Viator Reviews

Name: Viator
Address: 360 3rd St #400, San Francisco
Rating: 2.21

2.2 Rating 1,102 Reviews

30 %

of reviewers recommend Viator

Company Reviews

Questions

Metrics

2.2

Based on 1,102 reviews

Shipping & Delivery
Delivery Methods	Own Driver
On-time Delivery	Greater than 7%
Customer Service
Communication Channels	Telephone, Email, Live Chat
Queries Resolved In	Over A Week
Customer Service	1.1 out of 5
Returns & Refunds
Refunds Process	Difficult

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Phone:

888-651-9785

Email:

support@viator.com

Location:

360 3rd St #400
San Francisco
94107

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Viator 1 star review on 26th October 2024

101

Anonymous

Anonymous // 01/01/2019

Sort by: Most Recent Most Recent Highest Rated Filter: None None 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Stars Helpful

“Sorry for the lengthy review but it explains in details what happened to us and why my 1 star. They deserve 0 stars in our opinion and experience. Facts below. I’ve been using Viator for all my travel since 2013 and I consider them a facilitator between me and the tour company like I use American Express. If there is an issue, I expect them to intervene, if not why use them. In all my travels I’ve never had an issue and never needed Viator to intervene. This is the only time I’ve needed them and they failed miserably. I will never use them again. I had a tour in Mexico City to see the plazas and some of the monuments and learn about their gay history. The tour was supposed to start at 10:00 AM Sept 1, 2024. Meeting point was very close to Zocalo a huge plaza and actually zocalo and several monuments within zocalo were part of our tour. The tour even assigned 20 minutes on our own in Zocalo to see the sites. Our taxi ride was supposed to be 14 minutes, around 9:30 we went to the taxi stand, they were right by the hotel, once we were out of the hotel we noted a huge demonstration marching close to our hotel. Since we are TOURISTS how could we know there was a huge demonstration to commemorate the change of the president. When we go to get a taxi they tell us they will not take us to the “centro” since the address we gave them was very close to zocalo in the middle of the historic district and most streets were closed and the crowd was walking towards Zocalo and the plaza. This was the same answer to the 2 taxis behind him. Sadly enough we did not listen to the taxis, we then ordered Uber that was 12 min away again due to road closures and the people marching in the streets 12 minutes turned into close to 18 due to the obvious. He told us he could not get to the address but would leave us as close as possible. As we are taken to our drop spot and now in the Uber I texted with the company told them we were late and they said the tour starts when you get here, no rush. Now I realize why they were so accommodating. Once we get to our destination the Uber driver tells us the walk is a 10 min walk from here just cross the plaza. We had Google maps and start walking to realized the plaza (Zocalo remember part of our tour 20 minutes there on our own) is covered with tens of thousands of people, the equivalent to SWAT present and a huge police presence. Now the walking was much worse since the groups holding flag and arguing peacefully between them made things tense and hard to walk through. As we are trying to go through the crowd and get out one of the side streets one of us ( we were four) was surrounded by 6-7 ladies and a guy came from behind and stole his phone from his pocket. Cash, credit cards, drivers license and phone all in one. We were scared at that point and finally reached a side road and walked as fast as we could to be away from the crowd. I texted them what happened and we took an Uber that took 45 minutes to get to the hotel again due to the manifestations. At that point the tour was not on our minds but cancelling credit cards, phone etc and SAFETY. Things they thought was a mistake. I guess we were to go on with the tour in Zocalo where we were robbed !!! They told us if there was anything they could do to let them know ( in their reply) Next 3 hrs we cancel all credit cards and phone. No financial harm done except from the iPhone and thankfully we were safe. We go for a drink and start just talking about how dangerous was to have a tour knowing this was going on. More so when part of the tour was that same place with the crowd. As tourists we were unaware of this, the magnitude of it, the way to get to them etc etc. Thinking back we should have never gone, but we had no idea what we were getting into as tourists, you rely on the locals. I then reached our to Viator and after several emails their reply was that the tour company refused to give us a refund because ( this is copied from their email) 1. They've received your message 10 minutes before the start time stating you are still looking for taxi. True, due to the manifestations and explained above as explained to Viator in a previous email. 