Recently, more than 300 square dancers in Tai'an staged a real version of "Lost in Hong Kong". They were invited to Hong Kong to participate in the square dance competition, as a result, the seven-day trip in the dance competition only half a day, the rest of the whole in the shopping process. To the shopping point does not let out of the shopping, a car only a jewelry store on the consumption of more than 100,000 yuan, many people do not have enough money, can only borrow other people's card brush, many people come back to be angry sick.
Evening Sports Association issued an invitation to the event, each person charged 1600 yuan registration fee
August this year, Tai'an City, the Senior Sports Association held a large group exercise exhibition, the exhibition after the end of the lunch, Tai'an City, the head of the Senior Sports Association responsible for the organization of all the stationmasters introduced to the "province recommended" Ms. Zhou Mingxuan, Zhou Ming Zhou Mingxuan said that the first China Senior Sports Dance (Hong Kong) International Festival is being held in Hong Kong and invited all senior citizens to participate in Hong Kong.
Ms. Zhou then formally sent an invitation letter to the webmasters, which stated that the organizer of the competition is the Hong Kong Senior Sports Association, the organizer is the Beijing Xiyang Elderly Sports and Cultural Exchange Activity Center, and that the competition will be held in July-October 2015, with a prize fund of up to 5,000 Hong Kong dollars. The organizing committee wholly sponsors each participating team member's hotel accommodation in Hong Kong for one night and lunch and dinner on the day of the competition, as well as transportation to and from the Hong Kong hotel in Shenzhen, and transportation from the hotel to and from the competition venue, and buses.
In addition to one day of competition arrangements, the schedule attached to the invitation arranged for four days of sightseeing, the supplemental agreement specifies the self-financed items and shopping venues, saying "voluntary purchase, not forced consumption. A station manager on the scene said afterwards, "These materials look quite formal, I went back to the publicity, but also in accordance with the participation in the Festival publicity, rather than tours. Signed up quite a lot, I that team almost all signed up, we also specially rehearsed the program."
Tai'an *** there are more than 300 people to participate, of which, only Daiyue District congee store street office selected Changjiazhuang community dance team has 12 people enrolled, in addition to each person to pay 1,600 yuan enrollment fee, have not been informed of any other consumer items. In order to participate in the competition, the team members carried out hard rehearsals.
Half a day than the end of the competition, pulled to the jewelry store does not buy do not let go out
October 13, the elderly embarked on a journey to the Chinese Senior Sports Dance (Hong Kong) International Arts Festival. "We arrived in Shenzhen on the 14th, after getting off the train on a bus, a reception of the tour guide on board the car to us recommended shopping, recommended learning machine 360 yuan, a box of snake oil cream 320 yuan." Ms. Zhang, who participated in the trip, said most of the people on their bus bought, one person bought at least one thing.
The group arrived in Hong Kong on the 15th and attended the festival performance that afternoon. "As soon as we arrived in Hong Kong, we were dragged to a large auditorium where the competition was held, and it seemed quite formal." Ms. Zhang said more than 40 teams from not only Tai'an but also other provinces and cities, including Yunnan, were involved.
The competition was over in one afternoon, and several Taian troupes won prizes, theirs was the second prize, with trophies, banners and a **** count of HK$1,000 in prizes, which made the players very happy.
Tai'an elderly people in Hong Kong to participate in the so-called "Dance Festival", won a good result, but the mandatory shopping makes them very disturbed.
"On the second day in Hong Kong, we were divided into several groups and took different buses to visit the city." Ms. Zhang said, the day only went to the various attractions in Hong Kong, "to the third day will not work, directly pull us to a jewelry store, do not consume not allowed to go out." Ms. Zhang said, the guide's attitude took a sharp turn for the worse, and said to them menacingly, "Let you come is to spend money, take out money to scrub."
Some people went out the door and were dragged back in the guide coercion, Ms. Zhang bought a 3,000 yuan of transit beads, a carload of 36 people, they spent more than 100,000 yuan in that one store alone, the most spent more than 20,000 yuan.
Another participant, Ms. Lu, said: "I only know that I'm going to participate in the competition, how do I know to shop? The body simply did not bring much money, spent all the 2000 yuan with the money, the guide is not enough, and borrowed the bank card of fellow travelers, *** spent more than 6000 yuan, bought two pendants a chain. We are all older people who have never been out of the house, were scared."
