Warning: 14 Common Travel Consumption Traps
Warning: 14 Common Travel Consumption Traps. Travel consumption traps, legal risks in travel contracts, choosing travel insurance... As the May Day golden week approaches, various travel concerns become obstacles for many people's holiday plans. This special feature on 'May Day Golden Week Travel Risk Prevention' aims to help readers preparing to travel.
This article is compiled from the original travel notes on the "Zhangjiajie Tour Guide Network" (33519.com); it is a record of trips from earlier years. Time-sensitive information such as ticket prices, schedules, and accommodation prices is subject to the latest announcements from scenic areas and transportation authorities; the itinerary ideas and attraction introductions still have reference value.
Warning Record of 14 Types of Tourism Consumption Traps
Tourism consumption traps, legal risks in tourism contracts, choices in travel insurance...
As the May Day Golden Week approaches, various confusions about travel have become obstacles for many people's leisure vacations.
This issue of Kuaibao has produced the special topic 'Complete Guide to Tourism Risk Prevention During the May Day Golden Week,' hoping to enable many readers preparing to travel to fully enjoy the beautiful scenery while avoiding unnecessary trouble and losses.
NO.1 AA-system self-driving tours hide mysteries
'All members split costs equally, with only the cost price of food and accommodation charged.' This was a promotional slogan shouted by some non-travel-agency clubs during last year's National Day period. However, is the organizer of this travel method suspected of making a profit? Mr. Liu, who once participated in this type of travel, said: 'It is impossible for them not to profit!' In any case, everyone only needs to remember one tip: ask them to publicly disclose the consumption account book.
NO.2 Additional charged scenic spots on outbound tours
Last year, a man in his sixties filed a lawsuit against a travel agency, saying that because he was attracted by the tempting group price of 2,600 yuan per person, he joined its organized '7-Day Singapore-Malaysia-Thailand Tour.' But after paying the 2,600 yuan group fee, the travel agency arbitrarily added 8 scenic spots along the way and forcibly collected an additional 1,600 yuan in 'optional item fees.' How to deal with this situation? Tip: Tourists should first not only believe the promotion of 'low-price outbound tours.' On this basis, they can specifically mark in the appendix to the standard outbound tour contract 'the optional items I personally approve.' 'If it exceeds the tourist's requirements and the guide still acts to force consumption,' the management department reminds that tourists must ask for valid receipts for consumption items, and it is best to use a video camera or camera in hand to record the process, so as to provide evidence when complaining.
NO.3 Illegal organization of domestic tours
'Do you want to spend the least money and gain the greatest happiness during this National Day? For only 269 yuan, and by paying a 50 yuan deposit in advance, you can enjoy a 3-day tour of Guizhou's Shuiyin River during the National Day holiday.' Some promoters go door to door soliciting customers. Relevant departments remind that most of these are illegal tour groups. The key to defeating them: low-price temptation plus fraud is the biggest characteristic of illegal tour groups. There are three ways to eliminate illegal tour groups: do not believe 'salespeople' who come to your door; require the tour organizer to show a detailed itinerary and accommodation arrangements; and ask for invoices for every expenditure.
NO.4 Vehicles by the roadside pull you into nearby tours
As soon as Mr. Wang from Mentougou, Beijing, stepped outside, he was stopped by two pretty service staff. Pointing to a minibus by the roadside, they told him: 'Take a spin around Beijing, save money and it's convenient.' This is also a trap. They conceal the vehicle's qualifications and pull you onto the road, attracting customers with low prices and good value. The key to defeating them: a legitimate tourism vehicle must meet three conditions: its hardware must meet the national tourism vehicle qualification standards; the driver must have undergone tourism qualification training; and it must have a 'Tourism Vehicle Operating License' jointly issued by the transportation department and the tourism authorities.
NO.5 Tour fees differ by half depending on registration location
Mr. Liu had just signed a tourism contract at a registration point near Beijing Guomao and paid 1,800 yuan, when his sister told him that for the same tour route, she had paid only 988 yuan in Shijingshan. Mr. Liu could only comfort himself: it must be different. According to a consumer association investigation, this is because travel agencies set different registration standards at different registration points, resulting in different prices. Warning: When choosing a travel agency for the same route, consumers had best 'shop around,' refer to the prices of various travel agencies, and if joining a luxury tour, before signing a contract with the travel agency, they can list the relevant treatment, route, and scenic spots in detail and agree on compensation standards.
NO.6 The dining trap of pulling the wool over your eyes
When dining during a trip, some restaurants, in order to catch customers' attention and spark diners' interest, make a big fuss over dish names and set traps. For example, "White Snow on Sunny Spring" is actually just "stir-fried shredded potato with green pepper"; "Red Cries Among Green Willows" is "stir-fried rapeseed with red pepper"; "Mother and Child Reunion" turns out to be "soybean sprouts mixed with soybeans"... and the list goes on and on. Tip: Don't assume a dish is a local specialty just because its name sounds fresh—examine it carefully, and it's best to ask the waiter what the main ingredient is.
