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Take care if you book a Galapagos trip at "We are the Championstours" company in Quito. I had a very bad experience with the company "We are the Championstours" that is run by Patricio Daniel Castro Martinez and his sales manager George Proaño. The company has an offices in Quito at Joaquin Pinto 431 and one in Puerto Ayora on the Galapagos island Santa Rosa, the offices have a professional look on the outside, so do not let you misled on that image. The people who run the company are very friendly, but are only after money. George is a very good sales man, but as soon as you arrive on the Galapagos Islands it works out that the company does not deliver the package what was sold. I bought in October 2001 a one week Galapagos trip on the boat "Guantanamera" inclusive a 10 dives package. The total amount of money I paid for this was US$ 1150. This is exclusive air-ticket and park-entrance fee. Arriving on the boat it occurred that the Guantanamera was not equipped for diving at all. So I talked with our guide about my package and one day later a compressor and diving gear was arranged to the boat. This was arranged by a man called Rafael. The diving gear did not have the quality level what you may expect. Out of 5 regulators I was able to select one set that did not leak. After a few days, when I had made only 5 dives the whole equipment was taken off the boat again. So I was not able to consume my pre-paid dives.
The least I wanted was to get back my money. From that moment on every
body I talked to was concerned with my problem, but directs me to somebody
else. My last day in Ecuador (a Sunday, so banks were closed) it was promised
to me that the money would be transferred to my bank. So I was not able
to get my money back before flying back home
My last information I got from Patricio, says that George was not employed (only free lancing) by the company but only selling trips on his own account. So they try to put me off with the story that I booked with George and not with them. Of course I realize now that I will never get my money back, but I feel it as my responsibility to worn my fellow travelers for these way of acting by inferior companies. So my advise is: Do NOT book any trip with "We are the Championstours" because it is bad business with these people. As soon as you have a claim on them, they start hiding themselves. If you want more information about my experience you can mail me on PIMDEL@HOTMAIL.COM Kind regards,
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