As part of my hospitality,I introduced a visiting relative to Bangkok with a booking for a tour to the Rose Gardens,my usual for my guests.I did this with a travel office just outside of the Asia Hotel.

As stated on the ticket we were picked up at 12.30pm.The guide said we were going to a BETTER elephant show and a charge would be 500bt each.I declined,saying that it was not part of the package i paid for.

The driver chucked a brick on the accelerator and we were off.On the open highway we exceeded 150kph a great deal.The mini bus had no passenger seat belts.It was a confrontable journey,where ever possible ,with all sorts of incredible driving being demonstrated

We duely arrived at an" elephant show,"and were told to buy our tickets and the van would call back later for us. The guide put on a great performance when we declined to exit the vehicle,and went back to the ticket box to complain about &^%$#))??!! falangs.

The journey continued at breakneck speed and we arrived at the Rose Gardens,late. The show had been going some time.We were evicted from the vehicle which took off at breakneck speed.

After the show we waited, and waited, for the bus to pick us up.We were the only people left at the show venue,and the van now had two other couples,not previously with us.Guide advised we would detour on the way back to Bangkok to go to a Jewellery OUTLET.I said "no way' as we were already late,to meet friends at the hotel to go out for a meal.Guide said the other couples had made a request.both the Chinese couple and the German couple denied making any such request.The LOVELY LADIES all lined up to greet us at the REX,but everyone refused to exit the vehicle.

Eventually we arrived back in BKK midst the peak traffic,and travelling down Petchaburi, at the junction near the Asia,the bus breaked hard and the GUIDE got out of the van and vanished.The driver then took the other passengers to Hotels in Sukhumvit area and eventually arrived at Asia nearly 2 hours late.

Next day I reported to the Travel agent, the manager was out,and the young lady present thought it was a joke. I assured her it was NOT funny. Beware touts are still alive and well in Bangkok

The travel agent is part of it. They get a cut. No point complaining to them.

pay with a credit card that you have a good relationship with the provider, dispute the charge asap.

Simple math, really.

Tourist numbers are down, so they need to extract that much more from the ones that still arrive.

Thanks for the heads up.

If the driver was driving like Sebastian Vettel, how did you arrive at the Rose Garden late

AMAZING THAILAND

It begins with the people

My gf does trips like that but tourists are informed before that a trip to the gem factory is mandatory (they supply the van and benzine to the van) Else you need to pay more for your trips. They are called city tours often free but with mandatory (not to buy) stops at gem or other shopping traps.

This might be something similar.

_{My responses.}

_{1/Yes the driver drove like Vettel,if you re read we detoured to the first Elephant show,refused to exit the van}

_{and then headed to the correct destination,Rose Gardens}

_{2/The van may well be supplied by the GEM company.The guide was absolutely furious when we would not leave the van.}

_{He had a conversation inside the shop,and came back to us roaring and yelling at me before continuing}

_{3/While at the GEM outfit I did call Tourist Police,I did name the gem company. The driver did hear my comversation}

_{and buggered off smartly. TP did know the final destination but were not seen there.Mai Pen Lai.I did not have the vehicle number}

_{when I called as I had not exited the vehicle.}

sounds like typical tourist service in the land of smiles

_{My responses.}

_{1/Yes the driver drove like Vettel,if you re read we detoured to the first Elephant show,refused to exit the van}

_{and then headed to the correct destination,Rose Gardens}

_{2/The van may well be supplied by the GEM company.The guide was absolutely furious when we would not leave the van.}

_{He had a conversation inside the shop,and came back to us roaring and yelling at me before continuing}

_{3/While at the GEM outfit I did call Tourist Police,I did name the gem company. The driver did hear my comversation}

_{and buggered off smartly. TP did know the final destination but were not seen there.Mai Pen Lai.I did not have the vehicle number}

_{when I called as I had not exited the vehicle.}

If you got a program before and it showed the gem factory on it and they told you before I understand the guide to be furious.

If you paid a good price for a trip and were told nothing about the other stops I understand you are furious.

My gf always tells them what kind of trip it is, these are the free / real low cost city trips that are offered by hotels. Those vans are paid by the gem factory or other places. The guides get a commission if something is sold otherwise little income.

The point is that things should be clear from the start, and agreed upon before.

If you got a program before and it showed the gem factory on it and they told you before I understand the guide to be furious.

Trips to the Rose garden are not free, if people don't want to get out and be pressed into buying overpriced gems on the way back just to line the guides pocket, that's up to them surely.

If you got a program before and it showed the gem factory on it and they told you before I understand the guide to be furious.

Trips to the Rose garden are not free, if people don't want to get out and be pressed into buying overpriced gems on the way back just to line the guides pocket, that's up to them surely.

Even if the trip was free, they can't make you get out the van at a gem shop

If you got a program before and it showed the gem factory on it and they told you before I understand the guide to be furious.

Trips to the Rose garden are not free, if people don't want to get out and be pressed into buying overpriced gems on the way back just to line the guides pocket, that's up to them surely.

