We could probably tell a holiday nightmare story or two. There is nothing worse to have a so-called relaxing break disrupted by incompetent service or dire facilities. So with the festive season upon us - how do you prevent holiday disasters occurring in the first place, and if something does go wrong, how do you salvage the situation? Online complaints management service, getclosure, offers a few tips based on its users’ experiences.
By simply utilising a credible source of information; be it word-of-mouth or travel and tourism websites site such as http://www.gotravel24.com/, http://www.travelfinda.com/, www.tripadvisor.com or your destination’s local tourist information centre, you can avoid being caught in a nightmarish situation.
There are also many travel blogs out there which give insightful information and advice on planning your trip, where to eat and how to get the most out of your trip for the best buck. A little bit of time doing some online research can not only save you money, but also ensure you a dream holiday. From parking your car at the airport, booking suitable accommodation to arranging things to do while you are away, there are plenty of information sources at the click of a mouse.
A pricey post-holiday surprise
A couple who recently lodged a complaint on www.getclosure.co.za complained that they had found a nasty surprise waiting for them when they returned from their vacation. They had parked their car at the airport before boarding their flight, and a week later returned to find that they had to pay R600 for parking. Due to all the construction at the airport, the parking areas weren’t sign posted and the couple had accidently parked in short-term parking lot. They felt it was unfair that they had to pay so much because they had made an honest mistake thanks to the poor sign posting at the airport.
To avoid this happening to you, ask the parking attendants for further information and take down their name as a reference. Or if possible, why not save on the parking fee altogether and arrange for a family member or friend to drop you at the airport? There are also reliable shuttles and taxi services that cost a fraction of parking fees if you are travelling in a large group.
Not so child-friendly after all
Our second holiday nightmare situation occurred to a family with very small children who wanted to visit a specific game lodge after reading about all the exciting activities on offer. Only after the family had arrived did they discover that these activities were actually offered by the lodge’s neighbouring farm. To add insult to injury, it was inconvenient to get to neighbouring farm.
Understandably the family felt that they were misled by the website’s advertisement. They contacted the lodge with their complaint, but the person responsible for the website didn’t feel that it was misleading and said that it is common practice to advertise activities at other lodges. The family ended up taking their complaint to getclosure (www.getclosure.co.za) as they felt the lodge’s response was not good enough. As a result they were refunded 50% of their money.
A take-away from this is to always remember to read the fine print and ask lots of questions about the details before embarking on your trip. Again we recommend that you visit a few independent comparison and review websites to ensure that the write up and images on the lodge’s website are a true representation of the place. You could also judge the accommodation on their star rating such as the AA quality assurance rating system.
Invisible vouchers
Another holiday horror occurred to a traveller who booked a trip to South America for eight days through Flight Centre. The package deal included the cost of airport transfers and certain tours on his trip but when he got to South America he discovered he should have received vouchers for these from the travel agent before leaving. He contacted the Flight Centre while he was overseas and they assured him that the vouchers were being sent to him. They didn’t arrive and he had to fund all of those expenses himself.
Always ensure that you have all your travel documents, paperwork and all the necessary information before embarking on your trip.
Therefore, in order to reduce these holiday nightmares and increase your chances of booking the dream holiday that you deserve, ensure that you do your homework. A little bit of research can go a long way!
You could also help others who are searching for pleasant getaway. When you return from your holiday why not post a review online or a compliment on getclosure at www.getclosure.co.za. Happy holidays!
