Golden Trips Tanzania's staff
Golden Trips Tanzania
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2022)
- Member Of:
- TTB, IATAN & CLIA
- Tour Types:
- Customizable private tours and fixed group tours
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $170 to $1,500 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
CH
Email Madeleine | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Golden Trips Tanzania: A Frustrating Experience
We booked a 6-day Usambara Mountains Hike with Golden Trips Tanzania (https://goldentrips.co.tz/team-golden-trips-tanzania/) through SafariBookings.com from June 17, 2024, to June 22, 2024, expecting a seamless adventure. Unfortunately, what followed was a string of issues that ultimately led to the cancellation of the tour by the company—and months later, we are still waiting for our refund of $1,630!
Payment:
After requesting a small accommodation change to our booking, Golden Trips Tanzania confirmed the adjustment and sent us an invoice. We paid the full amount of $1,630 via bank transfer on June 14, 2024, as requested. However, shortly after, we received a message from Golden Trips Tanzania claiming we had underpaid by $27.50 due to transfer fees, a cost they should have accounted for in the original invoice. We agreed to bring this amount in cash at the start of the tour. Yet, this was just the beginning of a series of red flags.
Accommodation Availability Issues:
Shockingly, a day after paying, on June 15, 2024, we were informed that the lodges we had booked for days 1 and 5 were no longer available due to overbooking, despite the fact we had already paid for these specific accommodations. Even worse, we checked the availability of the original lodges ourselves and found they were still available online. The new suggested lodges were cheaper, raising serious doubts about the transparency of Golden Trips Tanzania's operations.
Unexpected Additional Fees:
To make matters worse, we were told that Magoroto Forest Estate, one of the key highlights of the tour, was actually located four hours away (instead of two) and that there would be additional costs for entrance fees and transportation, which were not included in our initial quote. This was not disclosed before payment, and we felt like we were being asked to pay for Golden Trips Tanzania’s errors.
Lack of Clarity and Unclear Responses:
We tried to clarify the situation and requested a new quote that reflected the accurate costs and itinerary. After some back-and-forth, the company assured us the original plan would be honoured, only to then ask for additional money yet again, or else the tour would be cancelled.
They cancelled the tour, citing that they couldn't afford to run it on the agreed-upon terms. Following their cancellation, we had to cancel our bus tickets to Lushoto and our hotel stay before the trip, resulting in further inconvenience.
Refund Nightmare and Broken Trust:
Despite their cancellation, Golden Trips Tanzania contacted us a day later via WhatsApp, claiming they were still willing to run the tour if we were open to it. However, after all the mismanagement and confusion, we no longer trusted them and simply wanted our money back.
Unfortunately, as of August 27, 2024, we are still waiting for the refund. The last thing we heard was a vague "Okay" via WhatsApp a week ago when we asked, "What's the name of the bank? And send us proof of the transaction as a PDF or screenshot." To date, we’ve received neither proof of the transaction nor the refund itself. Their responses have been inconsistent, and we haven’t heard from them since.
Conclusion:
Our experience with Golden Trips Tanzania was extremely disappointing. While we understand unforeseen issues can arise, the mishandling of our booking, the surprise additional costs, and the ongoing battle to receive our refund have left a bitter taste.
We are still awaiting the return of $1,630, and unfortunately, this company has caused us significant financial and emotional distress.
Reply from Golden Trips Tanzania
Posted on Aug 31, 2024Dear Madeleine
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We sincerely apologize for the frustrating experience you had with us. Your review has highlighted several areas where we fell short of the standards we strive to maintain, and for that, we are truly sorry.
Regarding the payment discrepancy, we regret the confusion and inconvenience caused by the underpayment issue.
The 27$ that was presented to you was caused by bank transfer charges, We never have any hidden fees in the tour we offer,
Each bank has its own charges, I hope this was to be communicated by your bank, It is sad if you were unaware of it.
