Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. 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.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:19/09/2022

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  We bought a China tour for November 2022. They sold it to us but no tours are being offered. Asked for a refund and was only given travel credit. Now they won’t give us our money back… * **** ****** **** Why would you sell a service that YOU KNOW CAN’T be fulfilled then only offer credit when you want your money back. **** ******* ****** ****** ** ***** ****** *** ** ***** *****. TERRIBLE COMPANY! NEVER AGAIN!!!

  Business Response

  Date: 19/03/2023

  #*****

  It was due to covid situation China was not opened for travelers.
  We offered our customers a full Travel Credit which will be good for future bookings with UTOvacation packages on our website.
  If requesting a refund, please refer to our terms & conditions which disclosed to you before your purchase and also on your invoice. This is the final conclusion for this case, no more discussion will be made about this matter. Thank you

   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:19/09/2022

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I purchased a trip through UTO to China and Thailand. In addition to the trip cost, I purchased several excursions. There was a strict payment plan that I followed. I later received notification that the trip had been cancelled due to COVID restrictions in China. I was told at that time that the trip would be rescheduled for 2023. After several emails asking for dates that we could reschedule, I noticed that they were marketing the trip for $100 more than I had originally paid. When I reached out to them to try again to get dates for 2023, I was told that the trip was now 10 times what I had paid, even though it was being marketed at o LH $100 more. When I reached out for clarification, I was told that I could book, but now there was an additional ‘tip’ fee that was 50% more than I had originally paid for the trip. They have not responded to my most recent request, nor offered me any refund.

  Business Response

  Date: 19/03/2023

  #*****

  Case is settled, and closed, thank you

• Initial Complaint

  Date:19/09/2022

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I booked a vacation to go to China on November 29, 2021 to go to China for three people for $897. The company promised a 10 day China trip as a part of a Black Friday sale. On July 13, 2022 they sent an email saying the were cancelling my trip due to coronavirus restrictions in China which is fine so I called multiple times to see when I would be receiving my email with no answer. When I finally got an answer on the phone, the man told me to send an email asking for a refund. I sent and email and after a couple weeks went by with hearing nothing, I decided to call again today. I was told it could take up to 6 weeks to get my refund, then I was put on hold and when the woman came back she told me I would be getting no refund. She told me that I could only get a voucher to use for another vacation, and nearly every other vacation they offer is 5 times more expensive than the one I purchased. This feels like a **** *** ****** to get me to spend an exorbitant amount on a vacation. They cancelled my trip and told me that I could not get my money back because I took too long to reach out to them, and when I asked what the deadline was to get a refund, the woman said she wasn’t sure. They woman I spoke to would not give me her full name, only a first name, Yuki, and when I searched for reviews, I found a multitude of other people complaining of the exact same thing. All I want is a refund for a trip that they were not able to provide because now I’m out nearly $900. The company is extremely unprofessional and they frequently scam customers. I asked Yuki if she could tell me the policy for cancellations and she refused and told me that wasn’t her problem. I included pictures of my receipt and some customer reviews from just a few days ago. It can not be lawful to offer a service that you know you cannot deliver just to get money out of vulnerable customers. This company needs to be stopped before they scam more people out of money. Also my order ID is #*****

  Business Response

  Date: 19/03/2023

  #*****

  It was due to covid situation China was not opened for travelers.
  We offered our customers a full Travel Credit which will be good for future bookings with UTOvacation packages on our website.
  If requesting a refund, please refer to our terms & conditions which disclosed to you before your purchase and also on your invoice. This is the final conclusion for this case, no more discussion will be made about this matter. Thank you

• Initial Complaint

  Date:19/09/2022

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On May 6, 2022 my wife and I made a deposit of $198 with UTO for a China and Thailand trip in October 2023. On May 20 we made an additional deposit for the trip of $400. In July we added on an optional pre-trip and discovered that they would be charging $60 per person in undisclosed mandatory fees for the pre-trip. In discussing this discrepancy we discovered that they intend to charge us an additional $300 per person in undisclosed mandatory fees for the main trip. These undisclosed mandatory fees add a total of $720 above what is stated as the cost and is not listed anywhere in the fine print. They are calling it a gratuity and note that the fine print says that gratuities are not included. We have taken numerous tours and always tip our guide and driver. This is not an issue. But charging $720 is not a gratuity, it is a fee we are unwilling to pay. They said we could email them to cancel and receive a refund. We did this 5 weeks ago and they have not responded to the email or any of the follow-up emails. We want a refund of the $598 paid as deposits.

  Business Response

  Date: 19/03/2023

  #*****

  If requesting a refund, please refer to our terms & conditions which disclosed to you before your purchase and also on your invoice. This is the final conclusion for this case, no more discussion will be made about this matter. Thank you

  Customer Answer

  Date: 24/03/2023

  
  
  Complaint: ********
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  

  The terms and conditions do not apply because UTO changed the terms after acceptance.  UTO added fees that were not disclosed at the time of acceptance.  I do not agree to these undisclosed charges.

