I'm not sure if this is the right forum to post this, but as the Wellington Society ostensibly offers tapas tours, I figured it makes sense to post under restaurants. I should start by saying I absolutely love Rick Steves and pretty much trust his judgment on everything. I always travel with a Rick Steves book in Europe and he has never steered me wrong before. On the topic of the Wellington Society, however, Rick Steves was wrong. I hope that by posting here, I can help other travelers avoid the same mistake.
Like I said above, ostensibly the Wellington Society offers tapas tours of Madrid. My family and I hired Stephen Drake-Jones to do a Hemingway tapas tour on January 3. We paid him (400 euros!) in advance, but on the day, he did not even bother to show up. We attempted to call, email, and text, all to no avail. When he did deign to get in touch with us, he offered no apology and at first was even reluctant to give us a refund. He gave some lame excuse about having internet issues (which was clearly a lie, and I also remain unclear about why internet issues would preclude you from showing up for an appointment) and was arrogant and non-apologetic about his refusal to show up. When he finally did (reluctantly) refund us, it was only a partial refund and he seemed to not understand that he had done anything wrong. Stephen Drake-Jones is clearly not a good person, his Wellington Society is a poorly-run business, and I would not give him any of your money or time while you are in Madrid.