UTOvacation Bewertungen 1.323

UTO IS A SCAM. They have terrible service. Don't communicate about your tour. Put you on hold for hours. Don't refund or return ANY money. If they over credit it can only be used at a limited time and con only be used on expensive tour. On our 3rd try at using credit WITH UTO we purchase a Turkey tour. By the end it cost twice as much as advertised and we were out $500 for a canceled air balloon ride. Save your money and your time and go with a trustworthy company.

I bought the China tour package through UTO in 2022, and Japan tour package in 2023 during the promotion that they advertised. They cancelled both tours closer to the departure dates.
They said they could not provide me the refund, but they could provide me travel credits for both tours for $1,792 USD. The only issue with travels credits are, those have expiration date. Mine will be expired very soon. The reason I did not book the other tours until now is the price of the tours they offered is ridiculously high now. It is a lot higher than the promotional price that I got before. When I reached out to UTO, they said I have to use the credit before expiration date, otherwise I would lose all my money. They said they previously had several promotions before, such as black friday 2023 promotion, that I should have took advantage of. Unfortunately those promotion was lasted only 1 day or few days. When I tried to book those promotional tours, it was either already sold out, or the date was not fit me. I told them to extend the expiration day of my credits since I could not afford paying the high tour price now before expiration days. But they refused to extend my expiration date. Apparently they want me to book the expensive tours that they offer now before the expiration date. Eventhough I told them I could not afford paying those expensive tour package, they don't care. They said I have to use my travel credits asap before the expiration date, otherwise I would lose the $1,792 USD credit that I have.
This is not right at all what the UTO does. I am sure many people complained about this issue. This is definitely a SCAM, since they make money from their customers even though they are the one that cancelled the original tours. This is definitely not the customer's fault at all, and the customers are the one that have to lose their hard earned money.

Don't waste your time and money with UTO Vacation. I am having the worst experience with this company. First they are unresponsive unless they are collecting money from you. I purchased 4 vacation packages (Enchanted Japan and China 10 day trip) in May 2022. They received my full payment in June 2022. They postponed the trip due to COVID in 2023. My trip was supposed to happen on Feb 26, 2024 but received an email on Feb 1, 2024 letting me know that the trip has been cancelled. According to their email, "Your booking orders have been canceled due to the supplier had canceled some bookings because a few tours were not full caused by multiple unexpected reasons such as last minute cancellation by customers." So now, they have been holding my money for 2 years.
I requested for a refund, they could not credit the refund to my credit card since it has been 2 years. They tell me I have to pay to have the refund check mailed to me. I received the check in the mail (April 2, 2024-basically 2 months after they cancelled the trip!) but I am unable to deposit or cash it to my account because my 2 banks do not accept foreign checks. So now It is April and I still don't have the money in my hand just a piece of paper...I have asked them to wire transfer my refund. Guess what their response is, try depositing the check to another bank since they never had any issues before with their US customers.
I am fed up with this company...2 years of being patient and understanding...all they care about is getting your money.

Like MAFIA UTO Vacation steals money from customers. They canceled my China trip, refused to return my money back, as is customary! Then extorted Money from me under duress, and against my will - ring leader Amy Yiu said [emailed]: "your $1,100 is locked, you have to agree we subtract $100 for complaining" - I have the right to complain when they cancel my trip and keep my $$, this is EXTORTION, a FELONY!

BEWARE!
Purchased a trip to China and Thailand for a price apparently and actually too good to be true. They cancelled our trip a week before departure saying we had not submitted all passports. I showed them on their own site that we had it in for months. They talked us into a credit which is about to expire and like others have pointed out the trips are 10x as much now.
Fraudulent actually. Every time I contact them it is an excuse and watch for upcoming sales. Two weeks ago it was "we will be having an Easter sale" Never heard of an Easter sale for good reason; there wasn't one.
Credit card company is no help either as it has been some time since the charge occurred.
DO NOT BOOK WITH THIS COMPANY.

