Recently, another case of travel scam in eastern China has once again sparked public attention. In a 4-day and 3-night tour to Suzhou and Hangzhou, a customer, whose name has been omitted, suffered a dramatically altered itinerary by the forced shopping activities of the organizing travel agency, Zhongjing Zhongxin International Travel.
A Family Suffers a Loss, Filing a Complaint
Mr. Li, together with his wife and child, took a tour from this agency during the National Day holiday. The customer was told before the trip that the duration of shopping would be merely 40 minutes. However, upon arriving in Hangzhou, the majority of the tour was spent at jade and silk shops. Tourists complained that businesses would close their doors to the tour team without justification, while those who had already made purchases were allowed to leave, while those who had not were forced to return and browse the stores again. Even some tourists have reported being aggressively persuaded to buy product over the sound system in the tour bus.
Terrible Service and Insulting Behavior
Mr. Li’s tour was cut short after the holiday schedule was heavily disrupted due to the conduct of the travelling agency. His wife had no choice but to leave the tour early and arrange for her own accommodation to return home. Filing a complaint with the agency, Mr. Li only sought a partial refund, but the company refused. It even received reports from staff members vilifying Mr. Li as a 'loser'.
With the full attention of the public, many online comments suggested steer clear of such tour packages, warning that in this price, one would inevitably regret choosing such an arrangement. Frequent travelers advised to 'always go it alone' and avoid joining group tours altogether.