My recent experience with Oat Travel Tours has unfortunately led me to change my previously held positive opinion. Based on what transpired, I must strongly advise potential travelers to reconsider booking with them. In my view, their practices are akin to theft and are deeply misleading.
Previously, we had booked a trip for the prior month – a Jordan, Egypt, and Cyprus itinerary, which was itself a replacement for an earlier planned Israel, Egypt, and Jordan tour. We also opted to include the Athens post-trip extension that was specifically designed to complement this main journey.
When OAT cancelled the primary tour, we were presented with two options: a complete refund immediately or rescheduling the trip, with the price protected at the original rate, for December 2024. The rescheduled tour was to revert to the initial Israel, Egypt, and Jordan itinerary. Given the significant discount we had originally secured, even with the itinerary change, it remained a good value, and we decided to proceed with the December 2024 departure. However, due to the ongoing conflict in Israel, the likelihood of this trip proceeding seems increasingly slim. We are now in a waiting period to see if OAT will cancel closer to the date and what, if any, resolution will be offered to customers who have already paid.
This is where our major issue arose: we had signed up and paid over $2,000 for the Athens post-trip extension associated with the initial main tour. When OAT cancelled both the main trip and the post-trip, we were informed that while we could reschedule the main trip (price protected), the Athens post-trip was no longer available and we would receive a refund for it. We were told this refund would take 30-45 days to process. Following up, I called OAT twice more and was reassured each time that the refund for the unavailable post-trip portion was forthcoming. Day 45 was February 2nd, and no refund materialized.
Upon contacting OAT again, I spent over an hour on the phone, speaking with two different representatives and enduring lengthy periods of hold music. The first representative, after numerous holds, initially stated that the refund had somehow failed to be processed but would be initiated that day, with the funds expected within another 30 to 45 days – a clearly unacceptable timeframe. I then requested to speak with a supervisor. After further delays, more hold music, and extensive discussion, the supervisor delivered a completely contradictory statement: we were not entitled to any refund. Their reasoning was that since we declined the West Bank of Israel post-trip offered as an alternative to the cancelled trip, we were not eligible for reimbursement for the Athens post-trip we had originally paid for. Effectively, having paid over $2,000 for a post-trip that was cancelled by OAT, we were now told we had forfeited that amount and could not even opt for the West Bank post-trip, even if we changed our minds.
The supervisor’s stance implied that we had essentially donated over $2,000 to OAT. This felt like a classic bait-and-switch tactic. Any previous assurances of a refund were dismissed. Instead, the supervisor stated he would ensure that all employees were “retrained” not to promise refunds in similar situations when OAT has no intention of issuing them.
Based on this experience, I strongly advise against booking OAT travel tours. Their initial prices may appear to be incredibly attractive bargains, seemingly too good to be true. And indeed, they are. If you manage to avoid being misled or inconvenienced initially, as we thought we had, you may still find yourself financially disadvantaged by their questionable practices in the end.
As the saying goes, “Fool me once, shame on you…” But after this experience, there will certainly be no second time. In my opinion, OAT travel tours operates in a manner that is dishonest and exploitative.
