Terrible Tour Experience. Avoid at All Costs
If you're considering Timberbush Tours for your next tour, I urge you to think twice. We were there for the 2-day Loch Ness, Inverness and the Highlands tour, and it was the worst experience we've had in Scotland.
Let's start with our tour guide, Callum, who was a letdown from the very beginning. It was evident that he was ill-suited for his role. His lack of enthusiasm, grumpy demeanor, and lack of humor set a bleak tone for the entire journey.
But that's not the worst of it. The real disappointment was the lack of meaningful commentary. We visited historically significant sites such as Culloden Battlefield and Urquhart Castle, only to be met with a few lackluster sentences or, even worse, deafening silence. Extracting information from our guide was akin to pulling teeth. We were left feeling like a bothersome inconvenience rather than valued customers. Learning about Scotland's rich history and culture? Forget about it.
Now, let's talk about the Scottish music that is supposed to be played during the tour. Yes, it was there, technically. However, don't get your hopes up about actually hearing it. The music was played at a volume so abysmally low that even those seated closest to the front of the bus couldn't make out much of anything.
The rushed pace of the tour added further frustration. While some level of haste is expected given the distance the tour covers, we arrived back in Edinburgh at a baffling 5 pm instead of the scheduled 7:30 pm. Timberbush Tours attempted to justify this with an excuse about lack of traffic, but this contradicted their driver's statement earlier in the day that he planned to be back in Edinburgh at 6pm.
Now, let's address the real issue here—the blatant dishonesty and condescending attitude displayed by Timberbush Tours. When I raised concerns, they resorted to falsehoods:
1) They fabricated a story about me moving to the front of the moving vehicle to seek more information from the guide and labeled this as 'disruptive.' This is a complete lie, as I was already seated at the front and had no reason to change my position to ask a question. I merely asked for more information about the sites, which should be everyone's right during a tour. The implication that asking questions is considered disruptive by this company speaks volumes about their lackluster tours (as I mentioned, you feel like an annoyance just for asking questions). I even suggested they check the CCTV to verify the truth about me walking to the front of the moving vehicle, but conveniently, they claimed it was not available.
2) They claimed that I had my headphones with me as a way to dismiss my complaint about the barely audible music. In reality, I resorted to using my headphones later in the last few hours of the tour when it was clear that nothing was going to change about the music and commentary.
And how did Timberbush Tours respond to all this? With a measly 10% refund as a supposed "gesture of goodwill." It's a slap in the face to customers who expected a worthwhile experience.
In summary, this tour with Timberbush was a total disappointment. Save yourself the trouble and avoid this tour operator unless you enjoy wasting your time and money on a soulless, subpar experience.
FYI, after the tour, they send around an email for people to rate them. If you choose 4 or 5 stars, it asks you to post a TripAdvisor review. But if you choose 3 stars or less, it redirects you to their website so that you can send them an email, instead of posting a review. So, their rating system is dishonest. I would recommend to take their online rating with a grain of salt
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Edinburgh
Mobile Ticket
Offered in: English
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