The items the guide forced to buy were no less than 100 yuan each.
Fewer spend a few thousand more tens of thousands, not shopping will be scolded
The next few days, the elderly were taken to Macao, Zhuhai and other places to consume, the minimum consumption of thousands of yuan, more consumption of tens of thousands of yuan. "We are completely controlled by the guide, these places do not go not, there is an old man to Macau to spend all the money, do not want to go to a shopping store, the guide scolded him as a liar, come to freeload." Ms. Zhang said, the guide said, the old man came to Hong Kong to compete in the cost of all the jewelry stores, shopping stores sponsored, so you can not go without spending.
"We changed buses four or five times along the way, and each time the bus would come up with a different guide, promoting different things, even the driver." Ms. Lu said that some were shoved directly into the hands of passengers who could not afford not to buy them. The prices of these promotional items were generally a good deal higher than on the market.
The old man spent 3,000 yuan to buy back the gold jewelry.
The reporter saw Ms. Zhang bought back the items, a box of keychains, looks poor quality, but cost her 100 yuan; a small bauhinia flower ornaments, sold on the market for 10 dollars, Ms. Zhang bought from the tour guide spent 100 yuan. Aunties said, not only forced shopping, the whole trip food and accommodation are very poor, especially food, it is difficult to swallow.
The trip left on Oct. 13 and returned on Oct. 20, they said. "When we came back, all of us in a car were pitched without a penny, and if they hadn't sent us, we probably wouldn't have even been able to return home." Ms. Lu said that everyone collectively scolded the trip pitched, and many of the older women came back to be angry and sick.
Who organized the square dance competition behind the name?
The organizer of the Chinese Senior Sports Dance (Hong Kong) International Festival is the Beijing Xiyang Senior Sports and Cultural Exchange and Activity Center, which is a private life-service company.
The reporter contacted Zhou Mingxuan, a staff member of the center, by phone, and she said they did host the event, but did not force the elderly to shop, and said there are many such activities in Hong Kong. According to the invitation letter, the Hong Kong Senior Sports Association authorized the Beijing Xiyang Senior Sports and Cultural Exchange and Activity Center to fully recommend and organize middle-aged and elderly groups from provincial senior citizen associations and related organizations in the mainland to participate in the international festival.
Online information about the Hong Kong Senior Sports Association is scarce, its official website, the Association is a legal corporation registered in Hong Kong, recognized as hosting the first China Senior Sports Dance (Hong Kong) International Arts Festival.
As early as June this year, there are netizens posting reflecting the "Chinese senior sports dance (Hong Kong) International Arts Festival" is actually a scam: the so-called "International Arts Festival", no one performance team is abroad, all from the mainland of some provinces and cities, County, the level is very low.
The festival has been questioned on the pretext of making use of the theme, profit-making, there have been a batch after batch of mainland elderly people have been tricked to go to participate in the festival, this time the old people in Tai'an to participate in the festival is the 27th stage.
The elderly received an invitation letter printed in traditional Chinese characters, addressed to the Hong Kong Senior Sports Association, the tournament awards many very attractive.
Elderly Sports Association: denied involvement in the organization of the elderly to Hong Kong Square Dance
Said "dance competition", and finally turned into a "shopping tour", which is indeed very difficult for people to see through the cats and dogs. "We went to a group, are some old sisters, others asked me to go, I do not go can not face." Another deceived elderly Ms. Wang said, she felt that following so many people will not suffer, "not to mention, are through the formal units under the notice, where can I think of the end is a scam."
Multiple victims of the elderly said that the former Senior Sports Association has also organized trips for the elderly, are quite formal, we also played a very pleasant, there is no such thing as the Hong Kong line.
"We did organize the elderly outing before, but this trip to Hong Kong has nothing to do with us." The Taian Senior Sports Association staff member said there was no evidence that the association was involved in organizing the event.
Tournament organizers: arrangements for a number of shopping stores have been blacklisted
"We enroll, pay are directly and Beijing to that Zhou Mingxuan contact, the cost is also handed over to her." Participating seniors told reporters, Beijing Xiyang elderly sports and cultural exchange activities center is a direct organizer, registration period, Zhou Mingxuan has been living in a hotel in Tai'an, the elderly enrollment fees are directly to her. The old man said, there is no unit and they signed a contract, agreement, there is only a Zhou Mingxuan issued by the enrollment fee receipts.
