Reviews
Fred Halldorson
We have been trying for weeks to have our deposit refunded from this less than customer friendly company. My wife has a compromised immune system, along with international air flights being cancelled make it impossible to travel. These people are only interested in squeezing money from people who they know can’t travel. I wonder how they will act once someone gets the covid19 pandemic on one of there boats as the pandemic is still alive and well in Holland. Shame on these guys for the totally greedy way they are treating their customer. I can’t imagine people having a very good experience on these potential covid19 death traps. Shame on you Fred Halldorson
Dear Mr. Halldorson, I looked into your situation and I understand you are worried, You received an e-mail from me on 25 May that we are resuming our tours from 17 June 2020 onwards. You replied to this mail 6 days (not weeks) ago that you prefer to cancel. We have been in contact with you almost every day since 6 June. Your trip is planned for 1 August. We are completely ready to give our guests a great holiday experience in The Netherlands. Because the COVID-19 situation is now very stable in The Netherlands our government decided to open up the country step by step. Furthermore, our tours or ships I believe you refer to, are not 'COVID-19 death traps'. I am very sorry you think this way. We have offered you to rebook to a later date. But because we haven't received an answer, we will contact you as soon as possible. I am sure we will find a good solution. Best regards, Laurens Winkel
Jack Patterson
It amazes me that a so-called customer service company will NOT honor a contract for refund after they cancelled their tour!! Laurens Winkel, owner, should know better than continuing to deny his contractual obligations! He obviously does not care that potential customers have been seriously impacted by C-19, & may need their deposit money more than he does! BBT has NOT complied with the 14 day deposit refund contract, and has not sent anything to us except “sob stories” and denials of his obligations!!
Jack Patterson
DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THIS COMPANY!!! Our facts: 1. We booked our BBT Tour May 2019 with a contract that provides 100% refund (within 14 days) if BBT cancels the tour. 2. Tour was cancelled last month by BBT as it should have been with C-19. 3. Despite several requests, Laurens Winkel, BBT owner REFUSES to honor the deposit contract and WILL NOT RETURN our money! 4. We told BBT that health issues prevent us using a worthless-to-us “voucher” he offered! He still refuses to refund our deposit, weeks after the cancellation! 5. Is the reality that a company ignoring customer service, and that breaks both verbal and written contracts so they can “steal” my money, may not be in business much longer???
Dear Mr Patterson, We are very sorry you are so disappointed. We believe that we have made you a reasonable proposal: A guaranteed Corona Voucher for the full value of your deposit with the possibility to book a trip in the future (including the 2022 season) with a 10% discount. Moreover, we promised you a reimbursement of the value of this travel credit in case - after a period of 365 days - you did not use the travel credit of your Corona Voucher. Issueing vouchers instead of cash refunds is common practise of the entire European travel in this pandemic crisis. This is basically to avoid the whole travel industry going bankrupt and in Europe it is widely accepted by governmental authorities overseeing these commercial practices. We also receive a lot of support and positive reactions from our guests looking forward to traveling with us later this season or next seasons. Also my team and I explained to you that this voucher is not “worthless” because it is fully guaranteed by the highly respected Dutch Travel Guarantee Fund SGR. As a team we truly internalized our company values in our hearts and, like I told you, some people in the office were quite impressed (to tears…) by the insults and threats we received in several of your e-mails. For me personally, I was also a bit shocked by your tone-of-voice that I never experienced before in my 20 years operating in this industry, also not in this Corona-crisis. Furthermore you threatened to start with a negative campaign on social media. I quote your text: “I would rather NOT go thru this negative media campaign about your company, but if your choice is to ignore our needs, and *your obligations*, and to be non-responsive to customer service, I will have no choice! I will start my media campaign May 12 unless I hear positively from you.” But maybe I just have to accept that Boat Bike Tours is very good in running beautiful highly valued cycling cruises in Europe and not very good in managing a crisis on this scale. We could have communicated better, I apologized for this. In this crisis the travel industry receives a ‘direct hit’ hence all the billions of dollars of support that big (airline) companies receive. Boat Bike Tours, as a relatively small boutique tour operator, will not receive that level of support. And although we are a financially stable/healthy company (our financial reports are publicly available) we are working hard to survive as a community of ship owners, tour guides, bike specialists, nautical team, chefs, service team and office team (more than 300 families depend on Boat Bike Tours). Mr. Patterson, I am very sorry we are in this situation and that we could not reach agreement. You can expect your money back in due time as described on the Corona Voucher you received, Laurens Winkel Director/owner Boat Bike Tours
Paula Ward
Update on situation – as of May 12th we have received the agreed upon remedy for our May 16th trip. Would have preferred better communication initially but am pleased with the end result. Initial review: This company has gone radio silent on options for our May 16th Croatia Bike/boat tour. Very disappointed in the customer service as well as wondering if they are as reputable as previous reviews had led us to believe when we booked. Dealing with Covid-19 restrictions, etc is difficult enough – to receive no communication in the interim from this company regarding our trip or options such as: full refund of deposit or option to re-book the cruise for a future date is unacceptable. Other tour companies are providing ongoing communications and options for re-scheduling different trips we have planned.
