ComplaintsforPearl Harbor Tours LLC

• Initial Complaint

  04/02/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Order PHT-****** I would like a full refund for the Pearl Harbor and ************************** tour. This was by far absolutely the worst tour we have ever been on. After being picked up our tour guide had to go to the office to get our tickets for Pearl Harbor. This wasted about an hour or so of touring time. At Pearl Harbor, we did not see a documentary of the attacks, which was supposed to be included in the tour. We did not stop or see the Memorials that make up the **** Valor in the *************************, including Punchbowl which were supposed to be included in the tour. We went to ******** restaurant for lunch even though the email we received stated the Hukilau Marketplace, lunch was supposed to be included in the price however we had to limit the entre less than to $15, which only gave us a few to choose from. This also did not include any beverages so we had to pay out of pocket for these. During lunch, our tour guide said he was going to go get our ************************** tickets. When we were done with lunch, we were expecting to go right into the **************************. But we had no tickets. After over 3 hours, which is absolutely uncalled for and ridiculous, we finally got our tickets. We only got 2 hours instead of 5 at the **************************. We did not get a VIP tour as was stated on their website as included in the tour. We missed out on seeing several demonstrations and shows due to waiting for the tickets. The tour was also supposed to include Numerous ***************** View Stops. We didnt stop once! So, we missed out on so much which was suppose to be included in the tour. We were so disappointed with this tour. We missed out on a lot due to waiting for tickets. Therefore, I would like a full refund of $804.79 issued back to my credit card.

  Business response

  04/23/2024

  Dear Better Business Bureau,
  

  I hope this letter finds you well. I am writing to inform you about the recent complaint filed by our customer, *************************, regarding his recent trip with our company. ******************** expressed dissatisfaction with certain aspects of his experience.
  

  Upon receiving the complaint, we took immediate steps to address the situation internally. We have already provided ******************** with a 50% partial refund as a gesture of goodwill, acknowledging the issues he encountered during his trip.
  

  It is important to note that while ******************** expressed displeasure with certain elements of his journey, he also indicated that he enjoyed certain aspects of the trip. Based on this feedback and our internal assessment, we have concluded that a full refund of his entire payment is not warranted.
  

  We take all customer feedback seriously and strive to ensure the satisfaction of everyone who chooses to travel with us. We regret any inconvenience or disappointment ******************** experienced during his trip and have taken steps to improve our services based on his feedback.
  

  Please do not hesitate to reach out if you require any further information regarding this matter. We appreciate your attention to this issue and thank you for your continued efforts in fostering fair business practices.
  

  Sincerely,
  

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  08/24/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  The cancellation policy was not advertised properly. It stated that a full refund is guaranteed as long as it is canceled 72 hours in advance. The tour is over a month from today. In addition to this, the price of the self guided tour is outrageous after recently finding out that admission into Pearl Harbor is $0. They did not answer my question of why their self guided tour is better than the $0 Pearl Harbor admission.

  Business response

  09/26/2023

  I am writing in response to the complaint filed by guest #PHT-117466, *********************************, regarding her refund request for our Passport to Pearl Harbor.
  
  ****************** purchased our Passport to Pearl Harbor, which provides access to four major Pearl Harbor attractions in addition to the free Pearl Harbor *************** We want to clarify that while the ************** is free, the Passport is a paid ticket. Our company's refund policy for the Passport to Pearl Harbor is clearly communicated during the purchase process, with terms and conditions displayed prominently in bright green. ****************** acknowledged and accepted these terms at the time of purchase.
  
  We understand ********************** concerns but must uphold our policy, as it has been consistently applied to all customers. However, we want to highlight that we initially agreed to accommodate a change in her tour by offering a guided experience. Unfortunately, ****************** subsequently decided to cancel this arrangement.
  
  We remain committed to providing excellent customer service and are willing to provide further information or address any remaining questions to ensure customer satisfaction.
  
  Thank you for your attention to this matter. I have included evidence and hyperlinks below.
  
  Passport to Pearl Harbor Site
  
  Fu'a Tuimaunei
  Pearl Harbor Tours, LLC
  General Manager
  P: ************  C: ************
  

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  06/23/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  This business is an unnecessary and poorly run third-party vender. I purchased passporttickets through this business in December not knowing it was not the real PH ticketing site. Their website states, Your passport tickets can be picked up at will-call in the visitor center. There is no will-call at the visitor center and the employees there are unable to find your tickets unless this business sends you a ** code. We never received a ** code from the company on any of our emails and I have all of them saved. We were forced to sit and wait for over 1.5 hours for the company to finally send over the ** code (after 3 voicemails, 40 minutes on hold and 2 emails.) By this point we re-purchased our tickets from PH and this company refused to refund our money. They were horrible to deal with and very condescending. The actually employees at PH said they run into problems with this poorly-ran business every-single-day. The photo is of the email they sent the day before which did not include any attachments or mentions of ** tickets. I would like our original payment refunded. Confirmation number *****

  Business response

  08/04/2023

  ******************,
  
  Thank you for reaching out. I apologize for the delayed reply. I have taken my time to examine the following complaint and understand the specs of this issue.  As a company, we held up to our service. As shown below, an email was sent on 6/20/23 to the guest's email, ************************ at 4:57 pm. The email includes an attachment with a PDF of their Passport Tickets. (attached below)
  
  The guests did contact our company saying they could not find the original email. The guests were sent a 2nd email on 6/22/23 at 9:24 am. By this time the guests said they had already been waiting at Pearl Harbor and purchased additional tickets. Guests had called to receive a refund, but they do not qualify for a refund per our policy. The policy is clearly mentioned on our website during purchase, in bright green. The landing page is *****************************************************************************************************, I have attached a screenshot of our website below as well. 
  
