GL Tours
reviews and complaints

On November 6th 2022 we booked a combined snorkelling and diving trip for the following day with GL Tours and paid for the whole trip by credit card in advance (155USD plus 10% credit card charge).

On November 7th, we met around 8 am next to the GL Tours booth. All together we were a small group of four leaving in a taxi to meet the diving instructor at the marina.

At the marina we waited already for 45 min before he showed up, but he explained that there was an issue with our bottles which is sorted out now.

Next we got on the boat and he took fins out of the cabin, and handed them to us. He did only have a handful of sizes and they did not fit all of us, so he had to go back to a shop in the harbour and get more. It then turned out that we had to dive without a wet suite because he didn’t have any. We have never heard of that, not even in the warmest diving areas. The boat finally started and he had to fix the equipment while we were on our way to the diving spot. The other two divers then tried on their jackets, one diver tried on three different jackets which were all broken (they did not hold the air anymore, which is fatal for a diver) The equipment in general was in very bad condition. After the third jacket from the diver turned out to be broken, they suggested to cancel the trip and the divemaster agreed, relieved. This was not a safe diving environment. Had the person gone diving with this broken jacket, this would have been perilous.

We then went back to the marine and he put us in a taxi to sort things out with GL Tours. Our expectation would have been a full refund: No service delivered, no payment. Pretty straight forward. However, GL Tours had a different point of view: First they did not feel responsible, they said the dive master already had our money and should have given it to us. We told them we have a contract with them and not with the dive master, and that they took our money for a trip they did not deliver. They kept saying, that they were not on the boat and it is hard for them to reconstruct what fully happened. They continued to say that our money was with the dive master and they did not have our money anymore, however when I mentioned I paid with credit card, he said then he can transfer it back. It would take 4 -15 days. We believed them.

The person who took my credit card payment is Roberto Cardenas. I contacted GL Tours after the 15 days were over and he replied, letting me know that he will only repay us part of the money, meaning he would keep 40USD for the expensed he did have (taxi, marina fee etc.). This was on 26th of November 2022. We agreed with this approach, even though we still think, we should have been fully reimbursed. I then proposed paypal to him to pay us back the money, which he did not have. We found a simple way for him to pay back the money through a Mexican friend. He agreed to send the Monday on 12 December. However, no money was transferred that day. When we contacted him again, he – again – said, he did not have the money from the diving instructor yet, so he cannot pay us back the money. He acts like the victim and feels no responsibility for his action. Neither is he aware of the danger, he put us in, nor his responsibility towards his clients or the fact that he stole us one valuable day of our vacation.

The other two people who were on the trip with us, did receive their money back, so we absolutely do not understand why we did not receive anything.

I sincerely want to WARN people from this company. They act so nice and helpful when they want to sell you something, but as soon as they have your money, there is zero customer service. And they won’t take any responsibility.

I went to downtown cozumel and I met juan canto with gl tours he promised a 8 hour fishing trip for 4 for 300usd with a 50 usd deposit as long as I would attend a 1.5 hour presentation for beyond experience travel club. We agreed and I did attend the presentation at the palm hotel in playa de carmen. I did not choose to purchase. The following day I waited for him and he never showed up. It took a long while to get in contact with him but when I did he said the boat showed up but left because no one was there. I was there 10 mins early and there was no boat. He told me to reschedule for the following day and I did for 2 reasons one he had my deposit and 2 I know things happen but I try to give people a chance and since we would be in the island for a week I didnt see a problem. The second day comes again no one showed up at the pier. He turned off his phone and I have yet to hear from him. Im now very glad I did not purchase the travel package. Now I can see how deceitful they can be. I will continue to post and repost my experience so that others will not be taken advantage of by juan canto, gl tours, beyond experience, and the palm hotel in playa de carmen who they represent. Its sad when come to a travel destination and get taken advantage of it makes us not want to ever return, tourism is what makes cozumel and coastal cities in mexico.