Dear ms./mrs. Ward, we are sorry you feel disappointed in Boat Bike Tours, regarding the communication about your planned tour to Croatia in the second half of May, together with others in your group (see also my other replies on their reviews below). We did not go radio silent, we are actually working really hard to communicate with all of our travelers, that had tours planned with departures in March and April. Together with our operating partners, we are constantly reviewing the situation. At this point in time (approx. 6-7 weeks prior to your planned departure) we haven't canceled this particular tour yet, although I understand your concerns to travel to Europe in May. I apologize it might seem like a radio silence, but it just takes time to define the correct policy. Also this particular tour is organized by our partner based in Northern Italy, they are in total lock-down hence the delay in quick response. I do hope you understand we work under extreme difficult circumstances and my team is working very hard to inform all other, hundreds of affected travelers. Today I looked into your personal situation, and I can offer you a ‘Corona Voucher’. This voucher is valid for 365 days, guaranteed by the Dutch Travel Refund Guarantee Fund (SGR) and has the value of 100% of your deposit (no cancellation fee deducted). You (and your fellow travelers) can use this voucher to book any tour in 2020 or 2021. I am convinced this is a good solution in these extreme circumstances. We hope to welcome you again in the future. Best regards, Laurens Winkel Director/owner
Sarah Conrad Van Riper
Boat & Bike Tours allowed us to rebook for the same dates from May 2020 to May 2021 due to Coronavirus Pandemic at the same price. Thank you Boat & Bike Tours.
Dear Mrs. Conrad Van Riper, we are sorry you feel that Boat Bike Tours is a ‘ruthless and unsecure company’, regarding your planned tour to Croatia in the second half of May - together with others in your group (see reviews below). Together with our operating partners, we are constantly reviewing the situation. At this point in time (approx. 7 weeks prior to departure) we haven't canceled this particular tour yet, although I understand your concerns to travel to Europe in May. I apologize it took us some time to define the correct policy. Your tour in Croatia is organized by our partner that is based in Northern Italy. They are in total lock-down, hence the delay in our response. I hope you understand we work under very difficult circumstances. Today I looked into your personal situation, and I can offer you a ‘Corona Voucher’. This voucher is valid for 365 days, guaranteed by the Dutch Travel Refund Guarantee Fund (SGR) and has the value of 100% of your deposit (no cancellation fee deducted). You (and your fellow travelers) can use this voucher to book any tour in 2020 or 2021. I am convinced this is a good solution in these extreme circumstances. We hope to welcome you again in the future. Best regards, Laurens Winkel Director/owner
Ms. A Thomas
I traveled with BBT twice before with pleasant experiences HOWEVER their response, or rather lack of response, to COVID 19 has been beyond TERRIBLE. I have called and emailed for 3 weeks to attempt a reasonable option for our group which originally had 11 cabins traveling May 16-23 in Croatia. They have ignored the main questions asked; responded 4-5 days later to one or two less important questions. They deflect all responsibility to “their partner.” BBT FAQ on the website is shifting sands….at one point they indicated they would try to rebook in 2020 only, later they removed the 2020 restriction, then added the words “rebooking fee.” Nevertheless a co-participant received an email requesting that the full balance be paid on time but if the trip was rebooked BBT required 250 euros PER PERSON as a rebooking fee. Although it is doubtful the ship will leave the dock, I believe their lack of response it to force US to cancel with heavy penalties that they will pocket. Please think twice before booking with this company! They are no longer trustworthy! Apparently the only thing they will respond to is negative reviews. BBT – will you reach out to me and all of our May 16 participants with an offer to rebook without penalties or offer a full refund?
