Nightmare Vacations: Chinese Opt for Cheap Tours Despite Hidden Shopping Scams, High Deposits

Nightmare Vacations: Chinese Opt for Cheap Tours Despite Hidden Shopping Scams, High Deposits
May 12, 2015 By eChinacities.com

Editor's Note: Chinese travelers, like anyone else, look for bargains when planning their vacation. This article, translated from QQ News, discusses popular, cheap low-quality tours offered in China that often have hidden costs like forced shopping and high deposits. Of course, anyone going on such a cheap tour should realize that they will get what they pay for, however, Chinese tourists often try to freeload and refuse to spend anything. The author writes while guests should not expect to freeload, low-cost tour agencies must make their guidelines for shopping and other expenses more clear for travelers.

During the May 1 holiday period, a five minute video of an abusive tour guide went viral in China. In the video, the tour guide goes on an insane tirade against her clients, threatening and yelling at them. None of her guests interrupted her or protested her abusive treatment during her rant. 

Netizens first pointed out her clearly unethical behavior. The video also prompted an online discussion on scammy tour offerings, tourism practitioners and the entire tourism industry. Low quality, scam-ridden tour agencies often force customers to buy products by introducing “hidden shopping rules,” and having customers pay high cost deposits. Cheap tours also provide false information and lead visitors on regarding tour content and activities.

China tour groups

Flicker: Filipe Fortes

Tour Guide Tirade

The video of the female tour guide on a tirade was taken back in April on a tour in Yunnan. The group was traveling from Kunming to Xishuangbana. The travelers in the group did not buy enough jewelry to satisfy their tour guide, and she threatened to cancel their travel arrangements and suspend the tour group's contract. The video was put online in May and soon went viral.

It appears that the tourists in the video are part of a low-cost tour group. Travelers only paid 1 Yuan to join the group but there were a number of hidden costs. Generally, cheap tours charge much lower rates than the actual travel expenses, but there are a number of inevitable “hidden rules,” that pop up along the way.

The tour guide in the video Chen Chunyan said in an interview that the contract signed by travelers on her tour very clearly states that the trip was a “tourist shopping tour.” “On the tour traveling from Kunming, we entered several stores for shopping, according to the contract. Some of the tourists on the trips were dissatisfied by this, they said I had a black heart. They started to scold me and criticize me. They wanted me to take them straight to Xishuangbana.”

Forced Shopping, Sketchy Deposits

Travel agents offering cheap fares combined with forced shopping is a common practice in China. A woman from Beijing said, “I went to Korea two years ago from Beijing for four days. The trip only cost 380 Yuan. It turned out that I was forced to go shopping and had to pay a deposit of 60,000 Yuan to the travel agency and wait four months to get it back.”

She hasn't gotten her deposit back yet. When questioned about it, she said worriedly, “I know that the travel agency takes the money to invest it, so it can run cheap trips. But I've heard that the agency has gone bankrupt.”

Freeloaders Not Welcome

When tourists choose to go on a low-cost tour, are they really not aware of the risks? CASS Tourism Research Center Dai Xuefeng said that there will always be demand for cheap tours. Low-cost tours all have unwritten rules. Consumers are aware of possible risks and still sign up for the tours. Travelers on cheap tours cannot claim that the low-cost travel agencies are plotting against them, and they are innocent. In reality, the two sides are both plotting against each other.

Ms. Zhang said that when she went on a low-cost tour she was aware of the hidden shopping rules. However, she said that the tour guide only cares about how much the travelers spend as a group. If someone in the tour group spends a lot, others do not have to buy anything. However, most do not get off this easy. Travelers who sign up for low-cost tours should be aware of the existence of “hidden rules,” including high deposits, forced shopping and other issues.

Dai Xuefeng said that if tourists want better service and travel experience then they cannot expect this from a low-cost tour. Tour guides will also not accommodate free-loaders on a low-cost tour. However, cheap tours must fix their issues and give travelers accurate information regarding hidden shopping and trip details.

Source: QQ News

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Keywords: China cheap tours China tour groups

9 Comments

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kuntmans

As Chinese middle class grows expectations will be higher and these low cost package tours will eventually be a thing of the past, maybe only seen in western countries (eg Britain+US) where the middle class has been wiped out.

May 14, 2015 10:58 Report Abuse

Stiggs

They paid 1 yuan to join the tour, and then wonder why it sucked?

May 12, 2015 12:33 Report Abuse

nashboroguy

I got stuck on one of these tours once. As a foreigner, there was not much they could do I think since there was a language problem. Everytime they made a stop, I just stayed outside of the shopping area and went for a walk. I did go in once because I was interested in the silk making process. I stayed for the demonstration and the museum part. It was fun and interesting. I then walked through the shopping market they always have without looking and exited the building. The tour operator tried to block my way. I gave the woman a big stare down, shouted "MOVE!" and she jumped out of her skin. I didn't have any more problems with her. Actually, many of my fellow tourists walked out behind me. Sometimes you just have to stand your ground. I did. I didn't pay any deposit or anything like that.

May 12, 2015 09:44 Report Abuse

Guest2269984

Cheap freeloaders get screwed by abusive con artists? How very...China.

May 12, 2015 09:38 Report Abuse

Chairman_Cow

You get what you pay for. In this case tight arse tourists get a cheap holiday. The tour companies are scum, but so are the tourists.

May 12, 2015 08:55 Report Abuse

rainiersales

Funny how people so easy to put a 60,000rmb deposit so that their tour would only cost 380rmb. For me alarm bells would sound right away, yeah you got you 380RMB tour, what happens to your 60k? EXACTLY!

May 12, 2015 08:32 Report Abuse

Guest2503130

Lol, but this is China...

May 12, 2015 14:47 Report Abuse

dongbeiren

yea I'm shocked people would be that trusting of a shady tourist agency to put down 60k... you know what they say about a fool and his money.

May 12, 2015 21:37 Report Abuse