Banks Travel - Penticton, British Columbia

Fergus S.

We have been using Banks Travel for quite a few years and all the Staff (Allayne –owner, Tammy, Brittany and Sarah), are very knowledgeable, and have helped us with ideas for destinations, hotels and cruises. They are all very quick to reply to telephone calls and emails and it is nice to know there is someone there to help when things go awry during our travels. We would certainly recommend Banks Travel to anyone needing or wanting help when planning, booking travel, and assistance, if you need it, when you are away.

Chris K.

Wonderful staff! Sarah helped me book a great vacation to Portugal during the off season. I gave her my budget and she definitely delivered! No hassle, no hidden fees, and most importantly, no worries!
5 star service, will be using their services again 😍

Jack N.

We have booked 3 trips with Banks Travel over the last 6 years. We have found the staff to be kind, responsive to enquires and they go above and beyond what one would expect. For this most recent trip to Paris. We went in with a basic idea of the expected price for our flights. Within a few minutes Tammy was able to find us a flight that was substantially less expensive. On our previous trip, the staff spent hours on the phone correcting a airline scheduling change.Banks Travel have made each of our trips completely stress free. It is so nice to work with a company that puts the customer first and is professional in all their interactions. We are looking forward to working with Banks Travel in the future.

Darlene H.

We just got back from a fabulous vacation to Europe! Our Travel agent Helene did an amazing job setting up our hotels , trains, river cruise, flights and excursions, it all went off without a hitch, we were gone 24 days toured thru France, Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland and Italy and it was perfect. She had it all laid out perfectly with an envelope full of our various adventures and a well laid out itinerary!
We couldn’t be happier. Thanks again Helene!!🥰

Maria O. F. C.

EXCELLENT - I have been working Allayne, Tammy, Brittany, Sarah and the team of staff at K. Banks Travel in Penticton for 13 years now as a client. I have always found them wonderful to work with, trustworthy and kind. They have super deals and great suggestions for my many trips. I have booked three trips this year with them and very happy with the service and my flights. Highly recommend K. Banks Travel and their friendly staff.

Jo S.

My dealing with K Banks Travel was pleasant and efficient.
I do not reside in Penticton, the travel arrangements were made by email.
Agent's Sarah and Allayne were very quick to answer and provided the information we needed.
The arrangements were made, documents sent , trip was fabulous.
I have recommended Banks Travel for many years and will continue to book and recommend.
Cheers and Thanks Sarah and Allayne

Roxanne O.

Unfortunately, we had a very poor experience with this travel agency. Problems started with an error in our contact information resulting in booking delays and increased cost, then a lack of transparency in charging an exorbitant service fee ($400) for 3 flights to Calgary, and finally rudeness/lack of professionalism by supervising staff (Tammy) when these concerns were raised. Fortunately we were able to quickly change to another travel agency who rebooked our trip quickly, efficiently, and at notably less cost.
On return from our trip, I called the owner of Banks Travel to discuss. I received only explanations of "yes, an unfortunate staff error on contact information, but staff are busy and we don't have time to babysit people" - and "company policy" regarding lack of up front information on service fee amount.

Apparently my assumptions of good business practices and good customer service were too high - but lesson learned. What I do know is this :
(1) If this was my business I would never leave a customer with this experience
(2) I do not recommend Banks Travel and suggest you look elsewhere for a good travel agency.

*****
Thank you Allayne for your response below.
In our conversation we had agreed to disagree - but rectified means to make something right. I also advised I would be writing a review so I am unclear as to the suggested surprise.

Just some points/corrections to your note :
(1) Stating a customer is not a customer because you provided a refund and any review is illegitimate is somewhat loopy logic. I had a customer experience at your agency - unfortunately it was poor. My review is of course legitimate.
(2)Thank you for your apology for having my contact information incorrect. It is unfortunate that your supervisor did not feel necessary to provide at the time (You will note there is no apology in her correspondence)
And I completely agree, it was an honest mistake - if you review my email you will see I am the one who made reference to the fact that we all make mistakes and that I had no harsh words for the person who actually made the error.
(3) I was in your office when the flights were researched - it took well under 10 minutes. I was not present for the research on hotel/car , but when I do research for such things, Expedia brings information up very quickly - I am assuming the same for your staff. I do not mean to sound disrespectful, but "hours of research " as suggested for a 3 day trip to Calgary seems highly unlikely.
(4) I agree that it is fortunate I found another travel agency that aligned better with my values. Customer service and seamless transactions are important to me. And just to confirm, I did not give the flight and hotel details to the new agency - I gave them the same trip parameters that I gave your agency - date and budget . It was researched, booked, and paid for all within 40 minutes.
(5) There was no personal attack on your staff. Yes I had an opinion, yes I was unhappy - and due to your supervisor's rude response and desire to speak over me - my unhappiness grew. There was never a question or issue at my end about her not returning a call - the only reference about calling and not reaching was in my email of June 5 and that was in response to her email advising I needed to contact her ASAP. My email was simply confirming I had done as she asked and could not reach her.
(6) If a company offers a customer the option of a refund, and this choice is taken by the customer, isnt it the customer declining to do business versus the other way around ? Just a thought.
(7) I am glad to hear most of your customers are happy with your services. Unfortunately this was not my experience. Getting it right 9 out of 10 times doesn't mean the 1 time you made mistakes doesn't matter.
(8) To the question on what more could have been done to handle these problems professionally, the answer is simple : Hearing concerns, acknowledging mistakes, taking responsability, and rectifying.

Regards
Roxanne O'Connor

Lorraine C.

Brittany Richardson at Banks booked us our very first all inclusive and it was seamless. She even found a lower price available and saved us considerably. Our experience with Banks proved competent, helpful and friendly service.