Dear Mr. Si
Thank you for your letter concerning the case on May 9th. We are sorry to have brought your clients an unpleasant experience and we have already looked into the matter with the utmost attention. However, there are quite a few points I would like to clarify first.
First off, it usually takes 45 minutes to commute between our tour bus station and the pick-up point. Our driver had reserved 15 minutes in case of any accidents and departed 1 hour prior the appointed time (i.e. 9 a.m.). Alas, there happened to be a major car accident in the Cross-Harbour Tunnel, in which our tour bus routinely goes by. I am afraid to inform you that there was nothing we could do as the situation was beyond our control. Nonetheless, we will advise our drivers to depart 30 minutes earlier than usual.
On the matter of the broken air-conditioning system, we are terribly sorry for the inconvenience we have brought you. Yet, we have to inform you that since our very first days of business, we have been carrying out regular checkups on our tour buses to ensure nothing but our clients’ safety and experience. The last checkup done was on May 6th, just 3 days before the brokedown of the air-conditioning system. We assume that as a result of the scorching hot weather early in the morning that day. We understand that you and your clients are immensely dissatisfied with the matter. While it was a mere coincidence, we remain apologetic for this unfortunate accident.
As far as the missing reservation for lunch was concerned, it happened to be a careless mistake made by one of our newly employed colleagues. Due to the inexperience of the rookie, he mindlessly made a booking for lunch on May 10th. Please accept my apology for the trouble we have put you through. And as for the rookie who made this mistake, we have taken punishment and action to tighten up our control. We assure you that it will not happen again.
With regard to our tour guide insisting on having your clients make some purchase at a jewelry factory, we hope you do not take this matter the wrong way and not address it as forced shopping. The truth is, besides safety, our first priority is always the pleasant experience of our clients. We always plan the itinerary in advance to make sure the tour can run smoothly. It is only the tour guides’ obligation to follow the itinerary and bring the tourists to the jewelry factory so as to showcase some of Hong Kong’s extraordinary landmarks from the prosperous metropolitan perspective of Hong Kong. Added that there were genuinely tourists who did enjoy the trip to the jewelry factory, the situation did not sound as unsatisfactory as you claimed. At the same time, even if some of the tourists did find the tour unacceptable, I am afraid that it is well-nigh impossible to fulfill all tourists’ needs.
Your opinions and reflections towards the tour we arranged are very much valued and understood. However, we regret that we cannot offer a partial refund of $2050, as all the situations were outside our control and responsibility. Still, we will look into all the matters and polish our procedure and system in amid to provide service as pleasant as ever. You are more than welcome for more inquiry and assistance. We look forward to serving you in the future.
Yours sincerely
Chris Wong
Customer Service Representative
Magical Tour Bus Company