Disappointed with www.showmeindia.com

sng

Hi,

I recently returned from India after travelling around Rajasthan with a driver/guide arranged by www.showmeindia.com. I enjoyed seeing India but my experience with the driver and the owner from this company left a bad taste in my mouth.

I selected the lodging that I prefer to stay at each of the cities. The company is supposed to confirm reservations for the hotels/guest house in each of the cities.

I selected a nice hotel in the Shekhawati region but it's about 30 minutes from Mandawa. The driver took me to that hotel but highly recommend that I stay at a hotel in Mandawa because there is more to see there. He assured me that we can change hotel without incurring any cost to the travel company. I took the advice but the the hotel in Mandawa that he took me to in Mandawa is no where comparable to the one I choose and the cost for the hotel in Mandawa is 1/4 of the cost of the hotel I chose (which I didn't find out until later) I asked to be taken to another hotel but the driver said there is no other better alternative and it was late in the day already.

I was a little unhappy with the experience above but decided that it wasn't worth ruining the trip over. After Mandawa, we were supposed to travel to Bikaner for one night and then onto Jaisalmer. I asked the driver if we can skip Bikaner and go to Jaisalmer directly. Again the driver said it's not an issue with the hotel in Bikaner. Along the way to Jaisalmer, the driver keep pushing me to stay at a different hotel in Jaisalmer and told me horrible stories about the guest house I chose (police raids, tourist raped etc...) I was highly skeptical since the guest house is rated highly on trip advisor. He said that I had to stay at this specific hotel in Jaisalmer at least for the 1st night because the hotel I was supposed to stay in Bikaner is owned by the same company and they already transferred the payment over. (I found out the story about the two hotels having the same owner to be untrue later from another travel company) I spoke to the owner of www.showmeindia.com and he also repeated that I need to stay at this place because he already transferred the payment. Reluctanly, I stayed at this place. The hotel was so so (no hot water).

The next day, I made sure the driver took me to the guest house that I originally selected for Jaisalmer. The guest house was very nice and the staff was great. All the stories from the driver are obviously untrue/ridiculous. The manager there told me that www.showindia.com inquired about reservation there before but they never confirmed it. Apparently, this guest house does not provide commission to travel agency. That explains the reason for their efforts to steer me to another hotel. In addition, when the driver took me there, he told the manager to show me the cheaper rooms there and ask the manager to charge me a higher price if I opt for camel safari so he can get some commission. The manager there refused.

The rest of the trip went OK except on the last morning on my trip to the airport. The original driver made an arrangement for another driver to drop me off at the airport because he is starting another new trip. That was fine with me except this new driver asked for 200 rupees for the drive to the airport when we got to the airport. He said this was the arrangement that was agreed upon. I was flabbergasted. This airport transfer is supposed to be included in the original payment. This final insult left me shaking my head. I lost my trust and faith with www.showmeindia.com. All their decision/advice were made with their own self interest in mind. I would never recommend them to anyone else.

I hope this feedback helps other travellers.

Thanks!

Siew

Victoria

I'm really sorry you felt ripped off/cheated/ or whichever words you may use due to this travel company, but what IS good is that you are reporting your experience here and that may help others avoid this kind of treatment.

Had you booked with that company from abroad only over the internet? Or did you hire them once you arrived in India?

It would be interesting to know if any other people have travelled with them too and what their experiences were like.

PeakXV

As cordial as India & Indians are - personalities, business methods, & especially hospitality industry 'gamesmanship' can, at times, be a factor in one's travels and has been know to cause some uneasy tension.

It would be prudent before fully committing to a prepaid 'tour' in India to get references, do your logistics homework, and thus be familiar enough with your itinerary to have an authoritative air to your commands as 'situations' arise or be aware that you may get manipulated and 'controlled' yourself according to the tour company's schedule, budget, & their assessment of your reaction to the ongoing services they are providing you.

One thing is for sure, no matter if you book a tour or go it alone - in India rarely is every aspect of travel set in stone.

