11/12: Review of Way to Russia's Advertisers
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.
Train Tickets
Connect Russia is by far 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: ordinarily a good company they have been slack recently and aren’t bothering to answer some orders. Best not to use them until things get back to normal.
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 try to book with them until this is sorted.
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.
Meanwhile, Napoleon Hostel and Yellow Blue Bus Hostel are both new additions to Way to Russia so there might be teething problems in the initial stages, although there are no signs of this to date.
Godzilla’s have recently improved their performance since providing atrocious customer service during summer.
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. Hopefully this will be resolved soon. In the meantime, book with Apricot Hostel.
All the other accommodation options listed there are completely reliable. A special mention should be made for the two new Pio Mini-Hotels which have just been added to Way to Russia.
Apartments
City Life: The popular “Dutch Flat” is often booked but they are very helpful in finding alternative options. Can sometimes be a bit careless in their work.
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 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 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.
Uncle Pasha: Well, he’s a character. Expect short, curt replies when reserving the apartment. It’s part of the Russian experience though.
Windows on Nevsky: Quality company that has a good range of apartments in St Petersburg. No problems with customer service.
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.
Train Tickets
Connect Russia is by far 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: ordinarily a good company they have been slack recently and aren’t bothering to answer some orders. Best not to use them until things get back to normal.
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 try to book with them until this is sorted.
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.
Meanwhile, Napoleon Hostel and Yellow Blue Bus Hostel are both new additions to Way to Russia so there might be teething problems in the initial stages, although there are no signs of this to date.
Godzilla’s have recently improved their performance since providing atrocious customer service during summer.
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. Hopefully this will be resolved soon. In the meantime, book with Apricot Hostel.
All the other accommodation options listed there are completely reliable. A special mention should be made for the two new Pio Mini-Hotels which have just been added to Way to Russia.
Apartments
City Life: The popular “Dutch Flat” is often booked but they are very helpful in finding alternative options. Can sometimes be a bit careless in their work.
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 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 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.
Uncle Pasha: Well, he’s a character. Expect short, curt replies when reserving the apartment. It’s part of the Russian experience though.
Windows on Nevsky: Quality company that has a good range of apartments in St Petersburg. No problems with customer service.
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