Essence of Japan 8 Days 7 Nights

Customer Reviews

• AP

  Arthur

  · October 21st, 2024
  We just returned from Japan with UTO Vacations. Our guide in Tokyo took us to the highlights where we spent 20 to 30 minutes at each location - nothing in depth. While we were driving he fell asleep and snored loudly for about 30 minutes (he was not the driver)! After waking up to make a short comment he was back to sleep. We both felt this was highly unprofessional. Additionally, we paid for airport to hotel transfers for both of us and no one met us. We had to arrange our own transfers after waiting for an hour for a representative to show up. We called the emergency number provided and receive message in Japanese (which we don't speak). We had the same thing happen with airport transfers both ways on our Central Europe tour in February. This will be our last tour with UTO Vacations. Several of our fellow travelers in Japan felt the same way. Poor communication with customers is not professional!
  Show more
  Trip date: October 2024
• M

  Mutiarawidya

  · September 24th, 2024
  Utovacation is a practicing *Homo homini lupus* I put deposit $1600 in 2021 for China tour 2022 which was canceled by them. They gave the money as travel credit for a limited time( 18 months ) but their tour became way too expensive. For the same itinerary, it costs $10.000. Once they refunded $600 but they took it back from my credit card. Very unethical and unfair conduct, they do whatever they like to keep customer's money in their possession.
  Show more
  Trip date: October 2022
• 

  Clyde

  · September 13th, 2024
  My wife and I traveled to Italy with UTO Vacations. The first indication that something was wrong was when we were left stranded at the airport in Rome, after having prepaid for a ride to our hotel. The contact person told us to take a taxi and UTO would reimburse us. After that, UTO kept canceling excursions that we had already paid for. The cost of the taxi plus the canceled excursions came up to $442.00. They refused to reimburse anything and ended up giving us a $50 credit, which we can't use. My advice to travelers is stay away from UTO Vacations. They will ruin your trip.
  Show more
  Trip date: February 2024
• 

  Luba

  · September 8th, 2024
  No travel! They just took my money and left! They must be in jail by now for what they done to others too!
  Trip date: September 2024
• KV

  kerstin

  · December 14th, 2023
  We organized and paid for a trip to China and Japan one year in advance. We paid in full. Three weeks before the trip you to vacations called us and canceled the trip. After this they were impossible to reach by phone or email. Many hours were wasted trying. Finally on the chat Internet someone said they would give us a refund in 6 to 8 weeks. Of course this did not materialize. Never did we receive any written communication about the cancellation or refund. Luckily my credit card reimbursed me after they made their own inquiries and UTO did not respond to them.
  Show more
  Trip date: October 2023
• 

  Catharine

  · September 15th, 2023
  I can't emphasize enough how bad my experience with UTO has been. They've let me down at every step. I booked a trip with excitement, but it turned into a complete mess of broken promises, no communication, and a total disregard for customers like me. First, they suddenly canceled my trip without telling me. I was left feeling frustrated and stuck. But then they told me they'd find me a similar trip if I took down my negative review. I agreed, but they didn't keep their word. Instead, they stopped talking to me altogether. I had no idea what was happening with my trip or if there were any other options. When I asked for a refund, they ignored me. I had no choice but to dispute the charges with my credit card company. Oddly enough, UTO brought back my trip, but only long enough to win the dispute. After that, they canceled my trip again, without warning. What's even more troubling is that UTO lost its accreditation with the Canadian BBB, which means they're not trustworthy. I'm not the only one who's gone through this nightmare. This whole ordeal has been a huge disappointment, and I wouldn't recommend UTO to anyone. They've shown they can't be trusted, and other people have had similar bad experiences. Be cautious and look for better travel options.
  Show more
  Trip date: September 2023
• P

  Pol

  · September 14th, 2023
  Company is a fraud . Fully paid for my November 2023 vacation in January 2023. Uploaded all required docs on company’s website months ago just to learn that they cancelled it due to missing docs without any notification. Money non refundable but can be used as a credit toward your further vacations. Credit never issues, other travel deals are much more expensive and scam as well. Now I see other reviewers just like mine. SCAM!!!!
  Show more
  Trip date: August 2023
• 

  Renee

  · September 7th, 2023
  Like the most recent complaints, our family was also victim to UTO Travel and we hope others will see this and realize the company is a complete scam. We booked our China trip right before COVID shutdown. We patiently waited and even paid extra fees to move the date out. We NEVER got any communication from UTO. The only time they would reach out was when we emailed. Please take note: Reputable agencies will bend over backwards to keep their travelers well informed. We kept going back to our travel to check on the updates. We were told (on 2/21/23) we would be notified when travel was reopened and the booking was moving forward. That never happened. There is no way my husband and I BOTH had emails that were not received. We checked on 9/4/23 to see that the trip was re-opened. We inquired via online chat only to be told we were too late and could not go on the trip because too much time had lapsed! I asked why were not notified and they 'said' emails were sent. I asked for dates and proof which were not supplied. I asked if the agents had phones because they should have called as well. The customer service was incredibly bad. I told them that to make this right they needed to offer us the same trip at the same price. They would not do it. They knew the trip was booked at a lower rate and would no longer be profitable for them. Long story - we lost our trip. The only offered a travel credit but I don't trust this company to take me overseas. There is no telling how horrible that would end up. Please - PLEASE- Please be warned! Do not throw your money away. I hope they realize how much travel they are losing because of their dishonest practices and plethora of bad reviews.
  Show more
  Trip date: August 2023
• 

  Elsie

  · August 23rd, 2023
  Booked in 2022 for Nov 2023, no communication since paying. I checked in (hard with the lack of email, voicemail, and irregular answering of phones), and found out that apparently since I did not upload my passports online more than 6 months in advance, tour was canceled, and money forfeited. Seeing on social media, that this is a pretty common occurrence. Not worth the risk.
  Show more
  Trip date: August 2023
• NY

  Nina

  · July 18th, 2023
  I booked and paid for my trip entirely more than seven months before the trip departure day. Five months and twenty days before the trip departure day, I found out that my trip has been moved to a waiting list. It was unpleasant surprise, because before that day I received no notifications about changes of status of my trip. Then I found out that the Cancelation Policy has also been changed without any notifications. (Cancelation policy is hidden into Terms and Conditions. Read it before pay! The UTO cancelation policy is just a trap for unaware customers.) As a result of these discoveries, I lost all trust in the UTO Vacation Company. I canceled my trip. After that I received an UTO email that stated that cancelation penalty is 50% of the amount I paid for my trip. After I filed a claim to dispute my credit card transactions, the penalty was increased to 100% of the amount I paid for my trip. Then the UTO deleted all information about the disputed tour from my account on the UTO web site. My account webpage now says “You have not booked any tours!” My order number, my invoice, and my credit card transactions with UTO do not exist anymore according to the UTO website. I will never use the UTO Vacation Company again.
  Show more
  Trip date: July 2023