Reviews

Review Details

• Review fromSharon C

  Date: 15/05/2024

  1 star
  We booked a trip incl lodging & airfare to China. Then COVID happened. China closed their borders. China remained closed even after many Countries opened, but UTO refused any refunds. Even with our age and documented pre-existing health conditions, UTO refused our request for a refund.
  TRIFLING & ********* About 3 months before the supposed China trip, UTO offered a credit toward another trip somewhere else or agree to go still go to China. But, China was still closed and the likelihood they would open for travel in abt 3 months was less than 1%..bThis offer was only a PLOY because it's a lot harder to deny refunds when a destination is STILL closed due to travel. UTO did this to INSURE NO REFUNDS were issued.
  PRICE GOUGING
  We opted for the credit & rebooked to Thailand. The docs boldly stated the Vaca began on 3/23 so we booked our flight. However, when we finally learned the name of our lodgings 30 days before departure, we saw that we weren't getting picked up until 3/24 & had no hotel. I emailed UTO immediately and discovered 3/23 was considered a "travel day". Therefore accommodations & airport transportation didn’t begin until 3/24. The check in date was less prominently displayed in the body of the documents. So now we're scrambling. UTO offered us a one-night stay for $600 and transportation from the airport to the hotel for $180 in the SAME hotel where we would "officially" begin our vacation on 3/24. We declined the UTO offer. This was **** price ******* because we paid $60 for one night in the SAME hotel and $0 for transportation, as the Hotel arranged for pickup.
  POOR SERVICE
  Not telling vacationers where they are staying at the onset ** **** * ***** ****. **** If you dont like the accommodations, you probably will not book in the first place.
  TERRIBLE COMMUNICATION
  If one phones UTO, you get a msg that says in abt 2-3 minutes if not answered by UTO Customer Service the phone will disconnect. The phone is disconnected in under a minute. Unbelievable

• Review fromLAUREN M

  Date: 09/05/2024

  1 star
  Supposedly booked a 5 star beachfront hotel in ****** and were severely disappointed. We ended up checking out of our hotel early, after only a couple days due to the fact that the beach was not swimmable; it was so dirty and polluted the hotel staff did not recommend swimming there. On top of this, there was nothing close by and it would have cost as much in taxis expenses to go to a clean beach every day than to stay at a different hotel.
  We also paid for a 3rd person, full price for each person, to be told the ONLY difference is we get a portable cot in our room. Wow. ******. I feel like UTO has been ********* in its descriptions in its advertisements of the trip. We were extremely unhappy.

• Review fromJared M

  Date: 08/05/2024

  1 star
  They will issue arbitrary and undisclosed fees and refuse to issue a refund if you don't consent. Impossible to communicate through customer service. * **** **** ******** ***** ****** ********* ******* ********* **** ** ****** ***** **** ******** *** ********* ********

• Review fromConstance W

  Date: 02/05/2024

  1 star
  In December, 2020, I paid for a trip to China *** ** ******** *** ****** to begin in October, 2021 for $2258. In April 2021, UTO suspended all travel due to Covid, but stated that either I'd have to sustain a cancellation penalty of $599 each - or allow the money to be used as travel credit. Travel resumed to China in 2023 but UTO did not offer equivalent trips to I'd booked. When I asked for a refund, UTO insisted that our travel credit could still be used. Somewhere along the line UTO cancelled our trip with a penalty equal to the total amount I'd paid and it took going through TICO to get them to again offer my funds as travel credit. Trips offered in 2024 came up twice but I was told they were already full - *** **** ** ******** saw one at a comparable price, was told we could not use our travel credit.
  I truly feel this company is using these low cost trips as a ***** *** ******* policy, ***** ** ******* *** ****  They sell at a low cost, postpone or cancel the trip then force the customer to buy a higher price trip to use travel credits. * **** **** ** **** **** *** ****** ** **** *****

• Review fromMay J

  Date: 01/05/2024

  1 star
  I booked a UTO vacation trip in China and Japan in 2022. Due to COVID restrictions, we decided to cancel the trip because we're afraid of the isolation period and be stuck in China for 10 days in case we get COVID-19. So they sent an email that if we want to cancel, we can get a letter of credit for future trips. I've been looking on their website for something similar price for the last year so I can use my $2,000 before it expires, but all their tours are beyond pricey now, about $3500 each not including airfare. I called them because I want to use my credit for airfare only, not buying any of the tours because they are so expensive. They said I can only use my credit by buying another tour and my credit cannot be used for Airfare alone. I talked to Lisa on the phone *** ***** ****. I asked to speak to someone else, she told me nobody else I could talk to since that's their policy. **** **** **** *** * **** ** **** * **********

• Review fromBrenda S

  Date: 12/04/2024

  1 star
  Back in June 2021 ** ******* *** I paid $1200 to UTO Vacations for a trip to China and Japan that was supposed to take place in February 2022. They knew from the very beginning that China had restrictions when they offered us the trip; however, they never mentioned this to us at the time. It was only when the date of the trip was approaching that they made us aware of this, and that we were not going to be able to go as planned. We decided to wait and take the credit for which we had 18 months to use it, 18 months from the original trip date. Nevertheless, the same trip for the same price has never been available again, and the only time it "supposedly" becane available it was gone within minutes; hence, we am still not able to book our trip and we will lose our credit if we am not able to use the $1200 towards another trip because the prices are unattainable. I demand UTO Vacations to refund my money since they knew from the very beginning about the China restrictions and yet they never made us aware of them. **** **** ****** ** take our money knowing we will never be able to use it.

• Review fromTravis S

  Date: 11/04/2024

  1 star
  ** *** **** **** **** **** *** * **** ******** They ***** you with a low low deal which turns into a really expensive vacation. We purchased a hot air balloon ride, which was cancelled due to bad weather. I asked for a refund and I was told I could only get a credit. They have a $225 per person mandatory tipping for guides and driver. *** **** ***** ** *** ***** *** ****** ***** *** *** ****** * ****** *** **** *** ********** *** *** *** ******

• Review fromLinda B

  Date: 13/03/2024

  1 star
  My China Japan tour for 2023 was asked to cancel by UTO due to lack of tour services in those countries. They promised to book the next available tour and gave me credit for 18 months, no refund. Until now they do not have any similar tour available. They said I have plenty of time until April 2025 to make decision until the next available. The available tours are too expensive compared to my original booking. * **** *** *** ******* **** *** ** *** ** *** *** *** *******. They are just the same as a company that lure you by offering a cheap tour. I hope they will have a similar tour to book me or refund my money with exception to their non-refundable policy.

• Review fromScott B

  Date: 12/03/2024

  1 star
  I would strongly advise using UTO Vacation
  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 wish you all the best in your future travel plans.

• Review fromAlbert S

  Date: 19/02/2024

  1 star
  ** ** * ***** Their package prices are outrageously expensive and 9 of us will lose the money we put in June 2019 since our credit with them will expire this year. I am honestly very puzzled how they are still in business.