Viator Reviews

Name: Viator
Address: 360 3rd St #400, San Francisco
Rating: 2.13

2.1 Rating 1,191 Reviews

28 %

of reviewers recommend Viator

Company Reviews

Questions

Metrics

2.1

Based on 1,191 reviews

Shipping & Delivery
Delivery Methods	Own Driver
On-time Delivery	Greater than 7%
Customer Service
Communication Channels	Telephone, Email, Live Chat
Queries Resolved In	Over A Week
Customer Service	1.1 out of 5
Returns & Refunds
Refunds Process	Difficult

Visit Website

Phone:

888-651-9785

Email:

support@viator.com

Location:

360 3rd St #400
San Francisco
94107

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Sandeepkumar

Mari

Viator 1 star review on 25th January 2025

Colby

114

Anonymous

Anonymous // 01/01/2019

Filter: Rated 1 None 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Stars Helpful

“03/11/2020 I am a very, very frequent traveler. I fly somewhere to speak, several times a week, every week. On my free time it’s not unusual for my husband and I to lead tours abroad. Unfortunately, my friends and I had to cancel our trip to Portugal, Spain and Morocco, due to the corona virus/global pandemic. We did not want to cancel, but with announcements from the CDC not to travel internationally and/or the possibility of mandatory quarantine hanging over our heads, we decided to cancel. Everyone, EXCEPT Viatour worked with us to cancel or refund our trip. The Viatour tour operator for The Alhambra and General Life tour refused to refund us, or credit us for another tour at a later date. Here is Viatour’s response to our request for a refund or credit. We will Never, Never use or recommend Viatour again. Hi ——- Thanks for your message about canceling your upcoming Alhambra and Generalife Private Guided Tour in Granada booking. Unfortunately, all sales are final and incur 100% cancellation penalties per the listed Terms and Conditions of this activity. Our local tour operator does not allow us to refund or adjust any confirmed booking, including changes to the date, activity details, or number of travelers. Your reservation remains confirmed. We appreciate your understanding. Regards, ————— Viator Customer Service”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

“We paid $333 through Viator for a tour of the Colosseum in Rome the middle of April this year. Due to the Coronavirus and most of Italy being shut down, as well as US warnings about not traveling to Italy, we cancelled our trip. We booked this tour through Viator because of their advertised cancellation policy. We always book with cancelation options because of unforeseen issues. We have received full refunds and no hassle cancellations on everything except this tour through Viator which tells us this is not refundable. We contacted the tour operator City Wonders, and they said they couldn’t help us because it was booked through a third party. We also had booked another tour directly through City Wonders and they promptly, fully refunded our money for the Vatican Tour. Lesson learned! Book directly through the tour operator and not Viator. Don’t believe Viator’s advertising of ease of change or cancellation! Per their ad, this is what was advertised to me, by them. ”Check it out—we’ve put together some Rome recommendations to make this your most memorable trip yet. Plus, Viator has guaranteed low prices, flexible cancellation, and around-the-clock global support, so you can feel confident you’ve created the best itinerary—even if you need to make a change.” I guess just losing $333 isn’t bad considering the risk of a serious illness, but I do consider Viator to be using false advertising and will not use them again!”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

“Debited my account for over €125 for Auschwitz trip and sent no tickets, details or confirmation email. This bunch of cowboys are also linked to Krakow Direct who collect CASH at the end of their tours. NEED I SAY MORE!!!!”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

