Vojaganta57

After sending the same review to the BBB that Tom Harper is registered with, the matter was settled to my satisfaction.

River cruise in Myanmar, September 19, 2014

Tom Harper’s river cruise in Myanmar attracted me because the website promised the type of luxurious accommodations I was looking for.

Unfortunately, after arriving in Yangon, my travel companion and I were advised that the advertised RV Irrawaddy Explorer had not received its certification papers and was not allowed to sail. Instead of a Maugham Suite with French Balcony, our cabin on the replacement ship was a very small room with dark panelling, a small window and a solid door to the deck which is used for dis/embarkation. The storage space was almost non-existent, the bedding worn. The bathroom was tiny and the shower drain clogged four days into the voyage, flooding our bedroom. What I had bought, and expected, was a five star stateroom. What I received was a one star cabin (pictures available).

The compensation offer from Tom Harper consisted of $500 cash. Haimark Ltd – owner of the RV Irrawaddy Explorer – offered a travel credit of $1000 to expire at the end of 2016 on any of their cruises or those of Tom Harper. I told our destination ambassador that neither company offers a cruise that I either haven’t already taken or am interested in. She contacted her office and was told to have me call Tom Harper after my return and talk to a representative about converting the travel credit to cash. While still in negotiation with my travel agent, $500 was refunded on my credit card. About a week later, a letter advised that no compromise was possible and the company would keep my travel credit on file for future bookings.

Will I travel with Tom Harper again? NO. I bought a product in good faith trusting in their integrity and accuracy of representation. Selling a cruise on a new ship that had not received certification was a risk that Tom Harper undertook, and I assume they were smart enough to have some kind of insurance in place for non-delivery of products from Haimark Ltd.

Making two-thirds of my refund a travel credit whose redemption would mean spending a lot more money on a cruise I never intended to take, is aggravating. Even turning the travel credit into a $500 cash credit would have shown that Tom Harper cares enough about a customer to meet her halfway.