2. At the tour start time at 10am, they've received your message stating you are in an Uber arriving 15 minutes late. True, and they said the tour starts when you get here they knew the issues 3. Scheduled gathering point was more than 1km away from the start point of this tour. Not true, it was 600 meters by Google maps and all roads surrounding the area were close to access. Again we are not locals so have to rely on Uber and google maps. 4. Tour operated as scheduled. Not true they were waiting on us since we were the only ones. There was no hurry on their side. Also see the tour description included Zocalo where we were robbed and it was covered by an ocean of Mexicans impossible to take a tour there. 5. All other participants were able to join the tour. Not true either. We were only ones if there was more people they would have departed and not said take your time we start when you get here. I do not believe they left a guide behind. I might be wrong but is irrelevant based on everything else that was going on there. Truthfully it was irresponsible from them to schedule the tour at the time, date and place scheduled. Canceling or offering an alternative date would have save us from being robbed and ruining our day and possibly body harm. This shows how neither Mexico University Tours nor Viator cared about safety towards their customers. Sadly enough when we realized we were not safe it was too late to get out. Mexico City is a great place and we enjoyed several of the top bars in the world as well as dinning in Michelin star restaurants. We felt safe everywhere except those 7 minutes walking through the crowd that resulted in us being pick pocketed. This could have happened in any big city in a political manifestation like this one but you rely on the locals more so when you’re paying them for a tour to guide you and look after your safety not dragged you to the danger zone. We were never informed of what was going on and to avoid certain areas getting there. Not once. We went to Zócalo next day and enjoyed the beautiful buildings, (the cathedral) and although there was still heavy police presence since I guess there are more festivities upcoming there was no manifestation, no crowds, No danger. I reached out to Mexico University Tour and in their reply they blamed us for trying to go through the crowd, really!! I guess they have never been tourists… we were dropped by Uber, we have no control to where since we did not know the area. Based on all the maps and barricades there was no other way to go or be dropped. We were dropped at the plaza and following Google maps ( as they recommended in their email) and as we do every time we travel. To get around an unknown city. They knew about the manifestation but failed to inform us before 10 AM and never thought they should orient people unfamiliar with the city of what to avoid, to allowed an extra hour due to the situation, to tell our Uber to take a different direction. etc etc etc. So many things were missing. We are 4 profesional mature men in our early 50’s that travel extensively. We have never encounter a situation like this or a company that would not plan ahead knowing a big manifestation is happening around their office and in the tour route. The mature and profesional outcome would have been for them to understand their mistake and rectify the situation. I tell my kids, If you mess up then OWN IT and FIX IT and people will move forward. Both University Tours in Mexico City and Viator failed us and put our lives in danger. There are many other companies read reviews. In this trip we toured the pyramids in with Holidays House Boys a private tour and our guide Rafael was amazing communicating, helping us around the city and worried about our safety. I’ll use them again anytime. I later learned that Holiday House Boys also give this tour, shame I did not use them. They did not tour Sept 1 at 10 AM. Smart!! Attached our Uber ride, times and my communication with the company as well as an article warning people of the manifestation location and times (web address at the bottom for verification) and an article written after the fact talking about the manifestation lasting 2 hrs etc. They match the date, time and place we were going in our tour. Look at the itinerary from their website… 20 minutes in zocalo where the manifestation took place. Also added part of their reply so you guys can judge their attitude. Just the facts above. You guys decide.”

Viator 1 star review on 5th September 2024

Helpful Report

Posted 2 months ago

“Viator cancelled a walking tour I had booked in Zargreb in April. They sent email well before walk was scheduled to inform me of cancellation and promised a refund???? almost 5 months later, no refund, emails sent citing bank difficulties? and promises! I seriously doubt any refund is coming, lost $85.00 aud. Shame! I have booked many walks. tours etc with Viator and thought it was a trusted brand, not again!”

