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Reviews 358
Robert krisher
Jan 01,2022Gate1- 'Fly and Drive' a real disappointment. Hotel, flight, and auto rental - Milan, Italy October 2021. Returned home to find a $444.00 auto credit card charge . Several calls to Gate1 seeking help to reverse the charge. Gate1 will not stand up for you. Calls are transferred to their 'accounting office' for review. Calls are transferred there in the hope that you'll just give up in frustration..
L. A.
Dec 22,2021A made a reservation in May 2021 to travel to Italy at the beginning of 2022. With the Covid situation in the US and in Italy, i tried to postpone my trip. They will not make any change. I would have to loose 90% of the land portion of my trip, and over $300 per airline ticket. The world is in a crisis with Covid, and Gate1 is only looking to get their most money from you. What a shame. Never will use them again
Marianne
Dec 08,2021Years ago, I had a wonderful tour with Gate 1 in Morocco. Earlier this year in July, there was a great deal including airfare and hotel with Gate 1. At the time, their most recent email about vaccination policy said that those who could be vaccinated must be vaccinated. The website where you signed up for the trip also didn't state anything throughout the registration process that said everyone must be vaccinated. I am all for being vaccinated, but I registered my 4 year old for this trip and no one contacted me and said it wasn't possible to travel. Now, we are approximately 2 months out from our trip and they are requiring everyone, no matter who they are, to be vaccinated. Obviously, he couldn't be vaccinated then and he is still not eligible due to age. The countries, the airlines, the hotel, the CDC, and airports have not banned a 4 year old from traveling. Only Gate 1 created this policy without informing customers. We aren't on a tour. We are using them for airfare and hotel. They need to update their waiver form so that customers can release them from liability for underage customers who are not on a "tour" and where it is impossible to be vaccinated. Otherwise, they are literally stealing money from customers. We accept the risk by booking and plan to follow all requirements. Plus, I've called for over a week and spent hours on the phone and they promise to call back and never do. So very disappointing.
Phebe de klerk
Nov 22,2021this is the worst company ever! They are impossible to reach and do not keep their word. I lost a lot of money due to unclear communications with them. Please book through airline directly. Avoid them!!!
Kim Galan
Nov 19,2021My friend asked me to join her on a 14 day kaleidoscope tour to Costa Rica from October 20 to November 2, 2021. She had heard from a friend of hers about a pleasant travel experience with Gate 1. I contacted them in August and left my number for a return call as there was over an hour wait by phone. Approximately 3 hours later a very pleasant gentleman returned my call and answered all my questions. I did book the trip. THE TRIP: Best trip ever. I was met at the airport and transferred to my hotel. Front desk staff very accommodating. That evening we were contacted by phone from our tour manager, Gilbert, who explained when to have our luggage by our door, when breakfast would be and when and where to meet for the bus that was transporting us to our first location. Our tour manager couldn't have been better. He explained everything to us as we traveled....How bananas are harvested along with info on pineapples, rice, papaya etc. He knew about birds, animals, insects, trees, plants, cities and their history, churches, buildings, the history and politics (past and present) of his country. He was knowledgeable, pleasant, funny, thoughtful and kind. If he didn't know an answer to a question he found out and got back to you with the answer. Our bus driver Jose couldn't have been better at his job. How he got around those mountain curves was amazing. I can't say enough good things about our tour manager, the bus driver or Gate 1. The hotels ranged from really nice to great. The meals that were included were very good. I'll definitely do another Gate 1 tour. I just have to hope the next tour managers are as great as Gilbert was.
Dawn McGinnis
Nov 17,2021Gate 1 Travel has stolen all the deposits that are to payed back to customers due to cancelled trips during COVID and will not refund them!!! They will not ALLOW you to talk to a manager and they ignore all your emails. One time a manager did call me back and promised my refund but again, nothing was done. Gate 1 Travel used to be a good business but now they have turned into a business of theft!!!
Irma gamboa
Nov 17,2021Just a question why not Spanish speaking tours?
