The most Harrowing experience from a trip booked through PENTRAVEL!!!!

My sister, my friend and I booked a trip to Brazil through Pentravel Musgrave. The trip was booked for the 16th January until the 26th. We were assigned to an inexperienced Travel agent namely Joy Shongwe. Firstly she advised us that this was her first big booking and therefore she will be extremely diligent in ensuring that every single travel need of ours is addressed before, during and after the trip and that should we encounter the smallest hiccup during the trip she is a “phone call away”.

We were all very excited about the trip. Although at first we found that the price per person of the holiday was excessive Joy shongwe explained and reassured us that the reason for the premium prices was because of the superior standard rooms we will be put up in.

We landed on the 16th January, at approximately 17:00 RIO time. After landing and collecting our luggage and going through customs I decided to activate my roaming to check my smses and mails.

To our utter dismay we were notified via email that the supplier in Brazil contacted the Thompsons representative and notified them that the Augustus Copacabana mistakenly cancelled our booking. As compensation we were assured that we were now booked into a hotel which was of a better standard than the one that was Cancelled erroneously.

Firstly we found this a bit odd as it does not make sense for a supplier to cancel unless instructed to do so. Nonetheless we took comfort in the reference to a “higher standard accommodation”.

When we entered the hotel we were taken aback by the entrance way and the fact that there was no one to assist us with our luggage. The lifts used to get to our rooms were old and run down. The corridor to our rooms was deserted and there was no other on the floors we were booked in. The place looked worse that a third grade hostel that accommodates students.

The rooms were below entry level and definitely not worth the price paid just for accommodation which was close to R100,000 for 10 nights for 3 people. Enquiry with the Hotel manager revealed that the price for the rooms we stayed at costs on average Brazilian Reis 270 which equates to R996 per night per person. A quick reconciliation of what the 3 of us actually paid Pentravel shows that we have in fact been overcharged by more 200%.

Today being the 20th of January we checked out of Acapulco Hotel only to be advised that we cannot have our bags released to us as the accommodation was not paid for by the agent or supplier. After numerous calls and texts and requests to Chanel to assist us with the payment she simply advised us that she has tried her best and has communicated the same to the supplier. Eventually due to futile attempts with Chanel we settled the account and left.

This afternoon we checked into the “Pousada Bucaneiro” Hotel situated in Buzio.

The rooms were claustrophobic and dirty with soiled bedsheets, used toilets which were unclean. It is inconceivable to believe that we paid R2000 per room per night.

In desperation we pleaded with Chanel to book us out the next day being 21 January and a one way ticket back to RSA due to the harrowing experience. She was simply calm and monosyllable and non-commital in her tone and advised that she is liaising with her supplier.

To date we have received no recourse, but had to experience the following administrative and financial burden:

1) Sorted alternate accommodation right from start, 2) Had to pay for accommodation before checking out, 3) Rearranged all our tours as the times were all incorrect and the tour guides were misinformed from the start

What is most alarming is that we paid R150,000 for a 10 night trip for 3 people at less than 3 star accommodation and tours that were not even planned properly due to incorrect times reflected on the itinerary. Over and above the R150,000, we had to pay for the first 4 nights stay in Brazil upon checking out.

This entire trips casts significant doubt and questions the integrity, ethics, good code of conduct and one of their core values which is to provide value for money...

Kind regards

Shameema Ismail Director CA(SA), RA

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