Dear Ms. Thomas, we are sorry you feel that the responses of Boat Bike Tours (or the lack of it) is ‘abhorrent' and 'terrible’, regarding your planned tour (with a group) to Croatia in the second half of May. Of course we do not only respond to negative reviews. My team - that is working from home, making extra hours to respond all of the hundreds of questions and remarks via email - is doing their very best to inform everybody personally. We are doing the best we can and I am sorry that you feel this as being untrustworthy. Together with our operating partners, we are constantly reviewing the situation. At this point in time (approx. 6-7 weeks prior to the planned departure) we haven't canceled this particular tour yet, although I understand your concerns to travel to Europe in May. I apologize it took us some time to define the correct policy. This particular tour is organized by our partner based in Northern Italy, they are in total lock-down hence the delay in quick response. I do hope you understand we work under very difficult circumstances. Today I looked into your (and the rest of your group's) personal situation, and I can offer you a ‘Corona Voucher’. This voucher is valid for 365 days, guaranteed by the Dutch Travel Refund Guarantee Fund (SGR) and has the value of 100% of your deposit (no cancellation fee deducted). You (and your fellow travelers) can use this voucher to book any tour in 2020 or 2021. I am convinced this is a good solution in these extreme circumstances. We hope to welcome you again in the future. Best regards, Laurens Winkel
Larry Edmondson
Basically an untrustworthy organization. We have a Croatia boat and bike trip booked for the week of May 16-23 2020. Croatia will not allow anyone to enter the country without a 14 day mandantory coronavirus quarantine. We are willing to take a credit for a future trip. They daily give another idiotic excuses and refuse to issue a credit or refund and claim that they have no responsibility. DON’T BOOK WITH BOAT BIKE TOURS
Dear Mr. Edmondson, we are sorry you feel that Boat Bike Tours is an untrustworthy organisation, regarding your planned tour to Croatia in the second half of May. Together with our operating partners, we are constantly reviewing the situation. At this point in time we haven't canceled this particular tour yet, although I understand your concerns to travel to Europe in May. I apologize it took us some time to define the correct policy. Today I looked into your personal situation, and I can offer you a ‘Corona Voucher’. This voucher is valid for 365 days, guaranteed by the Dutch Travel Refund Guarantee Fund (SGR) and has the value of 100% of your deposit (no cancellation fee deducted). You (and your fellow travelers) can use this voucher to book any tour in 2020 or 2021. I am convinced this is a good solution in these extreme circumstances. We hope to welcome you again in the future. Best regards, Laurens Winkel Director/owner
customer
BBT appear to be in breach of EU directive 2015/2303 and should honor requests for refunds. Refunds should be made if BBT cancels the trip or in the vent of exceptional circumstances. I have asked several times for a refund to no avail. I notice they have avoided using the word ‘cancellation’ in their correspondence. I expect EU residents could claim refunds easily. I will be pursuing a few different avenues of redress and will provide feedback here. Looks like I’ll have lots of time on my hands…. ====================== In mid-March BBT replied to my cancellation request saying: 1. However, due to the exceptional situation that has arisen and therefore in deviation from the regular arrangements we are forced to charge at least 40% of the original travel sum as cancellation costs. 2. If you cannot travel again within 365 days, but only at a later date, you will retain the value of your voucher, and you can book another trip of your choice for any tour with availability in 2021, at an additional cost of € 250 per person 3. And still refuse to acknowledge EU directive 2015/2303 which they even refer to in their standard terms and conditions. So I’m still very unhappy they are ignoring their own terms and conditions. If they can’t administer bookings fairly how could I confident in the tours they run?
Dear sir, Thank you for your feedback. The COVID-19 crisis has impacted us all in many ways, including of course our guests who need to change their travel plans. We are very sorry we had to cancel your tour and apologize it took us some time to define the correct policy. I understand you are in contact with my team about a solution in your case, maybe rebooking for September 2020 - which we would really appreciate. If you do not wish to rebook to another date we will send you - according to our policy - a ‘Corona Voucher’. This voucher is valid for 365 days, guaranteed by the Dutch Travel Refund Guarantee Fund (SGR) and has the value of 100% of your deposit. You can use this voucher to book any tour in 2020 or 2021. I am convinced this is a good solution in these extreme circumstances and we hope to welcome you aboard in the (near) future. We will contact you personally as soon as possible. Best regards, Laurens Winkel Director/owner
MJCool
I am awaiting notice from BBT that my scheduled May cycling cruise is cancelled. According to the Dutch government’s additional measures to combat the coronavirus outbreak (March 23), tighter restrictions will make it impossible for BBT to satisfy my traveler package contract. The General Traveller Terms for Package Travel Arrangements of Boat Bike Tours B.V is governed by Directive (EU) 2015/2302 wherein: “…if the organizer (i.e. Boat Bike Tours) cancels the sale before the start of a customer’s travel package, as a traveller, you are entitled to a full refund of any payments made. The Directive continues stating that if the cancellation by the organiser (i.e. Boat Bike Tours) is due to exceptional circumstances (One Directive example used – “significant risk to human health such as an outbreak of a serious disease at the travel destination…”) you are entitled to a full refund of any payments you’ve made but you are not entitled to additional compensation. BBT’s current refund policy is to charge at least 40% of the original travel sum as cancellation costs. This is clearly a violation of law! I have used BBT many times in the past to great satisfaction. This is indeed a time of exceptional circumstance! However, it can’t be a time to violate the law.