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Posted 2 months ago

“Was super excited about an upcoming boat tour but it was unclear how far the pick up was- it was over an hour to get there. Being on a cruise, we didn't have any room for error and had to cancel before the 24 hours ( and of course I booked it just over 24 hours). They charged a cancelation fee which is what we paid for- $300. Very expensive lesson learned.”

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Posted 2 months ago

“Was Charged double the price for the Narrated Boat Tour in Providence Rhode Island! Fellow traveler booked when we got to the location and was charged the normal fee tour(50%) less. This web site is a SCAM and severely overcharges for its service. AVOID doing business with this site and go directly to the company providing the tour!!!”

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Posted 2 months ago

“Luxury Boat to James Bond Islands with Lunch and Sunset Dinner Phuket, Thailand Horrible customer service Horrible customer service! I tried to cancel my reservation online 5 days before the excursion but the website didn't give me a confirmation or anything when I kept hitting cancel booking so I sent an email to ask them to confirm cancellation. No responses. Days later they email me to get more details for the excursion to which I responded that I canceled with proof and they email me from a new thread avoiding my email yet again. This happened 3 times. Now the day of event comes and they show up as if I haven't communicated enough that I canceled, no one would confirm with me so I had no way to know if it went through or not. They charged me and now they can send me an email about their 24 hr cancellation policy! Disgusting.”

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Posted 2 months ago

“They were professional, very friendly informative and took us above and beyond what was advertised”

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Posted 3 months ago

“If I could give what they deserve, they'd get ZERO stars. Our $1127 private day tour to the Great Wall that was booked well over a month before the scheduled date was cancelled just a couple of days before we were to leave on our trip. And what did Viator do to help us find another tour? Not a damned thing. About 6 months ago, our tour was cancelled as we were walking to the pick-up point the morning of the tour. What did Viator do then to help find a replacement tour? Not a damned thing. I should have learned from the first experience and not booked with them again, but I was assured that cancellations are RARE. Let's analyze the data: In the past 16 months- 4 tours booked, 2 of them cancelled. They can be happy with a 50% fulfillment rate, but I'm not. I won't be booking with them ever again.”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 months ago

“Dear Sir/Madam, I am writing to formally lodge a complaint regarding a recent tour I booked with your company on August 23 , 2024 Unfortunately, my experience was far from satisfactory due to unclear instructions and what I believe to be a misappropriation of my payment. Firstly, the instructions provided for the tour were vague and confusing. As a result, I was unable to follow the itinerary as intended, leading to significant inconvenience and disappointment during the tour. The lack of clear communication from your company not only affected the quality of the tour but also caused undue stress. More concerning is the issue regarding the payment. I was charged 170 euros yet the services I received did not align with what was promised in the booking details. I feel that this constitutes a breach of trust, as I did not receive the value for which I paid. To me, this seems like a clear case of mishandling or even theft of funds. I request a full refund of my 170 euros as compensation for the poor service and the mishandling of my payment. I also ask that you review your communication practices to prevent future customers from experiencing similar issues. Please respond to this complaint 15 days to resolve this matter. If I do not receive a satisfactory response, I will have no choice but to escalate this issue to the relevant consumer protection authorities and consider taking legal action. I hope we can resolve this matter amicably and promptly. Thank you for your attention to this issue. I look forward to your prompt response. Sincerely Feel free to customize this template further to suit your situation.”

