We took a bus from Denizli to Goreme last August 27,2023 (Sunday) and our bus left the terminal at 8:45pm as we are expected to arrive at Goreme 6:30am for a total of 10hrs land travel. They put numbers on our luggages and gave us claim tags once we get off from the bus. On our way, pass 12 midnight, I was sleeping and the assistant bus Driver Mr Mahmut Mithat pinch me on my shoulder asking if this is our luggage, he showed me a photo of a luggage from his phone and I said YES! That's our luggage. He doesn't know how to speak english thats why we exchange conversation in Google translate, He said some of the commuter accidentally took your luggage and it will return back to you in 2 days and I told him that they can send the luggage on the next trip going to Goreme because there's an hourly bus schedule trip going to goreme. He just replied me, I'll try my best and get back to you tomorrow ASAP. I didn't argue with him because it's useless and I'm tired. How is that possible? When we first landed in Turkey, all bus are well organized, they put claim tags on each luggages and why Mr Mahmut let the commuter took our luggage without checking the luggage claim tags? I suggested a possible solution for our luggage but i think there's no actions have been done. He gave me his mobile number and Instagram account to stay in contact.
We already arrived Goreme at 6:30am and we don't have any choice to buy some clothes for the day. I contact him and asked for any update on our luggage and he replied me it will be here at 12midnight, later on I asked for an update, again he said 6:30am and next update, the bus had a problem and it will arrived the next day at 6:30am. The big problem is we're leaving goreme on Tuesday 8:30pm, we have a flight going back to Istanbul and our luggage will be here in Wednesday morning.
We just told him to send our luggage back to Istanbul and we'll get it there. Our trip was ruin already, it made us spend more money on our trip! Thanks to KamilKoc!
We arrived back to Istanbul and went to their bus terminal which is 45 minutes away from our hotel and we took taxi and paid 275lira. The Guy in the counter told us that their office will open at 12nn and told him that we're just going to get our luggage, the luggage arrived at 1 in the morning and we were there pass 10am. But still he doesn't allow us and I told him via google translate, we need to catch our flight unless he wants to shoulder the rebooking of our ticket. Finalyy, he allowed us and went upstairs and get our luggage.
The KamilKoc agency in Goreme bus station just told us that "I can't do anything about that" call the customer service. Excellent service for that answer! If he was only in our situation.
We bought clothes and hygeine kits for 2 days.
KamilKoc has a great reputation and founded 1926 it is one of Turkey's venerable bus travel companies. In my experience, however, there are severe dents in KamilKoc's reputation.
When moving to Fethiye, Turkey I arrived with lots of luggage at Istanbul's Bayrampasa bus station. There I bought a ticket for 95 TL from KamilKoc's ticketing office. This was already quite a procedure because all customer service agents appeared to speak English worse than I spoke Turkish. Nonetheless, we got it settle and I ended up waiting in an overcrowded and noisy waiting hall. Interestingly, I made the acquaintance of a police man who was under cover hunting criminals in the ticketing office. Hmm, why would KamilKoc has so many problems with criminals?
The big Mehhh came when I bored the bus with my luggage (1 suitcase and 8 bags.) The bus bus attendant wanted 30 TL extra. Why extra for luggage? The Nisikli bus travel company (http://nisikli.com.tr/) didn't charge me anything extra. Also, I showed the ticketing cleark my luggage and he was ok with it. So why did I have to pay to the bus attendant now? My feeling of being fleeced grow stronger when I offered to pay the 30 TL by credit card. Having just arrived in Turkey I had no cash yet. But the bus attendant insisted I had to pay cash or I cannot travel. Having no choice I had to go and find an ATM at the bus depot - that was risky because these where all ATMs from unknown companies. If my card was retained I could end up stuck in Turkey without any cash what so ever. Fortunately, the ATM withdrawal worked the bus attendant got this 30 TL which he put straight in his own valet. Yes, I was being fleeced and KamilKoc ticketing clerks did not care.
Having read the article about an overnight bus travel on http://www.turkeysforlife.com/2012/06/fethiye-istanbul-turkish-intercity-bus.html
I expected more food and comfort during the trip. I only got one small glass of water and later a tea and a cookie for dinner. Fortunately, the bus stopped often so I could enjoy the delightful Turkish cuisine and not starve before trying to get some sleep at the not so comfortable chairs. (Mercedeces busses have better chairs).
In summary, riding with KamilKoc is a decent way of traveling but because of the bad service and problems with my luggage it no longer deserves a high reputation.