SANParks.org Forums

Hello all.
I have a question about the wildcard, but I do not speak very well English. I hope not to be repetitive, sorry for the inconvenience.
I made my new Wildcard card on 4 April 2012 (my trip is in August)
The confirmation letter, said that would receive the wildcard in my home in 3 or 4 weeks.
The confirmation letter also says that, if I not receive at that time, contact with sanparks at the email wildcard@sanparks.org, but no one answers my emails in that direction.
Can you help me?
If wildcar never comes to my home, will be enough on August the confirmation letter to enter the park without problems?

Thank you very much.

Hi Spanishwolf! Your English is actually quite good

If you do not receive your card in the mail, your confirmation letter will be proof enough to show at the entrance gate and camp receptions.

However, I am sure one of the forum assistants will give you some help and advice here soon to ensure that your card has been sent.

Hi spanishwolf,

Please could you PM me your WildCard number and a contact email address and I will get someone to look into it for you.

Thank you saraf.

I sent you a PM with my wildcar number and my e-mail.

A greeting.

I have it and have sent an email. I can't guarantee I'll get an answer but I'll try.

Thank you very much.

Saraf;
The Wildcard people responded to my e-mail, thanks to your intervention.
They say they will send me in two weeks to my house. We'll see ...
Thank you very much

Spanishwolf, please let me know what happens.

Of course Saraf, and thank you very mach.

I’m totally fed up with the Wild Card problem. We bought a family Wild Card in April last year and as most of you, never received the little plastic thing, nor the Wildlife magazin.
Well, I didn’t care as I knew we get into the park with the confirmation letter.

Now I renewed our Wild Card in April and as I know about the problem of two different Wild Card numbers, immediately wrote an email to SanParks, asking them for help and to link both cards!

Wow, after writing a second email I finally received an answer today! Surprise,surprise! This answer doesn’t help me in any way, as all was mentioned in it I knew before, unless one thing... why do I have to phone SanParks each year again after renewing the card. This is absolutely ridiculous.

I still don’t know, if we will get into the park without problems with the plastic card, which has been sent at the beginning of May, as I was told. Will the number be valid or do I have to take my confirmation letter of 2011 with me as well? Moreover would the staff at the entrance be able to link both numbers?

Questions and more questions and over all a lot of frustration on my side, as it is a really bad service of SanParks, as most visitors don’t have a clue about this problem!

Kamadejo, during my visit to KNP in April/May I made the experience that it is advisable to take the valid plastic card plus the confirmation letter with you.

We entered KNP without problems with the plastic card several times thru Phalaborwa Gate. We had no problems with the plastic card in the following camps: Mopani, Shingwedzi, Orpen and Pretoriuskop.

However, we had a problem at Malelane Gate. A very unfriendly person told me that she cannot check the validity of an international wildcard. She would need the confirmation letter, too! I told her that there are no rules having to present both. And by the way, the plastic card was accepted before at a. m. places. Her answer was that all the others had not checked it correctly ("With the no. of the plastic card it is not possible to check it, neither with the name, neither with the passport no.")! After very unpleasant discussions we could enter the park. The last comment of the lady was: "But next time you must present the confirmation letter, too." As this was impossible for us (we can't fly home to fetch the confirmation letter) we entered the park the next days thru Croc Bridge Gate (without problems).

It's really a shame. We pay a lot of money for International Wild Cards and got such a welcome at Malelane Gate. Perhaps the staff there needs a better training.

When we presented our card booking in at Orpen in March we were told it was not right and had to provide the confirmation letter. Two days later at Skukuza we again presented the card and had no problems. We even asked if the card was OK and were told there were no problems.

OK.

As has been said recently in other topics, this forum is not the best place to officially make complaints. Anything raised here does not get on any stats that may or may not be passed to senior management.

I have been doing the best I can to get resolutions for issues raised here but it is not really an official pathway.

1. Try and get the matter resolved at the point of contact. If you don't feel you are getting anywhere with a member of staff then ask to speak to their supervisor.

2. Follow up with a Guest Feedback form. Paper copies should be available from all reception areas and they are available online from here and here. You should be sent a form after every visit.

3. In addition the Wild Card department also has a form here that can be used to register a query or a problem.

As a last resort I will try to get help. I have had mixed success and it is not a formal route, so there are no guarantees.

I will pass on the comments about Orpen and Malelane gates.

Thanks for tall the answers.

Saraf, I know that you are trying to help here, but SanParks shouldn’t offer such a card, if they cannot handle it.

I renewed our card on 10th Arpil and immediately sent an email, I wrote another email on the 2nd May and attached my first email.
On the third I filled in the Wild Card inquiry form and faxed it, moreover as I was really cross not getting an answer I filled in a Costumer feedback form!
There I mentioned not only the Wild Card, but as well a booking question which haven't been answered really.
I only got an answer to the booking, but not to the Wild Card problem.
As mentioned in my last post, I got an email yesterday which doesn’t answer my questions. So I will take every confirmation letter with me plus hopefully the plastic card, should it ever arrive.

In my opinion SanParks should either send a detailed to-do-list attached to the confirmation letter (although this would be proof of their incapacity) or should bung this Wild Card program into the bin and just send a new confirmation letter each time of renewal, much easier!!!!!

Well, luckily we had no problems with our wild card at Crocodile Bridge Gate because we didn't take the letter.
Thanks Saraf for your good work helping many of us get sorted out!