CarleenD

I just got back from a safari to Botswana through 2Afrika (Nov 24 - Dec 3). Let me be clear that the trip, the 8-day Season of Plenty, was a fantastic value for the money. Chobe Safari Lodge and the guides, Bushtracks, were great, and I'd use them both again. HOWEVER, the service from 2Afrika was appallingly bad.

We were originally told we'd transfer to Botswana from Livingstone Airport, Zimbabwe, but our final documents came showing us actually transfering from Zambia. Ok, no big deal. But the company responsible for picking us up was never told of the change (although there's some disagreement about that), so they sat in Zimbabwe wondering where we were, while we arrived in Zambia with no one to meet us.

But that was a minor hassle compared to the travel back home. Upon arriving at the Zambia airport on Sunday, December 3 to fly to Johannesburg, we find out that our airline, Nationwide Airlines, was grounded the previous Friday, December 1! They were forbidden from flying by the South African Civil Aviation Authority due to safety violations, AND 2AFRIKA KNEW BUT DIDN'T TELL US! They claimed to have told the lodge to do "whatever was necessary" for any possible passengers, but no one from 2Afrika contacted me directly to tell me what was happening and help me figure out an alternative way to Johannesburg.

As a result, by the time we got to the airport, all seats on all other carriers were sold out. We were told Nationwide passengers had begun arriving over 9 hours earlier to try to rebook with other carriers. On top of that, the other carriers were no longer honoring Nationwide tickets, because no one was sure if the airline would remain solvent. So we were offically stranded in Zambia. I managed to get to Johannesburg anyway, but it was with no assistance whatsoever from 2Afrika.

While in the airport I left a nearly hysterical message on 2Afrika's voicemail, leaving my cell number, and would you believe they NEVER called us back. Monday afternoon I finally wrote an angry message to our agent and the owner, and the response was galling. Ken Heiber was not remotely apologetic. Here are excerpts from his response to me (and I made sure to preserve context):

1. "we made the news public before the airline did themselves . . . and we immediately took steps to try and advise everyone whom we knew were either traveling / en-route with their travel plans / or were heading toward a grounded flight."

So he brags about knowing about the grounding and posting it on his blog, yet didn't call us?? And it wasn't as though they didn't know how to find us - an agent had already called me once at the lodge for a different matter.

2. "I am of the opinion that my company acted (as it always does) in the best interest of our valued passengers. An email log is available for your scrutiny if so required for we communicated with everyone concerned, including Chobe Safari Lodge, of the potential problem(s) that might arise."

"Potential problems"?!?!! Yeah, like me having NO WAY HOME was merely a "potential problem"??? Why communicate with the lodge instead of your CLIENT who actually paid you? Isn't that what a travel agent is for, to represent and advocate for me?

3. "I reiterate that you were included for we communicated with Chobe Safari Lodge asking them to do what ever was necessary as we did not have the means to assist here in the USA, 7-time zones behind where people might have been stranded."

So why do they specialize in travel "7 time zones behind" if they can't handle a crisis when one arises?

4. "If you have a moment you might like to explain who took care of you and how – but to hold this company responsible for not letting you know what we did not even know ourselves is quite inappropriate in my opinion."

Oh, so now he's curious how I got home. And now he didn't know what happened with the airline?? Bizarre, really bizarre.

So there you have it. I told 2Afrika I was going to post about this experience, and was threatened with a charge of "slander". But I'm only relaying what happened to me. I'm not advising for or against anyone else booking with 2Afrika. But I think a crisis like this exposes the true value of an agent. Anyone can seem good when everything goes as planned.

I'll be happy to answer any questions, or forward Ken Heiber's complete response to anyone.

matnikstym

I'm happy the safari part of your trip was excellent and you enjoyed your trip. Things happen but 2Afrika should have made sure you were taken care of, even if they are 7 time zones behind. Stating the facts is not slander. Thanks for reporting this.

mkhonzo

For heavens sake, wake up and stop the noise! The airline was grounded, six thousand people were left without flights and you were one of them!

Jet Blue did the same thing over here about 8 months ago and countless American carriers do it daily. friends of mine were left in Dakar by delta in October.

Get over it and look on the bright side, it was at the end of a great vacation, which it seems you enjoyed. So you had a free adventure tacked on at the end: That is travel.

I don't see how 2Afrika was irresponsible, but, good for you, you have someone to blame and now potentially someone to suit.

CarleenD

The airline for which they purchased me tickets stops operating, and they don't notify me for 2 days, and they're not irresponsible?? Interesting perspective...

TravlinFool

If, in fact, 2Afrika contacted the people at Chobe Safari Lodge about the airline grounding, why didn't anyone at the lodge bother to inform you that there was a problem brewing? (Regardless of whether or not it was their job to handle it.) That's the bigger mystery, as far as I'm concerned.

CarleenD

The lodge called me the night before to verify the time my flight was leaving. I find it hard to believe they knew my airline wasn't flying at all.

kimac

Thank you for the information. One of the reasons an agent is used is that they handle problems which occur especially when they know about them prior to travel. Otherwise we may as well book direct and save on their fees.

I definately would not use 2Africa.

I am glad you had a good safari.

jcasale

So sorry you had such a bad experience with your travel agent. Glad you had a good safari, but how frustrating to not get the service you expected.