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Posted 3 months ago

“They are a dreadful tour company. While in Rome on a Viator 3 hour tour of the Vatican and museums, the tour guide told two of us to follow the Swiss guard to the next stop of the tour. She did this in order to help us avoid the brutal sun. She spoke to the guard in Italian and he did not speak English and we did not speak Italian. The guard took us to a spot to wait. The guide never returned to get us. We waited at the spot for 45 minutes. We still were listening on the headsets for the tour and she was obviously very far from where we waited for her because her voice was never again on our headset. When the tour was over, she told our travel agent, who was also in the tour, that she needed to collect money for the headsets we still had in our possession…….no real concern for the two of us SHE LEFT BEHIND, but big concern for her headsets. She seemed to be knowledgeable about the facts, but not a lot of concern about who was following her or not…….just kept moving along. She was not keeping track of the people on the tour. It was very stressful to be left in a strange place when you paid to have a guided tour……..after a complaint was filed, the pat answer came from Viator…..”at this time we are not able to offer you a refund”. They are a terrible, uncaring tour company who is only worried about collecting their money and their headsets. Also,your customer service is useless and a waste of your time. Viator is obviously not going to stand for any quality in their product or guides.”

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Posted 3 months ago

“They don't provide all as they promised and tours are very expensive as compared to others, poorly organized. Please don't book and tours with th”

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Posted 3 months ago

“Viator is dangerous greedy and dishonest period their guide left me stranded in Brussels with no idea where I was in danger and the company would not give me a refund 5 hours later I made my way back to Amsterdam traumatized”

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Posted 3 months ago

“Stay away from this app as they will always site with vendors who lie and deceive !! They will NEVER issue a REFUND so you’re forced to file a dispute. How this pathetic company is still in business is beyond amazing since all they do is screw their customers but yet lose all the chargebacks since no services were ever provided !!”

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Posted 3 months ago

“A couple days ago, I had a tour to Olympic National Park. The tour had 15 people but Viator provided no tour guide.”

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Posted 3 months ago

“I booked a trip and less than 24 hours I needed to change the date and go 2 or 3 days earlier they refused to help in any way and just stole my money. AVOID THESE THIEVES at all costs.”

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Posted 3 months ago

“We were travelling to a country we had never been to before so we trusted Viator. We needed a transfer from out hotel to the port. Once we got there, we asked the hotel concierge how much would a taxi would cost for our trip? He said between $25-$30. Viator charged us $145 for a 4 minute car ride. I would NEVER book anything with them again. I have called and e-mailed them and gotten nowhere. What a ripoff!”

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Posted 3 months ago

“This company is terrible. Please don't buy tickets for those people they will the stole your money. If is any problem with the customer. They don't change the trip and they don't refund you money. It's awful. They are a thief!!!! No body would nothing from to try to help you no body care!!!”

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Posted 3 months ago

“Sold us a 4 to 5 hour boat excursion ended up being 13 hours not on a boat but mainly in a cab and on a tourist island.in.mexico. horrible experience. We sent them thier confirmation and they simply said there was some confusion. Do not get scammed.”

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Posted 3 months ago

“I never had a problem with Viatour… until I had a problem. Turns out, they have deplorable standards for their vendors to accurately advertise and supply the tour they describe. Customer service would corporate speak and double talk you with nonsense and irrelevant excuses if you ask for a even partial refund due to the provider not fulfilling it’s tour description. It’s a sham of customer service. Once they have your money, you’re at the mercy of their vendor and they really don’t care if the vendors are falsely advertising.”

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Posted 3 months ago

“DO NOT BOOK A TOUR - If I could give a negative star I would. I was on a Martha’s Vineyard tour today and had the worse experience. My son actually started looking to see if we could get an Uber. The tour guide talked about his private life the majority of the tour. I paid over $300 to hear about the Driver’s friend’s heart condition, his upcoming doctor appointment, how he traveled the world , how much he made when he sold his house, on and on for 3 hours. Very little about Martha’s Vineyard! We were also nervous with his driving ability and during one of his stories he mentioned he turned 75 in 2019. So he was pushing 80 years old. Irresponsible to let him conduct tours! Horrible horrible experience! And Viator wouldn’t even consider any kind of refund. Not sure I would book anything through Viator if they don’t stand behind the service they sell!”

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Posted 3 months ago

“Very difficult to get in contact with. And awful customer service. Required to cancel the trip as I endured a severe medical issue and they refused the provide a refund given the circumstances.”

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Posted 3 months ago

Viator is rated 2.2 based on 1,102 reviews