NO.7 The dining trap of substituting one thing for another
Many restaurants in many coastal tourist cities sell seafood, and they even let customers pick it fresh and have it cooked on the spot. However, sometimes the live fish and shrimp that were clearly jumping around in front of the diner get swapped in the kitchen for frozen seafood or even dead seafood that has been sitting around for a while. Common-sense ways to tell: for example, dead fish has a slight muddy smell; the flesh is sticky and lacks a fresh, crisp feel; the eyes are sunken (live fish eyes bulge outward); the sheen is dull, etc. Food experts suggest that for larger seafood items, it's best to mark them beforehand, such as sticking a toothpick in them.
NO.8 The dining trap of a "knife" hidden behind a smile
If you run into an overly enthusiastic waitress, be sure to be careful and cautious. Sometimes a pretty, poised waitress will recommend some signature dish to customers, and these dishes are often quite expensive. There are also so-called special-price dishes, which may not actually be much cheaper than at other restaurants, and sometimes may even be excess stock the restaurant over-purchased.
NO.9 Other dining traps
There are mainly three other price traps in the restaurant industry: first, not clearly marking prices; second, marking prices in a non-standard way; third, free drinks with many restrictive conditions, without clearly stating the scope or types of what's free. For example, not indicating whether the pre-meal napkins, side dishes, and tea are charged; charging by plate, by piece, or per person without clear indication; the types of free drinks not matching the advertisement, etc.—all of these are non-standard practices.
NO.10 A four-star hotel that feels like going back to the "old society"
Mr. Zhang traveled north after this year's Spring Festival, and the contract he signed with a certain travel agency stated that he could enjoy four-star accommodation standards and a meal standard of 25 yuan per meal (main meal). But when he arrived in the icy, snowy northern city, Mr. Zhang found he seemed to have returned to the "old society": the toilet in the so-called four-star hotel leaked, and he got up in the middle of the night to fiddle with the toilet, but it still stank to high heaven, and he didn't sleep well all night. At mealtimes, the standard was generally eight people per table, but the guide forced three tables of people into two tables, leaving many people unable to eat their fill. Warning: When consumers sign a contract with a travel agency, it's best to clearly specify these standards for food, clothing, accommodation, and transportation. If they are shortchanged, consumers have the right to claim compensation.
NO.11 The plane swapped for a minibus
While traveling in Sichuan, Ms. He and her group were supposed to fly back to Chengdu from a certain scenic spot, but the guide, on the pretext of "being unable to buy plane tickets," asked the tourists to return to Chengdu by luxury coach. Ms. He and the others had no choice but to accept the arrangement. But what the guide actually arranged was a broken-down minibus, and as a result all the tourists bumped and jolted all the way back to Chengdu, just barely in time to catch their flight! Warning: Unilaterally changing the means of transportation after arriving at the destination, causing consumers to suffer losses of time and money, means the travel agency should not only make up the price difference after the change of transportation, but also compensate consumers for losses caused by the time discrepancy, etc.
NO.12 Organizing tourists to watch "adult" shows
When Ms. Feng traveled to East China, she encountered a local guide who demanded that they take part in some local optional paid activities. Ms. Feng wasn't interested and declined the guide's "kind offer." As a result, the guide's expression changed, saying that if they didn't join the optional activities, they couldn't stay on the bus and would have to wait until the tourists watching the show came back before they could get on. Ms. Feng had no choice but to reluctantly go along with the show introduced by the guide, and when she saw it, it turned out to be an adult show! Warning: Before joining a tour group, consumers can note down the travel agency's phone number so that if problems are discovered, they can report the situation to the relevant departments at the first opportunity.
NO.13 "Tricks" hidden in the itinerary
Itineraries drawn up by travel agencies generally have the following two problems: first, vague scheduling. The itinerary basically doesn't indicate the departure and return times, nor the names of hotels along the way for meals and accommodation, the times for meals and check-in, which local optional paid activities can be arranged and their fees, etc. This leaves the travel agency and local guide a great deal of room to arrange things freely, arbitrarily change the itinerary and service standards, thereby infringing on consumers' right to choose and right to be informed. Second, unreasonable scheduling. Leaving early and returning late; long time spent on the bus and shopping, short actual sightseeing time; unreasonable pacing at various attractions, with too little time allotted to famous scenic spots, etc.
NO.14 Too few famous scenic spots arranged
When consumers spend money to travel, they simply want to see famous scenic spots, but upon arriving locally they are greatly disappointed, because among the attractions arranged in the travel agency's itinerary, there are not many truly famous ones, and many genuinely well-known local attractions are not visited. If consumers ask to add them, they will be charged extra as optional paid activities. Many consumers, not wanting to have come for nothing, have no choice but to pay extra to join the optional attraction activities, which gives guides and drivers the opportunity to earn service fees and ticket discounts.