  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  ******* ********

  Business Response

  Date: 04/04/2023

  #*****

  UTOvacation's position remain the same: 

  It was due to covid situation China was not opened for travelers.
  We offered our customers a full Travel Credit which will be good for future bookings with UTOvacation packages on our website.
  If requesting a refund, please refer to our terms & conditions which disclosed to you before your purchase and also on your invoice. This is the final conclusion for this case, no more discussion will be made about this matter. Thank you

  Customer Answer

  Date: 16/04/2023

  
  
  Complaint: ********
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  This is the first time I heard that the trip is cancelled.  UTO has not offered me anything at this point.  If they are now saying that the trip is closed, this is all the more reason I should receive a refund.  They have not reached out to me at all to even tell me they are not doing the trip.

  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  ******* ********

  Business Response

  Date: 25/04/2023

  #*****

  Customer did not choose any option from the poll, or upload any required documents.

  If requesting a refund, please refer to our terms & conditions which disclosed to you before your purchase and also on your invoice. Thank you

• Initial Complaint

  Date:19/09/2022

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  UTOVacations booking number *****
  We booked a trip for October 2021, Instructions for the order said we’d receive an itinerary 30 days before our trip. We watched the Covid situation for Peru, and received vaccinations to prepare for the trip as the country was open for travel for vaccinated Americans. In August we received an email from UTO asking us move our trip to the next year due to Covid, but that we could choose to still travel, and if we got Covid we would be responsible for additional travel expenses. They asked us to let them know if we’d like to risk going forward or postpone the trip. We talked as a family and responded by saying we were all in, prepared and ready to go. Amy Y. from UTO called me a few days later to say that we must rebook for next year. I said we had chosen to go forward. She repeated that we could not go due to Covid, and I told her that the country was open for travel. Finally, she said that our tour operator ***** did not want to take us. She was careful not to say she was canceling, but that is exactly what it was. They canceled our trip.
  We rescheduled for Oct 8-14, 2022 and I called and emailed in April 2022 and received an email from Amy confirming that they had all our travel information and that we were a go for October. In august of 2022 we received an email asking for $600 per person for gas up-charges or for us to reschedule for 2023 or 2024. We chose to pay the $600 but we couldn’t get anyone to reply to emails or answer the phone or return calls regarding the $600 payment, as there wasn’t a way to pay on our online accounts. Finally Amy answered her phone and she told me the October trip would not be happening. This was 3 days before we should have received our full itineraries. She offered a trip in November, and I worked with her for a couple weeks on this but most of my calls and emails were unanswered. I have emails printed out accounting my efforts. I don’t trust this company and would like my money back.

  Business Response

  Date: 19/03/2023

  #*****

  Refund have been processed.

  Case is settled and closed, thank you

  Customer Answer

  Date: 19/03/2023

  
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  ******* ******

• Initial Complaint

  Date:19/09/2022

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My friend and I paid for a vacation to China in2019. Due to the pandemic we had to choose another vacation. We changed our vacation to South America " Golden Triangle" for an additional cost of $546 on May 2, 2022.
  We can not get in touch with the travel agency either by email or text message or telephone. We are upse4t because we were supposed to get our plane ticket and itinery specifics a moth before the vacation. We are supposed to leave on Oct. 7, 2022 which is only 3 weeks away. We have spent this money and we are 78 and 80 years old and had to save for this trip. We want our money back since the trip is not happening.

  Business Response

  Date: 20/03/2023

  #*****

  Customer has received refund from UTOvacation.

  Case is settled, and closed, thank you

• Initial Complaint

  Date:19/09/2022

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Original purchase was on 9/10/2019 for a trip to China. Original deposit was on 9/25/2019 of $200. On 10/9/2019 i paid an additional $99 and on 11/30/2019 I paid the balance of $1554.00. Total of $1853. The trip kept getting postponed several times dye to the pandemic. and eventually they convinced me to book a different trip for an additional charge of $546.00 which I paid 5/3/2022. I now have a total $2399 deposit. On 3/3/2021 they deducted $ 99 for incurred fees (I don't know what they were).
  Our trip to Brazil is supposed to leave on Oct 7, 2022, three weeks from today. I was supposed to receive my travel information (flights, hotels, tours) 30 days prior, but I have received nothing. I tried calling only to be disconnected after a 16-minute hold and I tried chat which promised to send me the information. I have not been able to get any answers. I have also sent several emails with return receipt which were not acknowledged nor answered. The invoice reflects payments made by myself and my travel companion, We are both filing this complaint.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/01/2023

  Good morning,
  
  I would like to let you know that the check from UTO has finally cleared. The bank fees between the two banks amounted to a total of $156.00 which I'm not happy about. Please consider the case closed.
  
