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2.9 114 Reviews

Gate 1 Travel Complaints Summary

53 Resolved
61 Unresolved
Our verdict: Dealing with Gate 1 Travel, which has an average resolution rate, requires some diligence. Research their service in depth and read a variety of customer reviews for a balanced view. Approach any customer service interactions with detailed and well-prepared queries to facilitate a better resolution process.
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9:45 pm EDT
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Gate 1 Travel customer service

Had the terrible experience with Gate 1 Travel.
The worst travel company of my lifetime led by
Dani Moshe Pipany as a president, Beth Ferleger as supervisor .. others...
They do not care about people. The king in this company is money at any cost.

I should read this review before any booking with Gate 1 Travel.
Unfortunately, I was too much relying on the human decency.

"Beware of using Gate 1 Travel.
First, you are required to put down a deposit which you are told is to hold services. Should you decide to cancel, you are not given the deposit back as the company will tell you that they paid a penalty for the canceled service. This is not the case. Gate 1 banks your deposit - sometimes a year in advance of travel - and collect interest and pays NO cancellation fee to its vendors.
If you are booking a tour, beware. Many times in the past, the owner, Dani Pipano is aware the tour will not be running or that MAJOR attractions advertised will not be available - however, employees are not allowed to tell the passenger instead are required to wait until just 14 days before travel to tell you that you won't get to see what you've paid for. The logic is: you'll go anyway because you've purchased other services in conjunction w/ this trip. Ie, it will cost you too much to cancel.
If you complain enough, you will get a credit for future travel. Your trip is ruined and Gate 1 thinks $50 per person toward future travel will make a difference.
The owner is currently looking for ways to cut costs - its a major campaign of his. He is downgrading hotels, cutting costs on contracts so that vendors are not as willing to cooperate and systematically letting go some of his more seasoned employees, replacing with new graduates with no background. These new employees are diligent and eager to learn - but it can be at your expense. With very low pay, you get very low commitment - this is who is booking your trip of a lifetime.
The company employees about 3-4 FULL TIME people who read complaints all day. Most are answered - however, even 2 employees at 8 hours a day...do the math. There are a LOT of complaints.
Do your homework - don't accept what it says on the website. Don't accept hotel changes and last minute substitutions...you are getting bottom of the barrel and its not right. "

I would not recommend this company to my friends of family.

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Rick Smithereens
, US
Jun 14, 2017 8:14 pm EDT

Worst Travel Company I've Ever Used !

We booked a trip to Paris & London through this company and paid for upgraded hotels at both locations. The Paris Hotel was located in a very seedy part of Paris, was under construction and the air conditioner was broken. Additionally some illegal activities occurred at the hotel, I won't post those details here pending legal action. When Gate 1 was contracted via the telephone they did absolutely nothing but put us on hold for extended periods of time, 10 minutes at a time at international rates. Cant wait to see our cell phone bill ! and then we were told that 24/7 customer service emergency line was not equipped to handle these types of calls, and they were accustomed handling lost luggages and missed flights. We were told send an email to a customer service rep and she would handle our situation. When we did, we got an email telling us they were off for the weekend and would get back to us until the next business day. Nothing was resolved for our Paris trip and fortunately the London portion of the trip went well.
However we still continue to email the "Customer Service Rep" regarding the Paris issue and the company has done nothing to resolve or compensate us for a horrible stay in Paris.

This company was highly recommended to us by 3 loyal customers of Gate 1 who are long time repeated travelers, then along with us will no longer be using this company for any travel plans.

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3:02 pm EDT
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Gate 1 Travel Horrible customer service

Do not ever book with this company.

I'm sure you'll be just fine if you don't have any issues, but god forbid any issues come up - this company is worried about one thing and one thing only - and it's not you!

My best friend and I booked a trip to greece through groupon with gate 1 travel. I scheduled the trip to leave out of cincinnati, which was where I lived at the time. Shortly thereafter I received a job in another state. Due to this, I needed to reschedule my flight to not be out of cincinnati, but to the new city.

I called gate 1, and explained the travel. I said I needed only to change the first and last leg of the trip to the new city, not the middle of the trip as I was stopping in paris for a few days.

72 hours prior to leaving for the trip, gate 1 moved my flight from athens to paris to where I would now arrive a day later than my best friend. However - they didn't touch her reservation. Mind you, we booked this trip together, had all of our vouchers together etc. Now that they moved the flight, I won't be traveling with her, and i'm now missing our previously booked excursion.

I called gate 1 travel to complain. Why would you move the middle flight when all I asked for were the flights bookending the entire trip I asked. They then said they needed to review the phone call where I placed the original call.

