WARNING when travelling to Guangzhou by train from Hong Kong

When I arrived at Guangzhou station from Hong Kong at the bottom of the stairs at the station exit there were a group of people what at first view appeared to be selling hotel rooms. I was approached but said I was not interested as I had my hotel booked I was then asked if I needed a taxi. I said I did, my luggage was taken from my hand and I was put into a mini bus with my luggage. I was then asked for 360 yuen being the fare. I gave 400 yuen but I was told they did not have change . I was driven to my hotel and the driver then demanded 100yuen tip. Altogether the fare was 500 yuen.When I was returning to Hong Kong I used a proper taxi from the hotel the fare was 46 yuen. PLEASE BE WARNED

WARNING when travelling to Guangzhou by train from Hong Kong

Good grief, why did you agree to pay such an inflated fare anyway?

If you were dropped off at your hotel, why didn%26#39;t you ask the hotel if the fare was reasonable, before paying it?

WARNING when travelling to Guangzhou by train from Hong Kong

Ellyse, the money was requested when I got into the mini bus at Guangzhou station,and as this was my first time in China I did not know what to expect that is why I am trying to warn other people

Ok... you don%26#39;t pay BEFORE you get on taxis and whatever at home, or do you? But yes I understand what you mean by being new here. Still, you should%26#39;ve asked the hotel to confirm the price.

No wonder I%26#39;ve heard of travellers taking 1300 RMB taxi rides from Shanghai Pudong airport to downtown Shanghai!

I don%26#39;t mean to rub salt on your wound, but losing 400, or 1300 RMB are not the worst scenario. As we always said, use your comment sense. You should be glad to have your passport, credit cards; wallets, etc. still with you.

It%26#39;s hard for a first time traveller to be aware of different scams all over the world. A little research before hand, like reading any decent guide book, would have prevented this kind of problem. Seeking help from the hotel doorman when he opens the car door for you is the easiest option. You could also call (or simply threaten to call) the police and the situation would have been resolved right away.

I did encounter similar problem 1st time travelling alone to GZ as a teenager ages ago.