USA Trip – Cox and Kings Ltd, bad experience.
I had booked Gaurav Yatra- American Hungama tour for USA, with Cox and Kings Ltd, Ahmedabad scheduled departure of 31/05/2015 for myself and my wife Meena Doshi on 06/02/2015 total cost of Rs 4.88 lacs inclusive of optional tour for Grand Canyons. Tour was for 14 day / 13 Nights.
Gaurav Yatra tour as advertised by the company promised to be Pure Vegetarian Gujarati / Jain tours with Gujarati / Hindi speaking tour managers providing pure vegetarian breakfast/lunch/ dinner. Since we are pure vegetarian we have preferred the tour due to above features.
Our group was of 52 persons. When tour commenced from New York, we found that tour also includes five south Indian couple. Even from day one the company was entertaining non vegetarian foods to South Indian tourists despite all other tourists who are Jain has objected. Jain group has preferred the trip as the same was promised to be pure vegetarian.
All Gujarati tourists were irritated and felt cheated. Tour Manager was Mr Pradeep Pathre who was not able to communicate / not willing to communicate in Gujarati / Hindi despite repeated request by all Gujarati tourist. Tour manager found totally non cooperative and non responsive to the request of the tour . Even when we have contacted the company’s officials at Ahmedabad / Mumbai over phone & e mail for all such problems they remains non responsive. Tour manager could not control time management properly & result of which we used to come back to hotel by 11.00 to 11.30 PM almost every day.
The hotels facility provided were found of substandard and except at Las Vegas all hotels were located about 12/ 15 km away from city’s residential / commercial areas on highway. So no one can visit any nearby commercial shops by their own. Even the hotels were changed without informing tourist which has created problems for the local relatives who are expected to visit us at hotel address given to us in advance. One couple from our group has lost INR 25000 from hotel room of Los Angeles & hotel management was not cooperative.
I had booked my tour with payment of optional tour of Grand Canyons by paying 215 USD+ST per persons. I had also reminded at local office for ensuring that I do not find any difficulties I had also reminded tour manager about my payments during the trip. However to my utter surprise I was not allowed to Grand Canyon trip of West Rim by bus by tour operator Gray Line, humiliating me and stating that your booking company has not remitted / send the booking amount. Tour Manager has asked me to pay further USD 280 for alternate trip. Since only one day provided at Las Vegas, I was forced to pay USD 250 extra for the alternate trip though I had originally booked the trip in advance by paying required amount. I have not been issued any receipt for additional amount of USD 250 by the Manager. Because of deficiencies of services of the company, I have been forced to pay the additional amount of 250 USD, I had narrated entire story by representation, personal visit to company’s office & requested the company for refund the amount. But the company has till date not responded properly. If the company does not respond, We are planning to approach District Consumer Forum for all deficiencies in services.
In short, the company could not fulfilled their promises as advertised for tour quality, their tour manager’s quality & service found very poor, hotels provided were average and located at 15 km from the city & on highway. The company’s response found very poor. I do not advise anyone to select Cox and Kings Ltd for their overseas trip as their credibility is not reliable & it may prove wastage of hard earned money & spoiled the mood of family members. We have felt being cheated by Cox and Kings Ltd . If I have to rate the trip, I rate the company as 1 out of 5.