May 31, 2013 02:45 PM
5262 Views
Recently I joint a SOTC group tour - Highlights of Europe. All prospective customers of SOTC be warned. I append below a short description of the harrowing plight that my fellow passengers and I had to suffer -
Despite paying 4 months in advance and giving all correct documents, we were told that schengen VISA will come only last moment.
Imagine the stress and tension one had to suffer since the passport was actually handed over just 4 hours prior to the flight. Thus till the last moment we did not know what will happen. My vacation was marred even before it started !
Later I heard from my group mates that several other families had suffered a similar fate.
Some did not even receive the complementary travel bags which SOTC gives out.
Flight timing was completely blotched up so that we practically lost 2 days. One day when we got into London late in the evening and the other on our return when we were sent back by a very early flight from Frankfurt.
Moreover, as per itinerary promised, they had to take us from London to Paris via the "chunnel" However, last moment we were told that tickets are not available so we shall be taken by coach and ferry. This was a nice experience in itself but tool much longer and we gain lost quality time at Paris.
Now for the most annoying part, you are treated like imbeciles and herded like cattle by the tour managers. I wont be able to comment if we got a particularly bad tour manager or they are all generally like that. However, ours was ill trained. Had very little knowledge of the itinerary and the sites that we were visiting. She would summarily give us commands and expect us to jump to them. We were made to get up very early each morning (5 AM was the norm, imagine this during a vacation !!) and gobble down breakfast and sit like orderly children in the coach. Any laxity would be met with a veritable barrage from the tour manager.
As a result we would get to the designated spot very early, tick the same off on our itenerary and get back to hotel early in the evening after a "dinner" which as usually at 6 PM. As one can imagine, most of us are not accustomed to eat dinner so early and this was a serious issue.
The food is usually at an Indian restaurant and for 10 days we were served a bland and regulated Indian menu of dal / sabzi and for the non veg chicken. No variety.
Most important revelation was that SOTC has no standard rates. Each of us in the group had paid a different amount for the same trip. They haggle like fish mongers. So bargain hard !
Several complaints were made to SOTC management during the trip itself both in Europe and here in India since most of us had our blackberry's with us. However, no response from them.
In summary - it was a stressful school trip where I almost felt like a student from the famous Pink Floyd video " we don't need no education "
