Mario

Respuesta de Bridget & Michael
Good day Mario, -1- As per our previous reply to you Mario, you and your acquaintance were caught when you displayed your intentions to leave the tour at the end without offering a tip as per the Guruwalk guidelines. -2- It is only after I had to bring this to your attention, that you reluctantly offered the minimum tip. I was satisfied with your gesture afterwards, for which you did receive my thanks. -3- In fact, since we are currently experiencing the low season for travel and visitors to South Africa, you were the only two who had booked for this tour on the day. -4- You therefore received a private tour as well, where you asked questions and took many photos along the way. -5- Tourism is the biggest industry in the world, and in developing countries it plays a major role by providing job opportunities where locals can provide for their families in various ways, as well as boosting local economies. -6- The money we receive from guests goes to paying for our fuel and transport, paying for our parking in the city, paying our dues and subscriptions to the GuruWalk platform, paying guides who we use on an Ad Hoc basis; and when guests make use of our card machine, we have to pay bank charges and commissions as well. That’s where our money we earn from these tours end up. -7- Not everyone in the world is financially advantaged enough to travel to multiple countries, and this privilege is an opportunity for the visitor to experience new places, new activities and other adventures. -8- We have already forgiven you Mario and consider this matter closed. -9- We continue to wish you well for your future travels.

Respuesta de Bridget & Michael
Good day Mario, We regard your review as being unfair for the following reasons:- 1- You did not arrive for this tour (Castle of Good Hope). You are referring to the earlier (Historical City) tour which you and your partner/acquaintance, who referred to herself as a local, did with me. 2- What you refer to as “focus”, is one of the things that we touch on during the pre tour briefing. Here I mentioned the fact that we accept cash or card payment, and should you require an ATM, please let me know so that I can adjust the route for your convenience. (This took less than a minute to mention). 3- We then commenced the 90 minute tour, during which I did not make any reference to payment at all. 4- Near the end of the tour, (at the murals of archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nelson Mandela and his second wife) your acquaintance suddenly became vocal by asking me political questions. I said to her that I do have a dedicated walking tour for these topics (Oppression and Apartheid to Liberation and Corruption walking tour) which you are welcome to book. 5- You will recall that she was the one who brought up the subject of politics and continued to ask me questions in this regard. These ranged from homeless people, to governance, to how people voted, to corruption, to how she is of the view that the country of China will take over the control of South Africa, to how in her view Cape Town should just break away from the rest of South Africa and more. 6- If you, as you say, did not appreciate this information, you Mario should have asked your acquaintance to refrain from her line of dialogue. All I did was answer her questions. 7- When we arrived at the finish, you did not express any of what you said in your review. 8- In fact, the two of you were wanting to walk away without offering me the fee. 9- I then asked how you were going to pay, after which you offered a cash fee which is inline with the minimum suggested rate by GuruWalk. I was happy with this. 10- However, your acquaintance mentioned that since she is a local, she “should not be paying as much as a visitor”. You Mario, paid fairly (which I appreciate), but your acquaintance did not offer to pay at all. 11- After I explained again, just like I did at the briefing before the tour, about the suggested recommended tip which appears on the Guruwalk platform, did your acquaintance very reluctantly offer the minimum. 12- The only time that I mentioned payment was at the pre walk briefing, and at the end of the walk when your acquaintance chose not to pay. Not at any stage during the 90 minute tour as you seem to suggest. 13- So, what is apparent here is the fact that your acquaintance was of the view that she could get away without tipping. This goes completely against the ethos and understanding of how the GuruWalk platform works across the world. The two of you did have the option to say, that I did not mention the tipping procedure in the first place, because that is what I did bring forward to you, in the beginning. And you both gave me the impression that you understood. 14- In our case, we are not guiding as volunteers, or on a freelance/ part time basis. We derive our income from these tips. 15- I delivered a full 90 minute Historical City tour (as per the tour description on the GuruWalk platform) and not a Castle of Good Hope tour. 16- In fact, you booked the Castle of Good Hope tour which you failed to arrive for, without prior notice, cancellation or an apology. 17- We trust that you will reflect on your review and recognize that it is completely unfair. Our reviews for the Historical City tour show how our guests value their experience with us. 18- All our tours are based on genuine facts and honesty, and I am afraid to say Mario that your comments are based on the complete opposite. 19- We wish you a pleasant stay for the rest of your time in South Africa and a safe journey back home to Houston USA.