Having trouble getting through to Rick Steves office

Tammy, I can drive down and pound on the doors of the building if you want me to!!!

LOL! Thanks Carol! I hope it doesn’t come to that!

OMG Carol....I burst out laughing!

That is so frustrating, Tammy, when people don’t return calls promptly. Have you tried emailing them? I got a reply from them in a timely manner last month when I emailed them but then again with tours heating up they may be swamped. Anyway it’s worth a try.

I emailed them about something for my tour a week or so ago and got a reply within a day or two. Try emailing again, perhaps letting them know that you've tried both emailing and calling and nobody is getting back to you?

Carol, I laughed too!

Tammy, I emailed them and got an answer the same day. BTW, I am on the Paris and Heart of France tour starting October 7. I have been considering adding BOP either before or after HOF as I travel solo and want to spend more time in Paris, but not completely alone. LOL! I hope you will do a trip report because I would be super interested in how you liked doing that combo. The BOP dates before and after my HOF tour overlap by one day so that's a drag.

My granddaughter has turned 18 since i signed us up for the Heart of Ireland tour in June and so now needs to have her own tour account. I was told in order to set one up, she personally needs to call the office and give them her current email address so she is able to get that done. She still has to sign all the necessary paperwork needed to participate in the tour. She has emailed and called the tour office numbers several times and still has received no response of any kind. I see from this thread that she isn’t the only one experiencing such issues. This is so unusual and frankly, I’m disappointed in her personal experience. I do hope someone from the office sees this thread……..The pounding on the door just might work!!!

Hmm, I was going to stop by their store next week while I’m in town visiting grandkids. If they aren’t open, I will skip it.

I called the office several weeks ago. I got a message that said they were very busy and to leave a message. I left a message and the next day while I was in the grocery store I got a call back.

You might call and leave another message.

According to their website 3/2022: COVID-19 updates from business
Rick Steves' Europe
Rick Steves' Europe
on Google
March: Our Travel Center in Edmonds, WA is still temporarily closed until further notice due to the pandemic. Tour Sales, Trip Consulting, and office staff are working 9-5 Monday through Thursday. Buy travel merchandise -- guidebooks, luggage, and more -- anytime on our website.
Edited to add: Thanks Kathleen. I was still typing, so missed your message. ;)

Just going to add that with Covid cases rising again, they may be working from home. I would email them and see if you get a response.

note in Janis's post just above, "9-5 Monday through Thursday" so they won't be back until after breakfast on Monday now...

I just hit the "report" button to the webmaster, along with a link to this posting, with the note: " You might want to make sure someone on staff sees this post" (so they will know to return the calls).

As I have clicked on to the Forum recently, it is amazing to see HOW MANY posts there are with people now planning travel and all the related fun buzz. It is definitely more active than just a few months ago. No doubt, the RS Team is overwhelmed with everyone wanting to jump on board the travel train (so to speak).......and while also hoping nothing slows down the enthusiasm.

Happy, safe travels to all!!!!!

I can attest that the Rick Steves office is closed. I went a couple weeks ago to buy a new bag and it didn't even dawn on me that they would be closed. I kept sitting there thinking it was 10am, they would open, thinking staff were running behind. I had to check on my phone and sure enough, closed. So I had to order the bag and have it shipped, nevermind we live close by.

I just this week emailed the office and was replied to in a few hours...I am sure that they are slammed with requests about testing, etc during the re-start times...I am sure email is easier than a phone call anyway most of the time as they can respond to all your questions without playing the msg five times...

Tammy, I hope you have heard from them by now. I called them on March 18 and someone called me on Saturday March 19. I had had trouble changing my password but figured out my problem so their return call was appreciated but not needed.

Hey Tammy,

We are indeed a bit overloaded as our tour members have a lot of questions re Covid and Ukraine, but the other comments here are inline with my understanding that it may take a (work)day, maybe 2, before you get a call back. I'd simply try calling again M-Th, and earlier in the day may be better. I'll also PM you with another option.

For others reading along, keep in mind that many questions that people call us about are answered in your Account or in our Tours FAQ: https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-help/tours-faq

Sounds like Tammy did get a callback this morning. I'll let her reply if she has anything else to add.

Thanks to everyone for your patience and understanding as we work through the high volume of questions and requests we're currently receiving.

That is such a relief! Now I don't have to worry about being arrested by the Edmonds police for disturbing the peace.......

I can't imagine how challenging operating a travel company is during these times. I continue to be impressed with Rick Steves Europe and how hard they are working.

