liveaboard.com Can I trust them?

[LiveaboardCom]

They just posted a sale on Scubaboard.

Indeed. One of the things I really like about Egypt is there are so many liveaboards to choose from - something for everyone!

 

[reghead]

What I don't like about Liveaboard.com is they don't post reviews on a timely basis (or at all)...especially negative reviews. I will no longer book with them.

 

[Ministryofgiraffes]

i do appreciate the efforts of liveaboard.com/padi travel etc, but in the end i just don't really see the point of using the intermediary and thereby creating more opportunities for misinformation/misunderstanding/delayed responses etc. I don't really believe it's a matter of 'trust' so to speak...

I've have several issues with rooms advertised not being available etc. i just find it easier to deal directly with the boats and have never seen a situation where the 3rd party can offer a better deal than direct..

It's unfortunate, because i would like there to be a place for them in the process, but i just can't see the value purpose personally. Boats are generally easy to deal with, you are going to get a response quicker then the boat responding to them and them responding to you etc...

The only way i could really see an advantage would be if they were booking up trips and offering them for reduced prices than booking directly, but i don;t think the industry is large enough to support this high investment strategy...

 

[diveUAE]

i do appreciate the efforts of liveaboard.com/padi travel etc, but in the end i just don't really see the point of using the intermediary and thereby creating more opportunities for misinformation/misunderstanding/delayed responses etc. I don't really believe it's a matter of 'trust' so to speak...

I've have several issues with rooms advertised not being available etc. i just find it easier to deal directly with the boats and have never seen a situation where the 3rd party can offer a better deal than direct..

It's unfortunate, because i would like there to be a place for them in the process, but i just can't see the value purpose personally. Boats are generally easy to deal with, you are going to get a response quicker then the boat responding to them and them responding to you etc...

The only way i could really see an advantage would be if they were booking up trips and offering them for reduced prices than booking directly, but i don;t think the industry is large enough to support this high investment strategy...

Well we’ve saved 10-20% on our LOB booking through an agent (NOT liveaboard.com).

I tried contacting the boat directly to get the same discount as the agent, but they refused.

My problem with Liveaboard.com are the reviews, as recently people have complained the “bad” part of their review is edited out or the review is not published at all. Very disturbing. Also all reviews lack month and year of travel.

 

[Ministryofgiraffes]

well that's a positive...which boat was it?

 

[kelemvor]

I also booked directly through Aggressor.com for Palau & Maldives. Their quoted prices would be the same as what you would get from liveaboard.com.

Aggressor is also a travel agency. They don't own any boats. They say so right on their site, and often use it as a copout when there's an incident on a trip they booked.

i do appreciate the efforts of liveaboard.com/padi travel etc, but in the end i just don't really see the point of using the intermediary and thereby creating more opportunities for misinformation/misunderstanding/delayed responses etc. I don't really believe it's a matter of 'trust' so to speak...

I've have several issues with rooms advertised not being available etc. i just find it easier to deal directly with the boats and have never seen a situation where the 3rd party can offer a better deal than direct..

It's unfortunate, because i would like there to be a place for them in the process, but i just can't see the value purpose personally. Boats are generally easy to deal with, you are going to get a response quicker then the boat responding to them and them responding to you etc...

The only way i could really see an advantage would be if they were booking up trips and offering them for reduced prices than booking directly, but i don;t think the industry is large enough to support this high investment strategy...

I would always use a travel agency. However, I wouldn't use liveaboard.com. I would use a travel agency based inside my own country. That way I did business with a company inside my own country. They speak the same language as I and I'm protected by consumer protection laws. Nothing against livaboard.com but if an issue comes down to litigation, I don't want to be litigating against some country in the Netherlands (or Mexico, Honduras, etc). If I got there and there was no boat or it was busted or sunk, I'd go after my travel agency for restitution. They can deal with the boat company themselves. If you use a credit card, it makes that whole process extremely simple. Usually a one page form. "Hope for the best, plan for the worst" is my travel motto.

 

[diveUAE]

well that's a positive...which boat was it?

King Snefro fleet in Red Sea. We also got discounts on our Sulawesi LOB and on our upcoming Maldives trip 30/11 7 days (nearly 500$ off pp for the Soleil II)

 

[LiveaboardCom]

Hi all,

I would just like to clarify a few points about reviews and ask for your input, as that's how we all learn and improve.

We do publish negative reviews and I'm happy to provide some examples if you'd like me to.

We work to a review policy and if you have a quick scan of '4. When don’t we publish your review?' you'll see the only times we don't publish negative reviews are under certain circumstances, such as if they contain abusive language etc.

Remember we are also divers, just like yourselves, and so understand how important honest reviews are. It really matters to us that the reviews fully reflect your experiences as customers. More on that below.

Also, all of the reviews go through a review process first to make sure we address any issues you've raised that need to be resolved between the operator and yourselves.

Between that process and the high volume of reviews we receive (which is great, thank you), there is a delay between receiving the review and seeing it published. We did have a backlog of reviews earlier in the year and have recently assigned a team member to oversee and work on the review process to see if we can make improvements.

With that in mind, what would you like to see added to the reviews?

I can pass your suggestions on and I've already asked if we can add year and dates to the reviews so you can see the current state of the boat, crew and diving.

Many thanks,

Kathryn

 

[Ministryofgiraffes]

To be honest I could care less about the reviews on the site and anyone who books a trip based on liveaboard.com padi travel, etc ‘reviews’ is extremely naive at best.. they would have you believe that 90% of the boats in the world are ‘fabulous’ etc... I even recall the Fiji aggressor holding an ‘amazing!’ Rating a week after it was condemned as a death trap....it’s basically akin to 1000+ 5 star amazon.com ratings for Chinese fake handbags.

I say forget the reviews and focus on aggregate info on size, menu examples etc.

 

[Ministryofgiraffes]

Hang on, it was your site Kathryn.. it’s still there.. FIJI Aggressor 9.3 ‘superb’ with 5 verified reviews...that boat was literally condemned and I know 4 people who basically demanded to be returned to port..