Make sure you have discussed the option to change guides if dissatisfied.
We went on a group tour to China through Make My Trip(a travel organiser in India) which tied up with this company(Beijing Top View Holiday Travels and Tours chinatoptours.com). We did three cities: Beijing, Xi’an and Shanghai. Our guide in Beijing was really awesome but those in Xi’an and Shanghai were no match. The one in Shanghai(whose English name was Lucy) was so horrible that the day she picked us from the airport, we felt like asking the company to change our guide. We remained stuck with her for 3 days and risked missing our flight because of her. Below is the letter I wrote to the company but never heard back from them(our of courtesy for ruining our Shanghai experience). They do not have a presence in Trip Advisor but I would recommend using caution should you decide to go with them. The quality of accommodation stayed comfortable and functional but it visibly deteriorated with each subsequent place: Beijing was super classy to begin with, Xi’an was average and Shanghai was below average in comparison.
Letter:
Hello Thalia/Dora,
I just returned from the 9-day Beijing-Xian-Shanghai group tour organised by your company. I was one of the 5 people in the group. First off, I would like to share that the guide by the name of Jerry was simply fantastic as he had a lot of knowledge, was a wonderful, kind, patient and considerate person and very cheerful and caring. He put us at ease right from the word go. He took very good care of us in Beijing. The other two guides(in Xian and Shanghai) were no match for him as they lacked knowledge, were not involved and were unable to engage us, and from what it appeared, were more interested in commission based tourism. The guide in Xian by the name Wendy was a good person overall and she took good care of us even though she was unable to engage in discussion or share information. What we did not like about her suggestions was that she gave us just one option of going for the show(which turned out to be just about OK) instead of giving us more options like walking within and around the city wall. She also recommended a place for lunch of her choice, placed an order quickly without consulting us and promoted the expensive tea being sold by that restaurant through their’free tea ceremony’. When I asked her about tea and the rates, she had absolutely no idea(which is obviously quite surprising). Both of her suggestions felt quite selfish.
Unfortunately, the guide in Shanghai by the name Lucy was the worst of them. Her awful, unprofessional and inconsiderate behavior has prompted me to write to you to draw your attention to the matter as it affects both, the tourists experience. She offended us in numerous ways right from the start of our journey and left a very bad taste of Shanghai. We were relieved to leave Lucy behind when leaving Shanghai. I regret not requesting a change of guide from the first day itself. She was not a guide. Here is what happened:
No smile at the airport when receiving. She rarely ever smiled. She had this stiff appearance like we were going on a battle or something.
Who has the money?: She was clever enough to keep the right people pleased by communicating to them only: the two senior men, who would eventually pay her. Other three people did not exist for her. She would start her stories and explanation even when just one of the two men were present(unlike the other two guides, who would wait for everyone’s attention).
Not interested in her job: She rushed us to the Shanghai Museum straight from the airport as it was about to close at 4 PM(she never kept us informed of this time). Then she aske