Well, I’ve got to change my review, and based on my experience today, I’d say Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT) has lost a loyal customer. In fact, after my recent dealings with them, I feel compelled to share a stark warning: be wary of Oat Adventure Travel. My experience suggests they operate in a manner that can only be described as deceitful and dishonest.
Previously, I mentioned our anticipation for a trip originally scheduled last month – an exciting journey through Jordan, Egypt, and Cyprus. This trip itself was a replacement for our initial booking to Israel, Egypt, and Jordan. Adding to our plans, we also booked the Athens post-trip extension, specifically designed to complement this main adventure.
However, when OAT cancelled the primary trip, we were presented with two options: a full refund immediately or rescheduling the trip, with the price protected, to December 2024. The rescheduled adventure was set to revert to the originally planned itinerary: Israel, Egypt, and Jordan. Given the significant discount we initially secured, even with the itinerary change, it remained a compelling deal. We opted for the December 2024 trip, holding onto hope. Unfortunately, with the ongoing conflict in Israel, the likelihood of this trip proceeding seems increasingly slim. We are now in a waiting game, unsure if OAT will again wait until the last minute to cancel, and what resolution, if any, they will offer to paying customers like ourselves.
The real issue, and the crux of my negative review of OAT adventure travel, lies in the handling of our Athens post-trip. We had signed up and paid over $2,000 for this post-trip extension, linked to the main tour. When OAT cancelled both the main and post trips, we were assured we could reschedule the main trip at the original price. We were also explicitly told that since the Athens post-trip was no longer available, we would receive a full refund for it. The promised timeframe for this refund was 30-45 days. To ensure everything was in order, I called OAT twice more during this period, and each time, I was reassured that the refund for the cancelled post-trip was being processed and would be issued.
Day 45 arrived today, February 2nd, and as suspected, no refund materialized. I contacted OAT again, spending over an hour on the phone, speaking with two different representatives and enduring endless hold music. The first representative, after numerous holds, initially stated that the refund had “somehow failed to process” but would be rectified that day, with the funds expected in 30 to 45 days – a clearly unacceptable repeat of the initial false promise. Frustrated and disbelieving, I requested to speak with a supervisor.
After more waiting, more hold music, and further discussion, the supervisor delivered the shocking final word: we were not entitled to any refund whatsoever. Their justification was that because we did not want the post-trip associated with the replacement replacement trip (a West Bank of Israel tour), we would not be reimbursed for the Athens post-trip we had paid for. Effectively, having already paid over $2,000 for a post-trip that was cancelled by OAT and unavailable, we were also now prevented from even considering the West Bank post-trip – even if we had changed our minds – because we had initially declined it when our original trip was cancelled.
The supervisor essentially stated that OAT considered our $2,000+ payment a donation. This feels like nothing short of bait and switch tactics. Forget the promised refund; the supervisor’s only concession was to “ensure that all employees are retrained” to avoid misleading customers with refund promises that OAT has no intention of honoring.
My advice, based on this deeply frustrating experience with OAT adventure travel, is to proceed with extreme caution. Their advertised prices may appear to be incredible bargains, perhaps even too good to be true. And my experience suggests that they are. If you manage to avoid being misled or ‘screwed over’ by OAT initially, it seems highly likely that their deceptive practices will catch up with you eventually.
As the saying goes, “Fool me once, shame on you…” But I can assure you, after this ordeal, it will never happen again. In my view, OAT operates as thieves and liars, and I strongly recommend exploring other options for your adventure travel needs.