They said they would call me back by end of day - not. So here I am, 48 hours prior to leaving and i've completely lost a day of my trip and they couldn't care less. When I called back and spoke to a gentleman on the phone, I told him directly that I was going to write a horrible review of the company because of how each call was answered and handled. Each time I called, I was met with condescension, where at one point the guy actually told me that I was "threatening" him for writing a review. I said it's not a threat, i'm telling you honest feedback, asking for help, and all you do is interrupt me when I try to tell you the issue. Of course i'm upset, but i'm not yelling, raising my voice or using foul language. I'm frustrated. I've asked for the flight to be changed back and you tell me you can't. I this point I asked to speak to his supervisor, and his exact words to me were "I don't know if I feel like transferring you now".

I have had wonderful interactions with other groupon getaway trip purchases, such as affordable asia and many others, but I would never, ever use this company again. It's full of horrible people who feel they have "power" because they are in charge of your itinerary and are not there to help you. They care about selling trips, and not the people who keep them in business by buying their trips.

I will never use this company again, and I truly hope whomever uses them in the future doesn't have an issue, because if you do, they will literally laugh in your face. Shameful.

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Gate 1 Travel Two hotel acommendations

15 Day Kaleidoscope of Costa Rica with M..., #1181774, 30 Mar 17

First there was a lunch stop at a bus depot that was very dirty and crowded with foreigners from Central America. Next we arrived four our three day stay and the Hotel Punta Leona, Jaco, COSTA RICA on 9 Apr 17 which we feel that was not worth the stay. I have attached pictures of our dirty rundown room. There was problems with the A/C, no coffee cups and very heavy blankets. There also was the ten minute long walk to the beach that was very crowded with people and the resort was mainly geared for families and not the elderly. Very disappointing for a three day stay with no place to go. The final problem was back at the Hotel Crowne Plaza Corobici, San Jose, COSTA RICA on 12/Apr 17 on the last night stay were there was no hot water for 16 hours. We couldn’t shower before our flight home. Some people got a free drink and meal because of the inconvenient, but we did not. Desirable resolution for my wife and I would be some type of refund.

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8:17 pm EST

Gate 1 Travel 6 day affordable iceland with northern lights pursuit

on day 5 of our tour (wednesday feb 8th) we were scheduled to go to the blue lagoon. our tour guide arrived at the hotel to tell us due to high winds the roads were closed and the blue lagoon was also closed. she left us there with no alternative plan. we called the blue lagoon and they told us they were opening at noon and we could come between 6-8pm. we arranged our own transportation and paid a driver $45 each for 4 hours. thirteen went. also 4 people went earlier in the day and 10 went the next morning. all arranging their own transportation. we also made our own plans during the day and went to the northern lights museum, maritime museum and viking museum. my reservation number is 1170611 . we all would like to be compensated in some way. i have name and phone numbers and emails and you also should have this info. bad enough we never got to see the northern lights but to completely leave us with no alternative plans for the day was not right. And i believed she lied to us and told us the blue lagoon was not going to be open for the day. there were plenty of buses and cars there when we arrived. sincerely, susan mahon

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8:47 am EST
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Gate 1 Travel 5 day trip to iceland that was wrongly cancelled

Shady Company! I booked a trip with Gate1 Travel through Groupon and the fine print said that I had until 1/31/17 to book airfare. I called Gate1 on 1/20/17 to book and I was told that my money was refunded and the trip was cancelled. After much prodding I was told that the trip was cancelled because airfare had gone up and they were not gong to pay the higher rate. I reviewed the fine print thoroughly and it did not say that the trip could be cancelled for this reason. I called several times to complain and try to book something else comparable but each time I dealt with a very uncooperative costumer service representative that was not at all concerned or willing to help. The manager even admitted that nothing in the fine print allowed Gate1 to cancel the trip under those circumstances but was still unwilling to help in any way. Very shady company, Beware.

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5:08 pm EST
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Gate 1 Travel Tour company -

Absolute worse tour company I have ever dealt with from start to finish. No customer service, no attention to detail and extremely poor quality. I would never ever recommend.
I've been booking travel for 30 plus years and have never encountered a company that is as cheap and unethical as this one.
Bottom line is you get what you pay for. There is a lot of choices for good reasonably price tour operators - Gate 1 is just not one of them.

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Update by Lisa Foster-Albertus
Mar 25, 2020 1:34 pm EDT

I'm not sure what "resolved" means...I've never heard back from anyone. Just two years later received an email stating resolved...again - joke!

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10:59 am EST

Gate 1 Travel Bad service

I signed up here on this website and when give all my information to purchase a trip that they promoted, it didn't got through. Then i was suddenly log out automatically and cannot sign in anymore no matter what i do. This website didn't even give me any information from through email what happened if the deal is close.. After i give all my information to this website i hear nothing, and it scary. I called the customer service and didn't know where i get that "Deal Travel". I said its from Travelzoo. The guy id very unhelpful. He just said he cannot see that travel deal and that's it. I wonder if this an authentic website or a scam!

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1:59 pm EST
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Gate 1 Travel Credits not applied

Hello all,

I have booked five previous trips through Gate 1 with overall satisfaction. During the Black Friday event, I booked an Israel trip for December, 2017. I then tried to apply a $100 referral credit, which expires in January, a $25 survey completion credit, and a $25 birthday credit; all non-promotional items.

