Shubhi
Extremely disappointing experience with…
Extremely disappointing experience with Switrus Holidays — please verify everything before booking. My experience with Switrus Holidays was extremely disappointing, particularly because several important details communicated to me before booking were different from what I experienced afterward. Here are the specific issues: * Group age: Before booking, I was told the tour group would primarily be in the 20–35 age range. After joining the trip, I found that the group was significantly different from what had been represented, with the average age appearing to be around 50–60 years. * Group size: I was told the group would have a maximum of approximately 25 people. The actual group size was approximately 52–53 people. * Package price: A quoted package amount was shared with me over email. After I deposited the booking amount, I was informed that the package price had increased. I was told that the booking amount would not be refunded and that my options were to pay the additional amount or leave the package without receiving my booking amount back. * Entry tickets: During the booking discussions, I understood that tickets/entry fees for the places included in the itinerary were part of the package. Later, I was told that these were not included and that I had to arrange and pay for them separately. * Support and communication: After payment, I found it considerably more difficult to get timely responses to my questions and concerns. When issues were raised during the trip, there was no response from team, did not pick any calls, if at all, the response was essentially that “anything can change during the trip.” * Tour management: I was also very dissatisfied with how concerns were handled by the tour manager during the trip. He would not listen and do anything, acted more like a tyrant than the manager. What concerns me most is that these were not minor differences in expectations. They involved price, group size, group profile and package inclusions — factors that can materially influence someone’s decision to book a holiday. I also spoke with the other members of the group during the trip. The group consisted of approximately 52–53 people, and the feedback I received was overwhelmingly negative, with many people expressing disappointment and feeling that their expectations based on the booking process had not been met. After making a significant financial investment in a holiday, this was an extremely frustrating experience. I would not book with Switrus again and would not recommend booking without getting every important commitment clearly documented in writing beforehand. If you are considering this operator, I strongly recommend keeping emails, WhatsApp conversations, quotations and payment records and verifying the exact price, group size, age profile, inclusions and refund/cancellation terms before paying anything.