First, I'd like to start this review by making it clear I don't make a habit of posting negative reviews. I much prefer to praise the exceptional experiences I've had over the past 6 years - please see my profile for evidence of this. I definitely don't make a habit of "trashing" restaurants, hotels, or tour operators.
However, my experience with Extranomical has been awful, and I would encourage anyone reading this NOT to book with them.
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Lesson #1 - Extranomical's Cancellation Policy is a Lie
First, let me write about the first tour I booked - Muir Woods and Winery Tour. Due to a change in vacation plans, I cancelled this tour over a week in advance and my refund was confirmed. I was glad I had booked Extranomical for this reason.
However, almost 4 weeks later I have still NOT received my refund, despite being told it had been "processed". Lesson #1 - the free cancellation is turning out to be a total lie (or at best, extremely arduous), so don't rely on this.
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Lesson #2 - Extranomical don't give you what you pay for
Now, onto the second tour which we did actually take - Monterey and Carmel Explorer.
A few days before the tour, we received an email from Extranomical to say we had been outsourced to their "sister company" Tower Tours. We were travelling by this point so had no choice but to go ahead with the trip. We figured it may still be okay.
We were picked up on the first day at the time advised and thought "Hey, this is actually a nice coach!". Unfortunately, the coach then dropped us at the Tower Tours office near Fisherman's Wharf, where we had to queue up to "register". We were clearly the last to be dropped off, as by the time we got on the rattly old tour bus, there were only a handful of single seats left, so my wife and I had to spend the journey apart. Lesson #2 is that Extranomical don't always put you on their own tours, regardless as to whether you book directly with them.
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Lesson #3 - Extranomical Make Promises they Don't Keep
The tour was fine until we reached 17 Mile Drive. At this point the bus driver advised a belt was about to break in the engine and so we couldn't proceed with the tour. To save us waiting on the side of the road, the driver took us to Bird Rock, where we sat in the blistering heat with no shade or AC for 90 minutes while the driver tried to get updates from the operator. Please note, I do not hold the driver responsible for this, and he did try his best to rectify the situation.
Updates from the operator ranged from "You'll need to wait 3 hours for a replacement coach" to "The tour may be cancelled", none of which were consistent.
Eventually the tour group took it into their own hands. Some took an Uber back to San Francisco, some took an Uber across to Carmel to wait for the new coach to arrive. When the driver proposed this plan to the Operator, they promised refunds for all Ubers, which have yet to be received!!
We finally made it back to San Francisco at 10.30pm, which totally ruined our final night in San Francisco and the final night of our honeymoon.
Upon contacting them, Extranomical kindly agreed to provide a full refund for the tour within 7 days. However, (you'll probably see a theme here) we have yet to receive this promised refund almost 3 weeks later.
I realise that the bus incident is Tower Tours' responsibility, but Extranomical are accountable for everything before and after.
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TLDR?
In summary, Extranomical have over $400 of my money and despite telling me it has been "processed" almost a week ago after repeated chasing, I haven't received a refund.
If you are thinking of booking with Extranomical, I strongly suggest you reconsider. As per my opening paragraph, I am not one to scaremonger - however, I don't want anyone else to go through this same experience.
My final lesson... I now find it highly suspicious that Extranomical have so many positive TripAdvisor reviews from users who have only ever posted a single review... Check it out for yourself. I can't believe I never noticed that before, I feel like such an idiot.
If you do book with Extranomical, please be prepared to be outsourced, lied to, and ignored.
I'm happy to be contacted directly if you want any further information or recommendations for your trip.