Habibitours and my sweat memories in Egypt
Apr 21st, 2010 | 01:45 AM
#1
Original Poster
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
Habibitours and my sweat memories in Egypt
Hello everyone,
As promised, i will give my opinion on the service of Habibitours. They arranged my trip through Egypt .
I am in my earlly 30s and travel ALOT some times i travel alone and some times with my girl friend or my friends . There isn't a continent I haven't been on. I prefer to have flexibility in my travels.
I came upon Habibitours by way of hostelworld . I saw their website and found information about ther tours on this site . I saw many other tour operators as well and sent emails out to all...Habibitours was the most prompt with replies
so i choosed to do the tour with them and it was really very good choise .
Payment
they have all different ways in payment , you can pay all the money online through paypal , or you can pay part and the rest you pay in cash when you reach to Egypt , or even and this was in my case , you can arrange every thing by email with them and they organize every thing for you and you just do the whole payment upon your arrival in Egypt and i didnt see this with any other tour company .
Arrival in Cairo.
.upon arrival there was some one from Habibitours waiting in the airport with sign have my name and transfer me and my girl friend to our hotel that they choosed for us which was really very nice hotel and we had the first night for us in cairo .
the drivers of Habibitours always come on time and always very fun to talk with.
Guides
Our guide in Cairo was Hanan . she was absolutely excellent. she was with us for two days and I have to say that she was definitely the best guide of the entire trip. You can see that she loves what she talks about.and she was really very good in giving us all the informtion we needed .
Out tour with very flexible , we had private tours in cairo so it was really very good and spend as much time as we wished in the sites.
so we was also able to set the times of our departures on our tour days.so over all we was really very happy with our tour in Egypt with Habibitours nd we really feal that we get service with every penny we did pay .
As promised, i will give my opinion on the service of Habibitours. They arranged my trip through Egypt .
I am in my earlly 30s and travel ALOT some times i travel alone and some times with my girl friend or my friends . There isn't a continent I haven't been on. I prefer to have flexibility in my travels.
I came upon Habibitours by way of hostelworld . I saw their website and found information about ther tours on this site . I saw many other tour operators as well and sent emails out to all...Habibitours was the most prompt with replies
so i choosed to do the tour with them and it was really very good choise .
Payment
they have all different ways in payment , you can pay all the money online through paypal , or you can pay part and the rest you pay in cash when you reach to Egypt , or even and this was in my case , you can arrange every thing by email with them and they organize every thing for you and you just do the whole payment upon your arrival in Egypt and i didnt see this with any other tour company .
Arrival in Cairo.
.upon arrival there was some one from Habibitours waiting in the airport with sign have my name and transfer me and my girl friend to our hotel that they choosed for us which was really very nice hotel and we had the first night for us in cairo .
the drivers of Habibitours always come on time and always very fun to talk with.
Guides
Our guide in Cairo was Hanan . she was absolutely excellent. she was with us for two days and I have to say that she was definitely the best guide of the entire trip. You can see that she loves what she talks about.and she was really very good in giving us all the informtion we needed .
Out tour with very flexible , we had private tours in cairo so it was really very good and spend as much time as we wished in the sites.
so we was also able to set the times of our departures on our tour days.so over all we was really very happy with our tour in Egypt with Habibitours nd we really feal that we get service with every penny we did pay .
Apr 21st, 2010 | 01:19 PM
#4
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
Robertmark--
I am so happy to see your post, my husband and I just booked a trip with Habibi Tours. We have found very few reviews on this company, but we could not say no--due to their fabulous prices and rapid responses. Thus far, Habibi Tours has been extremely accomodating. We are using them for our 5 night tour of Giza, Abu Simbel, Aswan, Luxor and with an overnight on a felucca and overnights on trains. What did you see while you were in Cairo? Did you use them outside of Cairo? What specific accomodations did you use with them?
I look forward to hearing your response!
Natalie
I am so happy to see your post, my husband and I just booked a trip with Habibi Tours. We have found very few reviews on this company, but we could not say no--due to their fabulous prices and rapid responses. Thus far, Habibi Tours has been extremely accomodating. We are using them for our 5 night tour of Giza, Abu Simbel, Aswan, Luxor and with an overnight on a felucca and overnights on trains. What did you see while you were in Cairo? Did you use them outside of Cairo? What specific accomodations did you use with them?
