Helsinki & Porvoo Tour con trasporto privato e Guida personale

We must strongly disagree with the description of what occurred and would like to clarify the circumstances for the record. This booking was for a shared small-group tour, not an exclusively private tour. The tour description clearly indicates that guests may be combined with other travelers. On the day of the tour, the guest stated that she believed she had booked a private tour. Our driver explained the difference and offered her the option to upgrade to a fully private tour for an additional charge. She declined the upgrade. Unfortunately, the situation then became difficult. The guest repeatedly complained about the seating arrangement, created considerable disturbance, and refused to wear her seat belt, despite being instructed that seat belts must be worn for safety. She also insisted on sitting in the front passenger area with her companion. Due to the seating preference and the amount of space required, this made the driver uncomfortable and affected the driving environment. The driver advised her that the rear seating would be more appropriate and comfortable, but she initially refused. Interestingly, once the group arrived in Porvoo, the guest and her companion voluntarily moved to the rear seats themselves, demonstrating that the rear seating was in fact suitable. We are also concerned by the characterization that the driver combined groups simply to avoid conducting the tour more than once. This is a shared small-group tour, and combining bookings is part of the normal operation of the service. The vehicle used was a Volkswagen van designed and approved for passenger transportation, and the tour was operated according to the booked service. Following the tour, the guest requested a refund. We provided Viator with the relevant information and evidence regarding what occurred. Viator reviewed the complaint and declined the refund request. We believe this decision appropriately reflects the evidence available regarding the booking, the service provided, the seating incident, and the guest's conduct during the tour. We are always willing to accept legitimate criticism and improve our service, but we cannot accept allegations that misrepresent the circumstances. We encourage future guests to carefully read the tour description and understand the difference between a shared small-group tour and a fully private tour before booking. Guests who require exclusive transportation can request the private upgrade in advance.

Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We’re delighted to hear that you and your family of eight had such a great experience with our guide. It’s fantastic to know that he was able to keep everyone interested, entertained, and engaged throughout the tour while sharing his knowledge of the area. We truly appreciate your kind words and recommendation. It was a pleasure having your family with us.

Thank you for your kind feedback! We’re delighted to hear that you enjoyed the trip and found the guide’s explanations detailed and informative. We understand that the 4-hour itinerary is quite full, and we’re glad the time allowed you to experience the highlights while learning about the history and culture along the way. We truly appreciate you choosing us.

Thank you so much for your fantastic review! We’re delighted to hear that you enjoyed the tour and that Victory made the experience memorable with his knowledge, enthusiasm, and willingness to go above and beyond for everyone. We truly appreciate your kind words.

Thank you for sharing your feedback. We are pleased to hear that you appreciated our guide’s knowledge and the detailed explanations provided throughout the tour. We would, however, like to clarify the concern regarding the tour being described as “private.” The tour booked was a small-group tour with private transportation, meaning guests are transported in a comfortable private vehicle rather than using public transportation. The tour is not advertised as an exclusive private tour unless the private-tour option is specifically selected and paid for. The booking was for a small group, and the vehicle was arranged according to the number of guests booked for the tour. We understand that seating preferences can vary, and we regret that you found the seating arrangement uncomfortable. However, the vehicle and tour were operated according to the conditions of the booked small-group experience.

We would, however, like to clarify a few points for future guests. Your cruise ship arrived at approximately 7:00 a.m., and the scheduled pickup was at 7:30 a.m. When the guide called, it was because the pickup time had already passed and the rest of the group, including other passengers from the same ship, were already seated in the vehicle waiting to depart. The call was simply to ensure you had no difficulty locating the pickup point and to avoid delaying the other guests. Regarding the seating, our minivan provides comfortable seating for all passengers. The headrests are fully adjustable, and had you mentioned that your view was obstructed, the guide would have adjusted them immediately. Throughout the tour, the guide checked several times whether everyone was comfortable and able to hear the commentary, and no concerns were raised at the time. Every time he asked, your group confirmed that everything was fine. Concerning the commentary, the only cobblestone roads are within Porvoo's Old Town, where driving is very limited due to the historic streets. The majority of the tour in Helsinki is on smooth paved roads. The guide also checked several times whether guests could hear and understand him, and no one indicated there was any problem during the tour. The Brunberg chocolate shop was included during your free time in Porvoo Old Town, and several guests from the tour purchased chocolates there. As for the Rock Church, the stop was made, but entry requires an €8 admission fee. After being informed of this, all guests in the vehicle, including your group, chose not to enter, saying they had already visited many churches during their travels. We always respect the group's decision in such situations. Finally, the city drop-off was arranged at your convenience in central Helsinki, slightly before the scheduled end time, as requested. We genuinely value all feedback and continuously work to improve our tours. At the same time, we believe it is important to provide an accurate account of the day's events for future travelers considering our service.

We respectfully disagree with your description of what occurred. At no point did we change the tour to an unreasonable time after the 24-hour cancellation period. Our shared small-group tour has fixed departure times, and for your date we offered two departures: 7:30 AM and 11:30 AM. These were the scheduled tour times. Your cruise ship was due to arrive at 7:00 AM, and we successfully picked up other guests from the same ship for the 7:30 AM and 11:30am departure. They completed the full itinerary and were returned to the ship well before departure without any issues. This demonstrates that the schedule was entirely feasible. Although a 9:30 AM departure was never part of our schedule, we still made an extra effort to accommodate your request by offering an 8:00 AM pickup. Unfortunately, you rejected this option and insisted that the tour must start at 9:30 AM or not at all. A 9:30 AM departure was simply not possible because this was a shared small-group tour, not a private tour. Other guests had already confirmed their places, and we could not delay the tour for one booking. This is clearly stated in our tour description before booking. You chose not to join the tour, but the cancellation resulted from your refusal of the available departure options rather than any failure on our part. We fulfilled our obligations and even attempted to provide additional flexibility beyond our normal operating schedule.