OAT Egypt Reservation Rip-Off
 

Hi,
Just a warning to any of you out there who are thinking of signing up for an OAT Tour for Egypt or anywhere else.. Don't get suckered in like I did to being pressured to taking advantage of a "special" that', according to the agent, is soon going to expire. When a few weeks or months later OAT lowers the price below your "special" rate you wind up being penalized for reserving early--as:
OAT WILL NOT HONOR THE NOW LOWER PRICE FOR EXISTING RESERVATIONS. Other tour companies I've dealt with honor a lowered price by just charging a nominal change fee. Not OAT, though. I would have to forfeit my $300pp deposit and then rebook. What a customer unfriendly rip-off.
I'll probably do the tour I'm signed up for, but from now on I'll do nothing but bad mouth OAT. And while it's not their fault, the guides, drivers on the trip will get penalized by not receiving any tips so as to make up for OAT"s refusal to refund the difference in price. What a Bummer of a company!

If they had raised the price, would you be volunteering to pay the difference?

This is a scam run by many of the lower tier

"bargain" tour companies

Orbitz is one of the few who will refund

the difference if prices drop in my experience.

Penalizing folks trying to help you on your tour

by not tipping will simply further coumpound your misery.

Might consider something logical like filing a complaint

with www.bbb.org or www.ftc.gov instead of hurting others

who had no role whatsoever in your trouble.

<<And while it's not their fault, the guides, drivers on the trip will get penalized by not receiving any tips so as to make up for OAT"s refusal to refund the difference in price.>>

Do you mean that YOU won't be giving tips in order to make up the difference in price?

<<And while it's not their fault, the guides, drivers on the trip will get penalized by not receiving any tips so as to make up for OAT"s refusal to refund the difference in price.>>

That is SO wrong. How very awful to punish those hard working people because someone in their reservations office pissed you off. Please think about who you are really hurting and reconsider.

I was thinking the same thing, P_M, which is why I asked for clarification. I was "hoping" that I misinterpreted what the OP meant.

Especially now when tourism is down this is so un-politically correct. The guides and all that will be servicing you in Egypt are the ones that desperately need your money and tips.
I think you can get your point across by bad mouthing OAT all you want on the Internet. Those of us in this business know that bad mouthing on the Internet is one of the worst things that can happen to us. Hopefully this will fill the hole you feel is inside because of the bad feelings for OAT.

Michael Warren,

Please don't penalize the guides and drivers for the shoddy practices of OAT, otherwise the little guy is getting screwed twice. ONCE from the likely equally shoddy practices that OAT employs toward their workers and TWICE from the clients like you.

I do not understand why the practice is "shoddy".

I agree sf7307, but my main concern is that the OP should understand how unreasonable and unfair he is being. It is beyond me how he can penalize someone who DOES do a good job for him in order to punish a completely different person whom he perceives has cheated him. This absolutely defies logic and if the OP makes good on this threat then he is being a real jerk.

This is one of the most irrational things I've ever read on this board. I sincerely hope the OP will come back to this thread, see that he has not one ounce of support for his idea not to tip, then come to his senses and give a fair tip to those who have made his trip enjoyable.

<<This is one of the most irrational things I've ever read on this board. I sincerely hope the OP will come back to this thread, see that he has not one ounce of support for his idea not to tip, then come to his senses and give a fair tip to those who have made his trip enjoyable.>>

Ditto!

I find it interesting that the OP just joined these boards and this is his only post. So he created an account just to slam OAT???? I wonder if he is a competitor of OAT??????

You pays your money, you take your chances. Suck it up.

<<I find it interesting that the OP just joined these boards and this is his only post. So he created an account just to slam OAT???? I wonder if he is a competitor of OAT??????>>

I doubt it.... he seems more like a whinger and whiner than a competitor. The competition usually just fakes posts to say how wonderful they are rather than do this.

I think that tour companies are like airlines, in that every seat may be sold at a different price. Anyone gotten a refund from an airline when you've seen a lower fare? Don't think so! I know that OAT offers last minute deals on tours that aren't sold out. I don't see that this is a bad practice; it's better to fill the spot at a lower price than to let it go empty. If you want to chance waiting to the last minute and hope there's a deal, do so. If you want to be assured of a spot on a tour you want to take and you feel the price is fair, book it. I don't always like how OAT handles things, but I can't agree that this complaint is fair.

Good way to look at it Shay. I hadn't thought of it that way, but why not?

<<<I'll probably do the tour I'm signed up for, but from now on I'll do nothing but bad mouth OAT.>>>

Why not just get over it and move on? Don't let one thing wreck what should be a fantastic trip by being bitter and nasty.

<<<And while it's not their fault, the guides, drivers on the trip will get penalized by not receiving any tips so as to make up for OAT"s refusal to refund the difference in price. What a Bummer of a company!>>>

You say that it's not their fault, but you're going to penalize the drivers and guides anyway?? That seems pretty childish and mean really. You're playing with someones income because you didn't get a lower deal on your tour?

If they didn't advertise that they would reimburse you for price changes, why would you expect them to?

There's risk associated with timing on all big purchases, be it a tour, a plane ticket, a car or anything else. If you buy early, you guarantee a spot but you risk that you might find a lower price later. If you wait to buy, you give yourself more time to possibly find a lower price, but you risk losing out on the item you wish to buy.

If you were happy with the price when you made the purchase, why let something so simple as a price change for other people change that??

I went to Egypt with OAT back in 2002. Because of the "9/11" attacks, travel to Egypt was at a low point. OAT likes to advertise that there would be no more than "16 in a group." Well, they combined 3 different departures and groups into one and we had about 45 people traveling together, albeit in 3 subgroups with three guides. That upset a lot of the travelers and the Egyptian personnel was wondering why people were unhappy. When we explained OAT's advertised policy, it was news to them. They went out of their way to separate the groups, having us leave 5 minutes apart, etc. so that we weren't right on top of each other. That necessitated a change in security arrangements, though. The American Embassy has, for many years, required armed security for American tour groups (at least, according to the Egyptian OAT personnel.) They had been traveling in a vehicle behind our buses. With the separate departures, however, they had to put an armed guard on the bus with us. That's how we found out about the security requirement. What I'm trying to say is that the people in Egypt will do their utmost to ensure you have the best experience possible; don't penalize them because you're unhappy with OAT's policies.

I'm guessing we'll hear no more from this poster, now that he's used the forum to "bad mouth OAT". I make it a policy once I've booked a trip, or airfare, etc to never again look at the price :-) That way I can't get annoyed when it costs less after I booked.

Granted purchasing a souvenir at a price you feel justified and then finding it down the road or in next town for a lower price, doesn't compare to the amount one would lay out for an entire tour... but, give it up. The price was right when you purchased, and if OAT then offered reduced prices for possible late bookers... that's how business works.

Certainly doesn't deserve penalizing those who will go out of their way to make for a wonderful experience... they didn't make the rules, just have a job to do.

And, as others... doubt we'll hear back from OP even if he felt he needed to rant, but did come off the fool!