I look forward to hearing your response!
Natalie
Nov 6th, 2010 | 05:08 AM
#5
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
If you want to be cheated: Habibitours!
Habibitours did not pay all booked nights at hotels and I had to pay myself the room again!
What happened? I’ve booked a tour with program across Egypt with accommodation for 10 nights, transfers, visits and so on. Because I wanted to use some add-ons (for example flights instead of night trains Cairo/Aswan and Luxor/Cairo) I contacted them about the details. I agreed with them to stay one extra night at Luxor. Ten days before the tour started I got another confirmation with additional details about my itinerary. Therein also the flight dates. Nothing had been changed.
I came to Cairo Airport and the driver of Habibitours showed-up late, but at least he came. Later I waited twice for the booked driver and nobody showed-up at all. I was brought to my hotel and during the check-in I was told to fill-in an earlier departure date into the registration card than expected according to the confirmed itinerary. The next morning there was someone of Habibitours in the hotel and I asked him about the hotel reservation. After some phone-calls we went to the city centre, I had to wait in the car and I was given an envelope with the documentation of a changed itinerary and the flight tickets. Further we went onto the visit of Sakkara, Memphis and Giza as planned. I was surprised to be the only guest, but I was told that I had been the only one who had booked the trip at the moment.
At the hotel I recognised that the entire itinerary had been changed. All visits were on it, but the journey should end one day than I had booked. One day leisure time at Luxor - which had been very important for me - had been cancelled. And exactly about this point I had contact with Habibitours at the very beginning.
Again the next morning I spoke to the representative of Habibitours and he was unable to do anything else but to promise me to talk to his boss. The driver had the order to bring me at 3:00 p.m. to the airport, while my plane left at 11:30 p.m. to Aswan. I really can imagine spending my holiday better than waiting at the airport. In Aswan and Luxor Habibitours only booked services from local suppliers. Everything took place at the time it should - except a delay caused by a blocked road, where no tour-operator can be blamed for.
With the last plane I came from Luxor back to Cairo. The plane was already late, but the driver was even later. In the middle of the night I had to wait at the Airport to get to my hotel. The driver dropped me in front of the hotel. But there was no reservation. Neither for me, nor for Habibitours. Nobody answered the phone of Habibitours. The receptionist phoned his boss out of bed and I was only allowed to go to sleep, because I guaranteed to pay the bill, if Habibitours would not do. The next morning again nobody answered the phone of Habibitours. But the driver was able to contact somebody and half an hour later I did not need to pay the hotel myself - this time.
At the last destination the hotel only knew that I’d stay one day, although this had been my 9th of 10 nights. The receptionist called with Habibitours and got as answer that they only would pay one night. Habibitours even did not wish to talk to me, but only answered the questions of the hotel staff. I had the choice to pay or to leave. There had been no possibility for me to change my trip and so I paid the last night of the journey I’ve booked with Habibitours twice.
Again in Cairo I have been to the address Habibitours declared to have their office, but there is no office, the address was an empty plot! Today they use another address in the same street.
Back home I asked Habibitours to refund the last night. They declared that they shortened my itinerary, because “in Cairo […] we did give you private car and private guide”. Sure, I had been the only guest at that moment. It seems quite normal to me that one person should not be transferred by coach but if possible by car. Reducing costs this way - nobody had a disadvantage - should always be possible. But slow business can never be an excuse not to deliver what you promised to your customers.
As I experienced in the other places there are good Egyptian tour-operators taking their business serious. No doubt that there are good operators in Cairo as well, but Habibitours is none of them. Only if you prefer to pay your bills twice you’ll find them perfect…
Habibitours did not pay all booked nights at hotels and I had to pay myself the room again!
What happened? I’ve booked a tour with program across Egypt with accommodation for 10 nights, transfers, visits and so on. Because I wanted to use some add-ons (for example flights instead of night trains Cairo/Aswan and Luxor/Cairo) I contacted them about the details. I agreed with them to stay one extra night at Luxor. Ten days before the tour started I got another confirmation with additional details about my itinerary. Therein also the flight dates. Nothing had been changed.
