Thank you for the posting as I had intended to book OnBoard for my family of 6. As this was a resent experience, could you recommend an alternative which you identified during your stay?

From OnBoardDCTours: Occasionally, our tours are overbooked because they are so popular. In those events, some customers have to be rescheduled. Our policy is, like the airlines, to ask customers to voluntarily change their time and be given a discount or a free tour. We notice the complaining customer did not mention that. As for the bus driving by them, we can only assume that there was a miscommunication and the customer was not waiting in the correct place. Our buses have two separate phone numbers on the side, and our customers' confirmation pages have the "emergency number" printed on them. All of those phones are staffed until 8:30pm or later every day.

We provide high-quality tours to thousands of guests every month. Like any company, occasionally, one or two guests are unhappy with the service. The customer who complained here has been refunded 100% of their money, and has been offered a free tour on their next trip to New York City or Washington DC. If you look at the feedback about our company that permeates TripAdvisor.com, Viator.com, TrustedTours.com, and our website, OnBoardDCTours.com, you will see that this example is an anomaly, and is not indicative of the exceptional customer service for which our company is known.

When I was in the service industry rule number one was: make sure the customer complains to you and you solve their complaint. The old adage: A happy customer talks to one person about their experience, the unhappy customer talks to at least ten is so true.

Look here, your unhappy customer talked to thousands of others with their message. If you are responding for the company, I'm not convinced. The customer is still in the wrong in your message and that's where customer service lacks!

It was not up to the customer to find the place where the 7pm bus would stop, it was up to your company to show them the way.

Your message has not convinced me to recommend your company in any way. And I guide Europeans around the city and give travel advice for Washington often. Better up the customer service and let's face it, you're not an airline, but just another tour company. There is competition that does not leave customers (literally) in the dark like that.

From OnBoardDCTours: Kasaka, thanks for your reply. I agree with much of what you wrote. I agree that the customer's complaint should be solved. We did that. We refunded 100% of their money and offered them a free tour next time they are in either city in which we operate. Yes, this customer chose to "name call" us anyway and create bad publicity about us. That is unfortunate.

It was not my intention to say the customer was "wrong." They did not get the tour that they wanted, and it was our fault. We admitted as much, and offered them a free tour and gave their money back. We also attempted to give them a chance to catch another tour. When I said, "miscommunication," I meant "on our part." We must not have made clear where the customer should be, otherwise there would not have been a problem.

What I do not appreciate about your email is that you have zero experience with our company, and you are making derogatory comments about us based on hearsay. I have to wonder if that is because you are our competition (we also provide tours every week for European guests). If you had dealt with us in either NYC or DC, you would know that our customer service is second to none, and that no other tour company in either city has the satisfaction record that we do.

Finally, I assure you that we are not "just another tour company." There is no other company in DC or NYC that provides the quality experience we provide for our guests in a daily tour format. We provide free bottled water on our tours. Our tour guides hop off the shuttles with our guests at every major attraction. Our Customer Service Ambassadors assist customers with planning their trips, including making hotel, restaurant, and other recommendations. We only hire the top tour guides in the cities in which we operate. All of the above is why we have more positive feedback on our site, on this site, and on other major travel sites than any of our competitors. I encourage you to check us out.

OnBoard Tours: Thank you for your lengthy explanation. I think it will help you too, as people now more clearly will understand the whole story.

No, I am not competition, just an individual ex-travel agent, who enjoys showing people around "her" great city. If I ever have the opportunity, I will certainly check your company out.