ComplaintsforLouisiana Tour Company, LLC

• Initial Complaint

  11/28/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Louisiana Tour company - Ticket #**- Nov *******- Authorization 83190G I would like to inform you of my severe disappointment with a swamp tour that my friends and I experienced on November 13th, 2022 with your company. During this weekend, my three friends and I were visiting ************ Upon talking to your rep to purchase tickets, we were talked into purchasing the most expensive package, for the outmost experience. We purchased the tickets to be on the 9 people airboat for $109 per person for a total of $449.08 for all four of us.Upon arriving an hour early in severe cold weather, we were then asked to wait and sit around outside for the airboat and considering it was about 41 degrees, to rent multiple blankets and wait.Once on the boat, we met Captain ****** He was a great tour guide, very knowledgeable and explained many unusual facts and provided various information regarding the swamp. Among those facts, we also learned that Alligators do not come out in cold weather. Cold, meaning 60 degrees Fahrenheit and below. Hence, it explained why we did not see even one Alligator in the water, on the shore, on the soil, or anywhere near the swamp. We were told that they bury themselves and marshmallows nor other treats will not make them surface when they are buried in this temperature. Our question from Louisiana Tour company is why would you advertise and sell full price tickets to a tour that can not deliver? Clearly, they expect this, since you are the experts and have a plan B ( baby alligator on board) back up plan for this event, knowing perfectly well that there will be disappointment for all who came to see Alligators. We understand that you cannot control the life style of an alligator nor how many may be sleeping under the mud. However, you most definitely can inform the purchaser buying tickets that Alligators do not surface in cold weather below 60 and 41 degree is definitely less than 60 degrees. The fact that the boats are prepared for the passenger's disappointment and carry around baby alligators so the passengers can say, they DID see AN ALLIGATOR is a sad attempt and complete mis advertising of what was promised.Without a doubt, all ticket purchasers of this swamp tour participated awaiting to see Alligators. Therefore it is a complete misrepresentation and fraud sale of full price tours to be conducted this way. At this minimum, the information about the temperature and alligators not surfacing should be related to the purchaser to have a choice to participate or not on this tour. I know with absolute positivity, we would not spend $449.08 for a tour with an empty promise of seeing just a swamp.

  

  Business response

  12/08/2022

  Dear Swamp Tour Client, our web site and our brochures all state that gators hibernate during the colder days of the year. The client was provided round trip ground transportation from *********** and an approx 2 hour swamp tour of the swamps. They reserved a Swamp Tour By Airboat, not a Alligator Handling adventure. They were provided a swamp tour by airboat with a licensed USCG Captain/Guide.This client has posted bad reviews, complained to our company that they expected to see gators. Like the comment in their complaint stated, gators are wild and do not come out of hiding when we have cloudy, windy, cold conditions. We advertise a "Swamp Tour" not a gator viewing experience. They did receive a swamp tour with ground transportation. A refund is not available because of their expectations that was impossible to achieve. We provided exactly what the brochure and web site states. We had other passengers on the same tour with them and have had no complaints or requests for refunds. When a whale watching trip goes out and they do not see a whale, there are no refunds if the company does what they state as their objective. They were told by the captain, the reason that cold blooded reptiles have to protect themselves from extreme cold is self preservation. I told the guest in their complain to the company, that if had to see a gator, they should have gone to the zoo.

  ******************************** - Owner/Operator
  

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