UTO is a disaster! I live in the US otherwise, I'd file a lawsuit against them. They don't deliver on their promises and try to extract more money out of you before your trip.
I went on the Inca Discovery Tour to Peru in Jan. 2024. It was a stressful disappointing experience before and during the Peru trip dealing with UTO. The entire time, you have to chase UTO. They don't care once they have your money. Pre-trip communication was minimal. Our JetBlue flight from Ft. Lauderdale to Lima was cancelled a few months before trip and we were charged $250 change fee. For what? Flight was cancelled by carrier. JetBlue refunded unused airfare back to UTO, who just had to re-book flight on a different carrier. Then assigned hotels were changed to inferior hotels after the Final Itinerary was sent. The $250 Mandatory Tipping Fee never gets to the drivers, guides on your tour. This I verified with the local tour operator. IF you want to have a Stress-Free Vacation, Don't book with UTO.

I did my best to have faith in this company, but they sold tours they knew could not happen due to COVID, and then offered credit upon cancellation. But when the credit expiration dates are nearing, they have priced all their tours to 8 times the price.

They said it's because of demand. Why would demand make a tour 8 times more in cost when nothing else has risen. It's to make sure you cannot use your credit.

BUYER BEWARE!

My experience with UTO Vacation during my trip to Delhi, India, was deeply disappointing. Despite booking a tour package that included accommodation at The Metropolitan Hotel and Spa, UTO Vacation failed to ensure our reservation was honored upon arrival. The lack of coordination and communication with the hotel led to unnecessary stress and inconvenience. Additionally, UTO Vacations' inadequate response to flight delays and failure to provide essential information about the local guide further compounded the frustration. However, it's worth mentioning that the guide and driver provided excellent service throughout the tour, despite the shortcomings of UTO Vacation. Furthermore, I was dismayed to learn that the mandatory tips collected by UTO Vacation did not reach either the guide or the driver, which reflects poorly on their commitment to fair compensation for their staff. This negligence and disregard for customer satisfaction reflect poorly on their professionalism and reliability as a tour company.

Communicating with a knowledgeable person was very difficult. Pre- Covid they cancelled trip to China and Thailand. Our deposit money was not returned. Even the airfare up charge for business class. They had not booked any flights. I read their contract and it was stated only credit. Even so, I did not feel this was right.

We booked a trip to Thailand so we wouldn't loose all our money. We were presented with our flights and hotels 30 days before departure. Not enough time to choose the airline seats of our choice. The tour guides were wonderful and did a surperb job. We paid for 5 star hotels. The hotel that they assigned to us Phuket Panwa Beach Hotel was a 4 star. The hotel was "tired" and needed some TLC. There was not a swimmable beach. At high tide the water came up to your knees. Most of the time it was a city block long mud flat. Our greatest disappointment was that is was isolated from shopping, restaurants and entertainment. There was no entertainment at the hotel. Taking taxis was very expensive. We were very sorry that we booked a boat trip to James Bond Island through UTO. 50 people in a boat that you could not look out at the scenery unless you stood up. We had booked a trip with Simba for less money, 25 people, and able to look out at the scenery.

I agree with the many testimonials here stating UTO is a scam organization. We also had our China/Thailand trip canceled with a credit that we can not use. We have reported them to The Travel Industry Council of Ontario. Don't book ANYTHING with this company.

We scheduled our 25th anniversary trip to China and Thailand for $299, on 6/22 to travel on 3/23; a month before travel, they cancelled. They put the $1+ on credit. Never found another option to use the credit. We kept asking, they kept saying they would let us know...we only received one email on 11/2023; we checked immediately and it was sold out. It is a scam. They have a non refundable policy and they ask for all the money in advance as well as a copy of your passport. Who knows what they do with your personal information. I wish there was a way to sanction them and sue them to get the money back. At this point, as we are in our seventies, we don't have the time to wait years and years....if it ever happens.
They con people into buying these trips with no intention of fulfilling their commitment. The same thing happened to 6 more members of my immediate family when they booked the same trip for 10/23. We used all our savings and no anniversary trip.
They are dishonest and should not be allowed to advertise in the U.S.
If you check today, all the trips are in the thousands of dollars....

I would strongly advise against using UTO
My honeymoon to Peru was scheduled for February, but upon arriving at the airport, I was informed that my passport was damaged and I could not board the flight. This was particularly upsetting as I had used the same passport several times before, including a trip to France after the Peru trip was denied, without any issues.

When I contacted UTO, they claimed that I had canceled the trip and therefore there was nothing they could do. This was a shocking display of poor customer service, especially considering how difficult it is to speak to a live agent, as everything is handled through email or chat.

