Complaints Procedure

The Procedure at a Glance

Six steps from raising a concern to a resolution.

Step 1 — Raise it early. During a journey, tell your guide or our team immediately.
Step 2 — Put it in writing. After a journey, write to hello@asiatravelmates.com with the details.
Step 3 — Acknowledgement. We confirm receipt within 3 business days.
Step 4 — Investigation. We review with suppliers where relevant — typically within 10 business days.
Step 5 — Resolution. We communicate the outcome and any remedy — typically within 30 days of acknowledgement.
Step 6 — Escalation. If you are not satisfied, you can escalate to senior management, then to arbitration or courts as permitted by applicable law.

01Our Approach to Complaints

We treat complaints as important feedback. Handled well, a complaint is an opportunity to correct a problem, improve a relationship, and strengthen how we operate.

Three principles guide how we handle every concern:

Listen first. We hear the concern in full before we respond.
Give the supplier a chance to fix it. Many issues can be resolved in real time — a different room, a different guide, a corrected transfer.
Be honest about what we can and cannot do. Where something cannot be resolved in the way you hope, we will tell you directly — and explain why.

02During a Journey — Raise It Early

If something is not right during your journey, please tell us immediately — not after you return home. Most issues can be resolved on the spot, or within hours, if we know about them.

2.1 Who to Tell

Your guide or tour leader — they are on the ground and can often fix the issue immediately;
Your specialist at Asia Travel Mates — they can escalate to suppliers and coordinate changes;
Our on-the-ground team — reachable through the contact details provided in your Booking Confirmation.

2.2 What We Can Usually Fix in Real Time

Room allocation, room standard or hotel facilities issues;
Transport changes, delays or vehicle substitutions;
Guide changes or adjustments to guiding style;
Restaurant or meal issues;
Adjustments to pacing, itinerary or activities.

2.3 What We Cannot Fix in Real Time

Some issues cannot be resolved while you are on the ground — for example, fundamental changes to a journey’s route, unavailable accommodation at peak times, or supplier failures that require alternate arrangements. In these cases, we will:

Tell you honestly what is and is not possible;
Offer the best alternative available — which may involve a substitution or a partial change;
Document the issue for post-journey follow-up if it cannot be fully resolved.

03After a Journey — Submit in Writing

If you wish to raise a complaint after your journey, please submit it in writing. Written complaints give us the detail we need to investigate properly.

3.1 Where to Send It

Complaints should be sent to hello@asiatravelmates.com, or through our Contact page. You may also raise it with your specialist or trade partner, who will forward it to us directly.

3.2 What to Include

To help us investigate accurately, please include:

Your name and the names of any other travelers on the same booking;
Your Booking Confirmation reference number — this lets us locate your file immediately;
Dates and locations of the issue — including specific dates, hotels, guides or experiences involved;
A clear description of what happened — including what you expected and what actually occurred;
Any supporting documentation — photographs, receipts, booking confirmations, correspondence, or notes;
What resolution you are seeking — if you have a specific outcome in mind, tell us. Even if we cannot offer exactly that, it helps us understand what matters most to you.

3.3 Time Limits

We ask that post-journey complaints be submitted within 30 days of your return, wherever possible. This allows us to investigate while the details are fresh and suppliers are still contactable.

Complaints submitted later are still accepted, but the practical ability to verify events or recover from suppliers may be reduced by time.

04Acknowledgement

We aim to acknowledge every written complaint within 3 business days of receipt.

The acknowledgement will confirm:

That we have received your complaint and logged it;
The name of the person handling it;
The expected timeline for investigation and response;
Any additional information we need from you.

If you do not receive an acknowledgement within 3 business days, please follow up — occasionally, emails are caught by spam filters or sent to the wrong address.

05Investigation

Once acknowledged, we investigate the concern. The scope of the investigation depends on the nature of the complaint.

5.1 How We Investigate

Internal review — we review our own records, correspondence, and the Booking Confirmation;
Guide interview — where relevant, we speak with the guide or tour leader on the ground;
Supplier investigation — for complaints involving third parties, we raise the issue with the supplier directly and request their position;
Document review — including photographs, receipts, and any other material you provide.

5.2 Typical Timeline

Investigation Timeline
Stage	Typical timing
Acknowledgement	Within 3 business days
Internal review	3–5 business days
Supplier response	5–10 business days, depending on the supplier
Full investigation	Up to 30 days from acknowledgement
Complex cases	May take longer — we will tell you if that is likely

5.3 How We Keep You Informed

Where the investigation takes longer than expected, we will update you in writing — typically at 10 business days and again at 20 business days if the matter is still open.

06Resolution

Once the investigation is complete, we communicate the outcome and any remedy in writing.

6.1 Possible Outcomes

Upheld — the complaint is valid and requires a remedy;
Partially upheld — parts of the complaint are valid, others are not;
Not upheld — the complaint is not supported by our records and supplier information;
Unable to determine — rare cases where facts cannot be established with confidence. In these cases we may still offer a gesture of goodwill.