  Attached below are a few documents as supporting evidence for the claims. 
  
  
  Please let me know if you have any additional questions. 
  Mahalo. 
  
  Fu'a Tuimaunei
  Pearl Harbor Tours, LLC
  General Manager
  P: ************  C: ************
  

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  03/02/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On January 30, 2023 I had a tour booked through Pearl Harbor Tours. Our tour included a helicopter ride by Blue Hawaiian Helicopters. The morning of the tour, the helicopter portion was cancelled due to weather. I was told I would receive a refund within 7 to 14 days. Later that same day, January 30, 2023, when attempting to enter the aviation museum at Pearl Harbor, I was told our tickets were invalid as the date on them was January 5, 2023. We had purchased the tickets to the museum as an add on through Pearl Harbor Tours and the date of our tour was always very clearly January 30. I attempted to call my concierge while at the ticket counter with no response. We purchased new tickets and I emailed my contact person about what had happened and even included a receipt proving we had to purchase new tickets. I never received another response from the concierge after they told me about my helicopter refund. I emailed them again the nect day, January 31, 2023 to follow up. The email went unanswered. I called on February 1, 2023, and was told someone would call me back and they never did. I waited 14 business days to see a refund in my account for the helicopter tour and as of today, March 2, 2023 I still have not received a refund. I attempted to email again on February 17, 2023 stating that I never received my refund. I filled out a form on their website on February 17, ************************************************************* as soon as possible. I also called on February 22, 2023 and was told someone would call me back. No one has ever responded to me. I also contacted Blue Hawaiian Helicopters and they confirmed to me that they issued the refund to the tour company on January 30, 2023 so at this point Pearl Harbor Tours are just holding onto my money.

  Business response

  04/21/2023

  Aloha, 

   

  The ******************* party had purchased helicopter tickets that had been canceled by the vendor due to the weather, and we incorrectly sent the guest's Aviation tickets for the wrong date. Instead of calling us to notify us of the mistake, they purchased additional tickets in their place. The client still received partial services including round-trip airfare, rental car, and tickets to the ************. As stated by the guest, she had been on numerous phone calls that left the client unhappy, because they could not receive a full refund. 

   

  We recognize the mistakes made on our behalf and have tightened policies to prevent human error. We did not submit her partial refund in a timely manner, which led to the escalation of the complaint. Before the complaint was made on BBB, she had disputed the charge through her credit card and we addressed the conflict directly through that avenue. The credit card dispute was submitted and under review, preventing us from sending a refund for 30 days. As a result, she has received a full refund through her credit card even though she was only entitled to a partial amount. 

   

  Customer response

  04/21/2023

   
  Complaint: 19525159
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I never have asked for a full refund, even from my credit card company. I just wanted to be refunded for the services I did not receive. Unfortunately since no one ever responded to me I was unable to give my credit card company an amount I was disputing. I was more than patient waiting for this to be handled by the company but I think waiting over a month with no answer at all from a company is grounds to open a credit card dispute.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************

• Initial Complaint

  10/05/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Misrepresentation of tour amenities. Did not have reserved tickets for ****************. We traveled over **** just to see the Arizona. I realize there were maintenance issues at the memorial that day BUT it opened back up while we were there. However, the point is that we never had reserved tickets. The driver, our only point of contact, made several inconsistent statements as to why we did not have reserved tickets. The company misrepresented that fact. Nowhere does it explicitly say that we did not have reserved tickets to the Arizona memorial were not included in the price we paid. Nowhere!!!!!!! We could have gone on our own to Pearl Harbor and toured the very small part of ******** that we took. For hundreds less. Or if we had known the tour didn't provide reserved tickets to the *******, we would have reserved same through the national park service ahead of time. Anyone going to Pearl Harbor expects the ******* to be the focus of the tour. We are angry and saddened at the same time. We will probably never have the opportunity to return to ******. This company should be sanctioned in some way. Please advise as to the resolution of this case.It is very disappointing. We don't want this to happen to anyone else. We feel it is only fair we receive an adjustment on the tour price we paid. Please reply to this complaint

  Business response

  10/29/2022

  **************, 
  
  We have looked over your concerns on the BBB website and understand your frustration. The damages to the *********** Boat ramp and boats have caused limited access for businesses with commercial accounts, forcing us to use stand-by lines as the only option. We are doing our best to communicate with guides and guests, as the National Park System can change its operations without notice. 
  
  We apologize that a portion of the tour was not fulfilled. You have been refunded the amount of $200 due to the failure to provide your group reservations to walk on the ********************. Again, we apologize for the changes to your tour due to circumstances out of our control. Warmest regards to you and your family as we get into the holiday season. 
  
  Aloha. 
  

  
  

  Customer response

  10/31/2022

   
  Complaint: 18170814
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  I wrote the business an email rejection as soon as I received their reply. They knew exactly what was going on.The park ranger told us it happens all the time,we seen the other tourist companies that had reservations go in,yes they was under construction, however if pearl harbor tours would have purchased the tickets in advance we could have gotten in.As stated we want a full refund, if they think it's about the money they can make a donation of our choice to a charity, it's not about money. They screwed the tourist and they know it. 
  Sincerely, ********************;
  
  *********************

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