My Dongshan Loquat Picking Tour Trap: A Suzhou WTF Cautionary Tale!
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We grow our own White Jade loquats, and my dad's a bit hesitant to let tourists pick them freely. You can sample a few when you buy some, but he doesn't allow an all-you-can-pick experience. He's worried people might pick the unripe ones, which are sour and a waste.
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What's the price?
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Why not just head to Dongshan and buy them yourself?
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I'm not joining a tour group next time. A road trip wouldn't be such a rip-off.
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I looked up the place you mentioned; it's not even in Dongshan. You went to the wrong spot. As a Dongshan local, I can tell you Dongshan isn't to blame for this.
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Alright, I'll update the title later. But the orchard I was complaining about is only about 15km from the main scenic area... that's not a huge difference.
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Where I am, it's 150 RMB per person, which includes 3 jin (about 1.5kg) of loquats and lunch. Honestly, we don't make much profit, but the fruit is definitely good quality.
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I'm never buying again. I've been ripped off twice, and getting a refund is such a pain. Dongshan loquats are ruining their own reputation.
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Genuine Dongshan loquats can sell for 30 RMB per jin. Who would bother with 'pick-your-own' tours? We'd be reluctant to. My family certainly doesn't host them; we can barely keep up with fulfilling our existing orders.
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We each picked only about 2 jin (around 1kg), and it was 99 RMB per person, transportation included. You think they're losing money on that?
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You should come to our orchard next time to pick loquats! No scams, I promise. Feel free to give us a try, haha.
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Are weekends okay?
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The mountains are full of wild ones. Why bother with a tour group?
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What's the address for GPS/navigation?
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Just curious, how much do they charge for this?
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I've posted some screenshots of my chat with friends where I was complaining. Take a look. I'm from Changzhou and went with a tour group. The whole experience is a long story, and there are so many things I want to write about. I'll try to write it all down tomorrow when I'm slacking off at work.
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How much are they?