Hopeless, Disappointed, and Unprofessional

I, Myself live in Cape Town for 4 years. I know Thompsons because my friend works for Thompsons in Singapore and Thailand. So, I decided to book the trip for my ex-boss senior group of 5 people from Thailand, they have never been to Africa before. It is their first time. I recommended them to book from your well-known and reputable tour operator. I selected the trips and the tours then send the options to the group. They booked The Palace Hotel at Sun City and Livingstone in Zambia plus Helicopter and Royal Express top-up tours. They spent R154,278.02 in total The Sun City went very well. However, I would like to leave a complaint the trip Livingstone, Zambia package tour. The adverti*****t (David Livingstone Safari Lodge) I found on the website.

- Return flights from Johannesburg to Livingstone - including airline levy - Return transfers from airport to hotel - 3 Nights accommodation at the 4* David - Livingstone Safari Lodge & Spa - Breakfast Daily Added value: - 1 child sharing stay free and pay for meals and activities. - 1 Sunset Cruise per person - 2 Dinners per person - Valid for SADC Residents only. ** R10,512/ person sharing **Travel Dates: 3 Aug - 19 Dec 2018 **Offer Ends: 19 Dec 2018 **Ref: TH ********** **Departs from: Johannesburg

I saved and represented this packaged tour to the group. They were happy with what was included and price. I contacted the tour advisor and found out the price would be more because one person is not sharing, and they are foreigners. The price on the website was R10,512 per person. The price we paid at average is R15,444.46 per person. They happy and agreed to pay the price. By the time, they were there on 28th Sep – 1st Oct. They were so confused because the hotel didn’t know about the 2 Dinners and one Sunset Cruise per person. They contacted me to find out regarding this issue. I called Emergency Number because it was the weekend. I got Wendy, The Manager on duty in the call. She told they group didn’t pay for the Sunset and Dinners. The package is only Flight, Accommodation, Daily Breakfast and Transfer. She asked me to go back to the confirmation email which shows nothing. I was quite surprised why the tour advisor, Courtney didn’t inform me anything. If there is anything changed from what the company advertised, at least send the email or call me directly. Wendy told me it was my fault that I didn’t read the confirmation properly. To be honest, I am not happy with this incident and the answer I received from your manager.

Please help me think!

• Do you think the Tour Advisor should inform the client by writing and phone call to the client if there is anything change in advanced? • Do you think the Tour Advisor or Manager should have attached the itinerary that shows the package tour with the correct price and so on in advance? • Do you think it is the client’s fault that trust the adverti*****t on the website and didn’t check the itinerary?(the group cannot read and speak English perfectly) • Should I still recommend Thompsons to our friends and write good reviews?

Note: I contacted the manager on duty a few times. The only answer I received sound like they shrank their responsibilities toward the client. (Detail Below) ....................................................................................................................................................................................

Dear Worarat Thank you for your email, I have responded to your emails regarding the package. I resent the confirmation which clearly gives you what was included in your booking. The Sunset cruise was never included in the price as discussed, we discussed that the price you saw on the website was valid for South African residents only, therefore a package for non SA residents was given to you clearly showing the inclusions from quote to confirmation. You accepted the booking as per the confirmation, the documents clearly stated what was included. Please see attached documentation Kind regards Wendy