An English tourist and an Edinburgh tour bus company have gone head-to-head on Tripadvisor after the tourist warned others to “avoid” the experience.
The tourist experience was quick to hit back on social media after a slew of complaints from the fed-up visitors.
“The low point of the tour was the guide trying to get everyone on board the bus to sing ‘never push your granny off a bus’ just after we had had a minute's silence as we passed Holyrood Palace in honour of the Queen,” the complaint begins.
The unimpressed Edinburgh tourist booked the Edinburgh afternoon tea and bus tour experience through the Red Bus Bistro in September.
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The experience claims to combine “two quintessentially British classics.” Afternoon tea is served aboard a vintage bus while driving through the Capital.
The Red Bus Bistro manager hit back at the complaint on TripAdvisor: “The staff work incredibly hard to provide a good tour for the customers and many visitors enjoy the sing-song. We respected the minute silence then moved on to provide a nice tour for the customers.”
The customer went on to complain about the tour guide, seat allocation and a lack of sympathy from food service staff:
“The tour guide said she was from Glasgow and didn’t know anything about Edinburgh. This she proved by giving very little information as the tour progressed without seeing any of the major sights.
“We were hoping to get good seats and were first in the queue, but seats had been allocated and we found ourselves downstairs at the back of the bus with our backs to the window and looking at the people opposite. The driver looked embarrassed and quickly retreated to the cab.”
The review also complained that food service was not up to par. The tourist’s wife booked a vegetarian meal which could not be provided. The tourist claimed that she was offered a “Mrs Kipling Bakewell tart as compensation and a second glass of Prosecco” in place of the meal.
“The other person serving wasn’t at all sympathetic. Just make do with what you have got, was his attitude,” the review stated.
The Red Bus Bistro manager hit back at each claim:
“As for the crew from Glasgow: they provided an honest update that they are from Glasgow and are new. We are very proud of our crew, and as stated and advertised in our terms and conditions we are not a guided tour but the crew do highlight key points which were passed on the tour you were on including the castle, Grey Friar Bobby, Elephant Castle, Royal Mile, St. Andrews square etc.”
The manager also explained that customers are advised at the time of booking that if specific seats are desired, they must be pre-booked and paid for.
The manager acknowledged that the dietary requirement was an oversight, but stood by the crew’s actions.
“The crew acknowledged the dietary requirement. They were apologetic and offered a full vegetarian replacement which was rejected and several cakes were accepted. The male staff member advised he would get his colleague to assist you. We are sorry you felt he was not sympathetic in going to get staff to support you. We are sorry you did not enjoy your experience.”
The Red Bus Bistro has more than 1,200 reviews on Tripadvisor with an average rating of 4.5 stars.
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