Is OAT reliable or not?
 

We have been doing research on affordable tours for a relative who will turn 65 this year and wants to go on a small group trip (as a single) to celebrate. The OAT type of trip and price look ideal, but we are concerned having read several posts from Fodorites who have not had positive experiences in the reservation process (bumped, etc...). We also saw that the Better Business Bureau has revoked BBB membership for GCT (OAT's parent company) due to a pattern of complaints and a lack of effort to resolve them. We realize that every company is going to have an issue from time to time -- we are just trying to figure out whether it is a habitual problem with OAT/GTC. Can anyone shed light?

Yes, it is a habitual problem as has been so for a number of years. OAT/GTC recently wrote to International Travel News and said they would change their policy about overbooking, cancellations, etc. If I were you, I'd wait and see. Certainly their track record in the last few years is very poor.

Kathie - thanks for your reply. Are there other operators that you know of who are in the same price range that are better (we've looked at Elder Hostel, for instance, but the prices are nearly double OAT)? Thanks for any ideas!

Friendly Planet

jkgourmet - thanks for the suggestion of Friendly Planet. Unfortunately (or fortunately for them), many of their trips for this year are already sold out. Any other suggestions would be most welcome!

We have no connection with either GCT or OAT. My wife and I are simply satisfied customers of both travel outlets. When we have had problems or complaints or suggestions, we have found both GCT and OAT to be completely cooperative, interested, and helpful. They have been reliable, knowledgable, and honest. We have traveled with them to Turkey, Peru/Galapagos Islands, Mexico, Australia, India, Thailand, and eastern Europe, so you might say we know what we are talking about from experience. We suspect there are some so-called pseudo-experts who like to complain and comment on subjects of which they are ignorant.

USNR. Despite your happy experiences, there are also those of us who have had actual bad experiences with OAT. I went to Thailand with them in 1997, and swore I'd never use them again (on the positive side it was an incentive to move to independent travel!). The guide was uninterested (and uninteresting) and spoke poor English. The trip was badly planned, with AC coach travel in the cooler mornings and outdoor sightseeing in the hotter afternoons. The hotels were out of town. The food was dumbed down for westerners until some of us complained, and not great thereafter. The paid-for business-class upgrades for the return flight only came through as we were actually boarding the flight. I don't know whether GCT is better or worse, but I have no interest in finding out.

OK, so you had a beef or two. What did you do about it? Did you complain? What happened then? Anybody can have problems. We have had ours, too. But GCT/OAT squared our beefs immediately and completely after looking into our complaints. Remember, a lot of companies (and not just GCT/OAT) deal through local intermediary travel companies and it is the these companies who let GCT/OAT down from time to time. But, on balance, we found GCT/OAT to be quite ethical. Second, we have done a great deal of overseas travel independently and with other companies. Some of our journeys have been magnificent. Others has been so-so. And others have been one disaster after another. We are old hands, having been to all continents except Antarctica. But, having lived for decades in Chicago, we've had all the cold weather we can stand, thank you very much.

So, USNR, your experiences with OAT/GCT were not without problems? I did not have "a beef or two", I had a trip that was a case study in how not to run a tour. My initial intention was to write a letter of complaint, but then I realized that nothing OAT could have done would have made me feel better about the trip or willing to travel with them again - including a refund, and certainly including a future discount. I did at some point send them a note telling them to take me off their mailing list because the tour had been so bad, and received no reply. I believe (it was '97!) someone else on the tour complained, and may have eventually received some kind of apology. I think they were told the explanation for the business-class problem was that OAT had not actually reserved the seats but put us on some kind of standby for them, but had not told us that.

USNR, Have you looked at the better business bureau site for GCT/oat? Doesn`t sound like minor problems to me. Why take the chance going with a questionable outfit like them?

I have taken only one trip with OAT so far, and it was great! I went to Egypt with them in March 2005. I had also read some bad reports about the company, and was a little concerned, but took the chance anyway. Great guide, good rooms,food and tours.
I have booked a trip to Thailand based on what I heard about it, from people I met on this trip.They said they loved it.They went on that trip in 2004.The tour may have been improved since 1997.