I wanted to just clarify (because we had such a GOOD experience) that 2Afrika and go2africa are two different companies. We used go2africa and the agent couldn't have been better. We found out when we arrived in Cape Town that our shark dive had been canceled and so we called her while she was on a picnic with her kids and she rearranged our Cape Point tour so that we were able to do the shark dive on a different day. I would recommend that company in a minute to anyone thinking about a trip to Africa.

nyama

I'm wondering why nobody does blame the management of Chobe Safari Lodge.

atravelynn

CarleenD,

At the very least communication should have been better. You should have been contacted personally at Chobe about Nationwide. Because you bought your air tickets, along with the whole safari package, through 2Afrika, they should have provided some assistance or at least information on alternatives for leaving the country. I hope you did not have extra expenses as a result of the grounded airline.

The 7-time-zones-behind-so-we-can't- do-anything argument tells me they do not have reliable contacts in Africa. Those contacts are what you pay an agent for. I am surprised 2Afrika would make such a statement as they are portraying themselves as incompetent.

A little more help from 2Afrika and your story could have been very different. You could have described how you were assisted out of a bad situation by a resourceful agent. Even if they could not fix the situation, which was clearly beyond their control, they could have aided rather than abandoned their client. It is when things go bad that the value of a good agent becomes most evident.

You also mentioned the fantastaic value of the safari and I recall being impressed with the low cost of the Season of Plenty trip. That could be part of the problem you experienced. In 99% of trips there is no need for extra service and the bargain is a great deal. But in the 1% when trouble arises, the outfitter with the least expensive option can leave you hanging. I am sorry you had to be part of that small percentage.

It would be interesting to compare and contrast how clients with other agents were treated during the Nationwide problems. That too could shed some light on how well or how poorly 2Afrika responded.

I am glad you had a good safari. Please report on that later. Thank you for sharing this unfortunate account with us.

afrigalah

My profession for nearly 40 years was in communicating information accurately to people, so it seems to me that 2Africa was slack in this regard. I wouldn't want to use a TA like that. Yet somebody is telling you to shut up and not tell others?

But I'm puzzled. Did you misunderstand, or were you really told that Livingstone Airport is in Zimbabwe? If the latter, that would have aroused my suspicions about the TA immediately.

John

stakerk

You booked thru a TA. They were responsible for your entire trip. If the airline has problem, the TA has a problem. They did not fix it. They are being justly criticized.

Kevin from California

RBCal

2Afrika is based in New York. Personally I think it makes sense to book with an Africa based travel agency since it makes communication much easier if a problem arises while you are on tour.

Go2Africa is based in South Africa and I highly recommend them. My safari went flawlessly when they arranged it.

I'm not sure how anyone could think that the Livingstone airport is in Zimbabwe.

CarleenD

Thanks for the input, most of you understand my point. If I'd booked this airfare on my own, that'd be totally different. But the air was a part of 2Afrika's package, on airlines of their choosing (I would have just taken SAA all the way through). They chose to put me on this "budget airline" with a spotty safety record, then just left me out to dry when it folded. I've never been to sub-Saharan Africa, which is why I panicked at the idea of spending days in Zambia waiting for a flight. I had no idea where to stay or who to trust for information.

Anyway, I got some AMAZING pictures, so in the end Africa was still worth it all.

CarleenD

I misspoke about the name of the airport. But we were told that we would transfer in Zim, and that's what changed.

napamatt

When SAA was on strike a few years ago, Wilderness had an agent meet us at Maun airport to let us know, even though they had nothing to do with our air tickets. We were the only people on the plane who had a clue about the chaos to expect in Jo'burg.
Your TA is there to help when things go wrong, its their JOB.

cybor

Hi Carleen,
So sorry to hear of your dilemma and glad you got home safely.

A few questions though;
If I'm getting this right, Bushtracks was your land operator - true? Was it up to them to get you to get you transferred? I'm confused, was there a 3rd transfer party, as well?

My point;
Between ground operators and the lodge, it would seem that all parties should have been contacted.
Did your cell work properly in Zambia?

Sounds to me like there's an awful lot of buck passing here and I don't mean by you.
If your still interesting in proving your point to 2Africa, I would forward the said emails to the lodge owner/manager and the ground operator to see who dropped the ball where.

CarleenD

Bushtracks was the land operator, but any information they received came from 2Afrika. Yes, they were responsible for our transfer, but they were told we'd be landing in Zimbabwe, as I initially was. They claim to have never received word that our flight was actually landing in Zambia, and I'm inclined to believe them.

I'm not pursuing this at all with 2Afrika. I filed a claim for the new plane tickets I had to buy with my insurance co, and I'm leaving it there. I really don't see how Bushtracks could be faulted anyway, since they had nothing to do with the air reservations.

And YES, my cell phone worked in all the countries we visited. But even after arriving back in the US, we still did not hear from 2Afrika.

RBCal

Go2Africa used Nationwide for my flight to Livingstone also.

To me it seems like Nationwide is the major problem. I'm surprised that you didn't hear rumors of problems at your resort at Chobe.

cary999

I'll second what napamatt said - "Your TA is there to help when things go wrong, its their JOB".
And, FWIW, my one and only and last experience with Nationwide was not good.
regards - tom