I was informed that no credits could be applied during this "promotional event" - those can only be applied to non-promotional trips.

I was then informed that I would need to purchase another vacation to use those credits.

I couldn't believe this policy after all the $$ and referrals sent their way.

I have tried to speak to them directly but with no results - they were happy to see any current or future business go away.

There are many tour companies out there that would gladly take my funds. We travel extensively both domestically and abroad numerous times a year.

Very disappointed after all these years.

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4:30 pm EDT
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Gate 1 Travel 17 day trip to poland, hungary and a river cruise.

I booked this trip August 1, 2016 using an early booking discount code. My reservation number is 1122740. The trip is for May 22, 2017. On Sept. 1, 2016 I found a code (halfoff2017) that made the trip $400 cheaper than I was charged. It is my experience that if travel companies lower the price before the final payment date (in this case Feb. 2017) they will give you the best price. This is not the case with Gate 1. This is not a satisfactory way to do business. I feel like I am dealing with a used car salesman. I feel like a second class customer, being told "tough luck". A company that cares about their customers would reduce my balance due by $400. If they thought about this they would realize I am going to be on a trip with 125 of their customers for 17 days. Just think of all the conversations I can have in 17 days.

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Update by cfi999
Sep 26, 2016 12:41 pm EDT

This complaint has been resolved. The company has made a proper adjustment. It is unfortunate that it was not dealt with right up front.

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4:45 pm EDT
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Gate 1 Travel - Racist Comments by Tour Director - Horrible Experience!

I booked the Portugal – Spain vacation as a high school graduation present for my son. The trip was scheduled June 8 - 22 and it was purchased for the two (2) of us for over $7, 000 with Gate 1 Travel. With the exception of Fatima Burgarin, Travel Director, the trip was good. Fatima failed miserably in providing exceptional customer service and she failed...

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Gate 1 Travel Cheated out of vacation time

I booked my trip to Turkey and Greece online based on the 12 day itinerary departing August 31, 2016, of which 2 of the days were spent for travel, making it 10 days there. The flight we selected had us arriving at around 10am on day 2 in Turkey so we would have most of the day to enjoy the city. I recently received an email from Gate 1 stating that my flight had been changed. Upon logging in and reviewing the change I noticed that our new arrival time in Turkey is now almost 4pm. By the time we get out of the airport and to our hotel we will have lost our entire day 2. I called customer service on Saturday, June 18, 2016 and spoke with a very friendly lady who seemed to understand why I was upset and said that since the delay was over 4 hours that they would need to do something to help me out. She said that the airline help desk was closed on the weekend so she would need to call me back on Monday but said that they would work to change the flight so we could arrive earlier or that they would refund us a part of the trip that we were losing. Monday afternoon after hearing nothing I called customer service again and spoke with another lady who didn't seem to give a damn about our situation and said that there were no better flight times and that the only thing they could do is move our flight up a day which would require a pre night at my expense. She couldn't give me a rate but said she would call back the next day. The next day Oliver called and left me a message stating that if we wanted to come a day early we would have to shell out another $432. I was so angry and upset I couldn't even return the call. I went onto the website and submitted a complaint via the website on Tuesday and I have received no response after 4 days. Oliver also emailed me and I replied to his email explaining how upset this situation made me and he simply replied to call customer service when we made a decision. Now I am stuck deciding between losing a big chunk of the two days we have in Istanbul or paying a high price to make the change.

If this is the service I am receiving on this end, I am truly terrified about what is waiting for us on the other end of the world.

Ideally, we would have our arrival time put back to what we booked and paid for. If that is not possible, I think the company should help us out with the pre night or refund us for the portion of the trip we are missing out on.

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Gate 1 Travel 8 day trip to national park, yellow stone,

Hi Caitlin,

Thanks for follow up on this trip!

Reservation 989828, first time customer joint Gate-1 tour to : 8 day classic National Parks, Mt. Rushmore, Yellowstone & Grand Teton tour.

First of all, let us thank you (Gate-1) for a very nice enjoyable trip!

Schedule, ok,

Itinenary arrangement, ok,

Bus and driver, OK

Hotel accommodation, OK

Local Guide, Ms Kimberley who guide for the 5th day in Yellowstone, old faithful, She is exceptionally good. All the compliment that we told her

verbally is not enough. Hoping Gate-1 make a very very good remark on her.

If we don't have a dangerously un-organized Tour Manager - Tina, then we should call it a nice tour. But now, we decide that

we will never consider Gate-1 for any of our future tour.

We must tell Gate-1 a few particular details happened during the 7 days tour with your Tour Manager- Tina ( day 8 we are returning home which don't count)

1. We arrived at the day one hotel at Rapid City Holiday Inn, ( hotel concierge told us, all restaurant in Rapid city close by 9 pm)

We have 6 of us ( friends) booked a restaurant at downtown by 7:45 pm, we took the last sitting.

