TopView Sightseeing Reviews 304

SCAM
On June 8, 2024 I purchased two tickets for a Top View Sightseeing tour of London. A map of bus stop locations and timetable were not available. I had to do a few additional google searches to locate a bus stop that they use. I even called the customer service phone number while at the stop. The number rang once then hung up. We waited for over an hour at a designated stop and the bus never arrived. I inquired about this bus company with a tourist organization in London and I was told that Top View Sightseeing is a scam and many tourists have had a similar experience. They sell fake tickets and don't provide Sightseeing services. The company headquarters is located in NYC. They advertise that they provide tours of London, but it seems that they are falsely advertising a service that doesn't exist. I simply would like a refund because I did not use the service, and have no plans to travel to NYC nor London. We had limited time while visiting London, and this experience wasted a good 3 hours out of day, and 61.00 GPG that we spent of our limited budget.

Never seem to have room on the bus to pick up anyone at the stops. Stop running 30 min early and kicks everyone off the bus at 5:30 even though they claim to run till 6pm. They left us further away from our starting point because the bus driver kicked everyone off at stop 16 and left empty refusing to drive the last 30 min. Spent $400 on 3 48 hour passes only to be stuck across town, being left at stops without a ride, and brush burns on our legs being rushed off so quickly at 5:30 the grit paper on the steps scratched us up. Refunds are as available as rides on the bus - NONEXISTANT.

We never even got to use our ticket!!! We stood in the queues at 3 different bus stops but everytime, the bus was full and the next bus that came after 15 minutes was also full. So, instead of waiting, we decided to use the subway or walk.

At the empire state stop, the driver came out and said that the lower deck was extremely hot (why?? Don't you guys have AC?). So, we must board at our discretion. A few people at the front of the queue boarded. Then the bus left.

They overbook every single day. There is no consideration on how many buses, how many seats there are. They just let any number of people book the tours. The refund policies are drawn so that no one can be given refunds for this particular reason. This is ridiculous. It's just a scam at this point. Just taking subway everywhere would have been a lot cheaper and convenient. WE PAID FOR 2 TICKETS FOR NO SERVICE.

Topview left a bad taste in our mouth when we think of New York. Do yourself a favor and steer clear of any of their services. Spare the bike rentals too because I've read enough negative reviews about that too.

This was my second time taking this tour in two years, the first experience went well however, this experience where I invited three other family members was a nightmare. We were told that the bus would pick us up and drop us off at the same stop. After completing the 5:15pm Statue of Liberty tour, we were kicked off the bus at Stop 17 despite being told we would be taken back to stop #1. The unfortunate part is my mother who is disabled and already exhausted from the heat and short walks. Again after being told to get off the bus at stop 17, she was expected to walk, which turned out to be a 10 minute ride back to our original stop. I called customer service on two occasions to have them take us back to the stop due to my mother’s disability, and was told , we had to exit on stop 17. There were so many people confused and did not know which way to go or how to get back to their original location. For the cost of this tour, it is very disappointing that people are expected to walk miles in an unknown unfamiliar area with a person who is already using a cane to get around. When we were put off the FULL bus, ALL of the passengers were confused and did not know which way to go to get back to their original location which was STOP 1. For the cost of this tour, it is very disgusting and disappointing that people are expected to walk miles in a unknown, unfamiliar area due to poor communication from their team. When we told them that we were told we will be dropped back off to original spot, they apologized and said this happens all the time because the sales people lie to sell tickets and that they are a 3rd party selling tickets…. This is BS because ALL of them including the driver were wearing red Topview shirts. Do not take this tour this was very disappointing. We ended up having to pay for an Uber to get back to STOP 1. We felt abandoned after being lied to. I repeat do not take this your Big Bus maybe a better option.

