Brooks Falls Bear Viewing

They Called Me a ‘Pain in the Ass’ After Promising a Refund Read Before You Book

I had an extremely upsetting and unprofessional experience with this company, and I would strongly caution others before booking. In May, I contacted the operator well in advance of our scheduled trip because a major life event meant I could no longer travel. I understood that the reservation was technically non-refundable. However, the operator specifically told me that they would release our two seats for resale and that I would be refunded if those seats were resold. I accepted that arrangement and relied on what I was told. A few weeks before the trip, I checked availability and could see that the seats appeared to have been resold. I called to follow up, left messages that were not returned, and eventually reached the operator. Instead of simply explaining the status of the refund, the conversation became incredibly unprofessional. I was accused of “coming at” her for asking about the money I had been told would be refunded. I could hear the pilot in the background telling her to hang up on me. I was then given a new condition: I was told that selling our two seats was no longer enough and that the entire plane now had to be filled before I would receive a refund. I subsequently saw additional availability disappear as another seat was sold. Because I could not get the issue resolved directly, I contacted Viator. The operator then reverted to saying that the trip was simply non-refundable and that I would not be receiving my money back—despite the earlier representation that I would be refunded if our seats were resold. What made the situation even more disturbing was what happened with my travel companion. Although I had handled the cancellation and all of the communication regarding the refund, the operator separately contacted my friend through the Viator app and told her she would be receiving her money back. My friend had not initiated the refund request. During that communication, the operator also referred to me as a “pain in the ass.” A refund dispute is one thing. Customers and businesses can disagree about policies. But changing the stated conditions for a refund after the fact, failing to return calls, telling an employee to hang up on a customer, and disparaging that customer to her travel companion is something entirely different. I gave this company months of notice, tried repeatedly to resolve the situation directly, and relied on what I was explicitly told about the resale of our seats. Regardless of how the financial dispute is ultimately resolved, the way I was spoken about and treated was completely unacceptable. Based on my experience, I would never book with this operator again.

Response from the operator: PLEASE READ! There is always two sides to every story. I want to first take the pilot out of this conversation as he was out working, he was never in the room when we had conversations and to accuse him of saying that is false and uncalled for! I also never called you a pain the ass I said you were being a pain. You were calling every week and sometimes 5 times in a row when I was on the phone with other customers. This is a nonrefundable trip, which everyone knows when they book. Have I let people get their money back for issues that have come up in life or for booking wrong dates, YES! multiple times I know things happen. I told her if her seats booked I would refund her and I did. Stephanie never went on this trip, her and her friend were refunded. She also never does say how she spoke to us or threatened us. Most of her review is written out of text. We are good understanding people. Please feel free to call us (907-299-7185)with any questions you may have before booking due to her review.

via Viator

Bucket list! Brooks Falls Bear Experience

Pilot was very personable and knowledgable. Only water can be carried to the bear viewing area. You can take other drinks and food, but this must be placed in a bear locker or left on the plane. Dress in layers. No tripods to hold cameras. Mono pods are acceptable.

via Viator

Simply Amazing...

Brooks falls was magical - watching the bears in their native habitat during the salmon run was a bucket list-level adventure and even exceeded what we expected. Alaskan Adventures was great in handling the logistics of getting us there safely and on time with as much time to enjoy the area as we could. The flight over the inlet and Katmai National park was also breathtakingly beautiful.

via Viator

Brooks Falls bear viewing

The trip was fantastic! Cory was an amazing pilot and took really good care of us. I felt totally safe about every aspect of our trip. He’s very knowledgeable about Alaska and his wife Breanna is lovely. Would highly recommend this trip!

via Tripadvisor

The whole experience was...

The whole experience was amazing. We got to see bears close from the viewing platform. There were a lot of bears in the water in front of us and several downstream.

via Viator