Then we got a paper from the hotel ( which issued by Tina) on which told us all gather at the lobby by 6:45 pm for 7 pm initial briefing.

( same info also on a board hanging at the lobby)

So, we all gather at the lobby by 6:40 waiting, but nobody there, except 25 of the tour guest hang in the hall way of the hotel lobby waiting.

Since the center of the lobby has other activities, not suppose for Gate-1.

After it is 5 minute past seven, all been waiting for 25 minutes, the hotel waiter telling us that it will be in a room, he may open the door to let

us go in.

Then I was wandering around at the lobby to look for our tour manager.

Then I met a lady at the concierge, I ask her if she is Tina, our Tour Manager?

She said yes.

I ask her how long is the briefing,

she answer about an hour.

I immediately tell her that we book a dinner at downtown restaurant 7:45, we may need to leave 7:40 with a hotel shuttle.

Because all restaurant close at 9 pm,

Instead of telling me how to deal with the timing for this, she challenge me, : who told you that all restaurant close at 9 pm.

I answered her, the hotel front desk.

She did not response further.

About 7:10 pm we all get back into the room to be at the initial briefing.

My friend ask her, how we deal with the time so tight that we need to get to the restaurant at 7:40,

Her answer is very rude and no support: So, you can leave.

As a customer, initially meeting a tour manger, instead of helping us, she just throw out such short answer, """" YOU CAN LEAVE"""

2. The initial meeting finished with very unpleasant mood.

Afterwards day 2- day 4, we got very unfriendly treatment.

There are a lot of small stops, such as arrive to rest area for bath room, or just a look out to take pictures.

Those are very short stop, Tina continuously confuse with her time, her spot of getting back on the bus.

All very important information for the tourist are not given punctual and precise.

All day on the bus, she only focus of saying, I ----. I ---- repeatly.

As a tourist, we want to enjoy and get to know the park, the scenery, the details and information of where we travel to.

Why we have to listen to what she is saying about herself.

3. By every stop, all of us on the bus, has to ask her numerous time, where to get the bus, when to get back, where should we walk to?

I personally ask her after get off the bus, the above questions, but she given me total wrong answer, then afterwards, she had to walk to

me saying that she will try to get better communication with us.

4. Except day 5 we had Kimberley from the Yellowstone park local tour guide, we all not able to enjoy our trip.

Tina always make mistake with time, meeting area, arriving to hotel when and how we get luggage. What we can do with our dinner or lunch.

5. At the last 7 days, arrive to Little America Hotel, she again gave wrong information to us for extend the hotel check out time charges.

* since we all leaving by a very late flight, most of us need hotel extend check out hour !

Therefore, we all very dis appointed with the performance of Tina. Her bad handling and attitude wash out all the good thing of Gate-1

thanks but, no more Gate-1 tour!

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Gate 1 Travel Terrible Customer Service

Booked a trip to Japan, seemed simple enough. The first day was supposed to be a city tour and afternoon of "free travel", where you could roam around at your leisure, and day two I booked a day trip by bus to Mt Fuji.

I have friends in Tokyo and they made room in their schedule to meet up with me on day 1 and even reserved a table for us at an upscale restaurant.

A few weeks before the trip I get an email saying that day 1 and 2 were switched because of the city tour availability.

Instead of phoning me and asking directly, or offering options, like a refund, they simply switch the days. They assumed and made changes to my itinerary without asking, which irked me, but I can understand as they thought they were helping.

This is my issue now: In my case I am fine missing the city tour because I'll be meeting with friends. I want to change the Fuji bus trip back to day 2.

I phone in. No one from the Operations department can be reached. They'll call me tomorrow. Tomorrow rolls by. No call. I call them back. They see the note was made, but they don't have a contact number for the Operations department. They don't even know the extension to ask on my behalf.

Allow me to repeat for emphasis: The customer service representative at this company has no way to directly reach another department in the company. There is no number, no extension, no email, no way of getting hold of them with questions. The request can be entered in my profile and then it's up to the mercy of Operations whether it's possible to revert back to the way I agreed to it when I originally paid for this trip. Could be days. They don't even know. So if the request is denied for whatever reason, I can only contact the customer service reps who like me, have no clues about what go on higher up in their own company.

This company is a disgrace. If I booked this trip myself I would be able to contact the tour operator first-hand. But now I simply wait to see what the mysterious unreachable Operations department decides.

I've never seen a company whose employees are so clueless as to what goes on in their own offices and who shield their customers away from any contact with the people who can actually control the trips they pay thousands for.

It's been a week so far and no one has gotten in touch with me, to answer questions or offer updates into the inquiry. If they do get in touch eventually and I have further questions who knows how long it may take to get hold of them again. Why can I not speak directly to the person who can help me? At least offer options before changing someone else's travel plans. If they won't switch the dates back, I hope I can get a full refund for this day trip.

Stay away from this company.