We travelled to NYC during the Memorial Day weekend and took Top view services for the first time. We were promised by the agent who sold us the tickets that even entry to Empire state and Rockefeller is covered as part of this tickets however only when we were at the entry our barcodes could not be scanned , we realised we have been scammed. I wrote to there customer service immediately and only response I get is these tickets are non refundable and we paid 285 usd for 5 people for the downtown tickets hop on hop off . We have used big bus earlier and had a fantastic experience. My advise to anyone travelling to NY , PLEASE DO NOT use TOP VIEW BUS service . It’s pathetic , have so many delays and no refund policy is a scam . You don’t get what you paid for.

If you read all these negative reviews and still choose to book Top View, you’re a fool. This is the email I sent to them outlining their issues and demanding a refund:

Hi, this is my second attempt at requesting a full refund for 5 tickets purchased on 5/21 because of major issues with your service or lack thereof. If I do not receive a response by 5/29 (given the holiday), I will file a complaint with the BBB and visit your office at 2 E. 42nd St. 1- We waited 45 minutes for bus #347 even though one of your employees told us it was 7 minutes away, then after waiting 7 minutes, another employee told us it was another 13 minutes away. Both of those ETAs were incorrect, and 45 minutes is too long to wait for a $60 bus ride by common-sense standards. 2 - When the bus finally came, there were only 6 seats to accommodate the 20+ people who had been waiting on line for up to 45 min. Needless to say, most of us could not get on the bus and were expected to wait for the next one that was “coming in 5 min” (yeah right) and apparently only had 2 seats available, according to the bus driver. 3. You claimed there was a live map feature on your app, but it did not work. It just said “buses come frequently, check back soon.” Every 45+ min is not “frequently,” and upon “checking back in soon,” there were still no bus ETAs available in the live map. Everybody on line was complaining about all these same issues, therefore this was a widespread problem. It’s not my responsibility to pay $295 for a bus tour and not be able to get on the bus. I think about 7 Big Busses passed us while we waited for 1 Top View.

We had a terrible experience yesterday. There are so many better choices - please avoid.

Our bus strayed off the route. The driver was non communicative. There were no other employees on the bus to ask for help. I ended up calling customer service from the bus to find out where we were going and to ask to be let off. I almost called 911. All the passengers were terrified.

I asked for a refund by email as soon as we got off the bus. Customer service by email has been terrible and unable to resolve this issue. Please pick another company.

Very bad! they sell you everything included and is not true. bus every 10-15 min not true! very difficult to use, forget to use it to move in downtown or uptown, we wait 1/2 h and then taxi.

We purchased a night tour including Brooklyn Bridge for a really good price BUT when we arrived at the pick up location on the app and the tickets we were told we were in the wrong place so had to walk a couple of blocks over to the 2nd pick up location to then be told again we were in the wrong place.
We were sent back to the 1st pick up location to be told we were in the right place and were out on to the tour bus.
Turns out it was not the right tour after speaking to 4 different employees who all had conflicting information.
This was our last night and it ruin the experience as we didn’t receive the tour we paid for.

After contact customer service initially we were asked for the customer ID after sending this it took 4 emails and over a week to get a reply with a pointless attempt to offer us a renewed tour pass (pointless because our holiday had ended and now back in the UK)

Do not book with them. They say buses are vero frequent with less than 10 minutes. That is not true. We used that for teo days and we has wait more than 1 hour each bus stop

The ride was okay I wouldn't recommend though. They lied about the route the bus was taking and instead gave us a tour of unnecessary places. Also they say it's $19 dollars but forget to mention an extra $10 fee but the lady Margo h made it fun .

BEWARE
Topviewnyc Sightseeing quoted us $48 total per person that included 3 days of touring. The Topviewnyc Sightseeing agent did not give us a receipt because he claimed the credit card machine was not working properly. When the the tickets printed Topviewnyc Sightseeing agent balled them up and insisted we pull up the app. Topviewnyc Sightseeing charged our credit card $414 for 3 people. We also had to get off the bus and walk because the road was closed and they could not figure out a detour. I called Topviewnyc telephone number 212 664 0300 the Topviewnyc Sightseeing agent advised there was nothing she could do, but for me to send them an email. I sent an email to Topviewnyc Sightseeing. This is Topviewnyc Sightseeing response:

Thank you for contacting TopView Sightseeing.

