Ask-aladdin, www.ask-aladdin.com/ Reviews

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Good Points: I found that I got a friendly service from this company, which I want to let others know about. It uses good, English speaking operatives, who I felt very relaxed with, that helped give a trustworthy impression of the company: at no time did I feel under pressure to go somewhere or do something I did not want to. I was never "advised" to go to certain places (factories, shops, restaurants etc.) where the operative would receive a payment from the manager for bringing extra trade. I particularly liked the personal touch, where Aladdin himself came to my accommodation in Cairo and handed me the train tickets for my return journey to Luxor, as well as the details of my hotel in Luxor, the transfer from the railway station to the hotel (and vice-versa) and other useful details which really made my stay more pleasant. He even insisted on going over the itinerary a couple of times to make sure that I had all the details correct and was willing to listen to any worries that I had, reassuring me when required.
The hotel, which was booked for me, was an excellent one and the rates were a lot cheaper than what I would have been able to arrange on my own. There was not even a surcharge for me being a solo visitor, which was a nice surprise.

Bad Points: To be honest, I cannot think of any bad points about using this company. I have tried to think of anything which may be classified as "bad", but the service I received was 100% good.

General comments: Overall, I had first class treatment from this company and will definitely be using them next time I go to Egypt. In fact I will be letting them arrange the whole trip for me. From what I could see from the little which I had asked for, Aladdin and his staff were willing to treat me the same as someone who had booked a more expensive package.
One thing I do wish to share is something which I heard during the handover of my tickets. Aladdin received a telephone call from a customer in Hurghada who was worried due to the Hurghada to Sharm El-Sheikh ferry being taken off service for repairs. Even though he had politely excused himself to deal with this matter, I could overhear his conversation and he was bending over backwards to help his client. He discussed alternative forms of transportation for the person he was talking to, and at no time did he make any plans without their permission. Eventually, after a few phone calls to various other people, to which he spoke Arabic and so I was totally lost, he got the trip sorted out, and when the client phoned back I could tell that he had submitted a solution which was totally agreeable. His professionalism with dealing with this matter let me see that I was dealing with a man (and company) whose sole interest is to ensure that their customers come first and have an enjoyable stay in Egypt. He later explained to me that the ferry being taken off of service what not a scheduled happening, and that he had to contact many different people to ensure that his client received the best treatment, as well as making sure that the client was happy. At no time during his conversations did he appear out of control of the situation and any doubts, which I may have had prior to this, evaporated immediately.
I have a "don't trust anyone" attitude when dealing with people, or companies, for the first time, if they want my custom, they have to show me that they are of a standard which I feel is acceptable. My number one priority is that I am treated as an individual customer, not as someone who is there to boost their profit margin. The way that ask-aladdin personally delivered my tickets et al, plus the way that the above situation was dealt with, let me see that I had made the right choice of company, and as I have said previously, I SHALL be using their services again.
Usually, when finding a service that I find exceptional, I keep it to myself (if I managed to find it, so can others), but in this case I am willing to make an exception. There are many tour companies whose sole aim is to make profit, and their customers are little more than a number. Ask-aladdin does not fall into this category in any way, shape or form, and I am happy to share my experience with other travellers, so that they will know that there is at least one decent travel company which they can use.