Way to Russia Talk Lounge

greg222 · WayToRussified Joined: 15 Feb 2005 Posts: 485

The main difference between Way to Russia and all other travel guides is that we constantly monitor the quality of our advertisers’ customer service. There’s a lot of work done by our managers, who check the correspondence, send in “mystery shopper” requests, and nag the providers who don’t reply within 24 hours just to ensure that when you book through Way to Russia you get the best experience possible.

In order to make all the results of this work transparent and to inform you which companies perform the best, we put together this bi-monthly report that tells nothing but the truth about the service providers’ customer support. Be sure to check the most recent report before you book.

greg222 · WayToRussified Joined: 15 Feb 2005 Posts: 485

Train Tickets
Connect Russia is the most efficient of the four providers. Their manner can be a little abrasive occasionally, but they offer the best value and most competent service. The only drawback is that they can’t provide tickets for journeys originating in Irkutsk.
Express to Russia is also a very efficient company and can handle journeys originating in Irkutsk. With an office in St Petersburg they can be a good option for journeys originating in that city. On the downside, they are more expensive and have no online payment option.
Russian Rails: it is best not to book with Russian Rails at the moment. We’re giving them some time to get their affairs in order.
Transiberiana can offer relatively cheap Trans-Siberian tickets in any direction with stopovers in any city due to local partners in Irkutsk, Ulan-Bataar and Beijing. Unfortunately their English isn’t great and they often don’t answer clients. Use them if you want Trans-Siberian tickets starting in Beijing or a stopover in Ulan-Bataar. For other journeys, choose a different provider.

Moscow Hostels
The only concern here at the moment is Sweet Moscow. It seems the managers have once again decided to stop answering clients so don’t book with them at the moment.
Home From Home Hostel is quick to reply to all requests but is sometimes a little bit unclear in their reply. Note that you need to send an email back to them to confirm your reservation.
Napoleon Hostel, our pick as the best in Moscow, is working very well and is a good choice, as is Home Hostel, especially if you want a private room. Yellow Blue Bus is also a good option if you want a quieter environment and very helpful staff.

St Petersburg B&Bs and Hostels
Sleep Cheap Hostel hasn’t been answering clients for a long time so don’t try to book with them at the moment. Stay at Apricot Hostel instead.
All the other accommodation options listed there are very reliable. Sovetskaya, SwissStar and Griboedova have long been standouts in the realm of customer service. And a special mention should be made of the two Pio Mini-Hotels which are the latest additions to our B&B listings.

Apartments
City Life: Owners of the popular “Dutch Flat” (listing #111), they are currently answering clients haphazardly due to a staff problem. It’s probably best to try different apartments at the moment.
City Realty (CRR): Currently they are the most efficient apartment provider that advertises on Way to Russia. They have a range of apartments in Moscow and St Petersburg.
Enjoy Moscow (Moscow Rick): Is currently ignoring requests from some clients and when they do reply they never seem to have availability. Best to steer clear of them until they get their act together.
Flat Link: A solid provider with no customer service problems, although very rarely they might forget to reply to an accommodation request.
Go To Russia: Efficient and competent but also brusque. If you want to book one of their apartments they’ll make it very easy for you, but if you want to ask questions or think about things they won’t offer much help. You are expected to pay for the apartment within 24 hours after they tell you it’s available.
IntelService: Another efficient provider that expects you to pay within 24 hours of them confirming availability. Otherwise the apartment is back up for grabs.
MCEB: Sometimes don’t answer clients, but when they do reply they are efficient.
MoscowApts: There might be a couple of days wait for a response sometimes, but they have some of the best cheap apartments in Moscow. Unfortunately there are just two of them so availability can be a problem (listings #207 and #209).
Uncle Pasha: Well, he’s a character. Expect short, curt replies when reserving the apartment. It’s part of the Russian experience though. He has a great discount for low season at the moment (listing #166 Moscow).
Windows on Nevsky: Quality company that has a good range of apartments in St Petersburg. No problems with customer service.

greg222 · WayToRussified Joined: 15 Feb 2005 Posts: 485

Here is the latest update on how Way to Russia's advertisers are performing. In addition to listing all the best travel services and deals on our website, we also monitor our advertisers to make sure they are providing quality customer service. And, if they're not, we believe you should know about it.

Train Tickets
Connect Russia is the most efficient of the four providers. Their manner can be a little abrasive occasionally, but they offer the best value and most competent service. They now offer tickets for journeys originating in Irkutsk and Ulan-Bataar which is a great addition to their services!
Express to Russia is also a very efficient company and can handle journeys originating in Irkutsk. With an office in St Petersburg they can be a good option for journeys originating in that city. On the downside, they are more expensive and have no online payment option.
Russian Rails: it is best not to book with Russian Rails at the moment. They have been very slack lately. We’re allowing them a little more time to get their affairs in order.
Transiberiana can offer relatively cheap Trans-Siberian tickets in any direction. Unfortunately their English isn’t great and they often don’t answer clients. Use them only if you want Trans-Siberian tickets starting in Beijing. For other journeys, choose a different provider.

Moscow Hostels
Sweet Moscow staff have gone completely AWOL. Do not try to book there at the moment. Godzilla's are also doing a poor job at the moment. Best to avoid them as well – they were once the only quality hostel in Moscow and their reputation is built on this. But these days there are better places to stay.
Napoleon Hostel, our pick as the best hostel in Moscow, is working very well and is a good choice, as is Home Hostel, especially if you want a private room. But expect to wait a couple of days for a reply from Home Hostel. Yellow Blue Bus is also a good option if you want a quieter environment and very helpful staff. Home From Home is a slightly cheaper option with an excellent location on Arbat.

St Petersburg B&Bs and Hostels
Sleep Cheap Hostel hasn’t been answering clients for a long time so don’t try to book with them at the moment. Stay at Apricot Hostel instead.
All the other accommodation options listed there are very reliable. Sovetskaya, SwissStar, Pio and Griboedova have long been standouts in the realm of customer service. We’re excited that the renowned Rinaldi chain of mini-hotels has just been added to our listings providing more quality accommodation options in St Petersburg.

Apartments
City Realty (CRR): Currently they are the most efficient apartment provider that advertises on Way to Russia. They have a range of apartments in Moscow and St Petersburg.
Enjoy Moscow (Moscow Rick): We have temporarily removed their listings due to poor customer service.
Flat Link: A solid provider with no customer service problems, although very rarely they might forget to reply to an accommodation request.
Go To Russia: Efficient and competent but also brusque. If you want to book one of their apartments they’ll make it very easy for you, but if you want to ask questions or think about things they won’t offer much help. You are expected to pay for the apartment within 24 hours after they tell you it’s available.
IntelService: Another efficient provider that expects you to pay within 24 hours of them confirming availability. Otherwise the apartment is back up for grabs.
MCEB: Sometimes don’t answer clients, but when they do reply they are efficient.
MoscowApts: There might be a couple of days wait for a response sometimes, but they have some of the best, cheap apartments in Moscow. Unfortunately there are just two of them so availability can be a problem (listings #207 and #209).
Uncle Pasha: Well, he’s a character. Expect short, curt replies when reserving the apartment. It’s part of the Russian experience though.
Spb Travel: They have a quality range of cheap apartments in St Petersburg. They’re finally taking bookings for summer after taking an age to finalize their prices.
Windows on Nevsky: Quality company that has a good range of apartments in St Petersburg. No problems with customer service.