I came to Cairo Airport and the driver of Habibitours showed-up late, but at least he came. Later I waited twice for the booked driver and nobody showed-up at all. I was brought to my hotel and during the check-in I was told to fill-in an earlier departure date into the registration card than expected according to the confirmed itinerary. The next morning there was someone of Habibitours in the hotel and I asked him about the hotel reservation. After some phone-calls we went to the city centre, I had to wait in the car and I was given an envelope with the documentation of a changed itinerary and the flight tickets. Further we went onto the visit of Sakkara, Memphis and Giza as planned. I was surprised to be the only guest, but I was told that I had been the only one who had booked the trip at the moment.
At the hotel I recognised that the entire itinerary had been changed. All visits were on it, but the journey should end one day than I had booked. One day leisure time at Luxor - which had been very important for me - had been cancelled. And exactly about this point I had contact with Habibitours at the very beginning.
Again the next morning I spoke to the representative of Habibitours and he was unable to do anything else but to promise me to talk to his boss. The driver had the order to bring me at 3:00 p.m. to the airport, while my plane left at 11:30 p.m. to Aswan. I really can imagine spending my holiday better than waiting at the airport. In Aswan and Luxor Habibitours only booked services from local suppliers. Everything took place at the time it should - except a delay caused by a blocked road, where no tour-operator can be blamed for.
With the last plane I came from Luxor back to Cairo. The plane was already late, but the driver was even later. In the middle of the night I had to wait at the Airport to get to my hotel. The driver dropped me in front of the hotel. But there was no reservation. Neither for me, nor for Habibitours. Nobody answered the phone of Habibitours. The receptionist phoned his boss out of bed and I was only allowed to go to sleep, because I guaranteed to pay the bill, if Habibitours would not do. The next morning again nobody answered the phone of Habibitours. But the driver was able to contact somebody and half an hour later I did not need to pay the hotel myself - this time.
At the last destination the hotel only knew that I’d stay one day, although this had been my 9th of 10 nights. The receptionist called with Habibitours and got as answer that they only would pay one night. Habibitours even did not wish to talk to me, but only answered the questions of the hotel staff. I had the choice to pay or to leave. There had been no possibility for me to change my trip and so I paid the last night of the journey I’ve booked with Habibitours twice.
Again in Cairo I have been to the address Habibitours declared to have their office, but there is no office, the address was an empty plot! Today they use another address in the same street.
Back home I asked Habibitours to refund the last night. They declared that they shortened my itinerary, because “in Cairo […] we did give you private car and private guide”. Sure, I had been the only guest at that moment. It seems quite normal to me that one person should not be transferred by coach but if possible by car. Reducing costs this way - nobody had a disadvantage - should always be possible. But slow business can never be an excuse not to deliver what you promised to your customers.
As I experienced in the other places there are good Egyptian tour-operators taking their business serious. No doubt that there are good operators in Cairo as well, but Habibitours is none of them. Only if you prefer to pay your bills twice you’ll find them perfect…
Nov 6th, 2010 | 10:59 PM
#6
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 1,601
Likes: 0
Interesting NOW to look back at robermark and natfly's history. They both ONLY posted here once. And note that robertmark started his post off saying "as promised...". Don't know where or to who he promised that - probably to his partners in the business? Hmmmm?
Natfly seems to be a real person - wish she would have come back and posted her experience on it.
Stefan - sorry about your experience. Sounds awful. I can't imagine getting stuck like you did with these hotels and no one from the company being willing to talk to you. That is a problem here though - I'm sure who ever was on the other end of the phone did not feel comfortable enough with their English to deal with an angry customer, so they begged off from speaking with you. Fair enough, but the company should have someone that does speak English well enough to deal with you, available 24/7.
Natfly seems to be a real person - wish she would have come back and posted her experience on it.
Stefan - sorry about your experience. Sounds awful. I can't imagine getting stuck like you did with these hotels and no one from the company being willing to talk to you. That is a problem here though - I'm sure who ever was on the other end of the phone did not feel comfortable enough with their English to deal with an angry customer, so they begged off from speaking with you. Fair enough, but the company should have someone that does speak English well enough to deal with you, available 24/7.
