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

Visit Website

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

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“I’ve gone on many tours with Viator That went well, and I was very satisfied. It wasn’t until I had a bad experience, though, that I learned that Viator would not help me nor effectively communicate with me to make sure they understood the problem and then get back with me to let me know whether or not they were able to find a resolution. I went on a snorkel tour with Viking adventures in Iceland with my wife where my wife was treated in an inappropriate manner and when I tried to contact Viator the best I could do was send them emails as well as call their 800 number which took me to Manila Philippines, and I was told that they would get back with me and they never did despite several communication attempts on my part. What I learned, is that our company that wants to make money of course and they will often direct you to a good vendor for some excursion, but I also learned that when something goes wrong, they’re not there for me. Although I’ve spent over $10,000 in the last 15 years or so using them now I’m looking for alternatives.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 months ago

“This company is unethical do not book with them. I got the complete run around when I asked to credit my fee to a future date rather than the date I inadvertently booked (default to yesterday’s date). I tried to resolve this via What’s App and continued to get nonsensical AI-generated responses. I then finally got another email saying Viator would not honor my request to simply move my reservation to August 2 when we will actually be in London. Pathetic. I will never go through this company again to book any tour in ANY city!”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 months ago

“Completely unreasonable to work with…can’t (won’t) reschedule. Even if you book and then immediately call, like I did because I chose the wrong date, they don’t care. Use another booking company.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 months ago

“on July 7th, I was traveling by ship from Dubrovnik and fell ill before an excursion in Corfu on July 8th with Halara Travel Corfu. I waited to see if I would feel better in time - but had to cancel just outside the 24 hour window. I took screen shots as proof even though Viator was telling me there would be no refund. I had several chats throughout the day with Viator staff and the tour provider while trying to rest and recover so I could at least enjoy upcoming excursions I had booked - also through Viator. I booked around $1000 in excursions with Viator over a 9 day period. Viator staff just passed the ball, refusing my request. And sent me to the tour operator. Dimitra was her name at Halara - could not believe there was no understanding or appreciation that my wish was to enjoy the excursion, but to preserve the health of others on the excursion, I had to cancel. And as far as I was aware of my location at the time - I was still outside the 24 hour window. They were more concerned about taking people's money than health and safety. Completely opposite way to handle customers and promote coming back again. It wasn't until much later in the day, I was informed there was an hour time difference between Dubrovnik and Corfu - so there was no chance to get a refund. It offers a refund 24 hours in advance - but they don't specify it's 24 hours before the time zone of the tour location. There's no mention of that. I had a tour operator in Kotor give money back because my tender to shore was late. They know how to provide customer service and solutions to unusual circumstances. I still expect some resolution from Viator - and this is why I'm asking you directly or a refund on this excursion. But as it stands now, I'd never recommend Halara Travel or Viator to other travelers in the future.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 months ago

“Our tour guide Adam was awesome! He was very knowledgeable and told us many great stories. He was patient and nice. The tour of Niagara Falls and other sites was great. We enjoyed seeing the different places around the area.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 months ago

“I booked 6 tours in Costa Rica through Viator. Five of them were good, two of them were particularly outstanding. However, one of them didn't provide everything listed - it was a horseback riding tour that also indicated a stop at a Rancho where tortillas and fresh cheese would be provided. Alas, we only got horseback riding. The tour was great apart from the unmet expectations. Viator's excuse was that it didn't indicate which tour provided the food - well, yes, the tour I selected and paid for! - and declined the partial refund I requested. Invalid reasons and disappointing.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 months ago

“I will never use aviator again. I booked $20K worth of tours with aviator as I traveled with my family through Europe. Very first excursion went south when only two people received tickets for the Sagrada Familia and everyone else had a confirmed reservation from Viator but the tour agency didn’t have it. Both Viator and the agency blamed each other. We adjusted on the fly but left Barcelona without seeing the site we were there for. 😥. We then travel to Paris only to get two tours canceled because of over booking. We were unable to do either tour. We travel to Normandy. Guess what? Viator canceled. Unlike Spain though the tour agency and Viator reach out to us. Viator tells us to reschedule with another company so we do. The original agency asked us if we still wanted the tour because Viator canceled the tour and they were not sure why. We told them no and Viator already scheduled us with another agency. 12 hours later Viator calls us to tell us the tour is over booked and only six people can go. We request a full refund but they decline be the tour is less than 24 hours from starting. I will never use Viator again!”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 months ago

“I had made a Reservation to ride the Cable Cars in SF. Upon arrival the Cars were NOT in working order. They stated this occurred on Sunday and here it is Wednesday and still not in Service. I notified Viator to request a Refund. I received an Email stating that I can do a "Bus" tour. Ummmm, that is ridiculous to offer that over the Historic Cable Car ride. Our hearts were set on the Cars. They also stated that they COULD NOT Refund my purchase ($165). You would think that they would have that info before they sell the Tours.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 months ago

“80% of the time , tickets bought via or activities organized by Viator go well. However when locally a problem occurs, Viator doesn't support its customers. We booked a boat trip 5th July to the staten and liberty island NY. Because the local guy at the counter of the tour operator mad a screw up when scanning our tickets we were not allowed on the boat. A refund request was issued the day itself. We had to kindly ask for feedback 9 days later (because no reply from Viator). 3 days later a standard answer was issued that refund was impossible. When I kindly asked for details I got within 30 minutes (!) a standard text saying that everything was revised again (with thorough attention for details..) but the outcome was still the same. Clearly a text written by AI. This is not a professional way to deal with your customers.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 months ago