The accommodation issues you encountered were indeed unfortunate. We strive to ensure that our guests have a seamless experience, We tried to look for availability to the lodges of your choice after you confirm your booking, After the payments we sent an email booking the lodge, there were no response, we reached them via a phone call to a manager, He checked and informed us the lodge is full booked.
The place you booked your experience is not so touristy so they are not very keen about the importance of tourism for them and the country. They never keep their online booked closed even when full booked,
The additional fees for Magoroto Forest Estate were also not communicated as they should have been. This lack of clarity led to unnecessary stress and confusion, for which we apologize. Mistake happens, Our staff did a mistake accepting your modifications to Magoroto forest without any additional cost as we have to pay the entrance fees and transportation
Driving from Usambara to Magoroto was another miles which could not be possible with the same price, You were very tricky to our staff that the difference was very little.
As for the cancellation of your tour, we recognize that our communication and decision-making during this time were not up to par. The decision to cancel the tour should have been handled with more care and better communication.
This has happened because of not having a good communication between you and us, You panicked, In the end you were not supportive to us regarding any matter.
We are also very sorry for the delay in processing your refund. We understand how frustrating and distressing it has been to wait for your money to be returned. This delay is unacceptable, and we are taking steps to resolve this issue. It is very sad that you have written this review to the matter that we are closely working to resolve.
As of 30th August 2024,I have written an email to my local bank regarding your refund, In the email, I copied you, my local bank, My partner in the US, and Safari bookings, This was to prove that we are actively working on it.
I was trying to discover a reason behind it. It is unusual to have such a delay however I do understand, It is uneasy to send money from Africa to Europe but we were fully intending to fully issue you a refund, You were not even deemed to our cancellation policy as the fault started from our staff, For now we have to review this matter again to seen if we can still issue you a refund as this matter has gone another step again after all your reviews.
Once again, we apologize for the stress and inconvenience you have experienced. We value your feedback and will use it to improve our services to prevent such issues from happening in the future. We are committed to resolving this and will be in touch shortly to confirm the whether we can proceed with your refund.
Best regards
CH
Email Madeleine | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Golden Trips Tanzania: A Frustrating Experience!
We booked a 6-day Usambara Mountains Hike with Golden Trips Tanzania (https://goldentrips.co.tz/team-golden-trips-tanzania/) through SafariBookings.com from June 17, 2024, to June 22, 2024, expecting a seamless adventure. Unfortunately, what followed was a string of issues that ultimately led to the cancellation of the tour by the company—and months later, we are still waiting for our refund of $1,630!
Payment Confusion and Hidden Costs:
After requesting a small accommodation change to our booking, Golden Trips Tanzania confirmed the adjustment and sent us an invoice. We paid the full amount of $1,630 via bank transfer on June 14, 2024, as requested. However, shortly after, we received a message from Golden Trips Tanzania claiming we had underpaid by $27.50 due to transfer fees, a cost they should have accounted for in the original invoice. We agreed to bring this amount in cash at the start of the tour. Yet, this was just the beginning of a series of red flags.
Accommodation Availability Issues:
Shockingly, a day after paying, on June 15, 2024, we were informed that the lodges we had booked for days 1 and 5 were no longer available due to overbooking, despite the fact we had already paid for these specific accommodations. Even worse, we checked the availability of the original lodges ourselves and found they were still available online. The new suggested lodges were cheaper, raising serious doubts about the transparency of Golden Trips Tanzania's operations.
Unexpected Additional Fees:
To make matters worse, we were told that Magoroto Forest Estate, one of the key highlights of the tour, was actually located four hours away (instead of two) and that there would be additional costs for entrance fees and transportation, which were not included in our initial quote. This was not disclosed before payment, and we felt like we were being asked to pay for Golden Trips Tanzania’s errors.
Lack of Clarity and Unclear Responses:
We tried to clarify the situation and requested a new quote that reflected the accurate costs and itinerary. After some back-and-forth, the company assured us the original plan would be honoured, only to then ask for additional money yet again, or else the tour would be cancelled.