“I’ve used Viator before several times and never had an issue. However, the issue I had this time and the treatment I received from Jennifer, one of the supervisors from customer service was enough that I won’t ever use their services again. According to my original booking they were suppose to charge my card on a specific date, there was no indication that my card would be charged earlier. The booking even said “Your card will be charged in 8 days (on 02/07/2020)”. They charged my card the day before without prior notification so I was unable to transfer money to my account in time and they cancelled my booking. When I called to ask if they could reinstate it they said I’d have to do the booking again but this time it was at a higher price. The excuse they were giving me was that the tour vendor raised the prices. However, when I called the vendor it was the same price as before! When I spoke to Jennifer, I asked her for an email or some contact information to a higher supervisor or corporate and she lied to me and said she didn’t know any! How absurd! She said she couldn’t do anything for me, and if I wanted to book solely with the vendor I should do that. She did not even try to assist me! It wasn’t like I was asking for a cheaper price than what I was originally quoted, I just wanted to pay what they originally quoted me when I first booked the tour. It was their mistake they charged me ahead of time and cancelled my booking so why was I being penalized for it. Absolutely horrible customer service and behavior by Jennifer, a supervisor of the customer service department. I will never use Viator again, and I suggest others to book your tours elsewhere as well so that you don’t have to deal with the trauma and heartache of spending 2 hours on a chat and a phone call trying to sort out an error on their part, and in the end be treated like you’re not a valued customer. This tour was going to be the highlight of our trip and now it is absolutely ruined by Viator and Jennifer, a supervisor of the customer service department.”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

“We booked a sailing trip to Rottnest Island. When we arrived at the jetty there was no yacht there. We called operator Wind Cheater Charters. They stated the booking info arrived late. Clearly they decided to just ignore it. While I acknowledge the fault lies with Wind Cheater Charters, VIATOR has not refunded our $400 despite the operator cancelling the trip (after failing to turn up!) On 24 January.”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

“Just done 2 trips that have been booked… Just done 2 trips that have been booked through Viator and are currently sitting in airport waiting to go on next trip which we have booked through them also , We have paid top dollar for the convince of using them as we are short on time and didn’t have the time to shop around with the local tour companies , we wanted everything booked in advance 1 st trip we ended up paying nearly double what we would have paid if we paid directly to the tour company on arrival in el chalten 2nd trip again paid over double what we should have paid if we booked locally, what makes it even worse is we were put on the cheapest tour in town - a comfortable 4x4 trip ended up being 7 people with baggage crammed into a car with not all the windows operating, and arriving at accommodation it was a really low standard, toilet and shower waste dumped directly into swamp below , however the guides and staff were really good- the money we paid should have gone to them We are waiting to go to salt flats in Bolivia unsure of what to expect next , I will be contacting Viator soon asking for an explanation I have traveled extensively over the years and normally without a time constraint, thought it was a good idea to pre book everything but definitely the wrong decision AVOID using Viator - put your money into the local community rather than the pocket of someone else”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

“I have received the worst service from Viator, I had booked a private transfer from Rio airport on 5th January 2019. Upon arrival there was no one to pick us up despite this been paid for, I waited for around 30minutes and tried to ring to tour company Viator use to provide this service, there was no answer, I think rang Viator from my UK phone to an American number as I had no choice other than to do this. I spoke with a guy from Viator who assured me I should wait in the arrivals and someone would be coming To collect me. An hour and 30minutes later still no one came I rang again and spoke with a lady who kept me On hold over 25 minutes to tell me she couldn’t get in touch with the tour company and I would have to just get a taxi and they would refund me. To add to this terrible service I had waited all this time, the lady on the phone said she would reimburse me for the additional Taxi and pay the costs towards me phone bill I incurred because of having to ring them (this cost is £45 for the phone bill) she said I just needed to fill out an email and send evidence of these costs, when I sent this I received a reply informing me they would not be reimbursing anything and “this decision is final” I am disgusted in this service and will NEVER use this service again! If anyone has used them before and maybe has any ideas of how I can try and get this reimbursement please can you give me some advice as I am determined to try and get this money back for my phone bill. I have now emailed them the evidence of the phone call costs from my phone bill and they are still refusing to pay anything despite the phone bill being their fault. They even said in their last email they have already offered me a £25 voucher to use with Viator! Their service is laughable and disgusting DO NOT USE THEM!!”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

