Beijing Tour Group Scams: My Undercover Takedown of Shengji International Travel Agency!
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Listen to me, family! I’ve been longing to take my kid to Beijing to see the flag-raising ceremony at Tiananmen Square for a long time; it’s that famous ritual over there!
- As early as mid-May, I quickly bought our air tickets.
- Initially, I intended to plan the trips myself and enjoy it in a free travel style. Since we are from Guangdong, we always drive ourselves when going out, just used to freedom.
- Then, on Xiaohongshu (a super popular Chinese social App, where young people share their lives and guides), while doing some research, I accidentally came across group tours.
- Mainly because if I travel by myself, I am somewhat worried about the difficulty of booking tickets for some popular attractions.
- The "VIP Advanced Package" offered by the travel agency salesperson sounded very attractive, costing only RMB 1080 per person!
- And the hotel was a Choice Hotels’ chain, Jinjiang Inn (this is considered a good value economy chain in China); wow, I got hooked right away!
- I instantly decided, and paid RMB 100 as deposit.
Then, the trouble began...
- On June 15th, the three of us left excitedly! We arrived in Beijing where the van met us at the airport, so far so good.
- However! After an hour’s drive, we were brought to "Cheap House" Hotel, located in Fengtai District (this region isn’t that close to central Beijing nor its major tourist attractions).
- As I walked in, I wondered if that's some backdoor. As I saw a grand entrance and the sign of "Aotuo Hotel" (another chain hotel, usually higher quality) right by it.
- In the end, we were put at a room on the ground floor.
- When I opened it, oh boy! It was totally dark inside as nowhere had light or windows. And the entire room is roughly 12 square meters.
- We didn't even step inside. It’s quick contact to the sales person who said that it can be replaced.
- But what he wrote as a new hotel name was countered by the contract signer: “it’s even worse than this!”
- At this point, I have no thoughts anymore. Started considering just finding another hotel by myself nearby (Wienen Hotel has average or better conditions with about RMB 350 per night).
- Later still a hassle. They said we can upgrade the room with additional charges (by the way, the sales guy promised free upgrades before). After a good half hour of negotiation, we finally checked into a apartment-styled room on the second floor.
At contract signing time, another issue arose: the group fee doesn't contain insurance, every person had to pay extra RMB 60.
Sisters, pay attention! To avoid pitfalls of join-in tour packages in Beijing, hear these lessons:- Watch out for the "low price high quality" temptation!
- Salespeople's “VIP Advanced Package” might sound alluring but the actual hotels and services could lag behind the level of Jinjiang Inn a lot. Remember, you get what you pay for; there’s no free lunch!
- What To Do: Don't just get sold on salespeople’s words; be wary of packages that seem too cheap.
- Clear up hotel information in advance!
- From Jinjiang Inn to an obscure “Cheap House,” and being arranged in remote Fengtai District with poor room conditions.
- What To Do: Clarify the exact hotel name, the location, and evaluate its reputation online before paying the deposit.
- Find out clearly all charges involved!
- Sudden appearing insurance fee, upgrade fee during the itinerary really affects the mood.
- What To Do: At signup, clarify one by one which services are included or not, and request them either to write on paper or confirm on chat records.
- Contract it, contract it, contract it!
- My contract was electronic, after signing, I didn't remember to have it photographed, it could hardly be found again with only schedule list in hands.
- What To Do: When sign up, take photos or capture screenshots for electronic or paper contract as soon as possible! Have them send you an attached copy if permitted.
- Salesperson and ground operator may not share same information!
- Feeling like salespeople will do anything to grab orders while local group take charge of travel arrangements; problems arise, and they’re likely passing the hot potato around.
- What To Do: Be cautious of salesperson’s promises and verify essential info with contract writer or local ground operator.
By the way, after our own day trip which visited Hehong's home (which is now an attraction called "Gong Wang Fu", being a famous official during Qing dynasty), and having dinners on “Gui Street”(Beijing’s famously busy night street), which I had fun.
Although, still under gloomy mood when back to hotel as guide told us gathering at 6am next morning was required; I thought then: does daylight appear at 6?
But what I finally knew after visiting, the sunrise time in summer Beijing is earlier than that in south provinces.
The last thing is, try to adjust to joy upon arriving and just have fun.
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I just got back from a tour with Wanke, and it was a total rip-off! The only saving grace was the hotel; even though it was far out in Fengtai District, it was clean, modern with smart features, and quite decent. But the tour itself was awful and exhausting. We were rushed through every attraction, with barely any time to see anything. On the last day, they forced us into two shopping stops and wouldn't let us leave until their set time was up. For instance, we only got into the Forbidden City at 3 PM and had to be out by 4:30 PM! On top of that, upon arrival, we were charged 60 yuan per person for insurance, and then another 390 yuan on the bus for a 'package' deal that included the sightseeing bus, a guide, and an acrobatics show.
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The guide made a killing, pocketing 200 yuan from the 280 yuan show. The exact same performance at Guangzhou Sunac Grand Circus is only 60 yuan!
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All these cheap tours pull the same stunt; even the Beijing tourism authorities have called them out on it.
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The main tactic is to lure people in with low prices. Once you arrive, it turns into a shopping tour. Most people, thinking 'well, I'm already here,' reluctantly sign up, only to end up frustrated and angry throughout the trip.
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Same thing happened to me. It was advertised as a high-quality tour, but it turned into a shopping tour a__s soon as we landed.
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Exactly! I only paid the deposit because their itinerary specifically said 'no shopping stops'.
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The exact same scam! I've already complained and got a refund for the insurance fee. The travel agency complaint is still ongoing! I can't believe travel agencies in Beijing, the capital of China, are this shady!
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For our family of four on a self-guided trip to Beijing, it cost just over 5,000 yuan for 5 days and 4 nights. The main reason it was so affordable was that the senior in our group got free admission, our child under 1.2 meters got free tickets and free high-speed rail, and our 12-year-old also got into some attractions for free. So, I was basically the only one paying for things!
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That's a great deal!
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The exact same trickery. They promised a 'business hotel' for the first day, but when we got there, it was an economy hotel. We also paid for insurance and bought tickets for an acrobatics show. I wanted to switch hotels at the time, but they said we could only change to something on the fifth or sixth ring road, with nowhere else available. They say one thing and do another!
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Nobody on our bus bought a single piece of jade. When we got back on, they wouldn't even turn on the AC! We almost got into a fight. The bus drove for over ten minutes, and they only turned on the air conditioning after we threatened to call the police. And there was an elderly lady in her 80s or 90s on the bus!
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Just this evening, my husband told me his buddy is arriving in Beijing the day after tomorrow with his family of three on a group tour for under 5,000 yuan. I was thinking, 'Hmm, that sounds... suspicious. Probably involves shopping stops.' (I'm actually in Beijing on a self-guided trip with my daughter right now).
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A low-price tour for three people under 5,000 yuan is going to be a miserable experience.
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If only I had seen this earlier! We're even staying at the same hotel.
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Feeling a bit disheartened? Once you're there, just try to relax and enjoy your trip. The roast duck restaurant near the entrance has a great group deal on Dianping/Meituan, and it's just a short taxi ride (around ten yuan) to Wukesong, where there are lots of food options.
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I'm wondering, what's a reasonable per-person budget for a trip to Beijing?
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Six of us, including seniors, went at the end of September for 6 days and 5 nights. It cost 27,000 yuan in total.
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How is the Beijing Changyou International Travel Co., Ltd. tour group?
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Anyone signed up for it?