They cancelled the tour, citing that they couldn't afford to run it on the agreed-upon terms. Following their cancellation, we had to cancel our bus tickets to Lushoto and our hotel stay before the trip, resulting in further inconvenience.
Refund Nightmare and Broken Trust:
Despite their cancellation, Golden Trips Tanzania contacted us a day later via WhatsApp, claiming they were still willing to run the tour if we were open to it. However, after all the mismanagement and confusion, we no longer trusted them and simply wanted our money back.
Unfortunately, as of August 27, 2024, we are still waiting for the refund. The last thing we heard was a vague "Okay" via WhatsApp a week ago when we asked, "What's the name of the bank? And send us proof of the transaction as a PDF or screenshot." To date, we’ve received neither proof of the transaction nor the refund itself. Their responses have been inconsistent, and we haven’t heard from them since.
Conclusion:
Our experience with Golden Trips Tanzania was extremely disappointing. In our opinion, the lack of transparency is unacceptable for a company operating in the safari and tourism industry. While we understand unforeseen issues can arise, the mishandling of our booking, the surprise additional costs, and the ongoing battle to receive our refund have left a bitter taste.
We strongly advise other travellers to think twice before booking with Golden Trips Tanzania. We are still awaiting the return of $1,630, and unfortunately, this company has caused us significant financial and emotional distress.
Reply from Golden Trips Tanzania
Posted on Aug 31, 2024Dear Madeleine
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We sincerely apologize for the frustrating experience you had with us. Your review has highlighted several areas where we fell short of the standards we strive to maintain, and for that, we are truly sorry.
Regarding the payment discrepancy, we regret the confusion and inconvenience caused by the underpayment issue.
The 27$ that was presented to you was caused by bank transfer charges, We never have any hidden fees in the tour we offer,
Each bank has its own charges, I hope this was to be communicated by your bank, It is sad if you were unaware of it.
The accommodation issues you encountered were indeed unfortunate. We strive to ensure that our guests have a seamless experience, We tried to look for availability to the lodges of your choice after you confirm your booking, After the payments we sent an email booking the lodge, there were no response, we reached them via a phone call to a manager, He checked and informed us the lodge is full booked.
The place you booked your experience is not so touristy so they are not very keen about the importance of tourism for them and the country. They never keep their online booked closed even when full booked,
The additional fees for Magoroto Forest Estate were also not communicated as they should have been. This lack of clarity led to unnecessary stress and confusion, for which we apologize. Mistake happens, Our staff did a mistake accepting your modifications to Magoroto forest without any additional cost as we have to pay the entrance fees and transportation
Driving from Usambara to Magoroto was another miles which could not be possible with the same price, You were very tricky to our staff that the difference was very little.
As for the cancellation of your tour, we recognize that our communication and decision-making during this time were not up to par. The decision to cancel the tour should have been handled with more care and better communication.
This has happened because of not having a good communication between you and us, You panicked, In the end you were not supportive to us regarding any matter.
We are also very sorry for the delay in processing your refund. We understand how frustrating and distressing it has been to wait for your money to be returned. This delay is unacceptable, and we are taking steps to resolve this issue. It is very sad that you have written this review to the matter that we are closely working to resolve.
As of 30th August 2024,I have written an email to my local bank regarding your refund, In the email, I copied you, my local bank, My partner in the US, and Safari bookings, This was to prove that we are actively working on it.
I was trying to discover a reason behind it. It is unusual to have such a delay however I do understand, It is uneasy to send money from Africa to Europe but we were fully intending to fully issue you a refund, You were not even deemed to our cancellation policy as the fault started from our staff, For now we have to review this matter again to seen if we can still issue you a refund as this matter has gone another step again after all your reviews.
Once again, we apologize for the stress and inconvenience you have experienced. We value your feedback and will use it to improve our services to prevent such issues from happening in the future. We are committed to resolving this and will be in touch shortly to confirm the whether we can proceed with your refund.
Best regards