To USNA,

I would love to hear more about your trip to India. I want to take that trip next year. I looked at some of your posts and didn't see a trip report.Anything you would care to share about your trip would be great. Thanks a lot.

Dottie: I have a full report of our trip to India with OAT which you may have if you will list your e-mail address.

Thanks so much for the input everyone! We are thinking that perhaps our relative should try OAT, but just book on a trip that goes sooner rather than later (minimizing cancellation problems?). She is now also considering the OAT Vietnam trip. Has anyone taken this trip with OAT?

OAT offers an optional extension to Vietnam as part of its Thailand tour. Also, it has a Vietnam-only tour. We took the extension option when we went to Thailand with OAT. This included Hanoi and HaLong Bay. It was so interesting that we returned to Vietnam on our own, traveling from the Mekong delta all the way north to the border with China, in the mountains near Sapa. We were treated with the utmost care and courtesy everywhere we went, and we would recommend a visit to Vietnam to anyone. In our 70s, we found the journey to be fascinating but should be attempted only by persons in reasonably good physical condition. We found Vietnam offered a varieties of climates, from the steamy delta to the fogbound and chill northern highlands. Cambodia, when we went also as an OAT extension, was extremely humid and hot -- Angkor Wat and the adjoining temples are not to be missed.

WinterTravel,

Where did you find the information about the BBB revoking GCT's membership?

I've been considering an OAT trip and am interested in more info.

Thanks.

Winter, the cancellation problems with both companies have occurred sometimes just a couple of weeks before departure. One person reported being told that their trip was cancelled because there weren't enough people signed up, but they had originally been told they were lucky to get in because there had been a wait-list. So I don't know that sooner or later makes a difference. If your relative is retired, the date-switching might not be as much of a problem. Also, if the tour company is making the air reservations, I would hope they could also change them without penalty. Given the recent history of problems, I think the relaltive should only sign up for the tour if they are willing to put up with date changes, etc.

Good points by all -- it seems that going with OAT can be a great experience, though it is buyer-beware in terms of the possible date changes, etc... The info regarding the BBB membership issue was on the BBB website (GCT is located in MA, so I think it was on that BBB site). You can easily find the link by doing a Google search.

Luisah,
Here's a direct link to the BBB report - http://www.bosbbb.org/reports/reliab...sp?FirmId=3848

To USNR,

I would love to read your trip report.

My email is: [email protected]

Thank you so much!

Thanks Patty.

I'm going to add another "yeah!" vote for OAT/GCT. I'm sorry to hear that other folks haven't been as lucky as me and my folks have been with them. I've taken OAT trips to Peru and Moracco - both were excellent. When my wallet was stollen in Peru, the trip guide couldn't have been more helpful or supportive. Several of us were critical of one local guide (she focused too much on pointing out houses of the rich and not enough on the culture, antiquities and museum) on our evaluations and we each recieved follow-up phone calls asking for more information. No trip is ever perfect, but OAT took us places larger group trips couldn't and provided opportunities for local contact that would have been difficult to arrange if I'd been travelling independently. In my late 30's and 40's, I tended to be one of the younger folks on the trips, but they let me go places I was uncomfortable wandering alone.

OAT also had the best single traveller deal I've found - no single supplement if you ask to be matched with a roommate even if they don't find one for you. I understand that they now charge 50% of the single supplement if they cannot find you a roommate, but that's still a better deal than most. Of course one can still have a private room by paying the single supplement.

My folks have travelled with GCT several times (I've lost count)- mostly European river and barge tours. The groups are larger and participants wear name tags (yuck!), but my folks love the pace, variety and have been extremely pleased with their trip guides also. One year health problems required that they cancel/reschedule a GCT trip. GCT was great about it and they took their trip the following year - no penalties, no problems. BTW, "The Folks" are now in their late 70's and just today made reservations with GCT for another river cruise next June.

Nothing's perfect and travelling is always a bit of a gamble, but OAT/GCT has worked for us.

Happy trails!

Hi Traveling Artist,

I'm happy to read that you had good experiences with OAT. I'm registered for the Morocco tour and would appreciate any information or tips.

Thanks.

I have traveled twice with OAT - China & Tibet and just returned from Thailand with a pre-trip to Cambodia. Both my husband and myself love OAT and from our fellow travelers on this last trip, all have the same feelings. We plan to book Egypt for next February and would recommend to any traveler.