I hope this serves as a warning to anyone considering booking with UTO Vacation. I wish you all the best in your future travel plans.

I booked and paid in full in 2019 for a 2020 trip to China & Japan. For obvious, legitimate reasons, that tour was cancelled. UTO has my $3k and has had it since 2019.
Three times, I have rebooked this tour- I rebooked it in 2022 (it was cancelled by UTO), I rebooked that for 2023 and it was again cancelled by UTO. I already had a 20 day international trip booked through another tour company for 2024, so when the 2023 trip was again cancelled, I rebooked for 2025. We are currently scheduled for this trip in March of 2025. The trip is now much higher in cost. The trip now no longer includes airfare and many excursions. So, I have applied $2500 of my $3000 to this land-only, limited excursion trip. I can add on airfare, but not until 5 months prior to departure (October 2024). The excursions lists can only be added on in-trip, once in China. I cannot rebook or pay for them in advance.
My issue is- my travel credit expires August 24, 2024. I have called and chatted with reps a few times. In the past, the reps all told me I would just have to call to get my travel credits extended passed the August expiration. On my last calls and chats (when attempting to add on airfare or excursions) I was told UTO is no longer able to extend travel credits, nor are they willing to credit my account, as they cannot "not have a negative balance on a reservation".
Essentially, they’ve had my money for 5 years now (presumably in escrow?) and now they will not apply my credits to my trip, nor extend the expiration by 45 days so that I can use it to help offset airfare that is now no longer included in my trip. I have not cancelled any of my trips, nor have I ever not rebooked when UTO cancelled. How is this legal for them not to refund or allow me to use my credits now? Clearly the airfare for 2 from the US to China and Japan will be greater than the $500 they are refusing to credit me or return.
If I have not cancelled anything, and no visas, tips, flights or hotels were booked, why not actually let me use my money to book again? I just don’t understand the rationale. I’m a Director of Sales. I know how it works. They could 100% credit my account more than what I owe, allowing me to have a negative balance. That’s like accounting 101. They’re just choosing not to. So, they’re asking me- a loyal customer- to just be out the money I paid them 5 years ago, while continuing to put out more money, every time they decide to cancel my trip. I’m quite reasonable. I do not find this to be good business practice. I know it’s unethical and it may even be illegal, but I don’t want to be a huge pain in the keister for these poor agents either. It’s not their fault.
I just can’t believe we are talking about 45 days… after 5 years. They’re going to screw me out of $500 for being 45 days short after they cancelled 3 times in 4 years and they will not let me book anything else now, but it’s my fault I haven’t used my credits. Frustrating.

This company is a SCAM!! My family booked a UTO vacation "special" trip to China for $599 (USD) per person for eight of us in November 2022. UTO Vacation reportedly sent an email regarding cancelling the trip in February 2023. This email was never received by me. I showed them screenshots of all emails to/from UTO Vacation and asked them to provide their "sent" email to me regarding the cancellation and they never did this and would only offer a future travel credit. I repeatedly requested a refund as I did not want a travel credit with a company whose practices appeared disreputable. Since my booking, I have located dozens of similar stories on the internet regarding this company's bait and switch practices. I have a worthless travel credit of nearly $5,000 for my family of eight that will never be used.

I would give them 0 if I could. It is a scam company. They issued me a credit and I wanted to use it towards another trip. However, I had questions, so I sent them an email first. No response. I called - got disconnected after 2 min. I missed the payment deadline by one day (I did not apply my credit on time), and the whole trip was lost. Avoid this company at all cost. Customer service is not very helpful and they barely speak English. My recommendation is run, run run away from them and don't entrust your family vacation in their hands.

