Shangri-La Tour: Duped into Buying Tibetan Medicine, Lost 140,000 Yuan - Follow-up Report
According to reports on February 4th, a tourist from Jiangsu named Xiao Lu and his family encountered a scam while visiting the Putacuo National Park in Shangri-La. They were persuaded to buy herbs worth approximately 140,000 yuan at the park's multi-functional hall. To date, relevant authorities have yet to address the matter. Attempts by reporters yesterday to contact the Quality Supervision and Management Office of the Diqing Prefecture Tourism Bureau went unanswered.
On February 4th, Xiao Lu called the Quality Supervision and Management Office of the Diqing Prefecture Tourism Bureau to inquire about the progress of the case. A man answered the phone, inquired about the details, and promised to summon relevant personnel from the multi-functional hall for an investigation, pledging to provide a response no later than the next day. Later that afternoon, the quality supervision office called Xiao Lu twice. In the first call, they stated that since the herbs had already been ground into powder, the merchant demanded that Xiao Lu bear 20% of the loss. Xiao Lu did not agree. Subsequently, the other party called again, saying the merchant agreed to a return but requested that Xiao Lu stop reflecting on the matter through media channels.
Later, Xiao Lu received a call from the multi-functional hall of the Putacuo National Park. The caller claimed to be the mall’s administrative manager and suggested sending half of the refund first, asking Xiao Lu to send the herbs back before issuing the rest of the refund. The caller also mentioned, "If I go through the Diqing Tourism Quality Supervision Office as an intermediary and handle it officially, then I would need to send the items to the office, where they might file complaints. The manager, speaking personally, could not guarantee that I would get my money back," Xiao Lu told reporters.
Subsequently, Xiao Lu called the Quality Supervision and Management Office of the Diqing Prefecture Tourism Bureau again. This time, the attitude of the person who answered the phone changed, noting that there were many online reports about the incident and that the leadership was now aware. The person instructed Xiao Lu to delete related posts if possible. Xiao Lu responded, "Then let's handle this officially."
■ Netizen Exposure
Same Location, Same Experience, Last Month's Dispute Resolved Yesterday
Similarly, a netizen Mr. Liu (pseudonym) from the Anti-Kill Pig Alliance forum also posted about having a similar experience. This netizen hails from Chenzhou, Hunan. On January 28th, he and his wife visited the Putacuo National Park. At the multi-functional hall, they met a man claiming to work for a pharmaceutical company in Jiangxi. The man appeared very professional and even helped them negotiate prices. Ultimately, this netizen bought 100 grams of Dendrobium priced at 6000 yuan, and 5 grams of saffron priced at 450 yuan, totaling 6450 yuan, with the staff providing an invoice.
After returning to the car, Mr. Liu checked online and discovered that Dendrobium is not native to Shangri-La, and its online price was around 6 yuan per gram. Realizing he had been scammed, he attempted to return immediately to the multi-functional hall of the Putacuo National Park but was stopped by the gatekeeper. Each visitor receives a ride card upon entering the park, which must be surrendered after leaving the multi-functional hall. Without the card, entry was denied. At this point, the tour guide also called, urging immediate departure. With no choice, Mr. Liu had to abandon the attempt. Upon returning home and checking online, he found many others sharing similar experiences.
Upon learning about Xiao Lu's experience from Jiangsu, Mr. Liu also posted his own story on the forum. Subsequently, two moderators from the Anti-Kill Pig Alliance, Yin Chengbo and Li Zeqing, contacted Mr. Liu to confirm the details and provided him with the phone number of the Quality Supervision and Management Office of the Diqing Prefecture Tourism Bureau. After contacting them, the person answering the phone stated that as long as Mr. Liu hid the post he made on the forum, they would refund his money.
Finally, after consulting with the forum moderators, Mr. Liu hid his previous post. Around 1 PM yesterday, Mr. Liu received a refund of 6000 yuan.
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