I have no idea about those trips, my experience was with city trips that are free or almost free but then the people going get a program that includes gem factory and others. Its part of the deal that way as the gem factory provides the van / bus and fuel. The tourists pay almost nothing or nothing.

I would be furious if i paid for a trip and nothing was said and i get pressed in tourist traps. Different story if agreed upon before, just wanted to make sure the Rose garden was not such a thing.

If you got a program before and it showed the gem factory on it and they told you before I understand the guide to be furious.

Trips to the Rose garden are not free, if people don't want to get out and be pressed into buying overpriced gems on the way back just to line the guides pocket, that's up to them surely.

I have no idea about those trips, my experience was with city trips that are free or almost free but then the people going get a program that includes gem factory and others. Its part of the deal that way as the gem factory provides the van / bus and fuel. The tourists pay almost nothing or nothing.

I would be furious if i paid for a trip and nothing was said and i get pressed in tourist traps. Different story if agreed upon before, just wanted to make sure the Rose garden was not such a thing.

If you book with established, quality tour outfits and make clear what you do or do not expect, it shouldn't be a problem. If you randomly choose some sidewalk tout or a travel-agent-cum-hair-dresser & massage shop ...

Since the O/P said "...a booking for a tour to the Rose Gardens,my usual for my guests..." that would imply you've done this before, Why not book with the same company if you do this regularly and have not had a problem before?

I used to know the owner of the Rose Garden. They are a fairly buttoned down outfit, making a ton of money.

A complaint to them would likely result in some response. They are not the type of outfit to blame it on the agent. They would probably try to offer you some freebie.

Dont forget to go to the online travel forums - Tripadvisor - and name and shame, particularly the travel agency. Send the correspondence to everybody with screen shots and make it count. Then, see what happens.

Caveat emptor applies!

Make sure before you go , exactly what the trip includes and what it doesn't !

.......IF YOU HAVEN'T NOTICED..THE WHOLE COUNTRY IS A TOURIST TRAP

Thanks for the heads up my mother and aunts are visiting for the next two months.

Welcome to amazing Thailand and PS if you happen to meet the in-laws or any of her (Your TGF) relatives like one other TV member said "Leave your wallet at home" funny how Thais are so proud of their country but seem ok to beg for money like common poor.

I hope I've read this right?

Are agencies now adding on the scam joints as parts of a regular tour to bona fide destinations?

The snag is that there are too many fingers in this pie and the web now runs far and wide. Too many people have made too much from these scams.

Long gone are the days that every Tuk-Tuk or unmetered taxi would whizz you to such a place before your arse had even made a dent in the seat. Now it seems everyone wants their slice of the pie.

To see 'agents' are packaging it and tagging it on as part of a tour to try and hide the true nature of the places, is shocking. If I was to take a tour and we wound up at a scam gem store as some sort of 'bolt-on' I'd be livid...

No wonder tourism is suffering if agencies are leading people like lambs to the slaughter right into the laps of these vermin.

The thought of every day tourists being lined up like this just by booking an otherwise innocent tour, is horrifying.

Same deal in China, except it's Tea shops, Jade shops then a Kitchen Knife producing factory, all in one day.

I hope I've read this right?

Are agencies now adding on the scam joints as parts of a regular tour to bona fide destinations?

Tourist arrivals from China are down about 40% since China outlawed selling that kind of tour. They were called (poor translation) zero dollar tour packages, and sold by tour agencies in China to Chinese tourists.

That's millions fewer arrivals. Shows you just how widespread they are/were.

Edited January 19, 201412 yr by impulse

I like the story but nothing you say is unexpected. You need to be on your guard as soon as you land. The best way is not to book tours but do research yourself and get taxis and tuk tuk. You have to be careful with these too as they will try and con you,take you to gem stores or suit stores.

If you have bought anything at the jewelry shop, the tour guide was surely smiling at you.

What did you expect ? Pay your own driver that you select in a good car rent company as Thai rent a car and pay your own show expenses, nothing in advance !

I went to the Rose garden in 1994 and thought it was ghastly, it's not somewhere I would recommend anyone interested in seeing the real Thailand to go to, it's a sanitised pastiche version of Thai culture.

What did you expect ? Pay your own driver that you select in a good car rent company as Thai rent a car and pay your own show expenses, nothing in advance !

Or get dropped by any of the regular buses going to Nakon Pathom, Ratchaburi etc. Also better survival chances than with one of these homicidal minibus drivers, big factor in my book, I avoid 'em like the plague.

" The driver chucked a brick on the accelerator and we were off.On the open highway we exceeded 150kph a great deal.The mini bus had no passenger seat belts."

You should be grateful you got back in one piece.

Edited January 19, 201412 yr by roamer

Thanx for the warning. Bangkok is so calm now people are so friendly cuz lack of tourists. I haven't had any problem so far. That has made me drop my defense guard to feet level. thanx for the reminder I will put up my psychological guard again

Edited January 19, 201412 yr by crazyguyinthailand

As part of my hospitality,I introduced a visiting relative to Bangkok with a booking for a tour to the Rose Gardens

I never promised you a rose garden.

You got in a tour van?