Zhou Mingxuan beforehand to the old people to provide the "first Chinese senior sports dance (Hong Kong) International Arts Festival" information is very thorough, there is a formal invitation letter, dance competition judging criteria, which invitation, authorization letter, etc. are printed in traditional Chinese characters, payable to the Hong Kong Senior Sports Association.
The tournament awards are also very attractive, divided into special, first, second and third prizes, all with prizes. In addition to the performances with prizes, the organization award rewards are even higher, the organization of more than 40 people can be awarded a cash prize of RMB 2,000 yuan, the best organization of the special prize requires the organization of 20 teams, a total of 350 people or more, awards RMB 20,000 yuan.
Another supplemental agreement attached to write a self-financed projects and shopping places, shopping places in Hong Kong section of four, respectively, BR Jewelry, Massenet Department Store, Bao watch gallery, DFS Duty Free, Macao section of the shopping places for handicrafts, department stores, Zhuhai section of jewelry, department stores. Reporters from the Internet search found that BR Jewelry, Massenet Department Store and several other shopping stores have tourists reflecting tour guides forced shopping bad record.
Tourism Bureau: will strengthen the supervision of disguised "low-priced tours" "shopping tours"
At present, Tai'an City Tourism Supervision Detachment has intervened to investigate the matter. "We have also received complaints from tourists and are currently investigating." This time, Tai'an elderly people in Hong Kong were forced to shop for the incident involves a large number of people, the impact is bad, they attach great importance to.
The presumption that the so-called "to Hong Kong to participate in square dance competitions" is actually "zero-negative tour fee" tourism is a deformation of this activity is organized by the contractor, the elderly will be sold to the Hong Kong travel agency, the travel agency to pay to do the competition, and then through the shopping The company is also a member of the "Hong Kong Association of Banks" (HKAB).
Elderly people get the invitation letter is very confusing, the registration method is written, the organizing committee of the full sponsorship of team members to participate in the Festival opening and closing ceremonies and competitions on the day of the Hong Kong hotel (three-star) accommodation for one night, as well as the day of the competition, lunch and dinner, and round-trip transportation costs. Need to personally bear the cost of only 950 yuan, which includes the registration fee, the Festival participation, performances, venues and other activities such as fees, observation and exchange activities, Hong Kong, Macao, Zhuhai sightseeing fees, including accommodation in three-star standard room *** three nights, Hong Kong and Macao meals, attractions, tickets, tourist buses, boat fare, Hong Kong to Macao boat fare, the local hospitality services, including Hong Kong and Macao drivers and tour guides, tips, it is clear that the cost of inexpensive, it is difficult to escape! The "low-priced group" suspicion.
2, the reporter interviewed a travel agency in Tai'an, travel agency staff, said the 5-day trip to Hong Kong and Macao tour accommodation and food costs will not be less than 2,000 yuan, plus transportation from Shandong over the past, the cost is unlikely to be less than 3,000 yuan. "Below 3,000 yuan of Hong Kong and Macao tours generally have secondary consumption." The head of the travel agency said, "In recent years, because of forced shopping incidents occur from time to time, Hong Kong and Macao tours in Tai'an tourists slumped a lot, down nearly 70 percent."
"Now there are a variety of institutions in the community are organizing tours, such as some insurance companies, real estate companies, under the banner of preferential organization of tourism, there are also a number of raffle draw tours, most of which are shopping tours, the public ate a dumb loss but no way to file a complaint, and the next step is also needed to strengthen supervision." Tai'an City Tourism Supervision Detachment staff reminded.
Netizens reminded: the competition pit people, but fooled the elderly before and after
In fact, Tai'an Auntie's encounter is not an individual case. In September this year, Jiangxi Aunt received the "Hong Kong Golden Bauhinia International Square Dance Competition" invitation, accompanied by an old man to spend tens of thousands of yuan, bought a piece of plastic made of fake jade; early October, Shanghai's Zhu granny also to Hong Kong to participate in the square dance competition, in the jewelry store, spend more than 10,000 yuan to buy only a thousand dollars worth of gold bracelets.
The reporter found that since this year, a number of Hong Kong businesses and mainland travel agencies to cooperate, targeting the middle-aged and elderly groups, in the name of talent competitions, luring them to Hong Kong, Macao and other places, mandatory shopping, there have been more than a number of square dance enthusiasts fell prey to.