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“National Parksand Canyon Lands - September 2014”

written by Hoffman450 on 22/02/2015

My friend and I went on The National Parks and Canyonlands tour in September 2014. Yellowstone was out of this world. All the places we visited were spectacular. However we were placed on the wrong tour. Two tours were setting off from Denver and our tour was a day shorter and a slightly different itinerary on the last few days of the tour. At Denver we were given a leaflet with the tour guides name on, but when we all met to be given details of the tour we were told we were on the other tour guides tour. We queried with the representative who was based at the Denver hotel and we queried with both tour guides. We were told we were on the correct tour. We should of been on a tour of 21 people but we're placed on tour if appx 46. Even when we were met at the airport we were down as coming in on a BA flight from Heathrow not Newcastle.

It was not until the second week it came to light yes we were in the wrong tour. We were giving the itinerary for the incorrect tour of which we did not know till later , we were booked into all the motels and hotels for the wrong tour. So this is the reason nothing became apparent and a few of the tour had added extra night in Las Vegas and people were flying home different days and to different airports.

On our two day stay in beautiful Jackson, we were so excited about two. Nights in one motel, we loved The Painted Inn., but we had to spend time with our guide trying to arrange flights a day later to what our original flights were. We spent the whole last week having to chase Archers up to see if we could get a flight home. In life we appreciate mistakes are made, but checking with three people who insisted we were on right tour and then when it was confirmed we were on wrong tour not much empathy was shown.

Returning home we made a complaint and were given reimbursement of train fare and £200.00 compensation and promised also £200.00 holiday vouchers. These vouchers were not received and Archersstate did not promise and as we have received cheque we have agreed in final settlement. We called Archers after receiving letter to state no vouchers received. We did say to Archers we do not wish to holiday with them again and wish to be reimbursed the monetary value. Bearing in mind we spent nearly 4k on a holiday and had to sort out ourselves even up to confirming the night before in LasVegas if we definitely had flights as we had had no written confirmation of flights which the office said would e mail to our tour guide.

We have holidayed many times with Cosmos before and had excellent holidays, brilliant guides especially Claudette on Canadian Coastal Adventure and Andrie on Baltic States and Scandinavia. But unfortunately Archers do not seem half as efficient. We have written to Cosmos before praising the tour guides and drivers so we are not complainers but the treatment and lack of empathy will ensure we never use Archers again.

The Customer experience department have confirmed they will not issue vouchers and when Inasked they listen to recording of telephone call to affirm when we were told vouchers would also be issued we were told recordings of calls not available as previous customer team. I informed Archers and many people within the organisation wee mailed complaint to that if not resolved we would comment on Internet. We hoped it would not come to this, but Archers do not It seem co corned so hence our review that cuatro we services and experiencewere warned of.

However the tour apart from stress full week of e mails and chasing up tour guide re flights, the places we visited and small cowboy towns and the parks was such an experience. Yellowstone thermal hot spots and Geysers and Fumerokes were truly magical. September lovely time to visit, we went back end if September and parks were not overcrowded.