I am fascintated in reading this thread. I cam inches away from sending my parents on the Thailand trip. They backed out, saying they had too much happening.

However, I still constantly get those beautiful OAT brochures. Those brochures inspire my travels, even if I never go anywhere with them.

It seems that the great majority of people I listen to, swear that they are amazing, but that 10% who have had problems, get it really bad. :(

We have taken 6 tours with OAT: China/Tibet, Morroco, Peru/Amazon, Australia, Vietnam/Angkor Wat, and Egypt/Jordan. All of them have been very good, some excellent. We have read the bad reports about OAT on the message boards, but have neither encountered those kinds of problems ourselves nor met anyone on our trips who has. The one caveat for OAT is that they are pretty inflexible in terms of allowing variation from the planned trip ie. separate airline arrangements, extended stays other than their own extensions. So if you want to deviate, OAT is probably not for you. We have signed on for the India/Bhutan trip in the fall and are looking forward to it.

Luisah,
You asked for tips/suggestions for the OAT Morocco trip. We went in March and found layers and thermal undies necessary for the cold nights in the desert and the mountains. Also, I tended to wear a longish travel skirt (over my thermal long underwear and hiking boots) much of the time and found that somehow that made me more approachable to some of the women we met, particularly in the rural areas. One of the other women on the trip brought little bottles of bubbles with her and as she blew bubbles the kids just flocked to her, followed by their mothers, which created more great opportunities for interaction.

At one of the farms we visited, one of the wives decided I was wearing a scarf I'd bought over there wrong and retied it for me the "correct" way for a woman and we became best pals - I was the only one in the group that she let take her photograph. She admired the beaded glasses keeper cord on my sunglasses, and when I gave it to her (out of sight of her husband who quickly took possession of moisturizing cream another person offered her for her children's very windburned, dried cheeks) when we left, she looked like I'd given her the world! I wished I had brought a bunch of those elastic seed-bead bracelets to give to the women we met who were so nice to us!

A word of warning for the day you visit the tannery, it will probably smell worse than you expect. Our guide quickly bought bunches of fresh mint and handed them out to us to crush and hold under our noses to counter some of the smell. Also, the smell rises, so if you climb up to the surrounding roofs for a better photo opp, or to escape the smell - the photo opp might work out, but the smell will actually be worse!

Bring lots of film or memory cards for your camera - the colors and light are fabulous. Moisturizer and sunscreen are critical - especially while in the Sahara - and a small flashlight. Sunrise over the Sahara dunes is spectacular, but those dunes are a lot higher than they look! Only a couple of the people in our group actually made it all the way to the top for sunrise.

As you can tell, I really liked Morocco and the OAT trip - hope you do too. Have a great trip.
Nancy

Thank you, that's very helpful.

how about the beaches in Hong Kong? Are there nice? How warm is the water? Any preferred one(s)?

My experience with OAT has been POOR, especially the handling of my complaint.

On a recent trip to "Route of the Maya",the cultural and historical aspects were heavily advertised, but were NOT DELIVERED -- our guide was more interested in telling us about recent political issues in Guatemala, and NOT about the Classic Maya culture.

COMPLAINTS and requests for some compensation to cover the "advertised but not delivered" issues were palmed off by the "quality management Department" -- more literally, "quality MIS-management".

I was quite displeased with the manner in which this was handled, particularly with the absence of any reply from "upper management", and can understand why the Better Business Bureau has revoked BBB membership.

I'm thinking of taking a trip to Africa with OAT in April/07, the trip is called Ultimate Africa, has anybody been on this trip, or knows anything about it?

I am a fan of Intrepid Travel.I took a four-week India trip with them last year,and will be using them again in the fall for a portion of my Australia trip. Their prices are great,and you get a lot for your money!

www.Intrepidtravel.com

Just in case anyone searches this thread when looking for China tours, we wanted to follow up with a post-trip comment. In the end, our relative decided to go with Grand Circle Tours to China this summer. She could not say enough positive things about the trip and about the tour company. GCT turned out to be the perfect choice. Thanks to everyone who provided advice this spring!