To preface my comments, my wife and I have been on a number of segway tours in other cities. It was this in mind that we took our parents and aunt and uncle on their first segway tour of St. Petersburg, FL. This negative review is not an indictment on segways; rather it is an indictment on the company and more specificly on our guide, Tom. Forget about any safety video and/or information about the segway for first timers like other companies we have gone to. Safety information consisted of signing off the release forms stating the company was not liable for any injuries. The first red flag that safety and professionalim were not a big priority was when our guide, Tom, did not even wear a safety helmet himself and wearing flip flops. Instructions for using the segways were nearly non-existent. Tom even boasted that usually an hour in is when people start "taking spills" because they become overconfident. I find it totally unacceptable that "taking spills" should be a common place event. It should be the tour guide and the company's primary concern to ensure the safety of those on its tour, whether 1st timers or not. Once Tom found out I had ridden a segway before, he pretty much left me to show my clearly nervous uncle how to operate the segway. While I have ridden before, I am obviously not an experienced segway operator and instructor. And, quite honestly, it is not my job to not only show and instruct how to operate the segway safely. As you all can imagine, this general lack of instruction and care of those on tour by Tom were a recipe for disaster. There were a number of spills. And, where was Tom when all this occurred. For the most part, no where to be seen. On one occasion, I literally had to chase him down a block away while my wife stayed with my mother-in-law. The final incident involved my mother and aunt. My aunt had a gash on her lip and face, which was bleeding. The Segway tour company and Tom had no first aid kit. My father-in-law and I had to rush to our car to retrieve a first aid kit from our car. Fortunately, my father-in-law is a physician. He was able to control the bleeding, until we were able to get my aunt to the emergency room. She required a number of stitches. Once again, my wife and I understand Segways are not toys and accidents do occur. Having said that, we are extremely upset at the lack of professionalism on the part of Tom, training and preparation by the Segway tour company should such accident occur. Our family hope this review will encourage the company to implement immediate changes.
