Action Challenge Avis 

in 2023 I participated on the lake district challenge. the support in the lead up to the event and on the day were exemplary Action Challenge are geared towards supporting their participants on the events and I have seen this both as a participant and as a volunteer. for what they offer on event day they represent good value for money and are the best out there

5 emails ignored - and then charged £20 to cancel my booking. Joke of a firm and customer service.

Entered this years L2B event. Was doing it for some emotional reasons (carrying my late husbands ashes down to Brighton where he grew up). The organisation was absolutely brilliant and the support team, medics and food stations amazing. Sadly I tripped over something in the dark (my fault - lesson learned - keep your eyes and head torch on the floor!). I really hurt myself and the lovely medical took me out of the event at 81k.... was so disappointed but it was the right thing to do. I'm not giving up and will be back again next year to complete 'unfinished business'! Big thank you to the team at Action Challenge.

I went to Kilimanjaro and the organisation leading up to it was appalling and the communication was abysmal. The only way I could get a response was to put a public comment on their Facebook page. They kept asking for more money I worked it out and I had definitely over paid I emailed several times and called always being promised a call back but never getting one. Then two weeks before departure I got an invoice at 4pm to be paid by 6pm the same day I tried calling no answer and with the threat that my trip would be cancelled I had no option but to pay. I again tried multiple attempts to get hold of someone to just explain the situation but nothing. It gave me no trust in the trip and tainted it. I had done a few challenges before but after this experience never again.

Back in 2020 my son and I signed up for Kilimanjaro with Action Challenge and paid our deposit. Soon after covid hit. Our trip was moved from Aug/Sept 2020 to Aug/Sept 2021. Again covid lingered, so our trip was moved to Aug/Sept 2022. However, upon moving I learned that my son had not actually been moved from the 2020 trip! Just me. Either way we were both moved to Aug/Sept 2022 trip. Later in the year I noticed the trip we had been signed up to had disappeared from the website! After chasing AC I was told the trip had been cancelled due to lack of numbers, but there was an earlier one we could join. Unfortunately this was in peak times so significantly more expensive. With my son off to uni soon, I decided to go for this trip. After some email ping-pong, receiving invoices for things unrelated to our trip I finally received an invoice that was even larger still than expected. AC were not honouring the 2020 prices when we had initially booked and paid our deposit, but instead had put prices up (high season trips were up about £200 each on the 2020 prices). Either way, having waited so long and with time running out, I felt it was too late to change provider (which I wanted to do as I was fast losing confidence in AC) so went ahead. Poor communications continued with the AC app saying one thing (timescales for the visa, flight times, etc), but with emails from AC contradicting it and information needed for the visa not being sent out - I had to chase for this also. Even in the week up to departure it was still unclear what the flight times were (with the AC email contradicting Heathrows main departures page - but at least they had the destinations right this time - which they hadn't in previous communications). We also didn't find out what hotel we were going to be staying in until a few days prior to departure. Whilst out there, certain details also had not been passed onto the doctor by the AC office (updated medical details). We all also had to pay for our last meal in the hotel the night before we left, when details of the trip clearly said all meals were included. Interestingly enough when talking to others in the group, similar frustrations with the AC office were also voiced - some being charged flight fuel duty even when they weren't using AC for the flights! To help with any insurance claim (fortunately I didn't need to use this) I had also requested before the trip a receipt of my invoice. What I received was a credit note for a trip I hadn't even booked on. While the trip on Kilimanjaro was overall a good one and the Tanzanian company "Big Expeditions" whom AC use as well as Lynsey (AC lead) and Jess (AC doctor) were outstanding, the admin/office within AC is clearly a mess and has simply given me too much work and anxiety chasing them and being messed around with for me to either recommend AC to anyone or to use them again. It's just not worth the enormous hassle that comes with some of the worst organisational skills I've ever experienced. Best avoided!

Emails are either unanswered or just a generic response. If you phone the office, the staff are not sympathetic or helpful. There is no one to contact in the weekends unless you are at an event. The walks are well organised but expensive considering the poor customer service.

Love the races but they have zero customer service. For a £200 race as soon as they get your money you don’t get any response. Nothing over email or the zendesk or social media. They pocket the cash and you get no help. I’ve got multiple emails and questions outstanding and the race in in 48 hours.

Went to Kilimanjaro with this company 2014, excellent experience from start to finish
Had booked the Jurassic coast ultra challenge for May 2021 but unfortunately am not able to do it; allowed to transfer to next year and , without me even asking , the company refunded ancillary expenses (overnight camping , transfers etc) awesome service ! !