Would you ever refuse to pay for a shared private tour excursion?

Happened to some group on our Silhouette cruise so the others had to cover the couple who refused to pay

Happened to some group on our Silhouette cruise so the others had to cover the couple who refused to pay

We had a couple just not turn up

So the cost was increased pro rata.

Has never happened to me but I think it is the risk you take for agreeing to take a shared excursion. The tour operator bases the per person price on the number of committed participants. If someone bails, the tour operator should not have to eat the loss. I believe this always to be the fair approach, but most certainly in more impoverished areas. My opinion.

More information please, why did they refuse to pay?

Would be missing at sea.:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

It can happen. We are not taking any shared tours we could not afford to pay ourselves, however.

We have booked shared private excursions for our upcoming cruise and gave a credit card # so they can charge us in case of a "no show." That should be protection for the other participants.

Was it that the other couple decided not to go, or they went but then refused to pay? If it was the second, I would have been beyond livid!

It can happen. We are not taking any shared tours we could not afford to pay ourselves, however.

I totally agree. We usually take private tours so if there is a no-show from our group it won't make a real big difference! Life is about choices and knowing the consequences, though these things happen...:eek:

That's outright bizarre! They went on the tour and then REFUSED to pay their share?

I once had a tour where payment was due in cash and one of my tour mates forgot their wallets on the ship...I covered them...and within 20 minutes of being back on board, they showed up at my cabin with the money...and a bottle of wine!

I've also had a tour once where the guide was SO bad that we were all upset...but took it up with the owner of the company--who was there at the end of the tour--and he rebated us ALL half of our tour price each...so we all paid or didn't pay equally...and to the detriment of the tour company, NOT our fellow cruisers...

I cannot picture a situation where anyone I've ever toured with would have not paid...to the detriment of the others on the tour...

I would love to hear why they did not pay?:(:eek::confused:

We had a wonderful group on Equinox when I sailed to the Med in May.

Everyone paid the person who oganizied the tours before we left the

ship so it was all taken care of....it worked out great:)

I am really sorry you had such selfish people on your tour:(

we have done several privately arranged groups. never knew the folks before the trip. All " arrangers", including ourselves, requested payment up front before the cruise even began to cover any no shows. Yes, it is a leap of faith to send money off to strangers, but we have never had one moment of trouble. The arranged tours have been superb. Nobody has pocketed the money and fled!!!

We did three private tours on our last mediterrean cruise in November with RomeinLimo and one person on our CC party put up her cc to cover holding all the vans. I am glad to say that I think at one point we had 6 vans full of 8 people each and everyone paid. I did not hear any complaints from either the tour company or the people on the tours. They were by far the best excursions we have ever had. We also had to pay for the private tour guide for the vatican and I think that was included in our tour fare. Also we had to pay for the admittance to the Vatican and also the admittance to Pompei and the guide and that was also included in the total fo the tour. We also gave each tour guide a nice tip to boot.

We have taken many private tours and organised them ourselves. Everyone has paid the tour guide/driver at the end of each tour and there has never been a problem. We have met really friendly and like minded people and really enjoyed our days. In fact each tour on the cruise were the same people as we each sign up for each others tours.

Great ideas shared on the forums

we have done several privately arranged groups. never knew the folks before the trip. All " arrangers", including ourselves, requested payment up front before the cruise even began to cover any no shows. Yes, it is a leap of faith to send money off to strangers, but we have never had one moment of trouble. The arranged tours have been superb. Nobody has pocketed the money and fled!!!

On our recent TA, we handled things similarly, particularly for a shore excursion that I had arranged and for which the operator was holding my credit card number as a guarantee of the total payment. One of the others in our group insisted everyone pay me onboard at the start of the cruise as protection for me (this was all spelled out when folks asked to join the group). That was very sweet of her, and a good way to handle things.

All that said, we've never had a problem on any private excursion arranged with "strangers" on our Roll Calls. (Keeping fingers crossed....) In one case, one person was sick the day of the tour, and his wife was ready to pay his share. The guide, however, on the spot refused to charge us for him.

Happened to some group on our Silhouette cruise so the others had to cover the couple who refused to pay

I don't understand why the others had to cover. I assume there was an agreed price so they should pay only that amt. and the tour operator should deal with the couple who refused to pay separately. I would refuse to pay for them. It's not my problem, it's the operators problem.

On our last TA a fellow cc'r organized a Normandy Beaches tour for 8 of us, all strangers except here on cc. It was a fairly expensive all day tour with a well known historian. She used her credit card to hold the tour booking for all of us. We each mailed her a personal check for the amount of the tour. She held the checks and then when we paid cash to the tour operator she returned our checks. Safe for everyone and the additional security of having everyones name and address from the checks and no one could flake out and just not show up.

When I have joined in a private tour we have always had each others stateroom numbers so we can contact each other on board. If someone stiffed the group like this then the group could pay them a call!

