TripADeal Reviews 837

Booking was relatively easy and got a phone call within 24 hours asking a couple of questions to complete booking. Had to call them back as I missed a call. This was a little painful as the wait was long but eventually got to speak to consultant who was very helpful.

Deposit was made by my Financial firm Frontier Invest Corp as they are the one sponsoring my tour and confirmation along with itinerary was emailed within the next 24 hours.
Hope our trip goes just as smoothly.

We travelled with TripaDeal to Japan. The tour was well organised and our guide Dragon, was very helpful and attentive. Hotels were conveniently located close to shops and restaraunts and there was plenty of free time built in to the tour.

I booked a Philippines holiday through TripADeal thinking I was paying for a professionally organised trip. What I actually paid for was a company that disappears the second anything goes wrong.
Yes a typhoon hit — no one can control weather. But TripADeal’s complete lack of support was the real disaster.
We lost major, paid-for activities:
• Underground River Tour
• El Nido Island Hopping Tour
• Bohol River Cruise
• Balicasag Tour
• Final Island Hopping Tour
All these were cancelled on us & had already been paid for.
Not a single dollar refunded. Not even a partial refund. Their answer? “Claim it on insurance.”

TripADeal tried to push everything onto insurance, but even the insurer pointed back at TripADeal, since they pocketed the payment for tours we never received. Insurance requested the activity pricing to process the claim — TripADeal wouldn’t provide it, making the claim impossible.
It didn’t end there. Because flights were grounded, we had to pay out of pocket for extra nights in both El Nido and Cebu. These weren’t small costs, and TripADeal’s contribution was — surprise — absolutely nothing. Once again, the same robotic response: “Claim it on insurance.”

At that point it became obvious: TripADeal takes your money when things go right, and washes their hands of you when things don’t. They sell “deals” but take zero responsibility for what they actually promise.

A company that refuses to refund experiences that never happened and won’t assist when customers are stranded is a company that doesn’t deserve repeat business. I’ll never book with TripADeal again, and I’d strongly warn others to think twice before trusting them with your holiday.

I will be submitting a formal complaint addressed to Matt Wolfenden, CEO of TripADeal, and I will be escalating this matter to the ACCC (Australian Competition & Consumer Commission), as well as notifying the CEO of Qantas, given their full ownership of the company.

I booked a Philippines holiday through TripADeal and it turned into an absolute disaster. Yes, a typhoon hit — but the way TripADeal handled (or didn’t handle) the situation was the real problem.

We lost multiple major activities: the Underground River Tour, the El Nido Island Hopping Tour, the Bohol River Cruise, the Balicasag Tour, and the final Island Hopping Tour. Not one cent was refunded. Instead, TripADeal shrugged and told us to “just claim it on insurance.”

So they keep the money for all the experiences we didn’t get, and we’re left doing the admin and hoping an insurer covers it. Convenient for them, not for the people who actually paid for the holiday.

On top of that, we had to pay out of pocket for extra nights of accommodation when flights were grounded — including additional nights in El Nido and Cebu. Those costs were significant, and TripADeal didn’t reimburse a single dollar. Again, the same line: “Claim it on insurance.”

By the end of the trip, it was painfully clear: when things go wrong, TripADeal takes zero responsibility and leaves customers footing the bill.

I won’t be travelling with them again — once was more than enough to see how little they actually stand behind their packages

We recently completed a 7 days 2 for 1 Japan tour. Whilst it was only 5 full days (given 1st and last day were travelling time) the package covered major tourist attractions. It was a great way to experience Japan at an affordable price. Flying Qantas was a bonus. I would recommend this tour for those short of time and just want a taste of Japan.

Our tour guide Dragon-san was excellent. He was very polite, humorous and helpful. His English was very good. He explained the background of the attractions before arrival and allowed us time to explore. My highlight was the majestic view of Mt Fuji which we were lucky enough to see. The colours of autumn leaves were magnificent.

The optional tour of Kyoto was excellent which I would strongly recommend as you can't do it yourself within half a day. You get to see the Golden Pavillion, 1000 Tori Gates, bamboo forest, old Geisha town and Kyomizu temple which has a beautiful view of the valley.

On the last day Dragon-san even added a stop (not in the itinerary) at the green tea form where we could taste and buy tea.

The accommodation was as expected at this price, though the hotel at the last stop in Shizuoka was surprisingly of high quality (large room, excellent breakfast with variety of choices, even fresh fruits!)

