Gord - Calgary, Canada

Update: 1 day later.
Thank you SAXX for following up and delivering on your Customer Service promise. I was hopeful you would reconsider my situation and you did. SAXX has given me a credit to purchase 3 new underwear, alas, at a larger size. I will work on slimming down as they also let me keep the smaller size. Sigh. Kidding aside, I do appreciate the follow up. Thank you very much.

Very disappointed in Saxx return policy. I ordered a 3 pack of SAXX underwear ‘on sale’ from a FB ad and the ‘first time’ buyer guarantee.
After they arrived I tried on a pair and realized I should have ordered a larger size.
I contacted SAXX and asked if I could exchange my 2 untouched pairs of underwear for a larger size. I assumed I would not be able to return the pair I wore.
SAXX response: Because they were part of a ‘multi pack’ you can’t return any of them.
???
So much for the first time buyer ‘guarantee’.
They got me once, won’t be buying again. Buyer beware.

After being delayed by Covid for nearly 3 years we finally took our Exoticca trip to Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.

The GOOD.
And there was lots of it. Once underway the trip was well organized and nicely paced.
Thailand was a blur (jet lag and see below) but we did get a look at some of the nice sites to see during the city tour. Quick in and out.

Siem Reap, Cambodia and the temples of Angkor Wat were the highlight for us. Heaven for Tomb Raiders or Indiana Jones and incredible history for us. So cool to wander amongst the ruins and imagine what it was like hundreds of years ago. Monks still worship there. A big WOW.
Phnom Penh, Cambodia. From wow to woe. It was heartbreaking seeing first hand the horror of the Khmer Rouge and the killing fields. Such a tragedy. Hearing first hand from detention camp survivor Chum Mey touched us deeply. The Cambodian people are so kind, warm and gentle. Our favourite of the three countries. Tuk Tuk market tour was a hoot. Passed on the deep fried tarantula.

Saigon,Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh city)
OMG. Sensory overload. In Canada ‘pedestrians have the right of way’. In Vietnam ‘Scooters rule’. And there are no rules. I’m serious, they go when and where they want - traffic lights be damned. Funny at first, un-nerving after 10 minutes. Toured several main stops including King’s Palace, thankfully by bus. Hot and sticky weather.
Cu Chi Tunnels. A highlight of Vietnam. Amazing to see and tour these famous tunnels that have been used in numerous wars including the US conflict.
Hanoi, Vietnam.
About 10 degrees cooler than Saigon and slightly less busy. Interesting tour of the capital city including Ho Chi Minh’s home and burial site.

Ha Long Bay boat tour
Another highlight. Enjoyed the mini cruise around some of the islands. Nice way to end the tour.

All of our guides were excellent, informed and funny.

3 Star rating of trip would have been higher if not for…

The BAD.
6 weeks out from our trip we received a ‘final’ itinerary and flight schedule. They didn’t match up. The Exoticca itinerary had us on a boat on Ha Long Bay on the same day we were supposed to fly home to Canada.
So… for the next 6 weeks we phoned, emailed and asked for clarification. The many different Customer Service people we talked to were good and all agreed we had a problem: “This will go straight to the travel department to be fixed!”. And then 3 days later we’d get the same incorrect itinerary with no explanation. This repeated half a dozen times.
Instead of being excited about finally going on our long delayed trip we were frustrated and grumpy.

The UGLY.
We arrived at our Hotel in Bangkok at 2:30am after 22 hours of flying. Instead of a falling into bed for our ‘day of leisure’ in Bangkok we received a note saying the ‘full day tour of Bangkok’ would begin at 7:30am. Brutal.
Surprise, surprise, the itinerary that didn’t make sense to us or anyone in Exoticca Customer Service for 6 weeks, had in fact been changed and we lost a day in Bangkok.

Bad start, good finish.

Great service, fast delivery

STILL NO REFUND - BUYER BEWARE

Update October 1 - 2021

Now MORE THAN 18 MONTHS since Citrus AGREED to refund $850 dollars from a Covid cancelled trip. Again, Citrus OFFERED the refund - they just HAVEN’T DELIVERED.

Citrus no longer responds to my inquiries. I will continue to provide warnings to other consumers about them.


Update - May 8 2021.

Now MORE THAN A YEAR has passed since Citrus agreed to refund $850 dollars from a Covid canceled trip.

No refund.

Zero expectations.

BUYER BEWARE.
.

Very disappointed with the refund response from this company.
Covid let to a cancelled trip to Europe. Initially Citrus was very prompt in getting us a flight credit with KLM. We had a voucher in our hands in a month.
As for the Citrus refund of $850? Still waiting 10 months later.
We appreciate the turmoil Covid has caused Citrus and and other travel companies but this is getting ridiculous.

Update: Exoticca offered a Voucher for the full value of our trip - $6500. Can be used over the next 18 months. Accepted.
Slightly worried about the future of travel and the survival of travel companies in the ‘new world’ - but pleased with how this was resolved at the end of the day.

Appreciating how Covid 19 has turned the travel world upside down - I am still extremely frustrated with the refund process with Exoticca.
I have been waiting for a refund of $5350 CAD for 9 weeks - with no indication of when (if?) I will ever receive it.

As concerns over the virus started to explode in early March - my wife and I decided to cancel our fully paid trip ($6500) to Thailand/Cambodia/Vietnam.
We canceled well within the guidelines listed by Exoticca and were informed by “Alvaro” we would be refunded the final payment for our Trip - $3250.00 plus $2124.76 in airfares.

After numerous inquiries and conversations over 2 months about when we might actually see a refund, “Miguel” offered a Voucher as an option to expedite the refund process. Unfortunately, he was unable to tell me how much that voucher would be worth. ??

We’ve decided not to accept an unknown voucher and continue to wait for our ‘agreed to’ refund from March 2 of $5350.00

Miguel has been helpful in what I’m sure are crazy circumstances - but the confusion and delay after 9 weeks is extremely frustrating.

Here’s hoping Exoticca delivers on their promise of good customer service.
Gord Gillies