Dear mr. Cool, We are sorry to read that you feel like Boat Bike Tours is or was violating the law. We would like to explain our policy, because it has changed from the version you are referring to. We now offer all of our travelers of whom we have had to cancel their tour, because of the Corona outbreak a voucher, that is valid for 365 days, guaranteed by the Dutch Travel Refund Guarantee Fund (SGR) and has the value of 100% of your deposit (no cancellation fee deducted). You (and your fellow travelers) can use this voucher to book any tour in 2020 or 2021. Many or most of our colleagues in the travel industry are offering the same. In this way we try to ensure that we can continue to offer and carry out our trips in the future. I understand that you have had personal contact with one (or more) of my colleagues - who are all working very hard at home at the moment - and that you have come to an agreement. We find it very regrettable that many people are so dissatisfied with the way things are going, but for us as a provider of tours it is hugely painful to have to cancel trips instead of offering people an unforgettable holiday. We hope to welcome you aboard in the future. Best regards, Laurens Winkel Director/owner
Danielle Ribbens
Du même avis que Meredith … Nous avons réservé un “Tulip tour”, avec départ le 6 avril. Annulé suite au coronavirus. Bike and boat propose soit de replanifier sans frais pour les tours prévus sur 2020, soit de reprogrammer le voyage plus tard (plus de 365 jours) et demande le paiement de 250 euros par personne extra ! soit d’annuler le voyage (ce qui est déjà fait de leur propre intitative) en retenant 40% du prix total du voyage ! ou de trouver une autre personne qui accepte le rachat du voyage. Nous avons payé 1398 euros pour 5 jours de voyage. Ils retiennent donc 560 euros sur les sommes payées, sans avoir fourni aucun service. A la suite de cette annonce le 17 mars, j’ai envoyé 3 mails (sur info et service desk), et je n’ai reçu aucun retour de leur part. Dans mon cas personnel, j’ai demandé le report gratuit (au-delà de 365 jours puisque nous ne sommes intéressés que par la saison des tulipes). J’ai également demandé, puisqu’ils conservent notre paiement total jusqu’à la saison prochaine, un voucher de dédommagement et un accès prioritaire aux réservations. Aucune réaction de leur part. Tous nos voyages sont annulés jusqu’à début juin : 5 jours à Valence du 18 au 22 mars : appartement prépayé, visites guidées, et vols avec SN Brussels airlines sont remboursés 3 jours à vélo en France en avril : le prestataire rembourse la totalité 5 jours à Cracovie fin avril : hôtel, visites, food tour et vols remboursés Une semaine à l’île de Man début juin : les tickets de ferry, la location d’une moto, les hôtels et camping sont remboursés. Si la situation est revenue à la normale d’ici là, il est probable cependant que les billets d’avion soient perdus. Nous demandons à la compagnie de permettre soit le remboursement de toutes les sommes perçues, soit de permettre un rebooking et d’offrir un voucher en compensation. Si Bike & boat ne revoit pas ces conditions, les éventuels futurs clients doivent être avertis de la politique $$$$$ de cette compagnie. Nous avions participé à l’un de leur voyages en Croatie il y a quelques années. Dans ces conditions, nous ne voyagerons plus jamais avec cet opérateur, et nous le ferons savoir autour de nous.
Chère Mme Ribbens, Nous sommes vraiment désolés de lire que vous êtes ou n'étiez pas satisfait de la communication concernant votre voyage annulé. Nous sommes maintenant heureux d'avoir eu des contacts avec vous et nous sommes heureux que vous ayez choisi de reporter votre voyage à un autre moment, selon nos conditions actuelles. Merci pour votre compréhension et votre patience. Comme vous le comprendrez, je ne communique pas très souvent en français, il peut donc y avoir une erreur ici et là dans ce texte. La vôtre sincèrement, Laurens Winkel, Directeur/propriétaire
Share your Boat Bike Tours experience
By writing a Trustpilot review to inspire others