For those who like to shop/visit in person, the sign on the door of the travel center says they are now open on Saturdays from 9-5. Thought I’d post here since I remember a few people saying they’d tried to stop by recently.

That is such a relief! Now I don't have to worry about being arrested by the Edmonds police for disturbing the peace.......

Your willingness was most excellent though !!

Meg--Thank you!

Whenever I have called on RS customer service, I have always received terrific and helpful service. But that was all pre-Covid. If they are overwhelmed and maybe short-staffed, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if they are giving highest priority to those whose tours are coming up soonest.

@Janet. I don’t think that your email will go directly to Rick Steves, so don’t count on a response from him.

The tour office recently announced that they had set up a special email and phone number as well as designated staff to support tour members on tour that test positive during the tour and must leave the tour and self-isolate.

I think that they are prioritizing urgent needs. If I had an urgent question 1 week out from a tour like you suggest, I would send an email with a title that said “urgent- reply needed by date”. I imagine that this would help get a quicker response if time was essential.

Otherwise, if you end up waiting a week, will it really matter?

Janet, I wouldn't expect a quick response to your email.

I reserved a tour for early in 2023 and received the starting and ending hotels with the suggestion that I contact them to reserve extra nights. When I contacted the ending hotel they told me rather curtly that they are not booking any Rick Steves tours next April. I've emailed and called RS several times the past 5 weeks and have never received a single response.....not even an acknowledgment that someone will look into the hotel issue. I did forward all of my communication with the hotel to RS.

It's not a good look....and makes me leery to continue.

My $.02.

Of course it is understandable that one is frustrated when one is not treated in a way they would like. If this was the old, preCovid world, I would even agree with Janet's and Silas' remarks.

However, I have a different view at this time. I have had a 5 year relationship with RSEurope, the business. I have spoken to Rick before, but my relationship is with the business. They have treated me exceedingly well. I have received excellent products for my dollar. The products were delivered in a gracious and professional manner. I think many here on the forum have had similar experiences, hence the high expectations. Because of this history, I will give benefit of the doubt.

We have lived and are still living during a world wide pandemic. Despite this, RS Europe has continued to treat their customers fairly. I received a 100% full refund in a very timely manner for a 2020 tour that couldn't happen. I had to fight with many other businesses during this time and only received compensation (NOT a full refund) after 18 months.

Extraordinary times lead to more difficulties.
For example, April is a long time off. I feel confident that RS Europe will be sure to provide you with a hotel to stay in. Sure, it would be more convenient to be able to stay in the same hotel as the tour, but it isn't a necessity.

So, while you (Janet and Silas) are leery, I feel that I can take one on the chin for RS Europe. I really believe they are doing the best they can. I know that the business I work for in health care is having a dickens of a time with getting back to patients due to lack of staffing and a hundred other problems and that seems more important to me than a trip issue.

To each their own.
I hope that both of your issues are resolved a quickly as possible.

Four voicemails and two emails in three days is too much IMO…unless you are traveling tomorrow. Otherwise you may be perceived as unreasonable so if a person has too many responses to address, you may be the one to wait the longest. Relax and give them time to respond. None of this is important in the scheme of things.

A non-urgent matter that you've been forewarned may take a week to get a response and they have not responded in three days despite numerous messages and voicemails? That given the circa 3% COVID case rate and all the extra labor for staff handling these urgent calls have strapped the staff and have left them scrambling in handling routine calls?

Hmm. This is not ideal. Ideally they would be well staffed to handle all contingencies and always return calls promptly. These tours are expensive. This is a service business after all and a top shelf one at that. You pay good money and expect good service.

Still, doesn't Rick Steves explicitly tell its customers that on should be "militantly optimistic", be prepared for no air-conditioning, stairs, bumps in the road and require all guests not be grumps? Isn't traveling/touring during re-opening and COVID sorta almost definitionally mean that one should be prepared for a bumpy road. And if a bumpy road is potentially ahead and you're not the bumpy road type (no shame in that), then maybe travelling now or touring now is not the right plan for some?

I understand the angst and annoyance in a drop in customer service. Many airports-- Schipol, Heathrow to name a couple-- are not up to snuff right now. Many restaurants and hotels are short staffed. And it's now like they are giving you a price break for worse service. Still, it is to be expected after what the world has just gone through. Some are probably better waiting for a return of higher service levels. Some are fine taking it all in stride.

There is no right answer. Best of luck.

