Tea Around Town — Local services in Houston

I’m writing this review not to complain but to offer some suggestions for improvement let me start with the ticket purchase process. I was booking the service for myself and two cousins. I initially purchased two tickets but when I tried to buy a third ticket, the system wouldn’t allow me to purchase just one it required me to buy two tickets at a time which I found odd and inconvenient. What if I wanted to experience the adventure alone I reached out to customer service and was met with an unpleasant attitude. The representative told me that single ticket purchases were not allowed and that I could only buy tickets in pairs. I explained that we were attending as a group, but I wanted to know what to do if other parties wanted to purchase their tickets individually the representative suggested I replied to to my confirmation email to request adding an additional ticket. She mentioned that I'd received an authorization form for my credit card details to process the extra ticket. I received an email from Jaslin M. click the link and fill out the form, but then I was asked to provide pictures of both the front and back of my credit card along with my ID, which raised a red flag for me given the risk of fraud and identity theft this did not seem like a secure request however, I complied and sent the information, hoping it was legitimate. After waiting for confirmation, I received an email from Tyrone St. stating they tried to contact me but hadn’t heard back. I was confused since I hadn’t received any calls or emails from them other than the two I’d mention I contact the customer service again and while the representative was still rude and seemed indifferent, she eventually agreed to process my payment over the phone . Had your website allowed for a single ticket purchase All of the inconvenience could have been avoided and I would not have had my first start to an even worse experience.The experience was not what I had expected and definitely need some adjustment for improvement. First we were given paper cups with the lids, which was surprising because I had anticipated tea cups as this was supposed to be a teatime experience. A staff member came around with a tray of sugar and creamer, but I think it would be more convenient to have these placed on the tables for guests to use at their leisure. Then the server brought around decaffeinated tea, which I assume was part of the company selection as no one asked me what kind of tea I wanted. He gave a small sample of the tea, which was fine but if you didn’t like the tea or if you didn’t finish it, there was nowhere to discard it. I asked the lady who was singing throughout the event if I could try the mixed berry tea that was advertised on your menu. She told me the server will come around every 15 minutes with a new tea selection when he came with the second tea I requested an empty cup that my guest and I could dispose of our remaining tea and try the new one instead he gave me a cup already filled with the second tea by the time the third and final tea came around still not the mix berry I had hoped for, we were completely over the experience. The bus itself was quite warm and while the singer was sweet, the entertainment wasn’t very engaging. The pastries and sandwiches were not great either; our tray went untouched. We mainly just rode around downtown with only two brief explanations about the sites on a tour bus. I expected a tour experience to learn about the landmarks and historical buildings, especially from someone knowledgeable about the area. We were also supposed to receive souvenir cups as part of the package but when we asked about them as we were leaving, no one could explain why we hadn’t received them. We were later told they were backordered. Where is the compensation for the inconvenience? Thankfully, we spoke with the driver Chelsey, who was by far the best part of the entire experience she explained the situation about the cups and promised to have three ready for pick up which she followed through on providing excellent...

SAVE YOURSELF THE HEARTACHE AND MONEY STRESS AND DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT!

I waited a while to create my review because I had to fight the company for a well deserved refund.

For starters, my original tour was canceled two days before it was scheduled to take place. I had family and friends coming from our of town so it was very inconvenient. Luckily, they had availability for the same day so we rescheduled.

Problem number two came when the tour bus was an our late the day of. We got one text update saying it would be around thirty minutes late but it was much later than that. I had my aunties and mom who are all over fifty outside in the Houston heat for over an hour. There is a library near by of which you can use the restroom but outside of that you have no choice but to wait outside.

Things only spiraled further downhill when we finally got on the bus. First, we paid extra for the Luxe experience and were sat at the wrong table, meaning our food and drinks were incorrect. Thankfully, the staff was quick to remedy that.

The bus only has one cooling system and it does not spread through the entirety of the vehicle, this caused a passenger on the bus to overheat and pass out only twenty minutes into the ride. We for obvious reasons did not get to finish the tour. The manager claimed that if we reached out to customer service they would "make it right." This claim launched a multiple month fight between myself and and the company.

The company, Topview, the owner of tea around town, avoided my emails for weeks at a time, claimed they would respond within twenty four hours and did not and even claimed to return phone calls which never happened.

After paying over $800 for the experience, the company tried to offer me a $240 refund (Not even the cost of two out of six of the tickets purchased) and offered me two tickets. Seeing as my experience with the company was less than ideal I was uninterested in the tickets and the refund they offered was highly insulting.

