Travel Review: Tour of Germany, Italy & Switzerland, Zermatt, Berlin, Venice, interlaken, Vevey, St Martiz, Glacier Experience

Use a different travel agent.  It was just too difficult to work with her.  Our trip was very "vanilla".  We found out about great museums, watch factory tours, etc after we were there and it was too late to work that in to our schedule.  

Because we didn't have confidence in her ability to follow through on things, we had a lot more anxiety on this trip than we usually do.  

On the positive side, she was pleasant on the phone.  In the end the trip flowed well, except for the bus/rail connection.  

We didn't like the hotel in Zermatt.  The owners were very unpleasant and shouldn't be in the hospitality business.  After we arrived, we asked for a recommendation for a place for dinner and were told to walk to town first and come back later and then they would tell us!  The night before we checked out they called our room and demanded that we come down and pay them 15 Euros because our room bill wasn't paid in full.  We asked them to contact our travel agency and they yelled at us! This was the hotel that didn't refund any money for the room that we booked for 2 nights and tried to cancel 10 days prior to arrival.

Travel Company's Comment

To begin, we apologize that your experience with us was not completely satisfactory.  As documented in the email exchange and due to the very high quality and strict standards of Zicasso, our initial contact with the client was on the 3rd of March.  The client responded the first time to us on the 5th of March with changes to the initial trip request.  Her changes were accommodated and by the 12th of March, she had an extended itinerary in spite of dealing with a very serious and sudden personal situation.

The planning process included extensive time on the phone and much back and forth with the client.  In all versions of the itineraries all details were captured.

Even though the details were constantly altered by the client, we delivered as we committed to.  This is evident in the clients final package which was sent and included all details and guidelines to support a successful journey.  This included personal cell phone number of company owner and 24/7 concierge service.

The price was perfectly in range with customer’s original budget which kept shrinking.  She did not receive a bill, it was a quotation.

Our expertise is planning logistics.  Our driver needed to arrive to his pick-up point the night before as the journey was too long to do in just one day. Less expensive options did not exist.

Our guides and drivers represent us very well. Again, if there was an issue, the client had my personal cell phone number which is answered 24/7.

I was notified of the unfortunate medical emergency while the client was already in Europe.  Our hotels each have their own refund policy and this is out of our control.  A driver costs the same if they are driving 2 or 4 people because their rate is calculated based upon kilometers.  As well, guides charge by the hour and 2 or 4 participants cost the same.

Our custom tours are always very well rounded and exciting.  As aforementioned, the client constantly changed focus and budget.  She said that she was very familiar with the places she was visiting and could navigate on her own.

We are sorry that this trip caused anxiety for the client.  Our system of reservation, confirmation and reconfirmation has always allowed for all details to unfold in a smooth and seamless manner. This is an unusual response for us.

Perhaps the comment about the hotel is better addressed directly with the hotel. We have always had great success with them.