Thanks to Costos, the driver, & Natalia, the tour guide, some of the tour experience took place. Originally booked for 3 people. Cancelled & rebooked for 2 people (2 sperate booking numbers). Once we arrived they texted that we cancelled& had no knowledge of the rebooking. Soon after they called attempting to salvage offering €50 refund with no cooking class or olive grove. Instead after Olympia they brought us to their restaurant and served the cooking class menu. No olive grove. The experience turned into a uneventful ordinary tour. Not what we paid for. We had no way of contacting Viator for assistance.
I sincerely regret that this is the impression the customer chose to leave in their review, especially because several important facts have been omitted. First, the original booking was for 3 people. The customer then cancelled the booking through Viator and made a new booking for 2 people, under a different booking number. When they arrived, we had no information regarding the new booking, and this was explained to them immediately. Despite this confusion, we did everything we could to accommodate them and salvage their experience. Before the tour even started, we explained the situation and the available options to them, and they agreed to proceed. They also stated that they had no way of contacting Viator. However, throughout the entire process, we were in constant communication with them and did everything possible to assist them. I would also like to clarify what was actually provided: They were transported in a brand-new Mercedes vehicle. Their driver, Kostas, speaks fluent English and assisted them throughout the tour. Our professional tour guide, Natalia, was at the agreed meeting point on time and was waiting for them. After visiting Olympia, we welcomed them to our own restaurant, where they were served the food that had been agreed upon earlier in our messages and that would have been part of the cooking-class experience. Although the cooking class itself could not take place because of the changes and cancellation made to their booking, we still provided the agreed cooking-class menu. I have since spoken with our restaurant staff, who confirmed that, in addition to the Greek salad, the customers also had a glass of wine and a beer. These items were not included in the cooking-class menu, yet we did not make an issue of them or ask them for payment. Furthermore, I spoke with their driver, Kostas, who confirmed that they were also taken to the olive mill during the tour. This is particularly important because their review states that there was no olive grove/olive mill visit. Most importantly, we also gave them €50 back in cash because the cooking class itself was not carried out. It is therefore extremely disappointing that their review does not mention the €50 cash refund, the additional food and drinks they received, or the olive mill visit, nor does it accurately reflect the efforts made by our team to accommodate them despite the changes to their reservation. I also find it contradictory that they specifically mention their driver and tour guide positively while criticizing the company, considering that Kostas and Natalia are members of our team and represent our company. We have all the messages exchanged with the customer from that morning and are prepared to provide them to Viator so that you can review the situation based on the complete communication history rather than only one side of the story. I respect every guest's right to leave a review, and we always welcome constructive criticism when something genuinely goes wrong. However, a review should present all the relevant facts, including the efforts made by the supplier and any refund or compensation provided. After meeting the customers personally at our restaurant, I was also left with the distinct impression that their expectations went far beyond what was included in the booking. It appeared that they were looking for an experience that would effectively cost them nothing. In hindsight, I accept that I made a mistake by trusting their confirmation that they understood and accepted the solution we offered. They knew exactly what had happened with the bookings, they were aware of the alternatives we offered, they agreed to proceed, they accepted the €50 refund, they received the agreed food and services, and yet they still chose to present the experience in this manner. It also appears that, because they were unable to reach Viator at that particular moment, they decided to proceed with the tour, presumably because they were concerned that cancelling at the last minute might complicate the refund process. They accepted our solution and received an additional €50 refund from us, yet afterwards chose to write a review that omits these important facts. I have now spoken with our restaurant staff and our driver specifically because I wanted to verify the facts before responding. Based on the information provided by our team, their review contains several statements that are either incomplete, inaccurate, or inconsistent with what actually happened. I cannot accept a review that presents only the negative aspects while leaving out the services that were actually provided, including the olive mill visit, the additional food and drinks, and, most importantly, the €50 cash refund. We will therefore provide Viator with the complete communication history and all relevant details so that you can independently review the situation and determine exactly what was agreed, what was provided, and what refund the customers received. The customers are absolutely entitled to their opinion and to leave a review. However, they should not be able to rewrite what happened or present an incomplete version of events as the full story. We made every reasonable effort to accommodate them after the changes to their booking. We provided the agreed menu, additional food and drinks without charging them, took them to the olive mill, provided transportation in a brand-new Mercedes, provided an English-speaking driver and a professional tour guide, and returned €50 in cash to them. After all of this, describing the experience as an ordinary tour while omitting these facts is, at the very least, seriously misleading. I trust that Viator will review the evidence and the communication history objectively before reaching any conclusion regarding this complaint. Kind regards, Nassos Vlassopoulos Vlassopoulos Group
