My experience using 'Inspire Kerala' tour operator - the good and the bad! Long ...

rebeccam

OMG, bazzieb, what a nightmare!!!!!

"So, to sum up - I believe Murugesan is trustworthy but not good at dealing with difficult situations or telling the customer that what they want isn't happening. Would I recommend them? Probably not - having now been to India I don't think I'd use any tour"

"PROBABLY not use Murugesan and company???!! YOu mean "NO WAY!" I should think!!

Why be this forgiving of the guy? This is OUTRAGEOUS!! This is YOUR hard earned money and YOUR time--the latter is far more precious than the money. And some incompetent fellow screws it up!!

So glad you were able to enjoy at least part of the trip. But you should have been able to enjoy it ALL!! An occasional mistake or misunderstanding isnt bad, and can even be fun. But there was a pattern here!!

You must have had some sense of "this isnt right" when he said he'd get back to you "that very day"--over and over--and didn't. I can tell you have a generous, forgiving, "make the best of it" nature, but with other excellent people in Kerala who could have helped you to have your dream vacation (including the perfect houseboat- your patience and kindness were wasted on this bunch of turkeys at Inspre Kerala.

I booked and used a tour operator for hotels, car, etc, for a two week trip to South India. I had NONE of the situations you mention. We had vouchers in advance, with exact room type, for every hotel--all were honored without any problems or questions. UP front, we knew EXACTLY what we would and wouldn't pay for. If we had questions that our driver couldnt answer (rare) we could reach someone any time of the day--literally!(We did once, so this was not just a promise)
(Ironically, the only hotel that was not good was the one I insisted on, against the travel agent's advice.)

Situations like the one you describe should NOT give all tourism companies a bad name!!! And in our case, we got BETTER hotel prices through the Indian travel agency compared to what I found myself on the internet.
(If anyone is interested, our itin was put together by Mrs. Faith Pandian, director of Indianpanorama (aka South Tourism) (indianpanorama.in) whose name I got from two other trusted IMers.

I hope this doesnt sour you on a return trip to beautiful South India. Please, if you've not already done so, write of your experiences (e.g. Siena Hotel) on Tripadvisor.

Best wishes for a better time on your next trip.

Bradwellboy

Hi After some thought I deciced to do it myself and I am about to post the final trip and costs and would welcome comments

Thanks

snonymous

Hello Paul and thanks for your invaluable feedback. I just saw your post now.

Yes, I did use Inspire and stay at Siena in May 2008, and was more than satisfied - so much so that I personally recommended Murugesan to a lot of people. I was shocked to read your report, especially as the drivers we had were so courteous and decent.

Obviously neither Murugesan nor Siena Village have maintained their standards, and going by your feedback, both need to pull up their socks - badly - if they want to retain their market share of the business.

This just shows that no service should be taken for granted. I wish more of our members would post their feedback after their trips. Very often, people just seek information here but never spare a fraction of the time to post their feedback at the end of their visit.

The bottom line is as Nick aptly puts it: For the offending agency, it is a risk they should be aware of --- that they are only as good as the latest trip of theirs that gets any publicity.

__________________
Some of My Tall Tales at http://www.travelpod.com/members/indianature
My Flickr photos at http://www.flickr.com/groups/snonymous/

vsatyana

Recently. I have availed a kerala holiday package tour from inspire kerala(Murugesan N.). My experience with them is okay and they delivered all the promises made. Overall, I am satisfied with Inspire Kerala.

LilBoy BigTown

To the OP,

I admire your power of restraint. If this were me, God knows how it would have all ended up.

But honestly, this Murugesan guy needs a kick up his bum. He deserves to lose some serious business. Very sorry to hear it turned out the way it did for you. Hope it hasn't put you off Kerala, cos it really is a gorgeous place.

bsprasad

My Agent is far far better when compared to Inspire or Murgesan.

I referred my agent to a couple who took a package tour from Cochin - Munnar - Kumarakom (House Boat) and back to Cochin.

The package was spotless except for the last part where the hotel in cochin was not that great.

To all our suprise, my agent reveresed 2,000 Rs to the couple and sent in a apology letter too. Does'nt that inspire us to use them again.

One sour apple cant spoil the reputation of the tree, but personaly, I hate when people are incapable of running a business and bring shame to our whole country by insulting our guests.

delhi6

Hi
I am really sorry to learn about your bad experience and agree that others should know about it.I visited kerala this August,organised with KTDC and all went well except one hotel,where Hotel compensated by offering other freebies like lunch,boat trip alonwith an apology.As regards to the Driver and car both were wonderful,clean and very friendly.Hopefully this was not just because of the offseason

arunfox

its very sad.hard to digest that despite being in such a lovely state/place,u had to face so many issues.kerala is a great place but keralites are not that great. though i am a keralite , i have to admit that even i have seen many murugesans in my life also.not just in tourism but all walks of life.since i am from the same place and know the language ,i am lucky to escape these traps.
as a true keralite , i apologize for the inconvenience caused by my brothers.dont get disheartened ,every tour operator aint like this.i personally am ready to help u if there is plan for a second comeback.

malayalam

From a comic on Independence struggle of India, which I have read in my childhood. An Indian says to a British “ Sir, All Indians are dogs. Not trustworthy. But, you could trust me”.

arunfox

above mentioned is another great feature of malayalee which u coudnt experience and that is
"making fun of people" though good for nothing.

another murugesan in the making?

malayalam

Good to hear that Murugesan was "making fun of people".
"Sir, every Indians are murugesans. You could still trust me".

chackmatha

Do these so called agents or operators have a licence? Or are they members of any tour trade organisations . On their only asset is a mobile phone, or a wll land line and a website . And the commission from all the sectors .

rebeccam

Great quesstion, Chackmatha.

A reputable tour company shoul have affiliations with Tour Operator or Travel Agents Societies at least, and be affiliated with the India Govt Ministry of Tourism.
Of course it's no guarantee, but at least there may be another goup to go to if the tour operator doesnt help, and a knowledge the agent is confident enough to be affilitated with larger organizations, accountable to another group, etc.

The company I used had the above. Perhaps it is coincidental, but they were excellent! A "company" I almost used (before realizing what a rip-off they are, among other negatives) had none of the above--perhaps also coincidental.

arunfox

You said it boss,everyone can trust you like the indian told the briton.people like you are a must for kerala

malayalam

Old Malayalam saying

Question: "Ariyethra?" meaning: How much rice?
Answer: "Payaranjhazhi" meaning: Nazhi (a meausurement) Greengram.

Good to know that you got it "right".