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Gate 1 Travel Cheated by Gate 1 Travel

We booked our 9 day Classic Ecuador and Amazon Adventure back in June 2014 for our Jan 20, 2015 departure. This is our first tour with Gate 1 Travel and we were looking forward to it. Suddenly we got an email yesterday (Oct 29, 2014) informing us that our tour flight schedule has been changed. In fact that is NOT the whole truth. Gate1 changed our tour from 9 days to 8 days with the flight schedule change. We spoke to their customer service and explained to her that we booked 9 days and now it is only 8 days tour so they need to adjust our tour price because there is one day short from what we originally booked for. On top of that they changed their flight schedule and now it costs us an extra hotel stay expense in Miami and they should compensate for that. Gate 1 Customer Service told us that she understood all that but she refused to take any responsibility or compensate us for anything. This is totally wrong! We were looking forward to the trip and now we feel that we have signed up with a very dishonest company and felt cheated. We are not sure what is really in the tour since they cannot even honor their itinerary. Can anyone help us?

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Frogman Smith
, US
Mar 16, 2016 5:21 pm EDT

Went to Turkey and going to a "troubled" area gave us pause. We had zero complaints. Even when we were booked in a hotel that was a smoking room. We complained & was told "we're totally booked." Well...we just complained a little more and got our room changed. They really tried to accommodate everyone and we always felt safe. We are looking into a China tour next.

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Susan M H
Mulberry, US
Jul 12, 2015 6:28 pm EDT

We have just booked our third trip with Gate One Travel. We have not been disappointed. We have been to Costa RIca and Egypt with them and in September we will be going to China. Are changes made to flights - yes sometimes and we have already had changes on our flight. But we feel we have always received our monies worth and have always been very happy! These tours are usually much less expensive then if you had went through another company or booked them yourselves.

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ELLEN AZBILL
Newcastle, US
May 14, 2015 3:18 pm EDT

I am a little nervous as myself and 4 friends want to take advantage of the Groupon offer. I cannot afford to have hidden charges, missing flights, budget hotels, etc. Now we are wondering if we should heed to these complaints or trust them.

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Watch Gate 1 closely
Fullerton, US
Apr 19, 2015 9:39 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I have traveled with Gate1 more than just several times. You have to watch them closely from the beginning flight to the time ending time to when you get home. They are trying to protect themselves from paying back any justified complaints. Like any business they are trying to extract as much as they can from you as well as saving on changed plans. I recently booked a trip with them and my niece and we were hooking up in Newark New Jersey and then fly over to Paris. They changed the flights over to Paris with two flights to Paris with me on one flight and later my niece on a different flight. Their justification was that we both coming from different parts of the country. Also they blamed the airline for changing the plans. I made them change to original flights for the both of us. Also later on they changed the hotels saying we were getting a 5 star hotel. Well that 5 star was out in the boonies and more difficult to make travel connections on your own. The change was for their economic considerations...they were saving money.

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Gate 1 Travel Cancelled trip

Yesterday my wife and I received the following message from GATE 1 TRAVEL. The message basically says to its customers, oops we can't honor our commitment to you despite you paying for all your travel arrangements in full well over sixty days ago. When I talked on the telephone with GATE 1 TRAVEL, representative, she said the fine print in all their trip offerings allow GATE 1 TRAVEL to cancel their trip offerings 30 days prior to departure dates without cancellation fees. I can understand if there was a hurricane or war (i.e. force ma jour) but we were cancelled because the tour operator thought they were not going to make enough money on this particular trip offering / date. How would you like a cruise cancelled if the ship's cabins were only half full? Or a planned flight to Europe cancelled because its seats are only half full?

For several months we have planned our 30th anniversary trip for mid-September 2014 and GATE 1 TRAVEL has essentially "pulled the rug out from under us". We have additional out of pocket expenses for travel to New York (JFK where the tour was scheduled to begin) and flights for relatives to house and dogs sit while we were scheduled to be gone.

We do not trust GATE 1 TRAVEL, why should you? Be sure to read the fine print before your sign.

----- Original Message -----
From: Karen Donikowski

To: [protected]@comcast.net
Sent: Mon, 23
Jun 2014 17:20:42 -0000 (UTC)
Subject: Gate 1 Travel - Reservation
731222

Mr. Toepper,

Per our conversation, we have been advised that our tour of the 11 Day Art

and Wine of Italy with Cinque Terre, Florence and Venice has been canceled
due to lack of participation.

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Gate 1 Travel
Fort Washington, US
Jul 28, 2014 11:25 am EDT

As this is an infrequent occurrence, we certainly regret that your original departure was cancelled. We are glad that we were able to rebook you on a similar tour with the same departure date. We hope that you have a great trip to celebrate your 30th anniversary!

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Gate 1 Travel Travel

To Whom It May Concern:

We have just returned from our six day Paris tour. Anjanet and I have serious concerns about our vacation.

