Operator/Owner Ghosted Me Day of Tour - I messaged Exploria in WhatsApp and got into contact with someone who introduced himself as Ashraf, one of the owners. On a Friday night I secured a booking for Monday... read more for a day tour of Islamabad. I signed off with, "I'm looking forward to meeting you. See you Monday."
On Sunday night I got a message asking if I was still interested in the tour because "I haven't heard back from you." I messaged back late night/early morning because of the timing of my flight and surprisingly heard from Ashraf.
When I arrived in Islamabad, I messaged Ashraf at our appointed meeting time that I was in my hotel room and ready to meet when he was ready. I heard nothing back. I sent a brief query then took a nap. When I awoke, two hours after our scheduled meeting, still no response. So, I contacted the manager of the hotel and asked if he could suggest a tour for me.
I was staying at a 5-star hotel (1st night only), so the manager took it upon himself to try and sort the issue with Exploria first. After several phone calls to both Ashraf's phone and the company's landline, I got one message from Ashraf stating he thought I didn't want the tour. At this point, the hotel manager had been contacting both numbers asking if someone was coming for my tour -- clearly I still wanted the tour!
When I messaged that fact to Ashraf, he went radio silent again. Meanwhile, I had my tour of Islamabad with a guide the hotel set up -- at a much reduced rate.
That evening I had a couple back-and-forths with Ashraf about how he thought I didn't want the tour because I "never got back to him." He kept doubling down that the communication issue was my fault despite my clear messaging and calls from the manager of a 5-star hotel!
The cautionary tale is this: Mine was just a one-day tour, so my trip to Pakistan wasn't ruined. However, imagine if I'd secured their services for one of those multi-day, multi-location tours, and they left me stranded that way after I'd already arrived in the country. In short, I would be very leery of a company that has no problem ghosting a customer on the very day of a scheduled excursion.
I can not say enough great things about Afir and his amazing company! They made Pakistan real, interesting, safe! I recommend them without hesitation or reservations! 
Spike150
482shahidak