“Garbage! Just book elsewhere!!! So does anyone know what’s going on at this company? No! Booking confirmations have bad info. When clients are asked to “confirm” as instructed, they can’t. Their customer service is garbage, rude, ignorant and hang up on people. I have been told my booking “issue” would be resolved this am and here we are almost 24 hours later, several phone calls and emails and nothing! Their customer service is useless and calling is pointless. Once they have your money, you’re screwed. Avoid at all cost because you’ll be disputing with your credit card company in the end with these idiots.”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

“Viator is asking details over call. credit card details which is against law.”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

“Viator is asking credit card details over phone to offer a 10% discount which is against law. If you are not giving details over card, you will not receive 10% cashback. Lol. This is how things work.”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

“BEWARE!!!!!! We booked an evening sailing trip on Sydney Harbour. When the confirmation was sent the departure location was not as advertised. When we called customer service, they explained that the system never showed the trip we had selected, however they would process a refund. The day following we were informed that there would be no refund, this was problematic information considering we received it after the trip occurred! Do not use this service, IT IS A SCAM”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

“Tried a Northern Lights Tour in Iceland recently, a scam at best and more likely fraud. We are not upset because no lights showed, but by Viator and Greylines sleazy tactics. We got on NOAA's website to check probability of seeing lights at our location, 1% according to NOAA! Rainy and overcast locally. We checked assuming the operators would cancel but no we are going. We thought ok they're the experts. On the one hour ride out of the city our guide said to never trust the websites that predict northern lights. I guess the vendors guide knows more about the weather and solar activity than the people that study this everyday and have Phd's in those topics. Anyway us and 12 other full size tour buses, with by our count averaged 50 bodies each, plus 3 or 4 smaller buses arrive at our supposed premium viewing site. We could not believe it, they dumped around 600 people off within a hundred yards of a working light house. The outbuildings were brightly lite with yard lights,and there was a residential neighborhood less than a 1000 feet from the lighthouse's parking lot we were in! This was after our guide had told us on the way out that avoiding light pollution was one of the key elements to successful viewing and we and 600 other poor sapps are parked under a god-damned working lighthouse!! Absolutely incredible!! Now to the good part, since the excursion went out, regardless that it didn't make since to go, the policy is that you can book another trip within 2 years if you didn't see any lights, no refunds since the tour operator decided to go. How many of those tourists that are only on Iceland for a short visit plan on coming back within 2 years to collect on their re-booking "guarantee"? Damn few, and Viator and Greyline know it. I'll quit ranting but be warned, Viator and Greyline are nothing more than cons and scammers. We will tell anyone who will listen, no matter where they travel, to never use these crooks!”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

“Vacationed to Paris and had a tour booked through Viator. Unfortunately there was a medical emergency and the trip had to be cut short. We attempted to cancel our tour before Viator's stated 24hour cancellation window, but were unable to. Reason given by Viator was that the tour operator had their own cancellation policy that would not allow us to cancel the tour. Whats the point of having a stated cancellation policy if it will always defer to the tour operators? At this point the 24hr cancellation policy is useless. W”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

“Booked the same excursion with Viator 3 times because it kept showing available on the web site. After the third cancellation I called to get some answers and was told that the dates I wanted (which showed available on the website) were not available. Asked for other options and were quoted similar excursions that were much more expensive than the one I booked 3 times. Asked them to match the price but was told they have no authority to offer discounts. Asked again why the tours still showed available on their website if there were not available and was told “I don’t know”. I will never use this company again and would recommend that others stay away.”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