Our vacation began with a slight delay at the airport due to someone having left an unattended bag in the airport. We were not allowed passed the jetway into the airport for over 45 minutes. After we were finally allowed access to the airport and to retrieve our luggage, we went to the level 7 and waited for our driver. After having waited another 45 minutes, we went to the phone as instructed by our documentation delivered by Gate 1. I called the number and the gentleman told me to simply go and wait again at gate seven and the driver would arrive in a Volkswagen. This was the most description he had given me. We had absolutely no idea who or what we were looking for. After waiting another 20 or 30 minutes, I went over to some other people and asked if they were waiting for the same service since they were at the same gate. They were also unsure of who the driver was or what type of vehicle they should be looking for. Fortunately, they flagged us down when the driver approached them and told them who he was. They realized that we were looking for the same driver. Otherwise, we would've been left at the airport. The driver had no discernible markings or even a sign with our names on it. In short, he didn't arrive until sometime after 11 o'clock. Our plane arrived on time at 8:35 AM.

We were his last stop on the route and didn't arrive at our hotel until sometime after 12 o'clock. This left us very little time to clean up and recover from our flight and meet our first excursion at the Louvre, which was at 2:15. We arrived on time for our excursion at the location given to us on our documentation. Unfortunately, the information was incorrect. The travel agent explained that we needed to be at another location and that our instructions were incorrect. She attempted to make a phone call and get us on the tour, but it had already left. We missed the excursion due to erroneous information provided to us by Gate 1.

Our hotel, Mercure Tour de Eiffel, was an upgrade. We had no air conditioning throughout our entire stay. I went to the front desk and asked if there was something they could do about the air conditioning not working in our room. The gentleman explained that the air conditioning system of the hotel was a global system and was not working and had not been working for several weeks. Basically, the entire hotel was without air-conditioning. Our only choice was to open the window and deal with the road noise instead. The gentleman at the front desk told us the system was a very old system and that the hotel was planning to replace it in June or July.

Lastly, I tried several times to call the shuttle service for the pick up time the day before our departure as instructed. I tried several times. The phone just kept ringing and ringing and ringing. I then went to the front desk of the hotel and gave them our information. The gentleman at the desk brought up the website and verified the information on our Gate 1 documentation. He placed a call and the phone just kept ringing and ringing and ringing. No one would answer. He told us he would continue trying and see if he could get someone to answer the phone and let us know when we arrived back at the hotel after dinner. There was no information left for us upon our arrival back at the hotel. I had the front desk attempt again in the morning at around 7 o'clock. It was the same story. The phone just kept ringing. We ended up taking a cab which cost us €50.

Upon behalf of Anjanet and myself, I am formally requesting a refund for the shuttle that never came, the cost difference between the upgrade of the hotels and missed excursion to the Louvre. A credit towards any further Gate 1 travels is not acceptable. This isn't a matter of being dissatisfied. This is a matter of having paid for things that we did not receive.

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UNHAPPY61
st louis, US
Mar 31, 2014 6:06 pm EDT
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ATTENTION GATE 1 CUSTOMERS- If you buy the trip insurance (cancellation and/or medical) call the actual insurance company. Ask ALL questions beforehand. We had to cut our 30 day trip short after 5 days due to illness and we didn't get a refund anything like what we were told we would get. Then, adding insult to injury, they came back later and said WE owed THEM $200 (they said they overpaid us) We refused to pay them and they sent the $200 to the credit reporting companies which ruined my mom's perfect credit score.We contacted Gate 1 and they absolutely refused to help us. NEVER AGAIN GATE 1.

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Jose Navarrete
Sacramento, US
Feb 11, 2014 12:02 pm EST

A quien corresponda.

mi nobre es Jose Navarrete. mi esposa y yo hemos echo barios viajes con Gate1 exelente compnia de vijajes.
. el problema es que no herrecibido la lista semanal de sus ofertas. y la no me la mandan yo quiciera saver si no les intereso como cliente o hai un problema electronico. estamos listos para eser hotro viaje junpto con mas amigos.

les quedare muy agradecido si me dijeran cual es el problema .

Aten. Jose Navarrete.

jose.navarrete@hotmail.com

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Gate 1 Travel Fraud/cheat

I booked a trip through Gate1 on Saturday March 24th 2012 for my brother and I. It is for a flight from Miami USA to Barcelona Spain with three night stay and then a seven day cruise and return flight. The price was $2, 200.00 each. I was back on the Gate1 web site on Tuesday the 27th of March because of an email they had sent about trips to China. When I was looking, I thought about our trip and was wondering about some side trips and looked at the booking for our trip and noticed they were showing a big price difference! (now showing $1, 800.00) So I called them to see what the deal was. And the service representative (if you want to call them that!) told me the price change was all because of what the airline (American Airline) was charging. Since there is no way for me to look at the airline cost, I was told by the rep, "to trust her" as to why such a price change. I find it hard to believe that a supposed large travel agency, would not be able to get their customers (will be former as I am sure I will never book through them again) the difference after such a short time (less the 72 hours). If not, anyone reading this might think better about booking with this company and should book through a reputable company like Orbitz that gives a "price assurance".

