Withlocals Reviews

Why this review isn't 1 star: Took the 'Off the Beaten Track in Berlin: Kreuzberg" tour with Uygur. He was knowledgeable and friendly. We really enjoyed our time spent with him.

Why this review is 2 stars: The website says "We are proud to be part of a movement that prioritizes purpose beyond profit and are ready to put our words into action." No, they're not. My proof? I will let this complete and unedited email exchange speak for itself - read from the bottom up:

Rob (Withlocals)
Jan 6, 2023, 16:05 GMT+1
Hi Russ,
Thanks for responding! We appreciate you sharing your thoughts on how this tour went. Unfortunately, we will stick to the process as cancellation falls outside of the refundable cancellation policy. We completely respect and understand where you are coming from, and we will consider this as a learning experience, perhaps we need to be more clear when it comes to our FAQs.
Please accept our sincerest apologies regarding this matter.
Kind regards,
Rob, Withlocals Team

Russ
Jan 6, 2023, 15:53 GMT+1
Hi Rob –
Thanks for your reply. I followed the link and your stated cancellation policy is actually rather vague:
• A refund will not apply less than 24 hours before the starting time of the experience. Understood, but I cancelled 4 days in advance, and the word ‘unless’ implies that some refund will apply more than 24 hours in advance.
• If an experience is cancelled more than 7 days before the trip, the guest will receive a 100% refund. Again, understood, but this leaves unclear what happens if you request a refund between 24 hours and 7 days in advance, as I did, as the number ‘100%’ implies that some lessor refund % will apply for cancellations less than 7 days in advance.
Regardless, it seems very harsh (and, frankly, rather greedy) to give ZERO refund unless someone cancels a full 7 days in advance – especially since the policy on your website doesn’t make this clear.
Coincidently, I booked a 2nd tour on New Year’s Eve. That guide contacted me 3 days before the tour and said there had been a mistake and that the Withlocals’ system wasn’t supposed to have a tour slot open for him then. So, he asked if we could reschedule the tour for earlier that day, so he could have the afternoon and evening off to spend with family and friends. To help him out – versus just cancelling the tour altogether and him just losing this opportunity to earn some extra income – we changed our plans to accommodate him.
Now, is Withlocals’ saying, “Sorry, despite our vague cancellation policy, despite you first trying to reschedule your tour (but couldn’t because no guides were available on alternate days/times), despite a weather-related airline delay beyond your control causing the need for a change in the first place, and despite you cancelling your tour 4 days in advance, we’re just going to keep your money as pure profit”?
Is that really the way you want to run your business? We enjoyed our other tour quite a bit and we really like your business model of reducing the impact of tourism on climate change, as well as creating other sources of income for artists (etc.), while giving folks like us very enjoyable tourist experiences. So, we were all set to book more such tours in the future, as well as recommend Withlocals to our friends. But now?
Your homepage says “We are proud to be part of a movement that prioritizes purpose beyond profit and are ready to put our words into action.”
Since 4 days is right in between ’24 hours’ and ‘7 days’, how about we split the difference with a 50% refund and part friends?

Rob (Withlocals)
Jan 6, 2023, 11:41 GMT+1
Hi Russ,
Thank you for reaching out to Withlocals!
Hope this email finds you well, we have looked into the situation surrounding your refund request. As your booking falls within the agreed cancellation policy and non-refundable period, unfortunately, we cannot issue a refund for your trip. Please be informed that the 24-hour cancellation policy applies after you booked the trip. as shown on our records confirmation date: is December 22, 2022, and you cancel this on December 25, 2022.
You may also check this link for more details What is the Withlocals cancellation policy?

Thanks for your understanding.
Kind regards,
Rob, Withlocals Team

Russ
Jan 6, 2023, 10:51 GMT+1
Made a booking on 22 Dec. Weather-driven flight delays out of the U.S. on 23 Dec forced me to have to cancel this booking. Did so several days before the day of the tour (Dec 29) - well outside of >24 hr in advance of Withlocals' cancellation policy. When will I receive my refund?
Booking info:
The 10 Tastings of Berlin
Thur 29 Dec 14:00
€214.87

customer service is non existent or unhelpful. they dont respond often and when they do its too late to address your issue and its your fault or you eat the cost.

