Tour Booking Online Safe?

Question

I'm planning a trip to Costa Rica, and I want to be well prepared. There are some tours we would like to take, and found arenal.com websites that arranges them for us. The thing is that they ask me to pay upfront to confirm the itinerary. They are nice, but I cannot tell if they are legitimate or not. Anyone has done this before? Do they show up to pick you up? I may be paranoid, but just want to be sure. Several tours for a group of people is not cheap.

Thank you in advance for your advice.

Answer 1

I think that the advise given to you by "thatgirl" is the best you are going to get!

Payment by Credit Card is an absolute must!

Have a good trip

Answer 2

I have not used that particular website, but almost everything you book in Costa Rica is paid up front.  You will hten receive vouchers or confirmations and everythign runs smoothly.  I have done this several times and booked everything from transportation, hotels, and tours and have had a great experience each time.  Costa Rica is dedicated to providing a good tourist experience because most of their industry is tourism based, so pura vida mae, trust and it will all be okay!

Answer 3

I'm not familiar with the website you mentioned but you should be cautious about paying upfront and in full. If you decide to go ahead and do it, you should follow up with a confirmation phone call. Make sure they have your reservation and ask for a local phone number to call in the event that they do not show up. Also, pay with a credit card That way, if things do go wrong, you can always dispute the charges once you return home. Usually, a company like Visa will remove disputed charges pending an investigation into the problem. That will at least give you some protection if things don't work out. Have fun and Good Luck!