Fayoum Oasis From Cairo With Pickup

Theft during the tour

My money was stolen during this trip. It was a private tour, just Jessy, the tour guide, Ahmed the driver from Fayoum and me. (There was another driver from Cairo to Fayoum and back but the theft happened in Fayoum). Jessy insisted I could leave my bag in the car as "the car will be locked and the driver will be around". I did this on two stops, both in the desert where there were just 4x4 cars for the desert, tour guides, drivers who knew each other, tourists and museum and restaurant staff. My money was taken from an envelope in a protected pocket, some of the money remaining inside (but most being stolen), the envelope closed and put carefully back. I discovered the theft on our way back to Cairo. Jessy first tried to convince me I "misplaced" the money. Then she told me I may have spent the money; I said I counted the money just the evening before. So she said someone may have entered my room at night; because I couldn't believe it she insisted she "had heard about something like this". She made some phone calls and told me there were cameras on both parking lots where I left my bag inside the car and she asked the police to watch that cameras. Again, that what she told me; she even said: "calm down, cameras are watched right now". Again and again she insisted my money was stolen at night, someone entered my room while I was sleeping. I went to the hotel in Cairo and also to the police in Cairo. Cameras from the hotel were watched. And I was told that for a theft in Fayoum I need to fill a report in Fayoum. Fayoum is 3-4 hours from Cairo. I wrote a message on WhatsApp to Jessy telling her the theft happened in Fayoum and asking for help with the report (I still trusted her). She did never answer. I wrote a message to Emo Tour Swiss, the tour operator. He told me they are looking into the matter but insisted "there is no proof of a theft". There can hardly be a proof about the amount of money in ones bag. He told me he will inform me about the outcome of the investigation the company is conducting. I waited for 3 days, then I sent a message telling the tour operator there will be a review about the theft. From that moment, I got many messages. Jessy had told him that she she offered to go to the police in Fayoum but I refused because I thought it happened in the hotel. How could I possibly refuse to go to the police?! In Cairo I went immediately to the police. She also told the tour operator that the driver had been "searched" and there was a witness. When I discovered the theft we were in the other car but Jessy called Ahmed. Ahmed came and showed me his wallet - no USD inside. No search, just Jessy, Ahmed, the other driver and me, somewhere on the road. Many lies. The tour operator sent me many messages starting with "we are so sorry and we understand" but always ending with "there is no proof this ever happened". It would have been a 5 star tour if the theft had not occurred. I recommend visiting the Valley of the Whales but not with Emo Tours. Also you should be aware Jessy and Ahmed are also working for other tour operators.

Response from the operator: We are truly sorry that you experienced the loss of money during your trip, and we completely understand how upsetting and frustrating this situation must have been for you. However, we would like to clarify several important points for the benefit of future guests reading this review. As soon as you informed us that you had lost approximately USD 110, we took the matter seriously and began looking into the situation. We communicated with the people involved in the tour and reviewed the information available to us. During our investigation, different possibilities regarding where the money may have been lost were discussed, including the possibility that it may have been lost at the hotel. We also encouraged you to report the matter to the appropriate police authorities so that an official investigation could take place. Unfortunately, no evidence was found proving that the money was stolen during the tour, nor was there any evidence connecting our guide or driver to the missing money. For this reason, it would be unfair and irresponsible for us to accuse any member of our team without evidence. We also want to clarify that we never dismissed your concerns. We communicated with you, investigated the matter, and tried to understand what had happened. We are genuinely sorry that we were unable to establish where the money went. We have been operating tours for many years, and our guides and drivers are trusted members of our team. We take any allegation of theft extremely seriously and would always cooperate fully with the authorities if an official police investigation were initiated. We respect your personal experience and your right to share your opinion. At the same time, we believe it is important to distinguish between a confirmed fact and an allegation that could not be substantiated. There is currently no evidence that the money was stolen during our tour or that any member of our team was responsible. We are sorry that this unfortunate incident affected what you otherwise described as a 5-star tour, and we sincerely regret that your overall experience was impacted by the loss of your money.

via Viator