YOU CAN BE RUDE AND INCONSIDERATE, YET I GET THE ONE-STAR RATING!!!
In your email, which I couldn't read until after the tour, "You were going to be late for your tour because you couldn't work your phone's GPS." Instead of calling me before the tour started when, I could have given you directions, helped you, or told you where you could join the tour late. You decided to email Viator fifteen minutes after the tour started, asking me to delay the tour for an additional fifteen minutes. If you really wanted to take the tour, you should have called me at the number listed in the confirmation email you received from Viator BEFORE the tour started! At that time, I could have helped you. Not after.
In your email, you wanted me to postpone the tour for thirty minutes and make seventeen people wait till you could you arrive. To me, this is just inconsiderate. Seventeen people were responsible enough to arrive on time, and now you expect them to wait an additional thirty minutes till you can grace us with your presence. You can travel anywhere in the St. Louis Area in thirty minutes! So where were you? At the time of your email you were no where near the tour office. At 10:17 PM, when you arrived at our tour office and found the door locked, you requested a refund from Viator. Tour started at 9:45PM.
Second, I don't answer emails while I am giving a tour! It would be extremely rude to the other guests and unprofessional on my behalf. How would you like to attend a tour where the guide decides to carry on an email conversion instead of presenting a tour? It's purposely stated in your confirmation letter that you received to arrive fifteen minutes before the tour starts, so this very thing doesn't happen.
Also, don't blame me for a "lack of communication" as an excuse for your rudeness.
Next time, be considerate and arrive on time.
Dr. Mark Farley