It has never happened to me on the very many tours we have done.

Angie

I don't understand why the others had to cover. I assume there was an agreed price so they should pay only that amt. and the tour operator should deal with the couple who refused to pay separately. I would refuse to pay for them. It's not my problem, it's the operators problem.

Well, that's not necessarily correct (and probably not correct in many if not most instances). The tour I referred to above, for example (a D-Day tour in Normandy), was a set price of 800 Euros, whether one person or eight showed up. That was the deal up front with the tour operator, a small outfit with just a few guides. If one couple failed to show up on the day of our tour, that would not have been the tour operator's problem, it would have been mine, since my credit card was on the line. Hence the pay up front after boarding arrangements.

Likewise, a couple of years ago in Civitavecchia, six of us from our Roll Call, all strangers before the cruise, booked a well known private tour operator for a day in Rome. There was a set price for that full day tour, and it would have been that price even if one couple hadn't gotten off the ship.

In general, private tour operators deal with one person setting up the tour. If you were the person who had arranged the private tour, good luck trying not to pay the tour operator, particularly if your credit card had been used to book the tour. And if you weren't that person, would you leave the person who did arrange the tour holding the bag?

Turtles 6 -- I think you explained it well. I like everyone else am looking forward to more details from the OP. :confused:

Well, that's not necessarily correct (and probably not correct in many if not most instances). The tour I referred to above, for example (a D-Day tour in Normandy), was a set price of 800 Euros, whether one person or eight showed up. That was the deal up front with the tour operator, a small outfit with just a few guides. If one couple failed to show up on the day of our tour, that would not have been the tour operator's problem, it would have been mine, since my credit card was on the line. Hence the pay up front after boarding arrangements.

 

Likewise, a couple of years ago in Civitavecchia, six of us from our Roll Call, all strangers before the cruise, booked a well known private tour operator for a day in Rome. There was a set price for that full day tour, and it would have been that price even if one couple hadn't gotten off the ship.

 

In general, private tour operators deal with one person setting up the tour. If you were the person who had arranged the private tour, good luck trying not to pay the tour operator, particularly if your credit card had been used to book the tour. And if you weren't that person, would you leave the person who did arrange the tour holding the bag?

Personally I would not put my cc on file to secure a tour for which full payment depends on strangers being responsible. If it was a shared tour with people I know then yes and I would deal with it. And then with them.

The private shared tours I've had we're arranged by the tour guides who asked me first if I agree to x # of other people at a cost on a per person basis. We have had different types of tours it seems.

I would like to know the exact circumstances the OP had. We had a private tour in Nicaragua once and my son could not go as planned d/t an upset stomach. Of coursevI paid for him as we agreed upon a per person price.

Cheers, Larry. :)

Personally I would not put my cc on file to secure a tour for which full payment depends on strangers being responsible. If it was a shared tour with people I know then yes and I would deal with it. And then with them.

 

 

I would not do it without the appropriate protections, and I didn't. Here, we had sufficient days to cancel the tour after boarding the ship if for some reason the other folks going on the tour did not contribute their share by the day after boarding as had been agreed.

We had sort of the opposite issue in St. Maarten years ago. One member of our roll call arranged a private boat tour, and about 20 of us signed up to go. He was very active on the roll call, gave us the tour operator's name, description of the tour, etc. and reconfirmed the list several times as more people signed up. He didn't attend the Connections party, but it was at an inconvenient time and many didn't receive invitations, so we didn't think much about it.

The next morning everyone met at the designated point on the pier...everyone, that is, except for the guy who organized the tour. When we finally decided he wasn't going to show, one of the group phoned the tour operator and they'd never heard of him!

I can't give you anymore details as I was not personally involved in the excursion. Heard about it frm someone on my excursion who had shared an excursion with the group that got stiffed. All I was told was that they were not happy with the tour so they refused to pay.

In this case there was a fee for the whole van. The group thought the price would be divided by 8. Unfortunately, when the other couple did not pay it was divided by 6.

I just could not believe someone would have the nerve to do that. I did not like one of the excursions I joined in on but the thought never crossed my mind not to pay.

I can't give you anymore details as I was not personally involved in the excursion. Heard about it frm someone on my excursion who had shared an excursion with the group that got stiffed. All I was told was that they were not happy with the tour so they refused to pay.

In this case there was a fee for the whole van. The group thought the price would be divided by 8. Unfortunately, when the other couple did not pay it was divided by 6.

 

I just could not believe someone would have the nerve to do that. I did not like one of the excursions I joined in on but the thought never crossed my mind not to pay.

Hi:)...I am not doubting what you are posting but it would help

to know a bit more.....did the couple who did not pay get out of

the van and just walk away?:confused:.....everyone was going to pay

for themselves at the end of the tour? I am surprised someone else

didn't stop them from leaving or something:eek: