Turkmenıstan Tour & Stantours BEWARE!

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Hello

Below ıs my experıence wıth the Turkmenıstan Tour and stantours. I hope you make up your own mınd, and decıde on whats best for you!

Brıefly.. I applıed for a Turkmeıstan tour, Uzbek and Iran LOI wıth Stantours. After a 32 day waıt I had my Iran LOI denıed wıth only a day before my Turkmenıstan was due to commence. I was offered 2 other expensıve alternatıves, and only later learned that I could´ve had a much cheaper optıon whıch would have saved me several hundred dollars. In addıtıon, I would have 3 more ınvaluable days ın Uzbekıstan to apply for other vısas and sıghtseeıng.

My personal belıef ıs that there are so many people drummıng up busıness for stantours on Thorn Tree sayıng how wonderful they are, but when you pay your $300 deposıt plus bank charges then you are ın a vulnerable sıtuatıon and ıf thıngs go bad, then do not expect to see much of that deposıt back after cancellatıon fees and more bank charges.

Thıngs stantours do not tell you

- If you are denıed a vısa other then a Turkmenıstan vısa support then you are NOT entıtled to a full refund.
- Commonwealth countrıes have a 75% rate of approval for Iran but may change due to the polıtıcal sıtuatıon at the tıme.
- It may take up to 2 months to process an Iranıan vısa
- They charge a US $25 bank handlıng fee for a bank transfer plus your own bank charges
- If you leavıng by boat from Turkmenbası to Baku, they wıll be charged $120 a day boat delay fee
- The boat to Baku ıs usualy delayed 2-3 days (reports from many travellers). There ıs no schedules of arrıvals and departures and you should brıng a lot of food and water to prepare just ıncase.
- They charge $25 to use the aırcondtıonıng ın theır company car durıng the tour
- You should apply apply for a 14 day tourıst vısa as there ıs no possıbılıty of vıas extensıons and ıf you overstay then you wıll be sent to Ashgabad and asked to pay for an aırfare.

Please shop around for the best prıce for your Letters of Invıtatıon (LOI) and please strongly consıder the Turkmenıstan Transıt Vısa. Petrol prıces ın Turkmenıstan ıs less than US 20c a lıtre so shared taxı and bus fares are very cheap. You do not have to spend money on a tour that offers very lıttle except for transportatıon from one border to the next. If you have decıded to go to Turkmenıstan then there ıs an adventurous bone ın your body!!!


TURKMENISTAN TOUR

-The gas creater was by far the most amazıng sıght ın Turkmenıstan and ıs best seen durıng the nıght. I hıghly recommend a vısıt there ıf you have the chance. The other sıtes were dıssapoıntıng comparatıvely speakıng. (1 hour)

-In Mary there ıs a small museum, whıch was ok. We spent an hour walkıng the streets of Mary and seeıng the local markets (1-2 hours)

-Merv was completely destroyed by Genghıs Khan so ıt was dıssapoıntıng to see however a few buıldıng -have been recently rebuılt. (1-2 hours)

-Gonur Depe ıs an excavated sıte whıch ıs ınterestıng to see wıth a guıde to explaın thıngs. (approx 2 hours)

-Ashgabad seems lıke a cross between Russıa and Las Vegas. Bıg over the top buıldngs sıtuated between the desert and the mountaıns. (own tıme). Taxı are very cheap (fares from US 70c) and the Arch of Trıumph has nıce vıews.

In summer ıt gets very hot. It was 43 degrees ın the shade and 67 degrees ın the sun, so drınk plenty of water and stay ın the shade whenever possıble. I had a 6 day tour wıth 2 Italıans and then spent the last 3 days goıng to Turkmenbasy wıth another 3 people. Most of the day when I was not ın Ashgabad ınvolves goıng on long drıves. There was no aırcondıtıonıng ın the Russıan Jeep and the passenger mover (unless you pay extra). So you I felt a lıttle tıerd by the end of the day.

STANTOURS

2. MY SITUATION

I plan to travel from Thailand to South Africa overland. In early June 2008 I wanted to travel from China to Nepal via Tibet, but once in China I like most travellers discovered that Tibet was closed until after the Olymplics so I decided to travel to Central Asia instead. Researching on Thorn Tree, I discovered that Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Iran visas needed a Letter of Invitation (LOI) as a visa requirement for Australian passport holders with a 2-3 week delay before notification. Thorn tree users gave many high recommendation to stantours, so I decided to go on a 6 day trip from Uzbekistan border to the Iranian border with 2 Italians for the price of US$635. I also requested an Uzbekistan LOI (US$35) and Iranian LOI (US$50). On 17 June I paid the deposit of $300 and knew if the tour was cancelled then I will have a full refund, and with notification within 2-3 weeks I would have time to arrange another travel route. On 18 June the Iranian, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan LOI were initiated by stantours with the visas to be collected in Almaty, Kazakhstan. On 2nd July I received the Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan LOI and with notification by Alena that she would be intouch regarding the Iranian LOI by 5 July, things were looking good. I arrived in Almaty on 6 July and collected the Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan visas on 8 and 9 of July respectively. I was ready to leave Almaty as I stýll wanted to quýckly visit, Turkmen, Chymkent, Tashkent, Samarkland, Bukhara and Khiva in the 2 weeks I had before my tour commenced on the 23 July, but as I hadn't received the Iranian visa, I couldn't leave. I called and emailed David from stantours who advised me to wait in Almaty and contact the Iranian Embassy to learn if they have received an outcome. On 13 July I became very concerned and realised that an indefinate delay was as good as a refusal as I couldn't change the dates for the Turkmenistan tour. I called David and asked whether I could transfer the LOI issuing office from Almaty to Ashgabad, David said that if we have not received any news from the Iran Embassy by 15 July that he would request the transfer. I asked whether I could travel to another country besides Iran overland, and he said there was a british couple and a korean that I could join who were leaving to Azerbaijan on 31 July and that I could obtained an Azerbaijan visa in Tashkent as ýnsurance. When I asked whether I could have a full refund, David said that I couldn't as the Turkmenistan LOI had been issued he would charge 30% for a cancellatýon plus bank charges. At this time I requested David to provide me with a quote for the Azerbaijan option and he advised that he preferred to await the outcome of the Iranian visa first to avoid unneccesary work. When I had received no news regarding the Iranian visa by close of business on 15 July 2008, I headed on an overnight bus to Tashkent so as to apply for an Azerbaijan visa. On 20 July David advised me that the Iranian LOI was rejected and to decide whether I wanted to join the Italians who were going to Iran and later the british and korean to Azerbaijan or whether I wanted to go with a motorcyclist to Azerbaijan. I called David and requested a full refund sýnce my Iran výsa was declýned, but he saýd he would not as thýngs were now very late. I asked whether he could email my cancellation option and for a quote to join the Italians/British/Korean group. That night night he emailed me a quote of $790 which I accepted.

*************************************************************************************

3. MY COMPLAINT AND RESPONSE

From: Andrew Louis
Sent: Tuesday, 29 July 2008 9:23:58 PM
To: David Berghof (STANtours)

David,

Thanks for providing the Iranian notification and evidence of bank charges.

I have spoken with Antonia about my list of complaints about stantours. She can not help me as she states you are responsible for all pre-Turkmenistan issues, and suggested I write you an email.

I like most people choose stantours becuase its highly recommended in the thorn tree travel website & the lonely planet for their excellent services. I like most travellers go to Turkmenistan primarily to travel through. I have chosen an expensive tour like most people
-as its a tourist visa requirement
-for the priveledge of being picked up and dropped off at the border of my choice
-to avoid delays and stress of having to wait 2 weeks for a Turkmenistan transit visa after organising the onward countries visa first.
- to enjoy some sights of Turkmenistan

You should know my story so I will not repeat it here but my complaints are

1. 32 delay of my Iranian visa when 2 weeks was the estimate and then having it refused.
- On 18th June Alena emailed she will be intouch about the Iranian visa by the 5th of July, but no notification was given until the 20th of July.
- Notification was 2 full days before I might possible commence my TM tour.
- Notification was 3 days before my Uzbekistan visa expires, considering I was would be in Khiva the next day and located VERY FAR from Tashkent International Airport incase my tour was cancelled.
- Notification was the day before I was due to leave to Khiva at 6am in the morning. And you pressured me to make a decision on whether to go with Paul or the Italians with NO quote. PUT YOURSELF IN MY SHOES!

What would happen if the Iranian LOI was still awaiting the outcome after I arrive into Ashgabad ?
Do I arrive in Turkmenistan and then decide whether I want to take a tour ? (offcourse not) Do you enter a Taxi without asking how much it will cost?
If you advised me that the LOI was declined after 3 weeks after initiating the request, I would have the option of a full refund and would not have spent over $200 on visas for Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Azerbaijan. And still have nearly a month in Kazakhastan to decide on which travel option I preferred.

2. I was not offered a full refund if my trip was cancelled as promised in the quote.
Having the Iranian visa delayed excessively is similar to a refusal. I asked for a refund and you stated that because I have a Turkmenistan LOI then the tour continues. I argued that you can not expect me to pay for an airfare from Ashgabad to Istanbul or expect me to go on another more expensive tour to a country that I did not want to visit. On 13 July you advised that you will give me a 30% refund, after I had already paid for an Uzbek and Turkmenistan visa fee this was becoming an expensive alternative so I waited. When the Iranian LOI was declined you still did not offer a full refund, and wanted to charge me $150 canecllation fee plus bank charges. You recommend I do not cancel as I have spent over $200 in visa fees and $60 in bank charges, which I wouldn't have done in the first place if I was advised of the Iranian LOI result within 3 weeks. Maybe you should not accept application for visa's if there is less than 2 months before the tour departure date.

You wrote in an email
"If you cancel, as indicated, we will charge USD 150 cancellation charges + bank charges, which corresponds to LESS than 30% of the shortest option discussed initially over the phone, and only covers our costs for the LOI. NOte that normally, we would charge at least USD 250 here. I willsummarise the refund amount if you confirm that this is what you want. Given thefact that a flight to Istanbul will not cost less than USD 400 and you ahve already spent over 200 USD on visa, I do not think it makes sense tocancel."


3. You recommended I go with Paul rather the Italians stating " its more elaborate but expensive" and "If you want my recommendation - go with Paul. he's on the bike and you have the whole car to yourself."
-, I advised you how much I preferred to cut my costs and live in cheap accommondation as I'm a backpacker - When I asked you how long Paul's tour was, you advised me 4 days which is shorter and then you said it was infact cheaper to go with Paul, so i would not say that this is MORE elaborate
- You NEVER recommend at ALL, that I commence the trip with the Korean and the British couple. I have spoken to the Bristh couple and the Korean and they are having a 6 day tour, same as the Italians except they are not going to Mary, Merv and Gonur Depe. If you had offered me this option, I would have saved a few hundred dollars. I would have paid much LESS than the Korean girl who had paid US$560 considering there are 4 travellers instead of 3. I understand the British Couple who paid US$510 each pay less as they share a room. My main objection which I have been telling you from DAY 1 was to travel through as cheaply as possible and not having an extended tour. If this option was provided I would have had 3 more days in Uzbekistan to apply for a Georgia and Azerbaıjan visas, and to see more Uzbekistan sights!!!. WHY DID YOU NOT GIVE ME THIS OPTION?!?! or was this cheaper option not in your best financial interests?? (The group I joıned up wıth to Turkmenbashy advısed me they dıd not receıve a dıscount after I joıned.)
- You also stated that going with Paul that I will have the "WHOLE" car to myself. How many seats do you think I can sit on at once? - If you want my opinion, you wanted to balance the number of having a 3-3-2 group scenario instead if a 4-2-1 scenario. Paul had a drink with you in Almaty and to travel alone for him would be much more expensive so I can understand you want to look after a friend, but this was not in MY best interests. Please tell me otherwise??? You even advised Paul about the Baku boat delay situation stating it can be up to 5 days and its getting worse, when you never mentioned any boat delay scenario with me prior to the acceptance of the quote, and you were too busy to meet me in Almaty in the 9 days I was there after I told you how stressed I've been.

4. You never recommended a 14 day Turkmenistan visa, considering I have not had my Iranian LOI approved, possible Azerbaijan option and Boat delay option. When I went to the Turkmensitan Embassy on July 9, they advised me whether I preffered a 10 day visa for $51 or a 14 day visa for $71. I asked for a 10 day visa as my tour was only 6 days. I thought 4 days was sufficent time incase the car broke down on the way to the Iranian border. (remember I never knew Azerbaijan was an option avaýlable to me at this stage, let alone there was regular boat delays to Baku)

When I arrived to Ashgabad Antonina from stantours advised me
- about the boat delay situation, whých may be due to weather, cargo prýorýty, waiting list, mechanical repairs... etc
- that I can not extend my Tutkmenistan visa,
- If I overstay my visa I will be sent to Ashgabad and asked to pay for an airfare to another country.(pretty severe don't you think)
- that I can not leave independantly to Turkmenbashy to attempt leavýng earlier as I need to be part of a group
- that I can offer a bribe to advance my position on the passenger waiting list

I never knew about any of this until Antonina advised me in Ashgabad. When I asked you that considering the boat leaves on the 31 July and my visa expires on 1 August whether there is any possible issues, and you advised me there was "NO PROBLEM" I believe you have a STRONG duty of care to disclose this information considering the consequences and stress this has caused me. I would not have paid for any bribe to avoýd overstayýng.

Yes there is a good chance that I will catch the boat on time and not overstay. But I don't want to RISK overstaying and MUST have been told of the scenario and the possibe consequences PRIOR OR AT THE TIME OF QUOTE so I can make an informed decision on whether to enter Turkemenistan BEFORE I enter. Most other travellers on your Turkmenistan tour have 4 extra days on their visa incase of boat delays, but they have not had there tour extended allowing them only 1 day to depart. Considering the unpredictability of boat departures as they are no schedules of arrivals or departures, and that I boarded my boat after it had been docked for 4 days, 3 days with passengers, considering that I have been hearing that a 2 day boat delays ýs consýdered standard from other other travellers who have crossed the Caspian Sea, I was very lucky to leave after 1 day delay.

5. I believe you service is poor as you are very busy.
- I believe your answers are usualy quick depending on the question but are very breif and usualy need further clarification.
- You have not provided me with OPTIONS. I suggested the LOI transfer from Almaty to Ashgabad. I suggested whether there is another country I may enter such as Azerbaijan. You Recommended that I go with Paul, but that was not in my favour. You REMOVED the option of a full refund due to cancellation. So tell me when exactly is it grounds of cancellation. If paying a few hundred dollars more for an airfare from Ashgabad to Istanbul is not grounds for cancellation then what is? I belýeve the country of Turkmenıstan will not be upset if I decide to refuse to accept their LOI.
- When I call your phone ıs usualy on message bank.


- You spoke to me very rudely on the phone saying that you have given me 10 quotes when you have only given me an Azerbaijan estimate ONLY. You told me not to ruin the trip for everybody else by being miserable and not to complain about food prices or not eat during the trip. (funny you say that when I paid for the Italians last 2 dinners as the Italians spent there last bit of Turkmenistan money buying lemons) Not sleeping does not mean Im miserable, and even if I was that is my business and you have no right to tell me what to do or not to do socially.

In your email you stated
"Anyhow - IF you join the group, please make sure that you let everybodyenjoy their trip and do not discuss financial matters with or in front ofthe group(s). We have had situations like this before and I am not sure if(by not sleeping) it will be a good idea to travel this way, along anexpensive route if you cannot spend the money. (while everybody else CAN). Please advise a clear decision by tomorrow morning, so we can finalise thebills for everybody else."

Wanting to travel cheaply does not mean I will starve myself to save money, I just want the best value for my hard earned money.

After going on the Tiurkmenistan tour I have discovered that it
- It costs LESS than US 20 cents a litre for petrol in Turkmenistan (3100 manat).
- The Toyota people mover is a company car that you don't have to hire.
- Antonia from stantours asked the Italian and myself that if we wanted to use airconditioning it will cost an additional US$25 a day!
- The guide and driver have advised me they do not get a meal allowance or company phone during working hours.
- The Turkmenistan government is providing FREE electricty, gas and water to resident until 2030.
- The guide advised me that you don't pay him or the driver much money and "stantours know that we need the money"

- Also we drove to TB in 12 hours in slow speed with additional driver breaks to allow Paul to catch up to us. This was done without the groups agreement and caused us to be in the car for several hours extra.

- You gave me the Azerbaijan quote after the Iranian visa was refused, 2 days before TM. I asked you for a quote at the time we decided to consider using Azerbaijan as an option, but you said you preferred to wait for the outcome of the Iran visa first.

- You do not mention any unfavourable information on you webiste or before a price is agreed upon. In your quote to Azerbaijan you forgot to mention the boat delay charges and you did not make it clear that my room was being downgraded. You never mentioned the Baku boat delay possibility and its consequences at the time of quote or beforehand. You did not mention that there is a US$25 charge for bank transfers on your website, but you ask for people to confirm with you first. The list goes on.

Going back to the beginning I mentioned the majority of people travelling on a Turkmenýstan tour pay for the convinence of travelling through TM without the hassles of a transit visa and pay for the priveledge of going from the border of their choice when arriving and departing. Sýnce the Iran výsa was refused you expected me to pay $500 for an aýrfare from Ashgabad to Istanbul or possýble go to another country that I was plannýng on.

I have worked for the immigration office in Australia for the last 5 years, you can check my confirmation of employment letter. Im happy to say that most of my colleagues provide options and quality service to our clients even though we do not have any financial incentives. We know that dealing with visas is a sensitive issue to people and are very accommodationg as a consequence.

I don't want to write any more emails to you, as I've spent too much time and energy already when I should be enjoying my holiday, but I will share all the contents of this email to help other travellers make the best choice for them. To me this is therapy as form of closure to this experience and I feel I have an obligation to help my fellow travellers. I want to make a negatýve sýtuatýon more posýtýve by provýdýng ýnformatýon to other travellers and allowýng them to decýde on whats best for them.

Andrew

************************************ RESPONSE***************************************

The parts ýnbetween the asterýks are my response to Davýds emaýl.


From: stantours
> To: andrewlouis
> Subject: RE: Complaint
> Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2008 16:20:18 +0600
>
> Dear Andrew,
>
>
>
> Thank you for sending your complaint which we received three times. I was
> alone in teh office all of last week, hence my delayed reply.
>
> WIthout wanting to break up your anger again, please let me try to summarise
> the points you are making from our point of view and perhaps (in retrospect)
> reach a marginal level of understanding:

**** Sorry for sending it 3 times, there was a slow connection in the Turkmenistan internet cafe.***
>
> 1 it had been clearly indicated in our mail of 09/06 that the acceptance
> rate for your passport would be about 75%. ALena was able to submit the
> application on 18/06 Wed evening, which means that it could only be put in
> for processing in Tehran on 20/06 Sat morning in Tehran. 2 weeks (earliest
> possible time off approval) from this date would have been 05/07 Sat, we
> started chasing the LOI on 12/07 Sat exactly 3 weeks after actual
> submission. The rejection came in a week later (4 weeks after submission,
> which is a standard timing in case of a rejection. I had explained this
> procedure when you called me in Almaty, and you shoudl be able to appreciate
> that none of this is under our control, but the overall timing has been
> quite correct (fyr other clienst or other agents sometimes take up to 2
> months to give a positive or negiative result) >
> As far as the LOI transfer option is concerned we have not mentioned it and
> I told you immediately that it would be difficult to impossible; the latter
> was later confirmed by Keytopersia.

***Alena states "The invitation will usually be issued within 2-3 weeks". Yes its not in your control, but what is in your control is to advise people BEFOREHAND it can take up to 2 months for a decision, however the majority are within 2/3 weeks so clients can make an informed decision. If you don't want to advertise it on your internet becuase some clients apply well in advance, then you can tell those that have applied within 2 months such as myself. Probably most will still procede, but at least they are AWARE of the possible conquences and plan accordingly.***

>
> 2 You had picked and confirmed the dates for the Turkmen tour being AWARE of
> the processing time, so even in best-case scenario, the reference would not
> have come through much earlier than 10 days prior to the start of your tour
> in TM. Please understand that we cannot control full visa logistics of our
> 2000+ clients each year, where in most cases we do not even get to know the
> actual dates for which the visa are issued, and can therefore not take
> responsibility on delays / mismatches of yoru visa and itineraries outside
> the countries where you are booking a package. As you note we do get
> envolved on yoru behalf as soon as delays occurr and we give advice free of
> charge when you run into a dead end.

***As per note 1, Alena advised scenario of usualy 2-3 weeks, not up to 2 months, so I was not fully aware. People like to hope for the best and plan for the worse, so advising the worse case scenario was important information since my tour was commencing within 5 weeks of Alena initiating the Iranian LOI.***
>
> 3 Urgench or Nukus to Tashkent would have been a 80 USD flight which I also
> advised you about when you called from Khiva.

>
> 4 When we spoke on the phone I clearly advised that given your entry and
> exit dates, the BEST VALUE FOR MONEY solution for you would be to go along
> with Paul, assuming all was to go well for everybody (which it didn't in the
> end as you know). Note that Paul's initial route was more adventurous and
> would be my PERSONAL recommendation, which I extended to you, indicating
> that costs would be similar for both options. If you wanted to count sites -
> Paul's had about 7 of them, while yours had 5, that's why I say it's better
> value, also assuming that you have to spend to go to TB anyways. Mentioning
> having the car to yourself was from the point of view that normally druing
> peak season we might only be your group giving a 5 seater passenger car,
> which with driver, guide and 3 passenger can get sticky.

***In your email you mentioned Pauls itinerary was more expensive, over the phone you mentioned it was cheaper. If you were not confused I certainly was. When I asked you how long Pauls tour was, you mentioned 4 days, so without Pauls itinerary or even a quote how could expect me to go with your recommendation blindly. Yet again, you should have advised me information BEFOREHAND. Passenger seating was the least of my worries which I hoped you had understood.***

>
> Anyhow - as you remember I obliged to your preference to join the cultural
> tour with the Italians and to reconfirm your revised itinerary at 24:00 on a
> Sunday night, while 5 clients, amongst them small children, were waiting
> patiently at my side. I apologise if I was hoping if you could accept a
> quote the next morning at that stage.
***My options you presented were the italians or Paul, NOT the british couple which in hindsight was by far the BEST OPTION.***

***You wanted an answer quickly, but I hope you remembered that I was the one who called you twice at length wanting a quote desperatly and that I requested the quote a week earlier. And as you admitted in point 14 in your last email that you were writing the email at midnight and could not include everything, so I hope you don't expect me to understand the quote fully just the same.***
>
> 5 The cancellation fees for the Turkmenistan tour (Cancellation: >1 Month
> 10% <1 Month 30% <10 Days 50%) were clearly defined in our offer of 17/06,
> and the rejection clause ONLY concerned a Turkmenistan (NOTE 4 We cannot
> guarantee approval of your visa support by the Turkmen authorities. In case
> of a denied visa support you prepayment is refundable in full, but we will
> charge a service fee of USD 25 per person + bank charges.) This is also what
> I advised you about when you mentioned a cancellation, 2 days prior to the
> start of the tour. FYR, givenm your distress I offered you a minimal
> cancellation charge of USD 150, which is equal to 23% cancellation fees,
> even though we would normally charge 50% for anything under 10 days.

***When you stated "incase of a denied visa support you prepayment is refundable in full" You did not mention clearly that it was the Turkmenistan visa support only. Considering I have 3 visa supports it is fair to assume if any one is denied I would be entitled to a full refund. If not you should make it 100% clear, literally spelling it out. If one visa suport is denied then I could not have border to border Uzbek/Iran service, therefore if my UZbek visa support was denied within 10 days of my TM tour commenicng then I would lose 50% of the tour cost plus bank charges and visa costs already paid. If I have my Iranina visa refused then I would have to pay for an airfare from Ashgabad to Istanbul. In both scenarios the person loses close to 500 dollars that they never planned to spend, so you should make it very clear and leave no room for ambiguity. Yet again, you make this clear after prepayment is made.***

>
> 6 Indeed, in retrospect we will have to write a warning note for Iran visa
> applications if there is less than 2 months before departure, but given the
> nature of our business and clients I guess everybody will just accept and in
> case of delay or trouble the problem will be the same. Im glad that you will advise people in future, if thet accept then at least they are fully aware beforehand.
>
> 7 Tom & EUhyun's tour only finally reconfirmed on 21/07 Mon, when Euhyun's
> visa was approved. As far as I was aware you wanted to enter earlier AND
> after our conversation, that your priority was Merv. We had mentioned their
> tour as an exit option when we first discussed these, but as you may
> recall - at that stage we were still keeping optins open for Iran.

***The british couple were still going to TM regardless, just as much as the Italian were still going to TM. In my email dated 9July I was concered about waiting in Almaty and stated "I still want to visit Chmkent, Tashkent, Samarkland, Kiva and be early for the border crossing." On the phone you said that I could get the Georgia and Azeri visa in Tashkent and I said I will only get the Azeri as I DON"T HAVE TIME. I also said that I need an answer as I DON'T HAVE TIME TO GET TO TASHKENT to take a flight if I decide to cancel, so Im completely at a lose to understand how you think I want to enetr TM earlier! ***

***When you provided me the Paul option on 20 July the Iranian visa was already DENIED so you could have easily offered the british couple, and considering Euhyuan's paid 560 for her tour and if I joined there would be 4 people and therefore an even cheaper price, PLUS I would have an extra 3 days in UZbekistan which is what I have been telling you I wanted on several occassions. Even without her, that option is still by far the best option for logisitics and importantly price in my circumstance.***


>
> 8 When Alena sent you the LOI on 02/07 she CLEARLY advised you that "The
> invitation is good for a 14-day single-entry visa which you should
> haveissued 23/07 - 05/08/2008, in case of any add-ons or changes." It was
> your decision to opt for the cheaper and shorter visa, and you have not
> asked for our advice (which would have been to get teh visa at the border, I
> was actually quite surprised when you told me you already got the visa).

***I never knew there was an issue to consider let alone to ask for your advise. The issue which I was told yet again, after I arrived in TM was that visas can not be extended and there is a boat delay. A professional company takes the initative to advise on possible issues beforehand.***
>
> 9 The advice Antonina has given you about the boat and visa is correct, as
> we have to warn about a worst-case-scenario at some stage, fyr for future
> clienst we will issue a special information sheet about the ferrey, but
> which (anyways) will not resolve the problems. Other clients who are booking
> the departure by ferry are warned about some of teh issues connected with
> the ferry delay in the course of the booking. I apologise if in your case we
> were focusing on the immediate problems such as your misunderstanding of the
> price and the accommodation issue. I do not recall hearing the actual expiry
> date of your TM visa and apologise if this has caused further distress, but
> normally DEPARTING a day before the visa expires is ok (althought not
> receommendable)

***Im glad you will advise future travellers about the boat delay scenario although it doesn't help me. No offence but you should really not say "no problem" to questions that you havn't heard when its the person asking who is taking the risk. And when my trip is being extended from 6 to 9 days that should prompt you to check or ensure Im aware of the situation. Your right, its normally ok departing a day beforehand, but not always at that should be be told in advance. Being in trouble wiht the TM authorities and deported and your own expense is something that needs to be told earlier.***
>
> 10 I am sorry that you feel that the level of communication you receive
> from me has been unsatisfactory, but you do seem to realise that you are a
> very demanding customer. For your reference - with a correspondence
> extending over more than 100 letters, 10 phone calls and an equal amount of
> communication in order to physically facilitate your trip is NOT our
> average, nor is your judgement.

***Im only demanding because I believe the service is very poor. Yes you have sent alot of emails and we have had phone conversations. If I had my Iran visa in 3 weeks there would be no problem. In customer service people perform 80% of the clients in 20% of the time and 20% of clients in 80% of the time. I had issues and therefore I fall into the 20% of clients in 80% of the time, and what I believe is poor service under the circumstance has created additional work for us both.***
>
> 11 We were hoping that the hotel upgrade in Ashgabat would help you to
> recover from teh stress your Iran visa situation has caused you, which it
> obviously hasn't, even though prior to entry you had clearly confirmed that
> you accepted all terms and teh conditions for your travel. I must say that I
> was a but surprised though that you did not at least consider the hotel we
> had initially booked and which was allwe had included in your budget, but I
> assume the water was not running when you checked.

***You advised that the hotel sometimes doesnt have water AFTERWARDS, and you didnt make it clear that it was havýng a hotel downgrade. Im not familiar with hotel names in Ashgabad so changýng the hotel name ýs not tellýng me clearly that Im havýng a downgrade. Thankyou for offerýng the uograde but I paid stantours money for the convýnence of travellýng through and not how my hotel looks. If you sincerly want to help, you can offer a reasonabe refund even if you make a considerable loss since***

> 12 I apologise for not sending the reviosed joining quote earlier, but
> please understand that the relevant approvals (both Paul and Eunmhyun) were
> crucial for sending you a final, binding offer.

***Thanks for acknowleging that, but what happens if I entered TM and you were still waiting for Eunhyuns TM visa, that puts me in a awkward position whých needed to be actýoned much earlýer.***

>
> 13 Yes - we prefer to send unfavourable information only when people really
> ask for it or book a section that implies it. There are many issues in
> Central Asia that are controversive, and if you check any Central Asia based
> website you will find that they do the same.

***I booked a section that implies information and wasnt told untýl after the quote or after I arrýved ýn Turkmenýstan, and if other Central Asian based websites withhold important information it does not mean its acceptable. I understand you don't want to confuse people, but important information needs to be given regardless and ýt mýght also reduce your complaýnts.***

> 14 Yes - In our quote to Azerbaijan I did not mention full conditions, as it
> was midnight and most of them remained unchanged from the previous offer,
> but we had mentioned the hotel downgrade (in order to achieve yoru target
> price about which you seemed more concerned than anything else)

***If target price was my main concerned why didn't you offer me the trip with the british and the korean which would have been under $560 considering there is 4 people not 3. You had that information not me.
>
> 15 as indicated on numerious occasions the international USD $20...$25 charge
> for USD bank transfers is standard and is covered by our transfer
> instruction as per our first quote "Please make sure that you include ALL
> bank charges and please confirm the payment amount before transfer." You
> have not reconfirmed the payment amount before transferring, which is when
> we might have saved you the misunderstanding and following mistrust in our
> service.

***Thanks for the invoice, I needed to see it as you have done nothing to earn my trust, not that you need to, this is just business.***
>
> 16 I apologise if your experience with STANtours has been below your
> expectations, to say the least. I am sure you will find a few people who
> share that opinion at one point or another, anyhow - I can only assure you
> that on a regional level we are one of the more successful companies, in
> places where business is difficult and rules ever-changeing.
>
> I understand that you may not wish to further continue this communication,
> but of course we will continue to send you information on the issues you
> continue to be concerned about. We consider ourselves an honest and
> hardworking team, and I apologise if in your case our efforts were in vain.



>
> ***I know your busy but I would appreciate a response to this email. ***

> I trust this assists.
>
>
> Your sincerely,
>
>
>
> David

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