This package we paid for was the Himachal Pradesh(Shimla-Kullu-Manali) trip for 6 of us. The service of OYO holidays starts at a rough worst point where we started doubting the service we will be provided further. Starting at the Delhi Airport where our flight landed around 3:30 AM. We confirmed multiple times even before we left for Delhi that Cab must be there by 6 AM.
After landing, within a couple of hours or so around 4 AM we tried calling the two of them Gorav(Manager) and Shivani(agent) who were responsible for the entire package. Both of them from the next day till date has not responded to our calls. Somehow on that day, Gorav had picked the call for a couple of times and he was just saying the cab as on its way. So here is the first problem, they never picked the call and from 4 AM till 10 AM till we were continuously on calls with the customer service and Gorav.
The customer service was just transferring the calls and no results even from one of them, we must have connected to almost 23 people but all went in vain. After Gorav picked our call for the second time, he said he has arranged a cab and instead of a six-seater car he sent a four-seater car initially. He was so unaware of this situation and not even sorry about all this was happening. So again had to wait for the next 2 hours, this was such worst time we spent there waiting all over from 3:30 AM to 10 AM.
Finally, around 10 AM we got the correct cab. Instead of 6 AM, we left at 10 AM. Such a bad start of the day and a huge huge disappointment. They were so smart I guess to make a loss of people. All our excitement was just shattered.
Wrong promises, "Apko koi bhi problem ho kabhi bhi trip se pehle trip ke dauran hume aap kabhi bhi call kare, hum available rahenge." We had a conversation with Shivani so many times and sounded so convincing and sure that trust me you cannot think this could even happen. Also, want to mention the Manager-Gorav had that much guts that in such a worst situation he had cut our calls 2 to 3 times while we were having a conversation the 1st day.
Sometimes it kept ringing, sometimes someone else picked his phone and said that he is in a meeting. For the whole day, I am not sure what kind of meeting he was attending. Completely hopeless service ever, this is just the first-day experience.
As we reached late that day to Shimla that was around 13 hours spending in cab, we reached there at night. We could have reached there by early evening and had a plan to complete visiting the Mall Road in the evening and two other markets nearby. However, we were at loss of that day and was a complete wastage, waste of time, waste of money.
After we reached the hotel they provided. When we entered the hotel we did not have any bookings in that hotel. They said they were never told about the bookings of yours in this hotel. Again we tried calling them after long when the call got connected they had a conversation and we got our rooms.
We were told the breakfast was complimentary by OYO, but even this was not informed to the hotel Manager. I want to state one thing that the hotel manager and staff of all the hotels we stayed in were very good in all terms of all aspects that you see in a good hotel.
Whether be their prompt service, be their behavior, cleanliness, food or any help, in spite of stupidity that OYO had done to hotel and us, personally the hotel managers and their respective staff did not get frustrated as they were never informed about the pre-bookings. They made an effort to provide the rooms as soon as possible and helped us.
All the hotels we stayed, not even a single hotel was aware that there was a pre-booking. Every time we had to call the OYO customer service as Gorav and Shivani never picked our call after the first day. They never helped and each time we had to explain all over again to the new representative.
We left from Shimla after 1 day and 2 nights stay. On the third day, we departed to Manali from Shimla.
In Shimla, we had requested the hotel that is near Mall Road which they confirmed they made our bookings near the Mall Road. However, that was complete bullshit. They provided us the hotel that was near 5 minutes from Naggar Castle and around 30 km from Manali. Here the manager of this hotel was not aware of the bookings. His hotel was full and there was no single room that was vacant and available for us.
We all were waiting if somehow we get a room vacant where at least we can spend a night there. We were almost sure that we had to sleep in the cab itself after so long journey and no response from OYO. But after some time, the hotel manager was kind enough to provide his personal room just because we were 6 girls.
We all 6 stayed in a single room, half of them slept on the floor mattress and half adjusted on the bed. The manager was very nice to us.
OYO was such hopeless that they did not even understand that we were 6 girls and they should at least understand their responsibility. Where we would have been for the whole night if the manager would have refused to give us his personal room?
It was the third day, all was still going worst and same as the first day.
After we spoke to the customer service about this and hotel bookings OYO promised us the next day we can shift to another hotel that is nearby Mall road and in Manali.
We spoke to customer service for the whole day after we left the second hotel that was near Nagar Palace. From the morning after we left the second Hotel, we were continuously on a call with them till night 8 PM. Could you even imagine this, we 6 girls waiting somewhere in Manali where it was raining so much and in the Cab with 6 huge bags up on the cab all wet(we also have pictures of the luggage that was completely wet) taking it everywhere with us just because OYO cannot even arrange a hotel for that entire day even after promising us previous day.
Again After 1 day that OYO wasted in Shimla, this was the second time we did visit any points that day. What we did is, contact the customer service whole time the entire day. We did not understand what to do now as and was finally on the urge to visit the Manali Police Station around 7 PM because they did not help us and did not revert back to us. Every time we called we were connected to an agent to whom we explained everything all over.
Just after 5 minutes one agent had reverted to us saying they arranged a hotel in Manali, It was 8 PM on that day. We were so tired we just changed the way and just wanted to get into the hotel. Finally with all wet luggage, tiredness and disappointment as we did not visit any point that day we reached the hotel at night.
Three complete days of total waste where we missed these points below:
DAY 1 –
The Mall and The Ridge.
Afternoon: Guests will be dropped at the Shimla Mall road to explore by themselves. Aracons of the mall road include Shimla Church, Scandal Point, Gaiety Theatre, Townhall & shopping.
DAY 5 –
Solang Valley. You can opt for adventure sports like Paragliding, Zorbing, and Skiing(subject to snow) on direct payment basis.
DAY 7 –
Chandigarh- Rock garden and Sukhna lake there.
We missed the most important adventures there, the most disappointing was because further did not have time, we missed Paragliding, all because of irresponsible OYO.
These three days we did not visit anything, not even a single spot, a huge loss to us. No hotel bookings and two days of waste of time and money, we all are and will be furious on OYO. OYO made a fool of us and so many wrong promises.
Before we checked out of Manali, we had to pay the bills of the pending dinner. However, we were promised that the dinner will be given complimentary. But this was also not communicated to the hotel Manager, we again called the person who looks after the management for the Manali City, his name of Himanshu Sharma. He had visited the Hotel the previous day and promised a free dinner meal. But was not responsible enough to inform the OYO holidays.
Not only this after we checked out from the hotel in Manali, but we also went to Chandigarh which was the last day. Even there the Hotel Manager was not aware of the bookings. It cannot be expressed how frustrated we are on OYO holidays.
I recommend if you want to enjoy your trip and not waste your time and Money, do not even think of making any deal with this company OYO that has expertise in making fake promises. OYO did no good to us even for a single day, there was not even a day we did not spend hours speaking to OYO on mistakes they were making continuously.
The 1 star given is not to OYO holidays at all, they do not deserve anything but shitty words. This star is to the Hotel staff and manager who understood the difficulty we were going through and helped with bookings. All the hotels have told us that this was not new to them and they always do the same.