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Gate 1 Travel Peru tour

I recently did a Peru tour with Gate 1 and I enjoyed Peru despite them and I will not be using Gate 1 again.
Where to start?
The booking process went okay, but when it came to receiving the travel documents, it was ridiculous. First, they charged to have travel documents delivered and what was delivered after emails to ensure they did send them, were just black and white copies that probably cost them 2 dollars, instead of the 20 they charged me.
When the tour began, it was okay. We had a good tour guide and the local Lima tour guide was simply fantastic.
However, they have these "optional tours", which they charge quite an amount of money for and after doing them, I realized should be standard. For instance, to see Cusco at all, you would have had to pay for optional tours. So they essentially take you to Cusco, include nothing in the tour and make you pay an exorbitant amount to do "optional tours". It became so annoying for me. I wondered why in the world I had booked with them in the first place.
Then of course, the highlight, Macchu Pichu, right? You would think they would make sure it went well. Well, things run on time, but we were really screwed. They had the option of the vista dome and charged 76 dollars, for the upgrade and what did we get for it? We did not have a guide with us, cause the guides on our group went with the group that did not upgrade. We only had a local guide at the site itself, who was to put it mildly, useless. He spent more time talking about himself and his degree in anthropology or something, than making sure we appreciated the history of the site. He rushed us through the tour and did not bother to orient us to the various sections of the site when we got the chance to spend our own time there. I mean, really? And as if that wasn't enough, the extra cost meant they cheated us out of 2 hours at the site, that those who did not pay extra got. You would think one would be informed of something like that before making such a decision.
The hotels were adequate, nothing to write home about.
All in all, I will never use Gate 1 again and recommend to travelers who want to enjoy themselves and get good value to use other tour companies.
No one needs the aggravation.

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Carson5
Perryopolis, US
Apr 05, 2013 9:52 am EDT

Overall, our family of 5 was satisfied with the Gate 1 tour of Peru. I personally, was very dissatisfied and sickened with the selection of hotels (May 2012) in Lima and Machu Picchu. I don't recall the budget (cheaper of two options ) hotel name in Miraflores, but two of our three rooms had musty, dirty smells on our arrival. However, on our return from Machu Picchu, the rooms seemed clean without the odors. Hanaqpacha Inn, Machupicchu, literally made me sick. Upon our return from climbing Machu Picchu, I stupidly used a glass from our hotel bathroom. I noticed that it had a white dot spot at the bottom of the glass. I washed it out, but an hour or so later, I felt quizzy. My daughter and I shared the same drink of boxed fruit juice and vodka but in different glasses. Around midnight, Shigella symptoms hit hard. I was diagnosed with Shigella upon return to the States. A month and a half later and after two rounds of antibiotics, I was back to normal. Thankfully, the rest of my family is healthy.
Our tour guides were all very helpful, knowledgeable, on time. Peru is a beautiful country. Loved Lima's Museum and sites along the way to/in/from Machu Picchu on the regular train. I agree with the above reviewer, that the the more expensive dome train is not needed.

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Gate1Travel
Fort Washington, US
Jan 24, 2012 7:56 pm EST

Hello. My name is Candice and I work for Gate 1 Travel. Our Customer Service Department has also received these comments and we certainly are concerned over what has been written. We have been in contact with the customer and are conducting research into the issues that are outlined.

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Gate 1 Travel Scam: Liars, unreliable, DO NOT USE THEM

We booked our wedding anniversary celebration trip to Switzerland with Gate 1 Travel, through Virgin Vacations. Believe Virgin is the broker and Gate 1 is a supplier to Virgin Vacations. Our flights from PIT to NY to Zurich was re-routed due to an airline cancellation on the first leg. We contacted Gate 1 and gave them options for a later flight that would have delayed us for 2 hours, but still follow the original itinerary. Gate 1 was very unresponsive and made us wait for several hours in the airport, they gave us another flight option that added an extra leg and added half a day to the trip to Zurich.
Once arrived we were supposed to get a rental car with Hertz, as booked
with Gate 1. Once we got to the Hertz counter they had no rezervation for rental, in fact they told us they had a vaucher on our name that was cancelled by Gate 1 and if we want to get a car it would cost us 1100 for the week. So we had to pay the new rental fee after we already paid it through Gate 1. After numerous phone calls and e-mails with Gate 1, Joe from customer service told us to accept the new charges and we will get reimbursed once we get back to US. It has been 1 month since we got charged twice fornthe same rental car and we have still not seen any reimbursement, they keep giving us the run around. At this point we have started the dispute of charges through the credit card company. I am sick of waiting for our money and sick of their lies. They are crooks, do not get tempted by their low prices because you will ruin your vacation. I would never use them again!

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Christina Myron
Regina, CA
Mar 29, 2014 9:53 am EDT
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I just returned from a 12 night trip to China using Gate 1 Travel. While I cannot comment on your experience mine was A1 right from the start. I flew from Vancouver, spent three nights in Shanghai, four on a riverboat on the Yangtze River with optional excursions, two nights in Xian and three in Beijing. The flight arrangements went smoothly, the choice of places to visit were well selected and highlighted China's history. Twenty six meals were included in the price and they were all great.