Atrocious. I'm an easy going traveller and take things as they come. No problem. I did the "India's Sacred Wild" with six other people. A 77 year old lady and I didn't book the afternoon optional tours in Delhi and we were (seriously), left outside of the temple to find our own way to our hotel about an hour away. The guide just left us, no assistance, nothing! I just grabbed an Uber with this lovely lady, who I'm glad I was with. This is not OK.
One woman on our trip had zero of her safaris booked, the local operators had to scramble to get her onto them (they are booked far in advance). She also had no train seat booked, so again, scrambling for a seat. Seated on her own, nine carriages from her group.
I booked an additional tour which was IMPOSSIBLE to do. They don't do this tour on the same days as safaris, but TAD offered them both as optionals on the same day. Trying to get a refund is impossible.
They get 1 STAR because the accommodation was great (upgraded) and I made great local wildlife friends in Bandhavgarh. I'm going back to spend a week in Bandhavgarh and another couple of weeks touring, INDEPENDENTLY.
I thought I might be a loyal TAD traveller to sometimes travel with a group in tricky places ... but I'll stick to the award winning online agency (MH2) as they never miss a beat and their customer service is second to none!

TAD, your reputation is going down the gurgler

WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE EVER! Our experience with TripADeal was a disaster. Their lack of customer support, especially during a medical emergency, was shocking. From the start, their rigid policies caused huge problems.
TripADeal’s refusal to allow any changes to a booking, especially for people travelling in a group, is a major flaw. They insist on speaking only to the primary booking contact, even when someone else in the group is the one needing help. This shows a complete disregard for individual customers.
This became a serious issue when my 78 year old mother injured her hip in Sardinia, Italy, early June. She needed a hip replacement and couldn’t be moved because it would have been fatal.
During all this, TripADeal was not only unhelpful, but they also made the stress of everything so much worse. After speaking with her insurance company, I contacted them on the Monday the 8th to get their assistance I wanted the breakdown of the remaining trip cost and ask them put her original business class flights on hold and cancel her return flight home, since she obviously wouldn't be fit to fly. Business class tickets usually offer flexibility, and insurance wanted to use that option to help cover costs. But TripADeal refused to talk to me and insisted on speaking only with the lead passenger.
The lead passenger had cancelled her part of the Sicily trip to stay with my Mum until I arrived, but between their limited phone access, no roaming, and TripADeal refusing to call via WhatsApp, it was a nightmare.
I asked TripADeal to speak with insurance instead. They said yes, but when insurance contacted them, TripADeal again refused to cooperate unless the lead passenger called them.
After many stressful phone calls between myself, my mum, and her friend (the lead passenger), we finally got a breakthrough. Tripadeal they allowed me to speak on my mum’s behalf. When I spoke with them, I asked them to put a pause on the flights and they said they needed the lead passenger to contact them, I said she's given you permission for me to speak with you they said yes but now you want to change the booking so we need her permission. OMFG. So after more back and forth conversations - I received an email confirming they would either cancel or put the flights on hold.
After speaking with insurance, and my Mum trying to work out the best decision we all agreed we didn’t trust TripADeal to handle the flights properly, so I requested a refund for my mum’s Singapore Airlines business-class return flights and asked them to cancel her Sardinia to Brisbane flights two weeks before departure date (which was enough time to cancel a flight). TripADeal agreed by email, saying they would cancel the flights due to her hospitalisation and that the refund would take 16 to18 weeks. That was fine, we just wanted something back from this f’d up company.
It is now 24 weeks later, and mum still hasn’t heard from them regarding the refund. Insurance contacted them and was fed the same BS 16 to18 weeks.
We know from my Mum’s friend, who used her own original flight home, that TripADeal never even cancelled my mum’s flights. The airline was still asking for her at check in.

We just completed a 2 for 1 deal to Japan. Everything went smoothly even though some places we visited were absolutely crazy busy with tourists, which meant we didn't have enough time to see everything as some of the stops.
Our guide, Dragon, was an amazing guide. He was knowledgeable, friendly, engaging, and nothing was too much trouble for him. He looked after our group wonderfully.

We paid extra to travel direct from Melbourne to Hanoi and speaking with others who went on other airlines it was worth it. Hotel in Hanoi was not central so either had a long walk or taxi into shopping area and market. 4star hotels included were really more like 2.5 to 3 star. Restaurant was closed except for breakfast. Stayed one night on boat in Hau Long bay, crew and food very good.
Had a 3 night stay in the mountain area, our room located half way up the hill, 130 stairs to get there. Restaurant food mediocre but no other options. Tours to villages, caves etc mostly require a lot of walking up and down stairs and hills so need to be reasonably fit. Bed in hotel in Saigon had springs pushing up so very uncomfortable and parts of the room had mould.
We saw many caves, pegodas, churches and villages but no other entertainment unless you went on optional, expensive, tours.
Our tour leader for part of the tour, Thoy, was excellent. Just be aware of the expected tipping requirements of $10 per person per day.

Had a bad experience on my last trip to Scandinavia. Trip A Deal acknowledged and offered a low-level compensation monetary amount. It's been 8 weeks and still waiting for a refund. They find every excuse not to and repeatedly seek my account number in which I have provided twice! After this experience will not be dealing with them again. Next will be consumer affairs.

