OAT overbooked and cancelled
 

Has anyone had their trip cancelled by the tour company......one week prior to departure due to overbooking???? Overseas Adventure Travel has dropped this on me today and I would like to hear from others. JKR

I think if you search on the European Forum you may find something about them from a while back.

BC

I think bookchick may be referring to this thread http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34546783

What was your destination? When I went, I asked them specifically if there was a chance of it being cancelled. They said little chance, as it was one of their most popular trips. It wasn`t cancelled.

I hang out on this website a lot, work permissing. So I see now and then OAT complains popping up. Cancelled travelers, especially single, or cancelled tour as OAT got a reservation from a group.

pat,
The OP's trip was canceled because of overbooking, not underbooking. It was too popular!

I traveled with OAT only once. It was a fabulous tour. Any concerns handled with no question and they were especially accommodating of my special diet. I am sorry to hear of your cancellation especially one week before you were to have left. I'd be mighty pissed also. But all I can reiterate is that we had a terrific trip with them.

Well, Mellifluous, I'm glad someone had a good trip....

When I contacted the Better BUsiness Bureau of Boston I was notified that Grand Circle is no longer a member and has an "Unsatisfactory" rating. This is the lawsuit they were involved in:

On 12/22/06 the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office announced a settlement with Grand Circle LLC. The company has agreed to pay cash and travel voucher refunds to more than 730 travelers resolving allegations that the company did not give it's travelers adequate notice of cancellation of the cruise portion of their trip.

I was offered the same trip in May with a reduced fare, but I could never trust them again. Buyer beware!! JKR

Won 't go into detail, but we and several friends, have had terrible time with GCT and all their components (Vantage, OAT). Do not use this company, and do not be afraid to share the reasons why.

There have been several posts over the last few years on the Europe board about GTC being delisted from BBB.

Trip Overbooked post by jkr2006 has been resolved apparently to their satisfaction in approx. 2 weeks. Link: http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35087243

Jack and Ann

Out of curosity, were you traveling alone as a single traveler? I have seen quite a few reports that they cancel single travelers at the last minute in favor of booking a couple. Yours is not the first report on Fodors about being dropped by OAT.

Neopatrick - I think she was traveling with a friend. She has a promise of a discount for a trip and asked for letters stating she won't be bumped. I don't think she has received the actual letters yet.

Grand Circle and OAT (same outfit, I think) have had many legal problems, and have earned a reputation for being somewhat unethical, and uncaring, Not once, but evidentally by policy, they have taken folks in, but telling them that yes, indeed, the River Trip will proceed as scheduled (in spite of the fact that the rivers in Europe are flooding), and when people fly to Europe, often after inquiring and being reassured as recently as one day prior to departure, they arrive to find there really is no River trip planned, but a long bus trip, all over the back roads of Eastern Europe. This happened many times, not just one occasion.

Having said all this, and know it for a fact from several couples who had this exerience, I would consider these companies very carefully, Study the reasons why they earned bad marks from the BBB. On the other hand, if nothing goes wrong, you might have a great trip. But put it on the credit card. Then you have recourse, if you need it.

Just a followup: the thread mentioned above has more details about my situation.
I have a list of all the folks who were on my scheduled trip and contacted two couples, neither of which were contacted by OAT with requests to give up their spots. However,(and I think this probably had something to do with why we were bumped) they were traveling with other couples and they also were taking either the pre or post trip extensions.
I know that many folks have had good experiences with OAT and for that reason I am willing to give them another chance. I guess I'm trying to make lemonade out of an experience that has really been a big bag of lemons. JKR2006