6.2 Possible Remedies

Where a complaint is upheld or partially upheld, remedies may include:

A partial refund of the affected portion of the journey;
A goodwill gesture — for example, a credit toward a future journey, or a complimentary experience;
An alternative arrangement — for example, a substitute experience on a future journey;
An apology — where the issue is about communication, timing or service quality rather than material loss.

The remedy is proportionate to the issue. A minor inconvenience and a significant service failure are not treated the same way.

6.3 What We Cannot Offer

Refunds for issues that are outside our responsibility — for example, flight delays by airlines, visa refusals, or personal choices that changed the journey;
Compensation that exceeds the value of the affected portion of the journey, unless required by applicable law;
Refunds where the issue was disclosed in advance and you accepted the terms — for example, known limitations of remote-area infrastructure.

07Supplier Resolution

Many components of a journey are provided by independent suppliers — hotels, cruise operators, transport providers, guides and activity partners. Where a complaint involves a supplier, our process is:

We contact the supplier directly and request their position;
We review their response against our own records and your information;
Where the supplier accepts responsibility and offers a remedy, we pass the remedy to you — with our own review of whether it is fair;
Where the supplier declines responsibility or the remedy is inadequate, we consider whether we should compensate directly — based on our own contractual obligations to you;
Where the supplier relationship is at fault, we review whether the partnership should continue.

We will always keep you informed of the supplier’s position and our own assessment — we will not hide behind a supplier response.

08Escalation

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of your complaint, you can escalate it.

8.1 Escalation Within Asia Travel Mates

Stage 1: The initial complaint and investigation — handled by the operations team;
Stage 2: Escalation to a senior manager — requested in writing within 14 days of receiving the initial outcome;
Stage 3: Escalation to senior management or directors — requested in writing within 14 days of the Stage 2 response.

8.2 External Escalation

Where the matter cannot be resolved internally, or where required by applicable law, you may pursue external dispute-resolution options. These are governed by the Online Tour Booking Agreement (Section 8) and include:

Mediation — voluntary, and requires agreement from both parties;
Binding arbitration through the Vietnam International Arbitration Centre (VIAC) in Ho Chi Minh City — where both parties agree;
Courts of competent jurisdiction in Vietnam — subject to applicable law.

Nothing in this procedure limits any right you may have under mandatory consumer protection laws in your country of residence.

09Post-Trip Complaints & Time Limits

Post-trip complaints are handled with the same seriousness as complaints raised during the journey. However, the passage of time affects our ability to verify events and recover from suppliers.

9.1 Recommended Timeframes

Recommended Timeframes for Post-Trip Complaints
When submitted	What happens
Within 30 days of return	Full investigation — suppliers are still contactable, records are recent
30–90 days	Investigation possible — but supplier recovery may be reduced
90 days – 12 months	Investigation possible — but remedy may be limited to goodwill
Over 12 months	Records may not be available; remedy likely limited to acknowledgement

9.2 Legal Time Limits

Where a legal claim is involved, the time limits set by Vietnamese law and the applicable jurisdiction apply. These are not affected by this procedure — and we recommend seeking legal advice if you believe your case may lead to a formal claim.

10Confidentiality & Records

Confidentiality: Complaints are handled on a need-to-know basis only. Information is shared with suppliers only to the extent necessary for investigation;
Records: We retain records of complaints in accordance with our Privacy Policy and applicable Vietnamese data protection regulations;
Retention period: Complaint records are retained for the period required by legal, accounting and dispute-resolution obligations — typically aligned with a seven-year cycle;
Access: You may request access to the personal data we hold about your complaint, in accordance with the Privacy Policy.

11Feedback That Is Not a Complaint

Not every piece of feedback is a complaint. We also welcome:

Suggestions — ideas for how we could improve a journey, service or partner;
Praise — where a guide, driver, host or supplier exceeded your expectations. We pass on praise to the individuals concerned — it matters to them;
Corrections — where you spot an error in our printed or online materials;
Accessibility feedback — where a journey, property or activity did not meet the accessibility standards described in our Accessibility Statement;
Responsible-travel feedback — where something on a journey did not meet the standards described in our Responsible Travel Policy.

These can be sent to the same address — hello@asiatravelmates.com — and will be routed to the appropriate team.

12Continuous Improvement

Learning: Every upheld complaint is reviewed for what we could have done differently;
Partner review: Where a supplier repeatedly fails to meet standards, we review whether the partnership should continue;
Policy updates: Where a complaint reveals a gap in our procedures, we adapt them;
Proportionality: We treat all complaints fairly — and we do not retaliate or reduce service standards because a complaint has been raised.

We Would Rather Hear It From You

If something in your journey did not meet expectations, please tell us directly. We would rather hear it from you — early, and clearly — than have it go unresolved or be raised through a third party.

Write to hello@asiatravelmates.com. A real person will respond.