As a former Executive Corporate Travel Agent, I would be VERY hesitant to book a trip with AVG. I have been to China 21 times now.We got off to a bad start. I booked my trip & paid $300 deposit. Credit card surcharge was 3% and I didn't object.I booked Land Only as it was MUCH CHEAPER to book my own flights.I emailed AVG & asked what time on 15 October I had to be in Urumqi for start of the tour. They didn't know. How can they NOT KNOW what time the tour starts?When I looked at my Amex statement, I had been charged 7% card surcharge! I emailed asking for a refund of the difference. I waited over a week and NO REFUND!I then booked flights to arrive in Urumqi nice & early.Then AVG emailed asking me to leave a review, so I left a FAIR, HONEST review detailing issues with surcharges & them not knowing what time the tour started.The next morning, I woke up to find they had KICKED ME OFF THE TOUR and refunded $300. They claimed I was going to be a "troublesome" passenger.NOTE: They never refunded the credit card surcharges!I called AVG & told them I had booked my flights so we would have a major problem if I was booted off the tour.After much discussion I was BLACKMAILED into removing my review & only then would they reinstate my place.Then I was told "LAND ONLY" does NOT include a transfer from airport to the hotel EVEN THOUGH I WAS ARRIVING ON THE SAME FLIGHT AS EVERYONE ELSE!I would understand this if I was arriving hours earlier or later than the others, but how is a transfer not considered LAND component when I am on the SAME FLIGHT as the others?AVG asked me to pay AUD 140.00 for a transfer to the hotel. I got my own taxi for 10 bucks! Did they think I was crazy?I have done 4 or 5 organised tours to China in the past. We always departed Oz in the morning & arrived in China late at night. Off to bed, then hit the ground running the next day.I was DISGUSTED to see AVG had everyone on OVERNIGHT flights from Oz, a long transit upon arrival, then another long flight to Urumqi.After UP TO 21 HOURS OF TRAVELLING, we were expected to get on the tour bus and do half a day of touring. EVERYBODY WANTED TO SLEEP!It has to be said the photo AVG used of the Rainbow Mountains had been SEVERELY PHOTO-SHOPPED! We saw those mountains in brilliant sunshine & they looked NOTHING like the pic on website.There was complete disorganisation when getting off the bus. We were rarely told WHERE to reconvene or WHEN! At one place, we waited hours for 2 people who had wandered off and had no idea we were waiting to leave.Dunhuang was the cleanest city I have ever visited with a brilliant night market but that was the most disappointing hotel. Clean, but very dated.Some of the cities were very boring and I'm not sure why we stopped there overnight. The next city wasn't that far down the highway.I will NEVER understand why AVG do not include "tips" as part of the tour cost. BEDLAM!For TWO DAYS on the bus, the guide had to explain that "tips" were mandatory & had to be paid as part of her income and for people behind the scenes in China who booked hotel rooms, purchased attraction tickets, booked bullet trains etc.Some argued "tips" should be optional otherwise they should be called a surcharge, levy or a fee. I had to agree with this.Some wanted to pay in AUD. Some wanted to pay in NZD. Some wanted to pay in Chinese yuan. Everybody seemed to have a different exchange rate. CHAOS! One woman across the aisle argued for around 2 hrs over 8 yuan ($1.60). I ended up paying the 8 yuan to shut her up. Tipping arguments really did leave a BLACK MARK on the tour.Throughout the tour, we had 3 guides. I have kept in touch with 2 of them. BOTH have confirmed they NEVER RECEIVED A CENT FROM AVG IN TIPS!At the end of the tour, we didn't get to the Wild Goose Pagoda. When I got home, I asked AVG for a refund of the entrance fee. I was told I would receive a reply in a few days. Nobody ever to get back to me.Would I recommend AVG? Maybe.The tour was at times very disorganised & 2 of the guides were very challenged by English. And I think there seems to be complete disorganisation in the AVG office.One good thing about this tour was there was only ONE optional extra activity. But this tour also cost a pretty penny.Lastly, I do find marketing from AVG to be non-transparent when it comes to China. They claim to have long-term partner airlines & hotels & claim to book in bulk & get exclusive group rates.That may be true but they FAILED to mention that a lot of the cheaper tours are SUBSIDISED by the Chinese federal/provincial government/s to attract tourists. I just felt AVG weren't fully transparent about this. I have NO ISSUE with my holidays being subsidised.So, you decide if AVG is right for you. If they ban me from future travel because of this review, I will update this review accordingly.Happy travels!
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