Last-minute scalpers, would not trust again.
We booked a guided tour of Sagrada Familia ~ one week before our visit to Barcelona. Official tickets were sold out already, but they offered tickets for ~2x the price still available. First thought, 'scalpers', but OK, we really wanted to visit and it's on us for being late.
The day before the visit we received via WhatsApp a message from 'Shahiduzzaman Apon' (goes by 'Joe') that the tour was unavailable due to "high demand", but also via email that "the tour guide was ill and had to cancel". Unclear about the cause though, an alternative date was proposed - in the morning 2 days later. We agreed, and it was confirmed.
The day before the alternative agreed date, 'Joe' apped us they could not send us the tickets yet due to "technical issues" but we would receive them next morning. It was also not possible to indicate a time. The next day we woke up early, still no email, so we went to Sagrada Familia and wait to not miss it. Finally around ~9 they confirmed our fear: the tour was cancelled due to a "technical issue". After stating how unhappy we were with this and their communication, they did not bother to further reply to us. If they honestly told us the night before, we could have stood in line early for the free entrance option, but they rather kept us on the hook until it was too late.
We did receive our money back within a few days, so at least they handled that well, but we did not get to see the main highlight of our trip.
We believe what they do is provide the 'service' of scouting for late cancellations on the official site, and reselling those for twice the price already in advance. If they don't manage to find your tickets, they cancel your tour with a made-up reason. I would not trust these people again.
Antwoord van Tours Travel Finder
Thank you for sharing your experience, and first of all, we sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused.
Regarding your booking, we would like to clarify that initially the tour had to be rescheduled because the assigned guide became ill and was unable to conduct the tour. This is why we reached out to you and proposed an alternative date, which you kindly accepted.
Following your confirmation, our team proceeded with arranging the tickets for the new date. However, due to unforeseen technical issues and the situation being overbooked at that time, we were unfortunately unable to secure the tickets, which resulted in the last-minute cancellation.
We completely understand how frustrating and disappointing this must have been, especially during such an important trip, and we deeply regret the impact this had on your plans. While we ensured a full refund was processed promptly, we acknowledge that this does not make up for the missed experience.
Your feedback is very important to us, and we are continuously working to improve our processes and communication to avoid such situations in the future.
Once again, please accept our sincere apologies.
