BOOKED FAMILY OF 3 WITH MAKANI KAI RESERVATIONS(CIND) FOR A 30 MINUTE PALI MAKANI HELICOPTER FLT. WEBSITE STATES 'JETTURBINE...OFFERING SUPERB COMFOTS, FIRST CLASS AUDIO, EXCEPTIONAL DVD RECORDING..EMPHASIS ON SAFETY...VETERAN PILOTS...SAFETY OFFICER...OUTSTANDING AND INFORMATIVE TOUR EXPERINECE...TOP EQUIPMENT, PASSION FOR SAFETY AND EXCELLENE, AIRCRAFT DESIGNED EXPRESSLY FOR TOURING...ETC., ETC.' CINDY TRIED TO UPGRADE THE FLT BUT WE DECLINED. MAKANI KAI COLLECTED FAMILY AND TOOK TO HELIPORT WHERE THEY WERE TOLD 'WE HAVE A PRIVATE HELICOPTER FOR YOU'. WELL, THIS SO-CALLED PRIVATE HELICOPTER WAS NOTHING SHORT OF A HOBBY HELICOPTER - IT WAS OLD AND DIRTY AND NOTHING LIKE THE ONE SHOWN ON THE WEBSITE. THERE WAS NO TWO WAY PILOT TO PASSENGER COMMUNICATION. THEY INTERIOR WAS DATED AND DIRTY AND VERY SMALL. MY FAMILY ARE 3 TALL MEN AND THEY WERE VERY CRAMPED. THE PILOT WAS JAPANESE BORN AND SPOKE FRACTURED ENGLISH AND OFFERED NO NARRATION OTHER THAN FINGER POINTING E.G. 'THERE IS DIAMOND HEAD...HERE IS PEARL HARBOR'. AT THE END OF THE FLIGHT, THE PILOT SAID 'YOU PAY ME'. MY HUSBAND ARGUED WITH HIM STATING THAT HE ALREADY GAVE MAKANI KAI HIS AMEX CREDIT CARD DETAILS BUT HE REFUSED TO LET THEM GO. THE RECEIPT WAS FROM OFFSHORE FLIGHT SCHOOL. WE DID NOT BOOK A FLIGHT WITH OFFSHORE FLIGHT SCHOOL. IF YOU LOOK ON THE WEBSITE, THEIR SITE IS ENTIRELY IN JAPANESE - WE DO N OT SPEAK, READ, OR WRITE IN JAPANESE. WE CALLED MAKANI KAI AND COMPLAINED BUT THEY IGNORED OUR PHONE CALL. I EMAILED THEM AND IT WAS A CASE OF AMNESIA I.E. 'DON'T KNOW WHAT YOUR ARE TALKING ABOUT' AND SO WE LODGED A FORMAL COMPLAINT WITH THE HAWAIIAN DEPARTMENT OF CONSUMER PROTECTION. THE PRESIDENT OF MAKANI KAI TOLD ME TO 'KNOCK MYSLEF OUT TRYING AND ENJOY YOURSELF WHILE DOING SO'. THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A SCAMMING OPERATION BETWEEN MAKANI KAI AND OFFSHORE FLIGHT SCHOOL - THEY SELL YOU A FIRST CLASS PRODUCT AND THEN THEY PALM YOU OFF TO A VERY SUB-STANDARD OPERATION - ONE WHICH WE KNEW NOTHING ABOUT - DIDN'T KNOW THEIR SAFETY RECORD, THEIR AIRCRAFT TYPE, THEIR PILOT EXPERIENCE, THEIR TOURS, IF THEY ARE LICENCED AS TOUR OPERATORS ETC... AFTER THE COMPLAINT, MAKANI KAI HAD THE NERVE THEN TO CHARGE US A SECOND CHARGE FOR SOMETHING THEY NEVER PROVIDED - THAT IS THEFT - NO TWO WAYS ABOUT IT!!! THIS WAS CHARGED WELL AFTER MY FAMILY RETURNED HOME FROM HONOLULU. OBVIOUSLY, THEY ARE TRYING TO COVER UP THEIR SCAM. HAD ADVISED THE FBI IN HONOLULU AND AMERICAN EXPRESS FRAUD DEPARTMENT ALSO. THEY PUT THE LIVES OF MY FAMILY IN PERIL - WITH A JAPANESE PILOT IN TRAINING FROM A FLIGHT SCHOOL - CLEARLY NOT A TOURISM OPERATOR. STAY AWAY FROM MAKANI KAI. INSTEAD GTRY BLUE HAWAII HELICOPTERS. IT IS NO FUN BEING RIPPED OFF BUT TO HAVE YOUR LIFE PLACED IN DANGER IS ANOTHER THING ALTOGETHER.