Maida Cheung
Nov 07,2021We just joined a 10 days foliage tour from 10/1 to 10/10/21 and the tour was excellent. Both the tour guide Bob Konen & Mike the driver were excellent. When I came back, I filled in the questionnaire and forwarded it to my son to do the same thing, but he couldn't do it since it said it was completed my me. I called Gate 1 3 times this week requesting them to send another questionnaire to my son or to my e-mail address. They said they did send it but we never got it. I don't know why you make it so difficult for us to send you back the questionnaire?? Maida Cheung
Kathy Drescher
Oct 31,2021I booked 3 trips with gate 1 for Turkey, S Africa and Spain. I was suppose to leave for Turkey on March 12, the same day as Trump closed the borders. I was worried about refunds and maybe because I knew I wanted to keep traveling I just used the refunds for credits in the future. That wasn't any problem. I can't say what the hotel, guides, etc will be like since I haven't been on a trip yet but I'm optimistic so far. My trip is in March to Kenya/Uganda and I'll write more after that time. My experience has been good so far so I'm giving them a 5.
Tyrene Young
Oct 29,2021I am extremely upset and disappointed. I asked a question about rebooking due to passport delay. My trip was canceled. Refunded $200 of almost $2,000.00. No one responded nor called me! I need answers!!!!
Ben R Savage
Oct 20,2021Gate 1 is a scam. They offer a discount if you pay using methods that are non-refundable such as ACH. They sell travel insurance literally called "cancel for any reason" and will find any reason not to honor it. Their hold times are >2 hours if you try to speak with them, and their website communication option does not work, unless you are booking and sending them a payment. The company is designed to intake money, and deliver as little as possible. After I had paid the flight was changed and would have taken much longer than originally planned and the rooms were continuously downgraded AFTER the payments were received. I tried to cancel before the 72 hour window several times but the > 2 hour hold times and broken website made it impossible. Their company is designed to keep your money, and deliver as little as possible.
Pat Berra
Oct 15,2021Just got off the phone with a customer service agent who acted as if it was my priviledge to deal with her as opposed to trying to be helpful and doing her job. My husband and I have travelled with gate 1 several times and booked a trip for my son and his partner so I think that as repeat customers we definitely should be treated as valued customers. Anyway this lady had zero answers for me. Was snotty and threatened to hand up on me as I was being condiscending. I'm think asking for an accurate itinerary is more than reasonable. As my husband and I are nearing retirement we are hoping to do more travelling but am not at all sure if Gate 1 will be our first choice any more. There are a lot of companies out there. In addition: every time I called them the wait time was well over an hour (actually closer to 2 hours) I left a message for a call back several times and today finally someone called. Lucky me I got someone with attitude
Yan-Chow Ma
Oct 10,2021We used Gate 1 travel 6 times in the past and overall they were fairly good. Recently we had a somewhat unhappy experience with Gate 1. We reserved a trip to Mexico in May 2020. The airline was Aeromexico and it cancelled the flight in late April. Gate 1 cancelled the land trip at the end of March. Our initial deposit was through our VISA card which covered the airline cost and a small additional amount for the land tour. We made a mistake by paying the remaining balance by check due to the small additional discount. Aeromexico refused to reimburse us the ticket cost and only offered a voucher for future flight within 14 months. We informed Aeromexico that since they cancelled the flight they are required by law (department of transportation) to reimburse us the ticket cost. They told us that Gate 1 purchased the tickets for us so we have to get the ticket money from Gate 1. Gate 1 did something not very professional and possibly not legitimate. Gate 1 agreed to reimburse us the cost of the land trip. We thought it would pay back to our credit card company and deduct the airline cost from the initial deposit since Aeromexico wouldn't pay back the ticket cost. Instead Gate 1 fully reimbursed our entire initial deposit by credit card and then deducted the airline ticket cost from our remaining balance which we paid by check. By doing it this way we can no longer use our credit card company to settle the dispute with Gate 1. Gate 1 told us they will pay us back the ticket cost only if Aeromexico reimbursed them the ticket cost. Aeromexico then filed bankruptcy and we thought we have lost the ticket money. To our surprise Gate 1 sent us the ticket money last Tuesday and it took 18 months to get our money back. Our advice is not to pay the remaining balance by check. The saving is only 2% of the remaining balance since our credit card gives 3% discount for travel. We are confident that had we paid the entire amount by credit card then we would have got our ticket money back from Gate 1 much earlier.