“My family and I have travelled to Costa Rica for 5 years and this is the first time we have ever had a HORRIBLE experience with a Shuttle Company. We had booked a private shuttle For my family and I from the Airport to take us to our Hotel in San Jose, Marriott. We looked everywhere at the airport for someone holding a sign but their was no one from the company at the airport. We then asked a complete stranger to help us...again they could not find the company Viator ANYWHERE. We then phoned the number on our confirmation sheet which was booked a in September which we received a confirmation email For multiple times. We spoke to one of the companies representatives on the phone who said their was no one their to pick us up, and that they can’t find the confirmation number. The representative who we spoke To on the phone said NO ONE IS THEIR TO PICK YOU AND YOUR FAMILY UP. After talking to this representative he also said he would NOT REFUND us for the shuttle we paid for which we had both a confirmation and a bank statement for. The representative we spoke too was very rude and put us on hold multiple times. We then had to find a new ride to out hotel and pay extra money. We also had booked with this shuttle from our hotel back to the airport a week later. We re-confirmed it with the representative Who we spoke To on the phone and He said yes they will be their to pick us up. We specifically asked the representative to have someone at our hotel at 5:00 PM. The day we were leaving the shuttle did not arrive till 7:00 PM and we were late for our flight. We told the driver to get us to the airport as soon as possible and he drove very slow. The driver also kept telling us it will be 10min when after an hour later. We were on the road for 3 and a half hours. We ended up missing the check-in for our flight. After we got back home we re-called the shuttle company Viator and they lied to us on the phone saying that they were waiting at the airport for 3 hours. There are 4 people in my family looking at the airport for Viator, plus a stranger. No one could find them and we also called them when we are at the airport and they said “No one is going to pick us up and that no one is at the airport.” It is unbelievable that first they do not show up to the airport but then LIE!! THIS IS THE WORST SHUTTLE COMANY EVER! DO NOT BOOK WITH THEM!”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

“Worst experience ever, will no longer us VIATOR or Tripadvisor; They can not be trusted. Tried to book tour for New Orleans and the Viator site switched dates and booked the changes and will not change or refund the monies. Spent 3 hours trying to rework with their rep who was not responsive and useless. Screwed out of the monies for the tour and no recourse. DO NOT TRUST VIATOR OR TRIP ADVISOR AND USE AT YOUR OWN RISK, THEY ARE LAIRS AND THIEVES!!”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

“Not even 1 star. Not reputable. False advertising. Cancelling already booked and confirmed tour. Extremely disappointing. Be aware as refund is difficult and takes a while.”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

“I was really disappointed by the service provided by Viator in my Moulin Rouge Show in Paris last weekend. Given the Paris strikes I was not able to get in time to Paris to go to the show. This was a issue happening to thousands of tourists in Paris in the last week and everywhere else I was offered options and reschedule my bookings. At the box office I was directed to speak to Viator to find out my options. Viator first response was that nothing could be done as I was marked as a NO-SHOW. I went back and reaffirmed my disappointment, a £25 voucher was offered as sign of good will, these tickets were close to £200 pounds and this voucher seemed very inconsiderable. I went back again and Viator finally confirmed they would contact Moulin Rouge to look into the this matter further. The response came after 24 hours re-confirming their previous outcome and without any other options. I expected that given the high profile of this show there would be policies in place to deal with this kind of situations. This was completely out of my control and I trust Viator would be a great host. Instead I had a company only caring about profit and not being able to secure the experiences they offer under extreme situations. The last response received from Viator was quite abrupt, I was told "this decision is final. No further consideration will be given to this request." This is really disappointing for a company selling experiences abroad, we, as clients, trust Viator to look after our experiences and protect our investment in extreme situations as strikes. I would really think twice before buying any experiences with Viator and do not expect much from their customer service. Andre, London”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

“I am in PayPal dispute with Viator trying to get my refund for a tour cancelled by operator. They say they’ve paid it, PayPal says no. I’m caught in the middle. Multiple emails with Viator, multiple contacts with PayPal. Viator check your accounts - it’s not paid - that’s not rocket science! Meanwhile I wait for my money which could be two months or so! Not good enough. And providing transaction IDs that PayPal doesn’t recognise is a nice touch too.”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

“Their service in Cambodia and Thailand through their vendor is terrible. Asked for a refund for transportation that was NOT provided was rejected multiple times. Do not use this company as they are not trustworthy and will not back the customer! Rip off company!!!!!!”

Helpful Report

Posted 5 years ago

Viator is rated 2.1 based on 1,191 reviews