Sit back and grab your beverage of choice because my 41st 1-star review out of 520+ is going to be…read morelong. Unfortunately, we are limited to 5001 characters for Yelp reviews, so I'll have to shorten. TenDot charged $5400 each for 540 American Outlaws (supporters group for the US men's national soccer team) to go to Brazil for the World Cup. That's $2,916,000 to be exact. Below I will note the problem legs of the trip and highlight the issues: Houston to Natal: -Plane 1's departure time was changed @ last minute (11PM), but then they departed past the original time (2AM instead of 1AM) -Plane 2 had to downsize (14 people had to find another way to Brazil) -Plane 2 stopped for fuel in Puerto Rico on the way to Brazil. Only the captain made an official announcement (not TenDot) despite "SJU" being printed on the boarding passes 1st Natal hotel: -Didn't match the address as stated in PDF provided by TenDot -Derrick Eells, VP and co-founder of TenDot, assures us there's lots to do around hotel (surrounded by rubble & abandoned buildings) and it's safe -Police tell us it's unsafe to walk around -Someone gets jumped later that week while jogging -Room has dead cockroaches-sat long enough to leave imprints 2nd Natal hotel: Derrick Eells explained he moved my friend and I first because "you were doing a lot of complaining so I'm moving one of my guys out so you can move in." I felt no guilt because I am the one paying. TenDot charged American Outlaws an extra $3000 to move everyone out of the 1st hotel, even though TenDot didn't drop us off at the right hotel in the 1st place. Natal to Manaus: Awoke @ 1:15AM to catch a 2AM bus (arranged by TenDot), but did not arrive until 3:30AM. Arrival @ airport ~4:30AM. Plane 2 scheduled to leave @ 7:45AM, but the flight's not on the airport monitors. No info given by TenDot until 8:15AM when we were told we were awaiting a plane from Fortaleza (40min flight). The plane arrived, had to be catered, & fueled. Roll call completed @ least 3x. Finally depart ~12PM & barely make it to the stadium when the gates open. Manaus to Natal: All 540 AOs @ Manaus airport ~10PM. No updates given by TenDot. We finally talk to AO national individually ~12AM & find out check-in's @ 2AM because FIFA pushed all flights back. Plane 2's scheduled to depart @ 7AM. Tensions are high due to lack of info, & people are tired. A gal asks Derrick, "How do you know the planes will really depart @ 5 & 7AM?" He replied, "When Delta has a flight, how do you know it's confirmed?" Very poor customer service. We line up @ 2AM to check-in for the flight but check-in's only for the 1st plane. We finally check-in for the flight ~5AM (waited 45min for security's stickers). Again, no TenDot announcement, since we haven't seen a TenDot person since 12AM (disappeared before plane 2's check-in). Here's a list of problems, according to my tweets: 8:22AM - Another flight needs to board, so it's a disaster in gate area 9:45AM - Gate change 10:30AM - We need to be bussed to the plane, but 1 bus has left w/no passengers. Fuel payment is needed for the plane. 11:01AM - Paperwork done previously needs to be redone, & frustration sets in. We're told to stay calm because the police are afraid we'll mob the door. We've been in the airport for 13+ hrs @ this point. 12PM - Derrick from TenDot finally shows up. 1PM - Depart for Natal. Natal to Houston: No information provided on the TenDot board in the hotel upon return from Recife. We're told by word of mouth we're departing for the airport at 10AM, but TenDot's unsure. It wasn't until we boarded the airport bus that Derrick's available to provide flight times. We are scheduled for a 3:30PM departure, 10:45PM arrival. TenDot failed to let people know the airport security rules. They are different for international flights. We are held to similar USA TSA screening rules in Brazil, and many people have items confiscated, e.g. cough syrup or unlabeled bottles. Plane 2 cannot go to the gate until plane 1 departs. No computerized systems for charter company hired by TenDot means lack of real-time accountability. Problems encountered: 5:11PM - Plane 1's pushed back from the gate. Plane 2 has to move to the gate and fuel. 5:43PM - Someone on plane 2 accidentally boards plane 1, and there are 11 people missing on plane 1. Plane 1 returns to gate, fixes mistake, then pushes back again. All info via word of mouth, no updates from TenDot 5:47PM - Plane 2 has to be catered. 6:40PM - Boarding. Pilot explains delay's due to negotiations w/US customs to ensure they can receive us. 7:19PM - Wheels up 2:15AM - Arrival in Houston, 3.5hrs late I will NEVER again use TenDot. I understand things happen, but lack of communication was evident throughout the WHOLE process. I measure success by action; I did not meet anyone on this trip willing to pay $5400 & go through this again. Have a TenDot day!

TenDot Travel Is a fantastic organization. They plan brilliant trips, always making sure that their…read moreclients stay at the best accommodations, and they make everything effortless. We can't recommend Derrick and his whole team highly enough.