ran all around. But the "sides" of the first half of the tour are flowers, the costs of the profession, compared to the end of our trip.

Even upon arrival in Budva (where we lived by the sea for 7 days (and lived great, I tell you, without the ZL travel agency and its employees!)), we were met by an extremely full person who "where is it written that I should introduce myself to you ?? " (that is why it is referred to in our further narrative as NHR). Instead of accomodating us after a 12-hour move in a hotel, he randomly, like a Brownian movement, spun in place, and pretended to be violent (apparently, in his opinion, tourist activity) for half an hour, until my husband became indignant and did not demand to resolve the issue of moving to the villa more quickly. The hotel did not have the promised Internet, to which the CHR importantly remarked: "Montenegro is a poor country, but you still want the Internet!" (they say, shame on you, such bastards!). But in Montenegro, which is "poor" on the Internet, free Wi-Fi is available even on the beaches for tourists (alas, due to the special professional competence of our "guide" it was not given to know this).

During our stay in Budva, our guide resembled a fern flower - you seem to know about it, but you can’t see it. We learned about the time of our departure from the lips of the owner of the villa, who kindly offered us to wait for the bus after check-out from the rooms at 17.00 in his bar. The bus arrived at 21.00. It turns out that drivers did not know about the existence of "traffic jams" in Budva in the evening! What an amazing organization! Applause in the studio!

And then it was just amazing / terrifying - for me, to be honest, this is the first time in my life, despite the rich experience of communicating with travel agencies and their owners and employees, and numerous trips. They promised us an overnight stay near Podgorica, but we ended up in Cetinje (as the CHR said, "well, it's near Podgorica!" 20 km from it!). Now, if the CHR were settled not in Dnepropetrovsk, but in Krivoy Rog with exactly the same motivation, what would be the reaction, eh? Despite the fact that in this way we were deprived of the Skadar Lake promised in the program (and we did not go on an excursion there, because ZL promised to visit it in the tour program), without offering anything in return. Moreover, we saw the picturesque canyon of the Tara River from the bus window, and even managed to take some pictures from this dirty, stained window. Amazing experience.

Throughout the journey to Belgrade, the Fern Flower showed no signs of life - and this despite the fact that it was necessary to change money, announce the program of today, collect and distribute passports at the border (which the drivers obsequiously did for him), etc. . We stopped just outside the border, where our guide hurriedly jumped out, and soon returned with a huge package of buns (as it turned out, this was the last stop in Serbia, where you could buy at least something for the euro at a rather unfair exchange rate for a tourist).

Further, at gas stations, they only accepted dinars, which we didn’t have (and where is it written that guides should tell tourists about the peculiarities of the monetary policy of the country they enter ?? please yourself, there is an Internet for this, which in Montenegro, due to its poverty , No). As a result, we ruined the sausage prepared for a gift and so saved ourselves from starvation (and medical insurance does not cover this!).

The bus was always dirty - the garbage was not taken out for weeks, they "forgot" to add water in thermoses, and about sweeping - you know, white hands of drivers are not accustomed to this. A heavy part of the skin fell on us several times, as a result, the driver drooled on it and hammered it back with force (it was enough for exactly half an hour).

Tourist bus drivers will give odds to fixed-route taxi drivers arguing with a beneficiary due to rudeness. Well, if the director is already tired of "shitty tourists" - then go to the market to sell potatoes, why go into the tourist business, especially tour operating ???? There are angry and demanding tourists, lawyers and competing professionals. You have to work there, have qualifications, higher education and a culture of service. And you also need to be able to work with clients, respect their rights, and be able to talk culturally, even if the client makes claims. In the end, you need to have at least minimal knowledge of conflict management theory... Whatever one may say, it is much easier on the vegetable market.

In general, people who read reviews about the company. My friendly advice to you: before using the services of the tour operator "Winter - Summer", once again think carefully. In Ukraine, there are professionals who have proven themselves in the services market on a good side, and who have a fairly solid staff of professional guides, drivers and managers of tourist destinations, rather than an AP, consisting of a maximum of 6 people. Take care of both your nerves and your money, otherwise, in which case, you will be declared "shitty tourists", before whom the SP is not responsible for anything. There are a million tours, cheaper and better. Don't tempt fate.

Comments (4) leave a comment

4 comments

Show other comments …