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We shall not cease from exploration and at the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started ...and know the place for the first time.
T.S. Eliot

Don't go to India ~ Pre-trip Warnings & Misconceptions?

Nick-H

What was the response from the site/agents over all this?

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Just one member of the IndiaMike Mod Team

sng

Hi everybody,

Thanks for the feedback. I booked the Rajasthan trip from abroad. I had a short time to plan a business trip to Bangalore along with the personal travel to Rajasthan after that. I wanted to have everything in place before I arrived. In hindsight, I should have just hire a car and driver and did everything else on my own. It would have been cheaper and I would have had more control.

The response from the owner has been

a) I had to stay at the two subpar hotels because I adjusted the travel plan even though I did it partly due to the driver's advice and I asked the driver if the adjustment will be a problem

b) He apologized for some of the driver's advice/feedback but did nothing to compensate for it

c) He apologized about the airport transfer and offer to pay me back (not really practical for 200 rupee) or compensate thru discount to any additional guest I recommend (dream on )

The owner really lost my trust because he wasn't totally honest and straightforward with me. (Telling me that the hotel in Jaisalmer and Bikaner are owned by the same company when it's not true, and telling me that he reserved the guest house in Jaisalmer when he did not)

There are probably other guests who have had good/trouble free experience with this company but I just want to point out that in my case the company made decisions based on their own self interest and to the detriment of their customer. That is not good business practice and reflects poorly on their character.

Despite all this, I did enjoy my travels in India.

Siew

zoltan

Unfortunately, hindsight can often be a good teacher.

When people book package tours they can often be caught unawares with a lot of scams, which can sour the enjoyment of the journey to India.

In some ways, you have gotten out of it without too much financial cost but it's still annoying to be treated like a walking ATM.

And, my thoughts are whether a company has done a great job or a lousy one, give feedback on public forums. Let others know your thoughts & experiences so that others who are going (perhaps to the same places you have been), can be informed in advance.

Cheers
Zoltan

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Nick-H

A good trip can be spoiled by one idiot driver, too.

The driver is there to drive; not to re-organise your holiday to suit his own agenda. People should stick with their plans.

kammaldeep

did u got in touch with the travelagency showmeindia on this???

Indizen

Too bad the agent you chose turned out this way. Maybe we could have a board here blacklisting such agencies, or a system of rating them, as we have for hotels.

nflores07030

I am booking a trip with the same company and the owner who I think his name is Shyam has been nothing but helpful. He has given me three options of economy hotels, deluxe hotels and 5 star. I have done research and he said I could adjust the itinerary before I arrive at any time. I see the name of the hotels he gave were rated good and excellent on some for the most part. However, reading your post does make me nervous. Can you tell me more about your booking process. Did you pay once you arrived, and did you discuss all the details beforehand. I am just curious.

Mickey S

This makes me suspicious. March is not peak time in Rajasthan but it is likely that at least some of the hotels you choose will be busy, if not fully booked, at that time. I do not see how he can offer you the option of changing your mind at any time - unless it is all a lie to get your booking and your money.

If you know the names of the hotels you wish to stay in then why not just book them directly? Then use a combination of modes of transport to travel between cities - trains where you can, or buses, or arrange a car and driver on the spot. There is little benefit in using a travel agency.

nflores07030

I would not give a deposit or anything before I get there. I really would prefer a car the whole way because I like the convenience. The tour would include, english speaking guide/driver, hotels, airfare between 2 cities, and all taxes, gas, etc. Well maybe I said that wrong I do not mean I can change the hotel "anytime". He gave me the list of hotels and I can decide to change them now before I finalize the itinerary I guess is what I meant. For example, if I do not like one of the hotels and would prefer another. But i guess my point was I looked at the hotels he offered and I was happy with them based on posts I have read here and other reviews on other sites. I just wanted more information on the bad experience so that I know if it was just a fluke or if they are really a bad company.