Car and Driver downpayment?

A friend and I are going to India in October. We've never been there before. We are getting a car and driver to take us from city to city. Our route will be Dehli > Agra > Jaipur > Jodhpur > Pushcar > Dehli.

We have arranged this all from the U.S. (through email and tele communication) with an Indian travel agent. We wanted to pay with credit card, but the company said that they would require a copy of the front of the card as a PDF. Later they said not to pay using credit card, but to wire them the money to their account or send it using Western Union.

We have been told that we will only have to pay half now and the other half when we get done with our trip. The total is $360 USD. The travel agent has real seeming websites and they even say they are a member of IATO (Indian Association of Tour Operators) The name is Liberty India Travel and there website is ( http://www.rajasthantravelagent.com/ ).

Should I be worried? Or risk loosing the $180USD? Is this normal behavior for Indian Travel Agents?


Thanks!

Cameron
Washington, D.C.

I would advise you not to wire the money. If you send the money and after arriving in India you find that the car/driver provided by the tour operator are not to your liking you will find that there is no chance of getting a refund or cancelling the whole deal/package.

Arranging a car and driver after arriving in India is not difficult and there is no reason to pay/book in advance. Shop around after you arrive and you will find that are many more choices available when you are physically present in India as compared to what is avilable online.

Agree with GoanCanuck.

And even if arranging a car after arriving in India, I would suggest not pay much 'advance', or pay as the trip progresses.

Yes, definitely do not send money as both other posters have advised. I looked the rate for your journey and it seems o.k. to me. As an average you could calculate the total kilometres for a round trip (you have to pay return for driver)at approx. 4.5 rupees and that should give you more of an idea. 4.5 r. is for a small car like Tata indica / indigo could even be 5 rupees. Lrger vehicles are more expensive.

These rates are very Old now..there is a huge difference between Indica and Indigo...the minimum to expect is Rs.5.5 / 6.

To the OP : I guess I would agree with other responders that advance should not be sent. bit you must also confirm the reputaion of the agency and if you have some good reviews/feedback you sure can pay in advance as well..

Maybe we are cheaper out our way! This is what guests have been paying for Indica - 4.5 rupees, but with prices in diesel increasing all the time maybe by the time they are here it will be 5 rupees!

I find it hard to believe that any taxi operator can make money by charging just Rs 4.5/km even with an Indica.

The Indica is very very uncomfortable for long trips. I travelled from Delhi to Chandigarh on the back seat of an Indica and my legs were totally numb due to the lack of legroom.

Couldn't agree more.

The Indica is a city runabout car. It is fine for day trips.

It is not at all fine for touring. At least not for more than maybe one person. There is barely any space for bags, for a start.

To illustrate why paying up front is, generally, a bad idea.

We were planning to stay at Aiswarya Hotel in Ernakulam for a couple of days, and agreed, after having inspected the room, to pay one nights' rent in advance (Rs. 700). What followed was pure Fawlty Towers. Two hours into our stay, a member of staff and an electrician entered the room wanting to repair the TV. After an hour of unsuccessfully trying to change a part in the now totally dismantled TV, the conclusion was that it would take another two hours to finish the job. This was clearly unacceptable; we wanted to rest after a long journey. We suggested that they exchange the TV with a TV from another, empty, room. This was, apparently, impossible even though it should be relatively simple to unplug a TV (I inspected the plug, and it wasn't different to any other plug, i.e. it was unplugable). So, we accepted to move to another room. This turned out to be smelly and damp. Having had enough we decided to leave the hotel due to this unreasonable treatment. However, the receptionist, whilst smiling, rejected a refund even though we had only stayed in the room for two hours. I asked to see the manager, but, of course, he wasn't present and it was unknown when he would return. We decided to sacrifice the Rs. 700 and left.

In short, the only way to lose money is to pay up front.

Concerning hired cars, always check the tyre tread before accepting the vehicle. If the standard is unacceptable in your country, it is unacceptable in India. In particular, you should avoid cars that have a layer of rubber glued to the tyre. This is done when the tyre is so worn that it is dangerous to use; attaching a layer of rubber is cheaper than replacing the tyre.

Don't pay the advance.

Come to india and get one from the road!!

Also, $360 USD is crazy!!! for Dehli > Agra > Jaipur > Jodhpur > Pushcar > Dehli.

You should not pay more than 250 USD.

Ive just completed arranging my trip to India, with hotel reservations, etc. and it seems like just like prices are all over the lot, practices about wanting a deposit are totally unpredictable too. I cant tell from your note above how many days long your trip is - if its 6 days it seems like its in the reasonable range. To me the real questions are whether you want to lock in with this agency or pay them the way they want. Their website says they have a secure internet payment portal - is that not working? It can feel good to have your travel arrangements locked down and not to have to scramble day to day even though it may be more expensive too. I think you have to go with your feelings (whatever they are) about the reliability of this agency (contact his references) and and realize that the reality at your destination may be really different than what you are thinking about now.

I travelled by Indigo with a lot of luggage from Jodhpur to Jaisalmer a few days back - he charged correctly - 600km at 4 rupees per km - total 2400 rupees. I have since heard it can be 6 rupees per km. If you work out your mileage and go by 6 rupees per km. then you will have some idea of what you have to pay (I am paying the return back to Jodhpur for the driver so take that into account). I wouldn't be paying anything beforehand however as your agency is suggesting. Taxis are very easily booked when you are here.

I'll be travelling either of the following routes and ideally would like to fly in the last leg (magenta) as I am afraid the travel time of 15-17 days may not be adequate.

Delhi - Agra - Jaipur - Ajmer/Pushkar - Bikaner - Jaisalmer - Jodhpur - Delhi

Delhi - Agra - Jaipur - Ajmer/Pushkar - Jodhpur - Bikaner - Jaisalmer - Delhi

Would I be better off having a driver and a car (cost wise and time saving) or travelling via bus and trains. There will be 3 of us and by Asian standards we are not that small. I am 5'5" @ 55kg, WT is 5'10" at 70kg and Rez is 5'11" @ 100 kg. Also Rez has about 15kg of camera equipment to lug around.

From my description the answers seems like a no brainer, but I am a bit concern about (a) cost (b) road safety and tauts.

Thanks,
Penelope

If you are planning the entire trip from on a car it would be better you get yourself a good transport like a Innova or a Qualis as you would need to stretch you legs while ur are travelling.

The reason why I say so coz Recently I went from New Delhi to Jodhpur its about 1350 KMS and I was driving a FIAT PALIO all alone with least baggage, and there where times when i felt i had a bigger car so that i could stretch my legs and be relaxed.

Please do not pay any advance to any travel agent. And God knows how is he going to complete the trip Dehli > Agra > Jaipur > Jodhpur > Pushcar > Dehli. just for $320 which is 16000 INR

Delhi to Agra 225 kms
Agra to Jaipur 260 Kms
Jaipur to Jodhpur 320Kms
Jodhpur to Pushkar 300 Kms
Pushkar to Delhi 1600 Kms

If he runs the car on water also it would cost him more then that.

Please please dont be fooled if the entire trip is on a car it would cost any thing between $750 to $1000.