I wrote RS Europe with a question about an upcoming tour on 8/1 via email. I received a response on 8/2. I am completely satisfied with both the timing and content of my response. I hope the OP gets her issue resolved so that she can feel more positive about her trip.

If you read the weekly reports here:
https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/on-the-road-reports
It's quite clear that travel this year is challenging. I think the RS company is working hard to smooth things out, but they are humans.

Hi all,
A number of things have been brought up here and I'd like to address them. First, Janet, you may contact me directly with your tour question in case I can help. Silas Marner, I believe I can help with what you brought up as well.

We (RSE) sincerely appreciate Janet's expectations for prompt replies and we understand that it feels like we're not doing enough when you don't get a message back right away (though our auto-reply at least confirms receipt per one noted concern). We try to be up front about how long it may take to get back to you, and it sounds like Janet did get that message.

The reality is that running a tour company during a pandemic is a sincere challenge as it's not an exaggeration to say that we have 5+ times the normal volume of requests. That covers the usual tour questions plus today's concerns with covid (the bulk of the questions), airports, flight delays, a heatwave, etc. Rick Steves is more than aware of what's happening.

Here's what he/we're doing to handle it: We've closed the entire Consulting dept indefinitely and moved them to our Tour dept to help with the surge of requests. We only open our retail center on Saturdays because that staff is also redirected to handling tour-related requests. We've diverted other staff as well, and hired additional staff. Our marketing/web staff (including me) are sending additional email communications and routinely updating FAQs that can handle the majority of questions. Believe me when I say we're doing all we can to handle the volume, and the volume is still to the point that we ask for your patience for up to a week as we process incoming calls and emails.

To my knowledge, we are prioritizing communications to those that need a quick response e.g. right before your tour. To the point about needing customer service while on your tour, your guide is your primary touchpoint. As someone else noted, we're providing additional dedicated on-tour support (forgive me, I forget if that's via email, phone or both).

Some tips to help everyone... I'd start at our Tour FAQ in the footer of our site (it has the same info -- and more -- as the covid faq in the top banner on www.ricksteves.com) as that handles most covid-related questions and other questions that aren't specific to the details of your tour itinerary. For details specific to your tour, be sure to use your Rick Steves Account (see My Account in the top corner) as that has loads of info about your tour. If you still have a question and you need to contact us, please send us one email (or call once), and we will get back to you. We're logging every call and email, and it can back up requests if we're sorting through duplicates. I'd only try again e.g. if a week has passed.

For Janet and others, we do apologize that we can't be as immediate as we want to be right now. I hope the tips above can help. We're getting through this, and we thank you for your patience.

Also, please make sure you're e.g. checking your email account's spam folder as sometimes things inadvertently end up there.

For example, April is a long time off. I feel confident that RS Europe will be sure to provide you with a hotel to stay in. Sure, it would be more convenient to be able to stay in the same hotel as the tour, but it isn't a necessity.

vandabrud,
I've also had a long relationship with the RS organization (6 years) and have flexibly arranged my hotels in the past and will continue to do so in the future. I'm just rather surprised to not receive one single response in over a month's time. I'm also surprised to learn that other customers find that acceptable. A simple acknowledgement that the email was received and "we'll get back to you" would be a better way to manage customer relationships. "Crickets" clearly didn't work well with me. April may be a long way off to you but I perceive 8 months differently. I agree that health care issues are most important but I consult my PCP for medical needs.

Carol now retired,
You certainly received a timely response and I'm glad you had a satisfactory resolution. One day turnaround is certainly better than no response in over a month.

Silas Marner,

I don't think you are being unreasonable. It sounds like you should have received an email received response at the very least.
I was just pointing out how I would look at it.
In re-reading my response the bit about being sure they will have a hotel for you was a bit snarky......sorry.

I'm chatting with Silas on the side, so this isn't just for him, but we are aware generally that there has been some confusion as to what email address to send requests.

If you do not get an auto-reply confirming receipt of your email to us, you did not send your email to the right place. Be sure to send to tour@ricksteves.com. DO NOT send a new email to tour@ email.ricksteves.com. (Note: replying to your tour's email communications that we send you will work fine). We don't own the tour@ email.ricksteves.com servers, and we can't redirect emails sent there. It is a black hole.

Use tour@ricksteves.com

Thank you, Webmaster.

Hi folks, I've made some edits to fix some previous verbiage that was ruffling feathers. Alternate opinions are encouraged, but this forum isn't to be used to target individuals. I'm locking the thread.