We deeply apologize the agent didn't disclose the fees to you. The tickets were sold to you each for $119. For a total of $357.00.

Fees

Ticket & Handling = $27
Fuel = $12
Service = $18

Regarding a refund for the fees, we will not be able to accomodate due them be non-negotiable and mandated. At this time I will be reporting the agent for disciplinary action.
Sincerely,
Tyrone St Patrick
Senior Customer Service Representative

I took the night tour with topview and I have to say with all the negative reviews I read I was a bit apprehensive about doing so. The tour was very good and the tour guide on board (Nash I think his name was) was very good to. It's a personal opinion but I prefer an actual guide on the bus rather than a recording from another company that tries to be funny when it's not. I bought my ticket off the sellers on the street as they where doing a special of $29 including taxes and fees. Based on my experience I would recommend this tour.

Do not use this company! They will take your money and not provide the tour! They are terms and conditions indicate they will notify customers of any road closures or changes to the routes and this does not happen!! They took my $400 and the bus was not running For a day and a half of my 48 hour tour. There was no alert or notification made on the app or their website of these changes. I’ve contacted customer service and all they tell me is “all sales are final.” Horrible company and even worse customer service!!

Based on my recent experience, my advice would be don’t use this company. We booked the 3 day tour as it seemed good value for money. Day one we took the Downtown Tour, Statue of Liberty Cruise & Brooklyn Tour. Travelled on 3 buses that day & the audio didn’t work on any of them. As a result, we missed our stop for the cruise as we didn’t hear the bus driver advising us to get off. No issues with the cruise. Excellent commentary throughout. On rejoining bus 3 to return to Times Square the bus was taken ‘out of service’ a stop away from our destination with no explanation. Told to wait for the next bus, but no indication of wait time given. Completed Downtown Tour on day 2 with no issues. Day 3 did the Uptown Tour which was fine. In addition, did the Night Tour, which was the tour from hell. The ‘entertaining guide’ was anything but ….. He was the most irritating individual !! Many of the places of interest he only began talking about when we passed them. As for being an ‘acquaintance’ of Lady GaGa & the band Kiss …. yeah right !! The staff driving the buses were fine. What looked like a 3 day ticket being good value for money, unfortunately wasn’t & from my experience, I certainly wouldn’t recommend.

THE WORST BUS COMPANY EVER!!!
Do not waste your money. Unreliable, unsafe buses, earphones don’t work and the buses leak when it rains
ABSOLUTE RIP OFF

I purchased three tickets for a full day, but that's a lie. If you decide to complete the tour during the night, you must purchase the “nighttime” tour—a total scam. Customer service is a joke. I got hung up because the ticket was showing as “used.” How did they know my ticket was used if I didn't give them any information? Total waste.

A fraud and liars. When ask for my refund they refuse and provided wrong information as to why they couldn’t give me a refund.

Generally okay, but quite a few times it felt a poor service. For example the night tour in December wasted our time by confining between 5th and 8th avenues and Central Park south and 34th Street. The commentary was delivered by an amateur and towards the end we just wanted him to shut up as he was irritating. The Uptown and Downtown routes were good, we also enjoyed the Brooklyn tour which showed us everyman's New York. The cruise to the Statue of Liberty was overbooked and I felt for the people who had to stand in the cold, we did swap but it was perhaps not the best experience. Don't pay the sticker price, it is not worth it.

Bus driver was rude and was shouting at people all the time. We got off the bus once and gave ourselves plenty of time to get to the statue of liberty cruise but because the bus took over 30 minutes to turn up we missed it. In the mean time the other bus company big bus tours seemed to have more regular buses and seats available. I'd book with that one if I went again.