Jackie
Sep 30,2021Gate 1 cancelled my trip to Europe 4 days before departure, supposedly because of the Netherlands Quarantine Restrictions, this was one of 4 places I was scheduled to tour. They emailed me and called me twice to ensure I knew of the cancellation which I thought was odd. I was told by both of the Representatives that I would receive 100% of my money back within 2 weeks. I immediately checked their website and saw there were other tours going to the same locations after they cancelled my tour (I was traveling alone). After 2 weeks I checked my travel portal to find out that I am only receiving the "Land Tour Fee" back (Which I have not received yet). That the $700 for the Flight and the $299 I paid for the Travel Insurance is not being refunded. After 3 different calls requesting a manager call me to explain why they are keeping $1000 of my cash, today I received a call from a very rude manager who wanted me to only listen and not ask any questions, he treated me like I was his wife, not a customer who trusted that they would provide me the services I paid for. I get it Covid changed the world, stuff happens, that is why I paid the $299 for the Insurance, but Gate 1 Cancelled, not Me. After he hung up on me, I called Gate 1 back to ask the Representative how to use the Air Travel Credit, $700 in the future; she had no idea. There was no Cancellation Number or ID noted on my portal. I said "Okay." Next question: Why am I being charged the $299 for Travel Insurance that I can't use because Gate 1 cancelled the Tour. She used the analogy, "If you purchased Car Insurance then you cancel the Car Insurance, you do not get your money back....That is a Lie and when I said 'That is a Lie" she hung up on me. The Truth is: Yes, The Insurance Company does refund you your premium back because you did not use the Insurance, there may be prorated charges for the days used but you get refunded. The Insurance Company knows that is Fraud and Theft for keeping Money for Services not Rendered. I am so disappointed by the way Gate 1 is benefiting financially from those of Us who trusted the company. I'm shocked and can't believe they treated me in such an unprofessional manner.
Caesar Alarcon
Sep 11,2021We booked a trip to Greece about 3 years ago. We booked 13 days Turkey Treasure last year and because of Covid-19 we booked in September 2021. The hotels were changed at the last minute. Most of the hotels were of poor quality The air conditioning were not delivering cold air. This is the last time I will use Gate1.
Steve
Sep 07,2021We are based in Melbourne, Australia and have been on several tours which were booked through the Gate 1 Australian office based in Melbourne We had booked 2 back to back European tours for earlier this year however covid19 put a stop to those and any travel outside Australia. The team at the Melbourne office were outstanding and went out of their way to ensure a smooth booking process and credits when the tours were cancelled. We can’t begin to tell you how very disappointed we and many others are with the decision to close the Australian office permanently. Dealing with the Gate 1 office in the USA is impossible
Golden Gleaux
Aug 25,2021Booked a trip July 23rd for Dubai in November. Signed the customer agreement and agreed to all the terms. A month later after paying they tell me a vaccine is mandatory for my trip by them.. NOT MY PLACE OF TRAVEL. Basically tried to force me cancel with no refund! When they finally agreed to a refund they said I wouldn’t receive it for 8 weeks! SCAM company. Even admitted I didn’t sign off on the vaccine mandate because it came AFTER I booked. Wouldn’t recommend to anyone.
AR
Aug 20,2021Had a trip to Iceland scheduled and a Covid surge happened in the country with the US State Department issuing a level 4 Advisory: DO NOT TRAVEL. Gate 1 would do nothing but let me lose my money if I decided not to go. Very reckless company and apathetic management. Would never book travel with them.
Anne Salt
Aug 19,2021I have been on two Gate 1 tours and had very satisfactory experiences. This time our flights were rescheduled making us miss a day of the tour. We have spent hours trying to solve this situation and trying to get a supervisor to help is totally impossible. The front line employees have little authority to assist in problem solving and even they are challenged to connect with their superiors. We were really looking forward to this trip and now it is just one huge headache! Very disappointed!
Maryland Drive 455, 19034, Fort Washington, US
http://gate1travel.com
mlj
Jan 04,2022I've happily traveled with Gate 1 many times in the past. NO MORE. I booked a March trip to Japan advertised as "cancel for any reason." To be extra safe, I added $800+ extra to purchase "cancel for any reason" travel insurance through Gate 1. Today, January 3, Japan is not allowing foreign visitors in. I worry that Covid will soon hit there and likely peak about the time we're scheduled to be there. Gate 1's advertisement of "cancel for any reason" is deceptive and appears to have fraudulent intent. They give NO REFUNDS of either deposit or total trip and insurance payments, with or without rational cause; just a credit toward future travel taken with them in the next two years. Traveler Beware of ever paying money to Gate1. You will never get it back no matter what was implied by advertised "Cancel for any reason."