Problems with Namaste Travel & My Itinerary |
 |
Oct 3rd, 2009, 13:56
| #16 | |
| Structural Member  Join Date: May 2008 Location: Back in Jolly ol' Blighty!
Posts: 6,789
| Quote:
From the way you have worded your request, i.e. including details of what you want to do after arriving in Udaipur, and then saying "Can you arrange this tour in this way", it sounds to me as if you were asking Namaste Travel to arrange a flight to Mumbai, a quick Mumbai city tour and a flight to Trivandum. Unsurprisingly, as they are not a travel agent, they declined. They are apparently a company who do not have to go searching for customers, so are in a good position to decline providing a service to people who want things they are not geared up to provide. Perhaps a less responsible company would have said "Sure we can do you a Mumbai city tour" and arranged something with a company they'd just picked off the internet!  This site bans members who are linked to the tourist trade, to keep things objective, so you won't get a reply from anyone who actually knows the actual reason, but I suspect that mach is also right about companies with a lot of experience being wary of customers who try to rearrange the itinerary themselves, and who because of that end up being unsatisfied customers.
__________________ The world is mud-luscious and puddle-wonderful - E.E. Cummings, poet (1894-1962) . . Re-Entry Permit from: UK & USA ~ MHA Tourist Visa FAQ ~ MHA Employent & Business Visa FAQ ~ MHA Student Visa FAQ ~ Two month rule ADVICE ~ Two month rule DISCUSSION . | |
|  |
|
Oct 3rd, 2009, 14:20
| #17 | |
| brother my cup is empty member  Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: yörp
Posts: 14,807
| Quote:
The only reason they're not here anymore is because at some point and after plenty of abuse of the system it was decided no travel providers would be allowed at all any more in that capacity, and there was no room for favoritism there. NIT meanwhile has (and has had for a long time) a caption worth reading on the issue at hand on their site, entitled "How to get the best out of your email quote from an Indian travel agency": http://www.namasteindiatours.com/BestQuote.htm.
__________________ Reading tips, all picked up at IndiaMike  : INDAX's A Comprehensive Guide To India / Dinoj Surendran's Desi Humor / ITHVC on Culture Shock & Travel Health / JetLag Travel Guides For the Undiscerning Traveller / India Travel Links | |
|
| |
|
Oct 3rd, 2009, 15:09
| #18 |
| More Of A Leecher Than A Seeder  Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Southampton,UK
Posts: 1,062
| I think Haylo makes a good point in the potential ambiguity of your words. Using the old management method: tell them what you're going to request, then tell them what you want, then tell them what you've just requested. I think LuAnn doesn't like trains but don't late anything like this deter you. Her love of Udaipur persuaded me to go there when I hadn't had originally included it, I'm glad she mentioned it. Here's what I think you need to do: Stop worrying about taking their itinerary and changing it. Decide which places you want to visit. Bear in mind that companies specialising in Delhi and Rajasthan will possibly not have the experience or resources to arrange stuff in Delhi or Kerala. Make sure the travel times are sensible for both you and your driver, e.g. don't ask them to drive through the night or do two 10 hour trips one day after the other. Decide whether you wish them to arrange either the standard hotels, heritage hotels or whether you'll just do it yourself. Only use their hotel options if you're happy to let them do it. If you're at all bothered about hotels, as I was in Udaipur, just tell them you're booking that one yourself. Work out the distances for your travel with them. Calculate yourself a rought NIT quote using the details on this page: http://www.namasteindiatours.com/Car...or%20India.htm When you've done all this, and not before, contact NIT, Indiapanorama, 4WD, Bobby Thakur or whoever you choose. I believe this approach will make the whole process a lot easier, for all parties. Out of interest, did you see that map of my tour. It's a road well travelled but for a good reason in that the distances are reasonable, the sights worth visiting. Feel free to PM me if you want to discuss further.
