Versailles Guided Tour and Priority Access with Hotel Pickup

Responses from PARISWEBSERVICE... B

First of all, we would like to thank you for your feedback regarding your experience with our Versailles tour service. We would like to take this opportunity to provide some additional information to better meet your expectations.

For the journey, we limit the number of pickups to three, exclusively located in the west of Paris, as we do not serve the eastern and northern districts of the city. This allows us to optimize travel time and ensure a quicker departure to Versailles. We understand that this choice may slightly extend the journey for some clients, but it is necessary to ensure efficient organization of the tour.

Regarding our guide, we are very proud to inform you that he is one of the best in our company. It is entirely normal that he has a slight French accent, as we have chosen to hire only guides with a degree in history and a guide-lecturer license, experts in their field, to provide you with an enriching and high-quality tour experience. Unlike other companies that sometimes employ foreign students to guide with a perfect English or American accent, we have opted for expertise and competence.

As for the price of our service, we understand that you may find it high, but unfortunately, it reflects the cost of living in Paris, which is an expensive city. You suggested coming on your own, and we indeed encourage our clients to consider this option if it better suits their expectations and budget.

For those who wish to travel to Versailles on their own, we recommend taking the RER C train, which costs around €5 per person. The entrance ticket to the Palace of Versailles is €21 per person, and access to the gardens is an additional €11, making a total of around €37 per person. However, please be prepared for long waiting lines, which can last between 30 and 90 minutes, depending on the day and time of your visit.

If you prefer to take a taxi, please note that it will be a bit more expensive. From central Paris, such as from your hotel, a taxi ride costs between €80 and €120 each way, and it can sometimes be challenging to find a taxi for the return trip from Versailles.

We hope this information will be helpful to you and that, despite everything, you enjoyed your time in Versailles. We are always here to listen and improve our services to provide you with the best possible experience.

We hope to have the opportunity to welcome you again.

Kind regards,

PWS

Responses from PARISWEBSERVICE... B

Dear Customer,

We have reviewed your complaint and wish to clarify several important points to set the record straight.

First, we would like to remind you that your tour took place on August 28, 2024, the opening day of the Paralympic Games, and that the entire area around your hotel was closed for security reasons. You were informed of this situation as early as August 5 at 9:45 a.m., the day you made your reservation. Here is the exact excerpt from the confirmation you received:

"Thank you for your booking request!

We are pleased to confirm your booking on August 28, 2024.

Your driver will pick you up around 11:45 am in front of Hotel du Louvre, Place André Malraux, 75001 Paris.

Please note that given the Paralympics taking place from August 28 to September 8, 2024, we do not know if the roads will be accessible accordingly. If not, we might provide you with a meeting point."

We clearly stated that the roads might not be accessible due to the Paralympics and that a meeting point might be necessary. It was only after receiving the street closure plan from the police prefecture that we were required, regrettably, to assign you a meeting point 24 hours before your tour.

Your accusations of "false advertising" or "bait-and-switch" are unfounded and unjust. We communicated multiple times that we could not guarantee access to your hotel due to street closures and that you might need to walk to a designated meeting point. We did everything possible to inform you well in advance.

Regarding the return trip, it was also impossible to access your hotel due to the same security restrictions. Clearly, our drivers cannot fly to pick you up from your hotel in a closed area! Additionally, the meeting point we chose, from the Hotel du Louvre to the Place des Victoires, is only a 9-minute walk, as confirmed by Google Maps, not 15 minutes as you claimed.

Finally, if you felt the service did not meet your expectations, why did you not cancel sooner? Out of transparency and good faith, we refunded the price difference between a direct pickup service and the one with a designated meeting point for each person, even though we were not at fault.

We understand your disappointment, but we cannot accept unfounded accusations. We consider this matter closed and believe that we have been transparent and professional in our communication with you.

Sincerely,

PWS