Becca J.
Disappointing/ Expensive/ Not that helpful
I was asked to fill out a rather extensive questionnaire before our consultation: It led me to believe that the $150 charge included the time prior to our meeting during which the consultant would review our requested travel styles, budget, places to stay etc... and provide a custom tailored consult. I could not tell that our consultant read the form I filled out or that she came prepared to help craft our trip. Not only did it not feel custom, despite the fact that she was supposed to be a "specialist" in the Yucatan and Oaxaca, I did not feel the consultant had a handle on the areas we were asking about.. there was not even a cookie cutter approach to the consultation. For example: When asking for either a specific hotel recommendation or an ideal location or area to find a hotel that was charming, walkable and small/locally owned, I was lucky to get one recommendation. She provided a referral for an online website for rentals, which is a resource that I could easily access on Air B&B or VRBO. We learned a few details here and there but I did not have the impression that the consultant had resources at hand and certainly did not specialize in the Yucatan. She lives in Oaxaca and even there, the recommendations were vague: (eg she told us "there are nearby villages that do pottery, others that do weaving" etc..but I could not get the names of the villages from her for the most part and she could not explain transportation to get there or where to go once we arrived in a village. "Ask a Local" set up the expectation that the consultant had vast experience in designed trips, travel, accomodations that could be customized for individual budgets and travel styles and activity preferences. It rather felt like sort of a shot gun approach, a not well thought out or informative session that did not deliver on their advertised promotion. UPDATE: I contacted "Ask a Local" and received a full refund. Appreciate this response from them. There was no personal note of apology or assurance that this is not their usual customer experience so I will likely not use them again
Response from Go Ask A LocalJan 27, 2025
Hi Becca, Abe here. First, I just want to apologize again for the sub-par experience you had with us. It sounds like we absolutely dropped the ball with your consultation. Regarding a personal note to accompany the refund, I actually replied in detail to your email as soon as you contacted us, so if you haven't seen that it probably wound up in your spam folder. I'd be happy to chat more with you via email if you'd like to reply to that message.