SINGAPORE: A local singer went on a tour to Chengdu, China, with his family and friends. Their trip became a memorable one because they were taken to several stores by their tour guide and were forced to make purchases. Unfortunately, they were not allowed to leave until they reached a certain amount to spend, which angered them and prompted them to report the incident to the authorities.
When interviewed by Shin Min Daily News, the 31-year-old local singer shared that his father saw an advertisement on social media for a tour in Chengdu for nine days and eight nights with a local travel agency located in China. The tour costs approximately $1,600, about more than $200 per person. He shared that this was not the first time that they’ve booked a group tour in China, and their previous experience was a success.
The singer declared that the itinerary of their tour would include shopping. At first, they did not mind since they wanted to buy some local products while travelling.
“The first two days were fine; the tour guide didn’t take us shopping all the time, but on the third day…they took us to silver shops, jade shops, and traditional Chinese medicine shops,” the singer shared.
He shared that when they arrived at the jade shop, some tourists did not want to get off the bus, but the tour guide would not let them stay. With this, his father bought jade jewellery, but the others were not interested. Thinking that they could leave the store, the tour guide became fierce and emphasised that they are not allowed to leave if they did not meet the spending target. Furthermore, they had to stay for two hours inside the ship before they could get out.
“We stood in the store and waited. The shop assistants kept trying to sell us products. My father had no choice but to buy another piece of jade jewellery, and my friend also bought one before we left,” he stated.
They were then taken to a Chinese medicine shop and many other stores, and the situation remained the same. The tour guide also tried to sell dried meat on the bus, stating that if the members of the tour didn’t buy, they would have to carry their own luggage when they got off the bus.
When they reported the incident to the police, they pointed out that there were no mandatory consumption or minimum shopping requirements written on the travel contract. The police also contacted the travel agency, but they denied the accusations.
“The Chinese police are very efficient; they resolved the matter in about an hour. We eventually got back all the money we were forced to buy within 24 hours,” the singer stated.
They also decided not to continue with the rest of the trip with the agency.
In other news, it was reported that a former female immigration inspector was discovered taking cash cards left by travellers after they had paid for their flight tickets. Her crime was exposed when one of the victims reported the loss.
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