UTOvacation took $4,300 from us.
On October, 2019, 4 of us took UTOvacation's China tour package with incredibly low price, we have had great time and even told my neighbors to check future tours with UTOvacation.
Then we noticed an another post on TravelZoo and bought a China tour package again for four ($1,984) on 07-Dec-2021 from UTO Vacation to depart on 29-Oct-2022. UTO advised us about cancelling the trip due to COVID-19 and that the $1,984 would be credited toward a future tour with them. We then reserved a China/Thailand tour package for four ($4,300) on 07-Sep-2022 from UTO Vacation to depart on 06-Mar-2024. Then, we received an email warning of travel restrictions to China in July 2023 with possible cancellation of the trip by UTOvacation. Since then, having received no further communications about the trip, checked my account on UTO website and noticed no updated information, I attempted to contact UTO multiple times over phone calls to no avail until I reached an agent through their website's online chat on 12-Feb-2024, - I was advised that UTO Vacation suspended our trip because we had not paid an additional $300pp mandatory gratuity fee that was due 150 days before the trip (Final Payment Due Date: 2023-09-08).
UTO Vacation now refuses to deliver any service (trip, credit, or refund) that we'd paid multiple installments for since 2021 totaling $4,300.
We knew that there is unpaid balance $300x4=$1,200 but why they didn't give us any notice before cancelling our trip and taking $4,300 from us?
They say that multiple notices via email have been sent to us, absolutely not true!
I even checked spam folder too! None found.
Why would we risk losing $4,300 not paying $1,200 that, we agreed to pay? It's a trap for customers.
Today, I checked my UTO account to see status of the trip, no indications of canceling or suspension.
So far, we reported to TravelZoo and the Travel Industry Council of Ontario (TICO) in Canada.
Spend a bit more money and choose a travel agency who wants repeat customers.

The company canceled my trip to China without warning to which I received a travel credit for the money I had spent on the trip. The issue is, they do not offer the same trip for the same price. Instead, all the trips to the same location for the initial price have been "sold out" for the last year, or cost triple what I paid. I've asked numerous times about trips within a similar price range to what we paid, but all they say is to keep waiting. This business has scammed so many people. I would NEVER recommend someone to book with them.

If you are considering this company due to their inexpensive pricing, DON’T DO IT, unless you want to spend hours dealing with numerous hiccups related to your booking,

My adult daughter and I booked their Peru, “The Inca Discovery 8 Days.” It was the worst put-together tour that either of us have experienced, ever. (I want to qualify that the local Peruvian Company that handled Cusco and Mach Pichu were competent and their guides at Machu Pichu were wonderful, especially Alejandro.).

However a successful vacation is not based on the destination, local tour company alone. The transportation, lodgings and itinerary need to sync, too. Day 1 was a wash, most flights booked by individuals in our group by UTO Vacation, including ours, did not arrive in Lima until shortly before or after midnight, so say Day 1 in Lima did not exist. (If you want to dish out more money, after booking, they will give options for better flights. They know they are giving an inferior product and hope to take your money for the “upgrades.”)

For my booking, I had to leave home one day earlier due to a 12-hour lay over in Fort Lauderdale. Plus, they booked the lowest fare possible on JetBlue. Not only were my bags not included, I was not allowed to have carryon bag, at all, even if I wanted to pay to have one. (I was only allowed to take a personal item on the plane.). My return flight was a nightmare with a 14 hour plus layover and there was too much time in between flights for my checked luggage to go through to the final destination after customs.

We paid $210 each for mandatory tipping, “Compulsory tipping to tour guides and drivers,” however after talking with workers in Peru, we were doubtful any of that money ever reached the staff providing those services at the destination.

There were other problems with UTO Vacations, both pre-travel and during the trip. We had way too many hurdles to enjoy a stress-free vacation. Other travelers in our group, experienced similar problems. Check their ratings on BBB and Trip Advisor before booking with them. Spend a bit more money and choose a reliable travel agency with solid ratings over a long span of time.

Absolutely horrible company. They take your money, cancel your trip, refuse to refund you & instead, give you a ‘credit’, but jack the prices up on the same trip. A $1,600 trip for 2 to Italy would now cost us $9,000! I have reported them to several authorities including local Ontario Consumer Protection agencies. MULTIPLE PEOPLE EXPERIENCED THE SAME!

UPDATE: As of today, 3/15/24, I have contacted many agencies for help including TICO. I was told that they are unable to help & that UTO is within their rights to cancel our trip & keep our money since they offered the travel credit. The same trip that was advertised for $4,500/person last month went up again to $8,500/person! I asked TICO how can this be legal and that UTO is committing fraud. I was told by TICO that UTO offered Black Friday promotions. No they did not. Not for Italy. Maybe for China, but I do not wish to go to China. I don’t know who I’m more upset with; UTO or TICO.

We took Inca Empire Express 7days with UTO. All went well!
Hotels were in prime locations in Lima, Cusco and Sacred valley. Local tourist guides were professional and helpful.
Communication could be better since local hotels receptionists do not speak English well.