One of the worst experiences I've ever had, literally. Delayed review here (happened in Aug 2014) as it was really difficult for me to re-visit this experience, but I felt like people should be aware of my experience and see the other side when things don't go as planned.
I was almost about to miss the event as we had missed the location. After a lot of driving back and forth, we found the place. The event scheduled for 10am hadn't started yet although it was 10.30. My luck was decided when we ended up finding the place.
We were given ATV vehicles - some were duo, some were solo. We could pick whichever vehicle we wanted. My friend and I each took a solo ATV to ride on.
The terrain was quite steep and the paths narrow. Some of the areas had a lot of loose gravel. In some places, it was much steeper and as these were the mountains, there was nothing preventing a steep fall if a person went close to the edge.
On the way there, the guide went ahead of us and we followed. My friend and I were among the last ones and we trailed behind. I was almost going to skid off the steep edges of the terrain, as my vehicle went over a big stone stuck in the ground. Nothing fortunately happened.
On the way back, the guide was way ahead of me and my friend and the rest of the crew. Only a few members were with him. I was also some distance ahead of my friend, and when I didn't notice her come back, I stopped my vehicle and walked back. I saw her vehicle turned over, and she was crying. The guide was nowhere to be found.
And here's where things started to go horribly wrong. We turned the vehicle back up and rode it together. The guide came a while later and asked what had happened, and we explained. I started riding her bike, and the guide asked me to carry on and join the other students. Once everyone was settled in, he started going ahead of us even though we were a bit shook up. When I rode the second ATV, I could tell immediately there was something wrong with it - the breaks weren't working well, the steering was a bit skewed. While riding over some loose gravel, the vehicle skid, and all I remember was vehicle going in the air. The next few hours were a blur to me, and I found myself in the hospital 20 miles away.
The ATV folks wouldn't let my friend leave without swiping her card. And she had no other option but to swipe it. They swiped it for what they called were "damages" to the vehicle I was riding.
I ended up passing out from a concussion and my feet and hands were badly damaged. My ankle needed 8 stitches, but the worse part is that my foot started swelling up constantly. Once I was back home to my city, the doctor told me I needed to get plastic surgery done soon. The plastic surgery doctor gave me a woundvac and did surgery when it wasn't necessary, but that's another story.
The ATV folks charged us for the repair of the entire vehicle - this vehicle was not in new condition, wasn't operating well, but we were asked to provide cost of replacement of all parts. We ended up spending more than $3k for the repair of said vehicle (besides almost $30k in medical bills) although this accident almost cost me my life. I had to call them back again and again to get at least some of my friends money back - they refunded only $750 - as if it was my fault the vehicle was faulty. And the owner said I got "lucky" I got charged only $3k because once ATVs roll, they get totaled. No, Ms. owner, I got lucky that I didn't die because of your poor quality guide experience and your vehicle quality.
The guide was missing the entire time and was way ahead of me and my friend throughout the lesson. If some of their vehicles were not up to the mark, they should have them replaced rather than let their customers go through horrors (I'm still living this today, the nerve on my left foot is damaged and I'm scarred even after the plastic surgery) and recover the cost through them. They were nowhere to be found in the hospital after the responders arrived or even as much as sent a follow up note or call to check on how I was doing post the accident. This is one of the worst experiences of my life. Please NEVER trust this company with their ATV experiences, it might end up costing you dearly.
Attaching the booking receipt & accident photos. I wouldn't fake something as horrible as this just to post a review. read more