Be careful about booking tours based on what they promise in ads and when there are no reviews. Last week, my friend and I took part in the “Historic Tour: Order of the Templars in Tomar and Almourol from Lisbon” advertised by a company called RecordTours through Viator, and we were deeply disappointed with the experience. Despite the tour’s promising description, it failed to deliver what it promised. Firstly, the tour operator, RecordTours, promised group tour visits to three sites in or near Tomar, but did not verify the operational status of the sites included in the tour on the day we booked. We were left waiting for 30 minutes at the first site, Castelo de Almourol, only to be informed by our contact/driver that it was closed. Is it not the tour operator's responsibility to ensure that the sites they advertise are open on the day they promise a tour? This oversight demonstrates a lack of due diligence and is unacceptable, especially considering the tour cost. Secondly, contrary to the advertisement, our "guide" did not accompany us on the tour of the second site, Convento de Cristo in Tomar. We were left to explore the site independently, which was not what we signed up for. The tour ad stated a group tour. We expected a guided tour, not merely a transportation service. Lastly, we were informed that the third site, Igreja de Santa Maria dos Olivais, would be closed during our scheduled visit from 12 - 2pm. This information was not included in the advertisement, which also inaccurately stated that the tour would last approximately six hours. In reality, the tour duration is closer to eight hours. While the entrance fees for the first site were refunded (6EUR per person), this does not adequately compensate for the misleading information provided in the advertisement and the loss of our time. We chose this experience with the expectation of a guided tour, not merely a transportation service.
So what we got was transportation. The driver was very nice and gave us some info on Portugal, but that's not a "group tour." We could have taken an Uber or Bolt for cheaper. We reached out to the tour company to give them an opportunity to give us a partial refund for the poor experience, but they refused, claiming since we "visited" all 3 sites (even though 2 of the sites were closed), that the tour was completed as promised. Therefore, the least I can do is warn future visitors to avoid this scam.
I've traveled all over Europe and have booked dozens of tours, and this is the first time I ever felt scammed. Viator was also unable to secure a refund from the tour operator. But Viator refunded us about 25% of our price, so that was something. So the lesson is, be skeptical of all tour ads, especially those with few or no reviews, ask questions in advance if something is vaguely worded. I don't want this to happen to others. Keep on travelin'!