Mahalo Tours sent me a text message at 6:15 AM (45-minutes ahead of my pick-up time at 7 AM) the day of my tour to cancel due to the driver testing positive for covid. I understand covid can't be controlled, but they should've had other back-up drivers ready to go, or they should've been on the phone immediately trying to get me rebooked with another tour company. I am vaccinated and boosted and already had covid, so I asked them if we were willing to sign waivers, if they could reschedule with a different driver. They said that all other drivers had been exposed to the driver that tested positive, so they too had to quarantine. Apparently, this company hadn't figured out a business continuity plan in the last 2 years to ensure only certain teams were exposed to each other to limit the fall-out of someone testing positive. I asked them to call other tour companies to get me rebooked, and they said that they would. But then when I texted them back and inquired if they had found anything, they never texted me back. That was so disrespectful and infuriating. At that point, I tried to call other tour companies to get a last minute booking and went online to try, but by that time, it was too late. All of the companies had their pick-up schedules planned and the drivers had already left the shops. Mahalo Tours should've been on the phone immediately with the other tour companies to try to rebook us after they discovered their driver tested positive. Perhaps an hour ahead of time at 6 AM would've ensured we got slotted into the schedule of another tour company. By the time I was able to get online and start trying to call other tours, it was close to 7 AM (which is the time the tours start to pick-up people from their hotels). Had the tour company called other tour companies immediately at 6 AM, perhaps I could've gotten rebooked. Given it was my last day in Hawaii, I couldn't reschedule for the next day and so I left Maui without having done the Road to Hana (one of the main reasons for me booking a trip there). I'm still waiting for my refund as well. I will never use this tour company again.
Réponse de l'hôte
Jul 2022
Aloha Meghan,
We contacted all the passengers as soon as possible, unfortunately we had to cancel the tours following the health guidelines of Hawaii. As a courtesy we contacted other tour companies but no one wanted to take a passenger traveling solo (their policy). As we advised you we were not the only company canceling tours that day because of covid restrictions.
You booked this tour via a third party. They are the company that needs to refund you. We’ve done our part in confirming that the tour did not run and you should be refunded.