I have recently connected and booked a European holiday package with a travel agent that Travel Triangle publicize very highly, Hashtag Journey owned or run by some woman by the name of Priyanka....
I have previously booked a trip, about 2 years back through Travel Triangle to Singapore and everything was perfect, however our most recent trip to Europe was the exact opposite extreme. It was not a holiday; however, it was a trip that put my family and I at significant risk and the agent has not shown one humane sign of wanting to hold responsible for her actions that caused us such despair.
Have you ever been to a baker where the baker tells you he is the best baker and can make a really fancy cake, but when the time comes, he bakes you a cake and then tells you here is the icing and decorations, go finish presenting the cake the way you want. This is exactly how Priyanka did for my family and me for our trip to Europe. She put a big dashing iterinary, slapped a big fat price of about 5Lacs for it and then we ended up doing everything on our own and most of all everything offered was far below a standard of 1 star. She made big promises in her offering and the “majority" of it were false hopes given to us as travelers.
I was travelling with my 2 minor kids, my wife and son. We were hoping to have a good vacation however it was a disaster. I had far lower offers as quotes, however I went with the highest in the hopes that Priyanka would not compromise on quality or standard. Instead, the hotel options and visitation options were very poorly planned. Worst of all her response time on all our queries never happened on time. We have to send constant follow ups before we receive any acknowledgement or feedback from her side. Once she got the money, she abused all her power to cheat us by providing us substandard services and most of all put my family at harm. There was never any solution she provided to our problems. We encounter problems and when we reach out for her help, she finds excuses to get out of the problem. She never advised us in advance of things to be aware of and what to do in the event of any unexpected issues, nothing from her side. She was more like a bus conductor who gave the tickets and told the passenger ride. Whether you sit, stand or miss a stop is none of her concerns. All of this is evident in our correspondence with her through WhatsApp and Travel Triangle Chat. Not once she picks up the phone and try to solve our issues.
Scope A: Let’s start with the hotels in the 3 locations, My WhatsApp messages to her were to arrange, 3 - 4 star hotel and I was put up in some cringy God forsaken place. I paid to get a 3 - 4 star hotel and I got a dump worse than a lodge in Dharavi Mumbai.
1- Hotel in Paris - She put us in a hotel that was unclean, unsuitable for kids, middle of a gang of drug peddlers and prostitutes roaming around after 8 PM and most of all no ventilation. We slept for 3 days in a 36 degree temperature in 2 separate rooms significantly far from each other. Priyanka did not even have the courtesy to ensure our rooms were adjacent to each other. When we told her that the place is bad and it’s hot, she asked us to sort it directly with the hotel. We asked the hotel, and they asked us to open the window and they could not provide a fan or sort the AC. This hotel was significantly far from any place where we could get food. We put up with it for 3 nights and the price we paid for it was unreasonable and unacceptable.
2- Hotel in Lucerne - She again put us in 2 separate rooms significantly far from each other.
3- Hotel in Zurich - She put us in a hotel far from any decent place to eat and near to the airport so she can save on airport transfer cost and gain from it. We had aircrafts flying over us 4 - 5 hours every morning shaking the whole building and keeping us awake. Worst of all the hotel had spiders and my younger daughter got bitten by one. This hotel was significantly far from any place where we could get food.
Scope B: Next let's take a look at the eventful moments Priyanka set us up for my family and me to attend:
1- Big Bus Tour through Paris - Went fine, however I was told by Priyanka that the Big Bus would issue me the Eiffel Tower tickets. However when I went there Big Bus team told me that they don’t issue tickets for the Eiffel Tower and what is presented in the attached Big Bus Ticket looks like a fraud. I immediately called Priyanka and after 2 attempts I got her and then she told me to get on the tour and she would arrange the ticket. So we went on the Tour
2- Eiffel Tower Entry - As per Priyanka and the entry passes she provided my family and I were supposed to go up the Eiffel tower at 8:30 PM as what is stated in the ticket, however Priyanka came with another time and we were on the Big Bus tour in a different location and were not able to make it to the Tower on time, at which point they refused entry.
3- Disney Land - Went fine, however she had the option to recommend something better
4- Mt. Titlis - Went fine
Scope C: Now let's talk about the transfers
1- Paris Airport to Hotel - Went Fine
2- Inner Paris transfers - "Bake your own cake" We did everything on our own. No guidance whatsoever that this would not be covered till I brought up the topic with her a few days before we were to travel.
3- Paris Hotel to Train station - "Bake your own cake" We did everything on our own hauling heavy luggage.
4- Swiss Pass - Went fine
5- Hotel to Airport - Went fine
Scope D: Now let's look at all the false promises / unfactual stories put on our iterniary
1- Big Bus Tour - Was told that we could visit so many spots in France over the stops Big Bus makes. Ideally it cannot happen in a day. After personally going through it, I can tell you that it’s not possible to do it over an 8 hour tour on the places she claimed we could see
2- Visit to Interlaken and Grindelwald. There was no way we could make it based on the timing of our transfers and changes from one city to another. Trip to Interlaken is 2 hours and to Grindelwald is 3.5 hours one way. That is half a day gone. The last train from these places back to either Lucerne / Zurich is 4 PM. We had no way we could go with her suggestion, and she claims she is an expert however recommended some free trips which would not cost her anything.
3- Visits in Zurich on the last day. More than half the places she recommended required us to have a ticket to enter and we were able to just walk past the places she mentioned.
80% of her iterinary was not something you want to offer as a vacation solution, when Priyanka claims she is a solution provider. Priyanka continues to throw her weight by not being accountable for what she did. I need to be refunded for the poor service provided, I did things through your channels to have little to no administrative hassle, however I ended up doing all of your agents’ work at my time and my cost. This was not a vacation I paid for and I am entitled to be compensated for the hardship Travel Triangle and their phony agents advertised. Its one thing if I had not paid the asked amount on time or did not do my part, but to sell me a low-grade solution for a vacation is unacceptable. Travel Triangle does not vet any of its agents and if the customer suffers, they care less. I am passing this message because any of you out there are keen on travel, try to reach out to agents you know very well because both Travel Triangle and Hashtag Journey are a scam and I intend to take this matter to the consumer courts to get justice. If you are ever a victim of similar incidents, take pictures, keep records and file a complaint with the consume courts else you will be scammed just like me.