Our tour guide was first class and went out of his way to see that our needs were met. His attention to details e.g . including a couple of birthdays and adjusting his arrangements to include celebrating them made the trip even more special.

We all commented on how much value we received for our money and couldn't figure out how Gate 1 could include all that they did at the price we paid.

Nothing in this world is perfect, and I understand that one bad experience can surely turn
you off using the same carrier again, but having also met other Gate 1 groups en-route I heard the same positive feedback from them.

Don't let one bad experience keep you away from using a company, who I truly believe do all that they can to give their customers a unique and cost effective vacation.

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Gate1Travel
Fort Washington, US
Jul 01, 2011 10:23 pm EDT

Certainly cancelled flights are an inconvenience. We did our best to offer the best available flight options at that time and are also pleased to inform that the rental agency refunded the client what was due. We regret if any misunderstanding occurred.

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Gate1Travel
Fort Washington, US
Jun 28, 2011 3:30 pm EDT

We have been working with Hertz Customer Service, and have been assured the refund will be applied to their account as soon as possible.

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Gate 1 Travel Update to prior Complaint

Good news: I received a call from my travel agent that Gate 1 Travel has cancelled the trip to Egypt and will allow the deposits to be applied to a future vacation.

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socalsally
Hamilton, US
Oct 23, 2012 3:25 am EDT

My sister and I also had a trip planned to Egypt that was cancelled. Gate1travel did return our deposit and gave us one hundred dollars each toward our next trip. We just got back from Thailand and had a great time. Our tour guide was the best and our hotels were 4 and 5 star. We are looking forward to planning another trip with Gate1travel.

Gate 1 Travel Customer Reviews Overview

Gate 1 Travel is a travel company that offers a variety of travel packages and services to destinations around the world. Their offerings include escorted tours, independent vacations, and customized international travel packages. The company provides itineraries that cover activities, accommodations, and some meals, with options for travelers to explore historical, cultural, and natural landmarks. Gate 1 Travel aims to cater to a range of travel preferences and budgets, providing customers with the opportunity to choose their desired level of comfort and convenience.

Gate 1 Travel In-depth Review

In summary, Gate 1 Travel offers a comprehensive range of travel services with a focus on value and experience. Their booking process is user-friendly, and they provide a variety of packages that cater to different preferences. While pricing is competitive, the quality of accommodations and transportation is generally well-regarded. Customer service is responsive, and the company takes steps to ensure traveler satisfaction. However, there is room for improvement in areas such as technological upgrades and response to market trends.

Company Overview

Gate 1 Travel has a history of providing travel services that span various destinations worldwide. They offer a wide range of services, including guided tours, river cruises, and independent travel packages, covering many destinations across continents.

Booking Process

  1. Website is easy to navigate, making booking process simple.
  2. Many travel packages available, catering to different types of travelers.
  3. Customization options are provided, allowing travelers to tailor their trips.
  4. Payment options are straightforward, with financing options sometimes available.

Pricing and Value

Gate 1 Travel is known for competitive pricing, often offering discounts and special deals that enhance value for money.

Customer Service

  1. Customer service is responsive and supportive.
  2. Multilingual support is a plus for non-English speakers.
  3. After-sales service and problem resolution are areas where Gate 1 Travel shows commitment to customer satisfaction.

Accommodations

Hotels and lodging are generally of good quality, with convenient locations and a range of amenities and services.

Transportation

Transportation provided is comfortable and reliable, with a focus on safety measures.

Tour Guides and Itineraries

Tour guides are knowledgeable and professional, and itineraries are well-organized, offering a diverse range of experiences.

Traveler Experience

Travelers often report authentic cultural experiences, with a balanced pace and adequate leisure time. Group sizes are managed to enhance the experience.

Accessibility and Inclusivity

Gate 1 Travel attempts to accommodate travelers with disabilities and offers family-friendly options, considering age and mobility in their travel packages.

Sustainability and Social Responsibility

The company is mindful of the environmental impact of tours and supports local communities, although more information on ethical practices would be beneficial.

Customer Reviews and Testimonials

Customer satisfaction ratings are generally high, with a good rate of repeat customers. Testimonials often highlight the value and experience provided by Gate 1 Travel.

Cancellation and Refund Policy

The cancellation and refund policy is considered fair, with reasonable processing times for refunds and various insurance options available.

Awards and Recognitions

Gate 1 Travel has received industry awards and holds accreditations, reflecting their commitment to quality service.

Areas for Improvement

Customer feedback indicates a need for technological upgrades and a more proactive response to market trends.

Final Verdict

Gate 1 Travel offers a solid choice for travelers seeking value and a well-rounded experience. It is particularly recommended for those looking for guided tours and cultural immersion. Overall, the company receives a positive rating, with a few areas noted for potential improvement.

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Contact Gate 1 Travel customer service

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