I am eager to write a review about my Trip-a-Deal experience of the 2-for-1 Unforgettable Japan, which ran for 7 days. Our trip took us from Tokyo, Mt Fuji, Kyoto, Osaka,, Nara and all the way back. Our tour guide was Dragon-San, a wonderful man who enlivened our trip and made the experience all the more pleasant. Here are a few reasons why this Trip-a-Deal adventure was an excellent one:

1) Dragon-San is amazing! Such a wonderful tour guide; friendly, pleasant and cared for all of us on the tour. He treated us like family, and ensured we had the best experience. He provided us with information about each historical site we visited, as well as the contemporary condition of Japan. Before each hotel, he would run us through each locale with nearby places to eat, thus facilitating a pleasant and seamless evening experience.

2) Our tour-guide was very flexible. Sometimes, things do not go according to the scheduled plan, such as when unforeseeable events occur. In our Kyoto day, there was a large amount of traffic, which meant that we could not see one of the planned attractions on that day, but rather went straight to the hotel as the sun had set. Nevertheless, Dragon-san managed to fit that sightseeing experience of Kyoto on a later day, as an intermediary stop, ensuring that we did not miss out on the spectacular Kyoto experience. This meant a lot to me, because I really liked that attraction!

3) The hotels were fantastic: Clean, warm, and located near shopping and eating complexes. These are the main features one would want in a hotel, and this is what we got. The quality of the hotels was simply stunning.

Overall, thank you so much for this beautiful experience. I truly enjoyed it, and this has made me want to come back to Japan again!

Just recently returned from the China tour.Due to such affordable price I had my reservations about the trip,but I have to say it is such a good value for money.China Tour exceeded all my expectations.
Out guides Michael and Jo-Jo were absolutely brilliant .So informative ,patient ,approachable and funny.The tour is full with activities and all the places we visited were mind blowing.
Will definitive look at going again.

The tour was listed as 5 star China & Yangtze cruise but the tour was anything but 5 star. Flew by China Eastern who make Jetstar look like first class, travel on China fast train in second class is an experience to be missed and the rushed tours even after the tip demands by guides was disappointing.
Bitten twice by Trip a Deal now - Never again

We have recently been on the 2 for 1 Unbeatable Japan 8 day tour. Our guide Dragon and driver Megumi were both outstanding. Dragon was very friendly, caring, knowledgable and has a great sense of humour.He was always available to answer questions and give advice. He was very well organised and everything worked out well.The hotels were fine and very clean.We enjoyed all the included and optional tours.

Our guide, Dragon was amazing. He was kind, friendly and helpful. He organised our trip so that we have enough time to roam around the tourist spot and take lots of pictures.
He shared information on where to eat that give value to your money, directions to local tourists spots (near the hotel) provide maps.
He looked for us especially when we were late.

Excellent service from our friendly Tour Guide Dragon and the Coach Driver Miyagi.Whatever short comings we had during the tour was made up by both of them in that beautiful country and we were treated like VIPs. Couple of hotels we were staying should have been better as they were not up to standards. We were charged extra $100 person as the tour was initially departing from Sydney but eventually it departed from Melbourne .

We recently went on the 2 for 1 Unbeatable Japan holiday and had the best time! Was a great way to see a lot of Japan in a small amount of time, including temples, bamboo forest and an optional trip to Hiroshima. Our guide, Dragon, made the experience so good. He spoke good English, was so helpful and nothing was too much trouble. The highlight for us was seeing a snow capped Mount Fuji appear while we were on the Fifth Station. Magic! Highly recommend this tour and hope to go again in the near future.

Well organised with knowledgeable guides.
Loved the major sights and the group we travelled with got on well and looked out for each other.

Our trip to China with TripADeal was absolutely outstanding. The entire tour was so well organised, and we managed to see and experience so much in such a short time. We came home happy, tired, and full of incredible memories thanks to how much was packed into each day.

A special mention goes to our exceptional guides — Robert, Jessica and Lili — who went above and beyond to make the journey informative, fun and stress-free. Their knowledge, humour and care truly made the trip unforgettable.

We’ll definitely be booking with TripADeal again!

China Tour from Australia.
The tour looked great on paper but we were herded like sheep from one place to the next spending alot of time in the Pearl, Silk, Jade, Tea and the Chinese Medicine outlets. The hard sell was on at each of these venues. Some days we did not eat lunch till 4pm as we had to cram everything into the day. One day we opted out of the organised afternoon tour but still had to pay the $100 pp as we told our to guide to late! Overall, the hotels were lovely, but the tour was exhausing, with very minimal free time. The hotels we stayed out were way outside of the cities and if you did not want to join the organised but not mandatory bus tour you had to pay big money in a taxi to get any where decent. I guess you get what you pay for and for $1000 AUD each is was OK. We ended up spending another 3k on tours transport food and shopping. For an 11 day trip with the travel days being 1 and 11, it was far more expensive than I expected.