The only reason I received the full refund I deserved is because I filed a claim with my bank. I truly believe the company saw the chargeback and knew they would lose so they refunded me instead because that would reflect better on their accounts. Mind you this refund was issued almost two full months AFTER our "tour."

Overall, I would not recommend this experience. It is sad because the staff on the bus was kind, helpful and understanding but the rest of the operation is poorly ran and quite frankly greedy.

I do not think under any circumstances that this would be worth $100 let alone more than that. I think there are plenty of other experiences you can do in Houston that are worth the money and time.

I am very disappointed in their customer service, who tried to scam me out of money that was owed to me but I am happy they finally came to their sense.

To be truthful if I could rate something 0 stars it would be this. Hopefully the company learns and grows from this experience and peoples future experiences are better than mine.

I have read more reviews on here and I want to add, if they company is refusing your refund FILE A CLAIM WITH YOUR BANK because one of two things will happens: The first is that the bank will approve your claim and refund you the money. The more likely possibility is this scammy company will see the charge back and refund you themselves in order to avoid the extra charges that come with a chargeback because let's be honest 9/10 times especially with the horrible service this company provides the bank WILL approve your claim if the company refuses.

This company has the right idea but is clearly money driven and not based on customer satisfaction based on the fact that there are multiple reviews of people no receiving refunds they...

We did our part (we paid 4x premium Lux seats), you did not do yours (failed provide a safe and comfortable experience at the cost of every passenger today).

My wife wanted something different for her birthday. We booked this tour as a fun way to celebrate it, we paid a total $527.98 for 4 people, Lux premium level. That's not pocket change.

We showed up and the bus ran 30 minutes late from departure time. Ok no biggie, I get it, things happen.

Once we got in the bus we found the the AC was out, so 90F cabin temperature was ahead of us for more than 1 hour. The bus has translucent roof panels and second floor space got very uncomfortable. (green house effect)

Operations, how can you deem a bus safe and comfortable like this? You should see the exhausted and overheated faces of your employees who consistently apologized for the horrible conditions much less the people that paid premium to be catered to. The irony is they were all serving "hot" tea. I asked for ice, hoping for a folder drink but the ice was in limited supply. My wife and daughters were ligt headed, high heart rate, and approaching being over heated inside a cabin that was blowing hot 90F air around in closed quarters.

Now, this is what led me to write this review. You let this bus ride for a couple of days knowing that it was not safe or comfortable. You chose to collect funds from every passenger instead of postponing the trip which should have been the right thing to do. Our group could not wait to get off this bus, people around us were frantically fanning themselves. I know this because once this horrific experience was over, I asked and expressed my concern to the staff only to find out that you pushed to keep this bus running "as is".

Last, pay very close attention to the food that you are serving under these conditions, unsafe and unhealthy.

I will never support this company again. I expect right to be done from this "air fryer" experience.

Edit: 2/3/25 (6:10 pm) I had already emailed my receipt and confirmation for your records. Keep me posted on a resolution.

Edit: 2/3/25 (5:43 am) I received a response starting please allow upper management 48 hours to investigate.

Edit 2/6/25 (8:17 AM) I sent another email since no one had gotten back back with me.

Edit: 2/6/25 (1:19 PM) I received an email given the option to accept 2x lux free tickets, I declined. They knew there were 4x of us. I asked for a refund. "The experience was so bad inside this bus with temperatures close to 90F, operations knew the bus was not working safely but chose to keep it on the road, this was the big trigger for me. What I need from you guys is a refund, $500 dollars is not pocket change. It is a simple business transaction, I pay for a luxury service and you (the business) promise to deliver. You failed to deliver.

Edit : 2/8/25 (10:35 AM) they state "Comfort and reliability are top priorities for us, and we regret falling short in your case.". However they decline to issue a refund sole based on the following "We are unable to provide one (refund) as service was still rendered." Classic textbook shady business technicality. Yes, that is correct technically. Services were provided in a sub par manner, again, knowing that this was not right. Ethically speaking, you chose to run a bus that was malfunctioning, not safe, and would ruin the experience for everyone on it, passangers and staff. You got my money, I hope you guys are able to make a change and out the customer first instead of the business.

Be aware everyone, ask to make sure that the bus is running at 100% operational capacity so that you can actually enjoy it. Once you are in it, you are stuck since 'services will...