  Thank you for all your assistance  - happy new year.
  
  ***** *********

• Initial Complaint

  Date:14/09/2022

  Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  **** ********** ** ********* ***** *** ******* ******* ** *** ********** On 6/23/2022, we purchased vacation through UTO (Order #*****). The trip cost was $8,935.00 and we have paid $6,185.00 so far. The final payment is due on 09/16/22. The trip was advertised for $299 per person to China and Thailand and includes all flights, hotels etc. With upsells it was $1800/person.
  
  Days after, I saw that there is no travel to China, and a min 14-day quarantine. This quarantine’s been in effect, and the package is still advertised. UTO sold us a trip to a country knowing upfront that travel is not available/no eta on when China will reopen. They ****** us with a $299 lure knowing upfront that later we would need to reschedule and spend twice the amount to travel to Thailand.
  
  A week later, I called UTO and asked if we could remove the China leg of the trip due to restrictions. She said no, we can’tbb do that, there is time for China to reopen. I brought up rescheduling and the UTO said no despite us paying a $99 for Assurance Policy allowing a reschedule 150 days prior to our travel.
  
  8/31/22, I called UTO asking about their vacations to China, not telling her that I already purchased a China vacation. The UTO rep said that we should stay away from travel to China as there is a 14-day quarantine. This “deal” is still on their website and being advertised through *********!
  
  9/8/22 I called UTO about rescheduling/canceling. I asked her the fee for canceling as I read the fee would be $99-$300. She stated $1175/person since the Early Bird fees are nonrefundable. Since that was not an option, I asked about rescheduling. To reschedule to just Thailand, she wanted to collect $9,935 for a total of $18,870. In summary, the only solutions were to let them keep the $5,875 for cancellation or spend another $9,935 in addition to what we paid for a lesser trip even though they can't supply the China trip they sold us.

  Business Response

  Date: 20/03/2023

  #*****

  Customer has received refund from UTOvacation.

  Case is settled, and closed, thank you

   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:13/09/2022

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I purchased two trips (#*******) in 2020 for a Oct2021 trip to Peru. In May 2021, UTO notify that our Peru trip was being postponed due to COVID. I was told that UTO would be honoring the price and that it was best to postponed it for the following year (2022). As my trip got closer to Oct 2022, I received another notification that it was recommended to postponed. And if I wanted to go forward with the trip there will be a surcharge of $699 added due to the fuel/inflation. I called 8/26 and spoke with Issac. I told him I would like to continue with the trip and he said someone would be in contact with me within a week. It has been two weeks and I still have not heard back. I have called multiple times. No one answers. My calls are dropped. I also left voice message and no ones returns them. I also email and don’t get an answer. I am being ghosted. At this point, I would like to get my money back. I am no longer interested in tours. I am concern that if they behave this way, they would have no regard for the travel. They are putting travelers at risk. Unknown about their behavior, I purchased another trip to Greece from them. I wished I had known their tactics before I made that purchase.
  
  Peru trip bought on 10/20/2020
  Paid $1,796 per UTO- ***** and $1,796 per UTO-*****.

  Business Response

  Date: 20/03/2023

  #*****

  Customer has received refund from UTOvacation.

  Case is settled, and closed, thank you

• Initial Complaint

  Date:13/09/2022

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I had booked in 2019 for tour of 10 days in China for tour departing in October 2020 for 6 people with cost $299 per person. Due to COVID tours in 2020, 2021, 2022 did not happen. Now with 2022 the same tour price is jacked up to $999. In 2020, we called for refund, they refused to give us refund. They said they will only isuue credit vouchers for future tuours. We did take the credit voucher. We re-booked the tour in September 2022 for tour departing in October 2023 for 10 days China & Thailand with intention to use our credit voucher for the same price $299. However, now they are not using my credit voucher and getting statement for amound due $1800 for 6 people eventhough we have credit voucher for $1800 on top of it my credit card now chached additional $6 ($1 per person for re-booking). I have called them more than 11 times on their two phone and I was on hold for more than an hour and then phone gets disconnected. I also went on their onlince chat ( I have chat conversation for the record) and they said you have to send email to customer service dept for them to use your credit voucher. I have send numerous emails to them to confirm our tour but they have not been replying. Right now we are not confirmed on tour becuase we have not made the payment. We have lot going on next year, Weddings in the family and we need to know if we are going on the tour or not. At this point we prefer to get our money back as we are tired and we have spent lot of time connecting with them which has resulted to zero. Please someone look into this as this company has received so many complains and they are going to continue to do so if someone with authority is going to look into this. Original Invoice UTO ***** & UTO *****. New Invoice # ***** & *****. Numerous emails have been sent to ******@***********.com and ****@***********.com

  Business Response

  Date: 20/03/2023

  #***** 

  China announced its reopening and customer has chosen to go on this tour, and uploaded all the required documents.

  Case is settled, and closed, thank you