Stressful Experience - G's independent tour to Easter Island

[tletter]

Earlier this year, I went on an independent tour to Easter Island. It was the first time that I’d been on this type of tour and found the experience to be very poor due to a continuous failure to provide the paid for ground transport services to and from the airports.

Basically this independent tour to Easter Island consists of the provision of basic services such as a flight to/from Easter Island, tours around Easter Island and hotel accommodation linked together with transfers to/from the airports. In my case the major services were provided but not the transfers. As a result, I was in a state of anxiety whenever there was a transfer scheduled because invariably I’d have to scramble to get to the airport from hotel or to the hotel from the airport.

The specific failures to provide ground transport services follow:

1. No transfer from the Santiago Airport to the hotel on arrival.

After taking a taxi to the hotel, I contacted G Adventures who reassured me that all would be fine hereafter then they gave me a time for pick up for the transfer from the hotel to the Santiago Airport for flight to Easter Island.

2. No transfer from the hotel to the Santiago Airport for flight to Easter Island so I almost missed the once a day flight to Easter Island.

The transfer left the hotel in Santiago for the airport with only the couple, which meant I had to scramble and race in a taxi to get to the airport before my flight left for Easter Island. I only arrived 10 minutes before boarding and was stressed out because if I would missed the once a day flight to Easter Island then I would have been unable to get there.

3. My name did not appear on the list of people for the tour around Easter Island.

As a result I had to cajole the tour guide to take me on the tour.

4. No transfer from the Santiago Airport to the hotel after the return flight from Easter Island.

Again there was no transfer from the Santiago Airport to the hotel so I was on my own once again.

These problems arose because I was a single traveller and G Adventures only passed on to their ground transportation contractor, the names of a couple who were also travelling on this independent tour. Hence only their names were put on the transfer signs and made known to the driver who left as soon as the couple were onboard. Even the word “GAP or G” was not on the signs so there was NO way that I could find the driver!

WRT Easter Island itself, the island is well worth a visit but not with the unnecessary stress that G's failure to provide ground transport services resulted in.


Moai on Ahu Hanga Kio’e at sunset

In short, based on my experience, I would be hard pressed to recommend G's independent tours to the single traveller and would be hesitant to recommend them to couples either as even repeatedly contacting G about the failure to provide ground transport services was not enough to get the issue resolved despite G’s assurance.

The only reason to take a G Adventures independent tour to Easter Island is if it offers cheaper airfare to the island than you can get on your own. You can readily arrange the rest of the "services" and be more certain that they'll be provided.
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[sinecure]

I hope you filled out the customer experience survey and let G adventures know where they fell short. Sounds like there were a few.

I've never had a problem with pickups, they've tried to drop us off at the wrong hotel once. But it was sorted out with the hotel and driver.

Cheers

[tletter]

I hope you filled out the customer experience survey and let G adventures know where they fell short. Sounds like there were a few.

Sure did but I didn't hear anything back.
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[sinecure]

That doesn't sound like best in class service. Let me see if I can find out anything more for you.

How did you find the island? I've been curious to go there.

Cheers
Sinecure.

[tletter]

How did you find the island? I've been curious to go there.

As previously mentioned, Easter Island is well worth a visit. It was a long held dream to visit the island and it didn't disappoint. My Easter Island experience is summed up at http://travelogues.x10hosting.com/2012_January.htm.


Looking towards Rano Raraku
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Please feel free to check out my travel website at http://travelogues.x10hosting.com/

[Customer_Service]

Hi tletter, I agree with Sinecure - it seems we could have done a number of things better. Our team are reviewing this, and will get back to you. In the interim, we apologize for any less than stellar experiences.