DeCastro Deposit

[CAT GIRL]

I am planning on using DeCastro for my excursion to the pyramids.

I have been happy with the correspondance and price. It is now time

to pay a deposit and they want have of the amount wired to their

bank. Is this how everyone has done it? I don't have a problem

doing this if it's the normal procedure but I kind of leary of doing it.

 

How was your deposit handled?

[qlderic]

This is how I paid for my deposit for my Cairo overnight excursion. Went through with no problems and received email confirmation from De Castro when the funds reached their account.

[dcdee]

We just wired our deposit this week for an overnight tour in Sept. Others who have posted here did the wire transfer and all were pleased with their experience with DeCastro so I'm not worried about it. I did ask about making the deposit by credit card to avoid the $40 wire fee our bank charges but they insisted on the wire payment, so we'll see.

[CAT GIRL]

Thanks. And did you give them your passport number also?

[stingraynz]

Thanks for the replies. I was also very leary about this money transfer deposit. It was the only thing keeping me from booking with them.

[sammyjo882]

We sent our deposit through Western Union. Our deposit was only $100, and our bank wanted $50 for the wire transfer. They said they would accept Western Union, so we did it thru them for a $15 fee. It was more convenient - no bank lines to deal with. Our balance is due on arrival either 100% in US cash, or 50% cash / 50% credit card with a 3% fee.

 

For our reservation, we had to give passport #'s & expiration dates, nationalities, cruise ship info, date & time of arrival & departure. We aren't going til June, but I've read good reviews on DeCastro. When are you going?

 

Sherryl

[CAT GIRL]

We are going in Sept. My bank charges $35 for an international

wire transfer. I'll go ahead and do it tomorrow. De Castro has

been very prompt with responding to any questions I have and

have addressed all my concerns. It will be one of the highlights of

my trip.

[jojo78]

we have used Champion Tours in Egypt 2 years ago and they accept credit cards, the fees was only 3 %.

[Saga Ruby]

we have used Champion Tours in Egypt 2 years ago and they accept credit cards, the fees was only 3 %.

 

I had a nightmare of an experience with Champion last year. After giving them a credit card for a deposit, they charged $515 to the card. I did further research and found out they were overcharging me for every single item on a 3-day Egyptian tour. If you want to read more about my highly negative experience, read this thread:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=443255

 

Ruby

[jojo78]

for me, it was the opposite.

I found them more than professional, they made my trip be a life time one, in communicating them, they was acting so fast and their stuff was so helpful, their price was good.

 

We have met the General Manager of Champions, he came to meet us during our lunch in Cairo to check by himself that everything is going well with us.

 

Not only that, but also when we had to cancel our optional Cairo by night Dinner Cruise they have refunded us our money in Cash without any cancellation fees.

[Saga Ruby]

I dealt with "Nefertiti" at Champion Tours and, after booking with her, I later learned that her prices were sky-high expensive. I changed my booking to DeCastro and asked Nefertiti for a refund of my $531 deposit for a 3-day trip priced at $853.

 

After heated exchanges of emails. she purposely went out of town on holiday without refunding the money. I sent copies of my emails to the Accounting Manager at Champion to get my credit card refunded. The Accounting Manager was most kind and professional but I did not get the deposit back for a month. I have the dated emails to prove all my statements.

 

I believe that Champion Tours is an honourable company and I believe the General runs a fine company. In my particular case, "Nefertiti" mishandled my booking from the moment I found out that her prices were hundreds of dollars higher than other tour operators. For example - I was crystal clear that I had made my own reservation at the Al Moudira in Luxor. When Nefertiti sent a line-item invoice, I learned that I had been charged $150 for the hotel!

 

I would also point out that my conflict with Champion was last fall, not 2 or 3 years ago. I believe Champion does a good job with tours, but, in my case, their prices were completely out of line with other tour operators.

 

Ruby

[wripro]

Saga Ruby,

 

Obviously, you had a bad experience with Champion Tours due to one of its representatives. That is a shame and I can imagine how frustrating it is. Still, I would not judge a company by one negative experience. I have booked with Champion for an overnight from Alexandria to Cairo in April and my dealings with them have been nothing but exemplary. The price is as good as if not better than other quotes I received. They accept credit cards (which many do not) and my 25% deposit was immediately acknowledged. Mohamed, the manager, even sent me a picture of the van they will be using. I am confident all will go well.

[Saga Ruby]

Saga Ruby, Obviously, you had a bad experience with Champion Tours due to one of its representatives. That is a shame and I can imagine how frustrating it is. Still, I would not judge a company by one negative experience. I have booked with Champion for an overnight from Alexandria to Cairo in April and my dealings with them have been nothing but exemplary. The price is as good as if not better than other quotes I received. They accept credit cards (which many do not) and my 25% deposit was immediately acknowledged. Mohamed, the manager, even sent me a picture of the van they will be using. I am confident all will go well.

 

I absolutely agree with everything you have said. I think the vast majority of tourists will enjoy their Champion experience. My anger stems from Nefertiti going into aggressive mode when I said I was unhappy about the charges and had questions. Her emails suddenly became full of large fonts and numerous exclamation points and questions marks and a very mocking tone (After all I have done for you . . . ). The high price, the charge for a hotel I had booked privately, made me run for the exits.

 

As I said, I believe Champion is an good tour operator but when problems arose, it became an most off-putting experience.

 

Have a wonderful time in Egypt and enjoy your tour.

 

Ruby

[wripro]

Thanks Ruby. I hope all your future tours will be worry free and happy ones.

[Deloresgardella]

I have booked with DeCastro for our tour of Cairo while in Egypt. He has been very responsive and answered all of my email quick. I wired him the deposit and received a confirmation within a few days. No problem. We are going in October.

Delores