04-10-2013, 07:10 AM
quote:
Originally posted by Justin
I'm curious about the comments/concerns on safety. What exactly are people expecting that the operators were not providing? Not to state the obvious, but this isn't exactly like visiting Pearl Harbor on Oahu. The ocean is variable, the lava is variable, and the weather is variable. I have to think that paying customers know this.
You're right that it seems to be common sense to expect the unexpected when dealing with mother nature. It might also be common sense to assume that tourists from far away are not well-informed about the true nature of the conditions they might encounter on such a tour.
My impression of why people become unhappy customers is largely because of just that - for whatever reason they were not prepared for what they experienced. Whose responsibility that is - whether the tour operator's or their own or both - is a matter for discussion, I think, but it does bring up questions about communication and how that is handled between tour operator and potential clients.
In my particular case, I actually had a ball on my tour. I did my research (recognizing my own ignorance about local conditions) and was prepared for the physical conditions, mostly. My beef is really about that communication question - how and when information is communicated (both about conditions and about other safety risks) and how effectively it is communicated so that people can make an informed decision prior to booking a tour.
In my case, I am still trying to figure out just how "off" that communication was. How much risk we were in, for real. That's the main thing, although I think the communication about the conditions was not terribly effective, either, but that is less of a concern to me immediately than the safety question.
AFter all, if I go on a tour an puke my guts out, I'll be miserable for a day, but if something else happens and I get scalded or breathe in particulates that bother my lungs over a longer period of time or something - that's a much bigger deal.