We took a food tour with Charin in Chiang Mai, and thoroughly enjoyed it! Charin had lots of local general and historical knowledge that he shared with us as well as being very knowledgable about the food experiences we were trying. He took us to local spots that we otherwise would not have known about. The food was amazing and he took extra care to ensure the food was safe for us (for example, asking for the meat to be cooked when it would normally be served raw). Would definitely recommend taking a tour with him or with ‘With locals’.

Be careful SCAM!!

We booked a private 5 hours tour guide. We were 30 minutes late and the guide told us, he already left because of that. We asked WithLocals for a refund but they just said no because of their policy. If we are 30 minutes late they are allowed to cancel the tour and stick with my money. (For 5 hours)

Our Withlocal host/guide Dorn in Siem Reap was fantastic! He made contact with us prior to our arrival in anticipation of our booked 'Highlights & Hidden Gems' in Siem Reap tour and could not be more hospitable, flexible and accommodating of our needs during our guided walk. Dorn's well-informed knowledge of Khmer history, religious influences and culture and progress of the region was very impressive. We thoroughly enjoyed connecting with Siem Reap at a local level, which not only added to our appreciation of the Khmer culture and people, but also made our short trip so much more memorable. Can highly recommend Mr. Dorn as your Withlocal host in Siem Reap. We will be back and would love to take another guided tour with Mr. Dorn. Thanks again Mr. Dorn for sharing with us your beautiful city, culture and some Khmer traditions too, especially when visiting temples. អរគុណ​ច្រើន - arkoun​ chraen - Thank you very much!

In my 30+ years of traveling quite possibly the worst experience I’ve ever had. Zero customer service, shady/hustler guide on the Amalfi Coast and zero accountability. GO.ANYWHERE.ELSE

I asked OI from Withlocals to make me an offer to visit Bangkok the 4 th of january a few days ago and so far absolutly no news !
Firmamentbm

Alice is wonderful! She is an amazing story teller with a vast knowledge of Scottish history. We enjoyed our tour very very much- she made Edinburgh come alive! Worth every penny - Thank you Alice!!

I had a booking for a food tour in Seville.

The day before I tested positive for COIVD and the guide agreed to cancel and agreed to a partial refund.

Withlocals did not refund me and lied to me stating that the guide refused a refund even after posting them a screenshot of the conversation with the guide.

They do have a COIVD policy for cancellation on their website but refused to honor the policy.

I see on the Play store reviews that they play the game of responding to all negative reviews that an ask to contact their customer support, but from my experience they then have no intention of resolving the matter. This must be done to giver other users the perception that they care.

I'd highly recommend not booking with this company.

300 Euros lost.

Stay away! 2 guides canceled on us, one with a one day notice and one with 2 hours notice! There is no customer service on the app. So frustrating!

UPDATE: I did reach out to Withlocals customer support and they were incredibly UN-HELPFUL! It only makes me reiterate that you should stay away

We took an Istanbul city tour with Mena and can't recommend her highly enough. She was an absolute delight, warm, friendly and full of local knowledge, from mosques to bazaars and the best places to eat and drink, we couldn't have had a better guide.

We booked three tours for an upcoming trip and, thus far, two of them have been cancelled without any kind of explanation. I think this is a scam company collecting credit card numbers or earning interest on your payments until they cancel in the last days before your trip.

Martin provided an outstanding walking tour of the former East Berlin for us. His excellent knowledge of history and willingness to share his personal experiences and perspectives as a German and a Berliner made the tour special for us. He was prompt, organized and not in a hurry. An excellent tour guide. The Withlocals.com app worked great for communicating prior to our meeting. We will use this service again.

Spent a good 2 hours on a very busy Monday looking for a guided tour as a gift. Booked and paid for it. Guide cancels, says too soon (COVID related) Understandable! But why are you are advertising then? Effectively selling a service that doesn't exist. Wasted my time and now have to wait for a refund. This pay first then confirm business model doesn't work for people like me who are super busy and with packed diaries. Won't be using again.

The first time I used their services is when I went to Greece a few years back. Ever since, I always check whenever they have a local in a country where I am going. They’re my go to. I have used them a few times already and never failed me. I just wish that they will have more cities/countries that they offer their services.
Please note that their guides are not licensed guides but locals that are familiar with the area, can speak the local language, and you feel safe.