“I never used Viator nor heard of them before. I booked a tiki party boat for 4 for for a small Bachelorette party. I booked 3 weeks in advance and the morning of, I log in to retrieve/screenshot the tickets for my party. I learned that morning that my party boat was CANCELLED. I called a representative, the Rep. Couldn't tell me the reason, but gave me the number to the actual party boat. When I called I was told that the time slot was taken and was reserved for a private party. I don't know why it wasn't blocked when I was booking. Totally ruined my friends Bachelorette party/experience. I was embarrassed. I will never trust nor use Viator again. I also have told my family and Friends and they too won't ever use this method for booking”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 months ago

“a below average company at best prices do to reflect service at all overpriced and underperformed we booked a private tour and to my surprise it was not private , the guide simply apologized and said sorry! as if this is good enough to make up for the extra money I paid essentially once you pay for an activity , you are at their mercy and there is no way to make it up we booked a transportation from Berlin airport to the hotel , when the plane was delayed , the driver simply left. no refund was issued and they simply said sorry this is a very overpriced company and not worth spending your money I will never use them again , better off going with local companies in the city you are visiting”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 months ago

“Horrible experience, horrendous customer service. Our Uber driver got mixed up reaching the destination, it happens. We missed the boat. The staff at the kiosque at the wharf was more than willing to reschedule, until they saw we bought from a third party. They can’t do anything in that case. I called Viator and explained multiple times, they were not willing to refund or reschedule because « it’s the policy ». We ended up losing 219$. The lesson and my advice is: don’t buy from a third party. I was amazed at how inflexible they were. Never again, never ever”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 months ago

“In June I traveled to Paris and previously purchased a Skip the line tour and Lift to the Summit to the Effel Tower. A few days before our tour we were told the lift was no working and we would get a refund but can use the skip the line portion of the ticket. When we arrived that day the lift was working and our tickets were not valid. We went to 3 different people working there and they would not let us use them. We eventually paid for our own tickets to walk up to the second floor of the Eiffel Tower. When I reached out to Viator . I was told to do a refund request. It was denied two times. I never did get my partial refund from my previously paid ticket. Very disappointing, first of all saying that the lift wasn't working when it actually was working that day and second that we paid over $150 and then had to pay an additional $14 per person to walk up the Eiffel Tower. Needless to say I will not be using viator them to anyone ever again.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 months ago

“TERRIBLE company, totally unreliable, TOOK OUR RESERVATION MONTHS IN ADVANCE, THEN CANCELLED THE DAY BEFORE THE EVENT AFTER WE ALREADY TRAVELED TO THESE CITIES! They left our large group stranded on TWO separate occasions, once in NYC and once in KCMO. Ruined travel plans, no recourse. DON’T USE THIS COMPANY.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 months ago

“I would advise against anyone using this reseller. Their website looks very professional, and given that they charge a very significant cost in intermediation fees, I assumed that they would protect customers against not receiving the service. However, this is not the case, even for a small service (around $35), this company scammed me and I paid a service that was not provided. Then they refused to refund anything, instead siding with their provider and providing no due process. If you want to buy a service with confidence, you can use a different more reputable company because buying from them gives you zero safety and is equivalent to buying directly from the provider. The situation was a taxi ride from the airport in Roumania. The airport is large, so the normal pick-up, where everyone is with signs, is at the exit of the gate, and for that reason the providers was provided (through the Viator website) with the arrival and flight. I arrived, waited, and there was no one, so I had to take a much more expensive taxi option. The provider to Viator that they were there but were in a different location of the airport, which was never given to me. Except that they sent a Whatsapp message on the same day while I was in the plane with no internet access (nor do I have internet access during internet during travel or even would know I was to be contacted with a non-standard pick-up place). They apparently share some of their own geo-location (completely unverified and which does not prove anything, as they do many pick-ups). Viator then concluded that it was on me to figure out, without any information to that effect, that I was to consult Whatsapp during my travel. Both company and Viator had days to contact me before the start of travel, and instead they relied on their own interpretation. I am frankly shocked by this, and I think anyone using Viator should know that if you have ANY issue (as low as a $35 ride), they will only ask the providers if they agree to refund, but never offer anything or provide resolution in the favor of the customer if there is a disagreement. Why we are paying them a 20%+ commission is a mystery.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 months ago

“To anyone considering booking with this group let me sum up thoughts them to save you the headache we had. I would never recommend anyone use your service and plan on posting about it as soon as I can. Your prices are high, communications/customer service is extremely poor and care factor is non existent. Very disappointing on all score cards. Please do not book with them ever!!!!!”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 months ago

“They confirmed our tour once but apparently I was supposed to confirm our pick up spot twice which was unclear. They left us and gave no refund or credit.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 months ago

“The guides from my experience are generally good, but incomplete information on where to meet up with group at start prevented me from joining group. Viator’s unwillingness to acknowledge that maybe instructions were not ideal and not willing to return any of the fee was disappointing. Furthermore, the lack of any attempt to call me to help me find starting point, even though they had my phone number was further disappointment. The customer service team I interfaced with should not be in customer service positions - ther were unhelpful and very cursory in analyzing the issue.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 months ago

“Viator told my credit card company that we were not entitled to a refund because we completed the entire tour except for the cruise, which they canceled for potential flooding due to weather. I highly suggest that Viator is no longer recommended for any tourists because they did not stand by their policy and communicated very poorly. I honestly felt that we were taken advantage of because it was an international trip.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 months ago

“Booked and paid for a Viator excursion in February for a cruise in June. Was informed the night before that our cruise ship could not dock in port. Canceled excursion immediately. Viator will not give me a refund. No reason, just "No". Here is their response: We regret to hear about the circumstances surrounding your refund request. Viator strives to make every attempt to address our customers' concerns. Unfortunately, at this time we are unable to offer a refund. Stay away from this company folks!”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 months ago

Viator is rated 2.2 based on 1,102 reviews