__________________ . |
|
| |
|
Oct 3rd, 2009, 15:46
| #19 |
| Maha Guru Member  Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Netherlands
Posts: 700
| In 2005 we traveled to India again, after more than 20 years. We selected Namaste to pick us up from the airport and for some city tours for the next days. All this was arranged smoothly. For the rest of our six week trip I had made a train itinerary for our-selves, roughly Rajasthan, Kanha, Varanasi, Agra and back. After two days we went to the office to pay the bills we came to talk about our plans. At the spot Namaste made us an offer for the whole trip by car, we accepted it and the next day we went off. We had a great driver and especially the Rajasthan was fantastic. For the other parts the driving distance was sometimes long and we had to stay overnight between some of our destinations. On the other hand we were very flexible and could add places as Khajuraho and Chitrakoot to our trip. Looking back at this now it was a great introduction for our later journeys |
|
| |
|
Oct 5th, 2009, 09:45
| #20 |
| Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Minneapolis
Posts: 6
| [QUOTE=marie2mil;829725] Me: I would ike to do your Rajasthan Adventure Tour with it travelling to Agra first then to Japipur,Pushkar,Jaisalmer,Rohe t Garh and finishing in Udaipur where i wouldlike to Fly out of Udaipur via Mumbai, do a quick city tour and fly to Trivandum. Are you able to arrange this tour in this way? LuAnn: Hi. Sorry no the Rajasthan Adventure tour is a circuit and can be done in reverse order but cannot in the way you write below. I am new here but suspect the problem is Pushkar to Jaisalmer, according to the Namaste distance chart that is a far haul (and not a direct reversal of their suggested order.) |
|
| |
|
Oct 5th, 2009, 09:48
| #21 |
| Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Minneapolis
Posts: 6
| Apologies for doing the quote box incorrectly and not correcting it using the nifty preview option. |
|
| |
|
Oct 5th, 2009, 10:07
| #22 | |
| brother my cup is empty member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: yörp
Posts: 14,807
| Quote:
| |
|
| |
|
Oct 9th, 2009, 06:43
| #23 |
| Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Adelaide: South Australia
Posts: 11
| Thanks all for your input, i have decided to use Faith from Indian Panorama, she has just been so helpful and communicative, i did try to persist with LuAnn from Namaste due to the overwhelming positives i've read here, but find the brief replies that take 2-3 days to arrive somewhat frustrating in trying to finalise travel plans. So cheers everyone. |
|
| |
|
Oct 9th, 2009, 13:25
| #24 |
| More Of A Leecher Than A Seeder Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Southampton,UK
Posts: 1,062
| My email responses would be quicker if you were going to pay me three times the price.  I do understand the frustration of waiting for email replies though, its hard these days to understand why a company would do this, assuming they have full time people working for them. There is of course the time differential to take into account. There are of course other car+driver places that you could try: FourWheelDrive, CarRentalDelhi, etc. - not that I've used these so this isn't a recommendation. |
|
| |
|
Oct 9th, 2009, 16:32
| #25 |
| Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Oakland, California, USA
Posts: 384
| Good choice, M2M The responsiveness, efficiency, and willingness to communicate, which you've experienced with Faith, are an indication of how you'll be treated during the trip itself. The staff tell you to contact them any time, for any problem,and they MEAN it. They have a sincere respect and desire for visitors to have a great experience of their country. Upon first joining this site, I read about IP in the posts of at least two experienced IMers, and decided to contact Faith Pandian after becoming fed up with other tour/travel companies. Re: the comment on the previous post about faster response being directly related to price...au contraire, there are plenty of businesses in all types of work, that charge high prices but leave much to be desired in the delivery of a promised service. Some firms rest on their laurels; others strive to keep up the good work and reputation. You can now relax Marie, and have the fun of anticipation! I hope and trust you'll have a great time, and look forward to your trip report, as Rajasthan is a place I dream of seeing one day. |
|
| |
|
Oct 9th, 2009, 16:51
| #26 |
| Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Adelaide: South Australia
Posts: 11
| Thanks Rebecca, thats nice of you to take the time to encourage me. You know I ve also been dealing with a one man band (I think) from Discovery Full Circle and he replies quick as, and he is so ammenable too,ready to adjust things to meet the needs of the traveller (as a good agent should, surely??) i feel a bit lousy about not going with him BUT I cant find anyone here that has used him, although i did find a positive about him on Thorn Travel forum, but not as many as IP, so thats why i decided to use Faith from IP. Cheers Rebecca, Marie |
|
| |
Linear Mode
