We book our travels now in advance, trusting the websites are accurate, the Trip Advisor reviews are current, and that our experience is going to be enjoyable and (hopefully!!) that our trips will be fun, meaningful, and memorable. That is why we travel, right?? Well, sometimes, things to go wrong, and other times, they go terribly wrong. This is my story of the Yangshuo Tai Chi School Scam.
Typically, things go well, but sometimes, we end up getting SCAMMED :(. Having just found myself in this very situation, I have learned a lot, and wanted to share my experiences to help you avoid travel scams in your future, and to know what to do if it does happen.
The Yangshuo Tai Chi School Scam Master Henry Hua Huang
It has always been my dream to train martial arts under a proper Master in China. I had a wonderful experience while living in California and learning Tai Chi from a woman there, and I had such positive results. After a lot of research, I found a school that seemed to meet my needs and the instructor wrote me back promptly. It was important for me to make this personal connection and trust him. I felt like I would be training under someone that understood me and that I could ask questions to, to fully enjoy the experience.
Master Henry Hua Huang led me to believe that I would be training under him, however, when I showed up, I found out he wasn’t even there. He had been living in France!!! And, would continue to do so, on my dollar!!! I paid nearly $2500 USD in advance, which after waiting for several days for a response, told me he would not issue me a refund.
Here is why I wanted to leave:
1. Upon arrival, there was no taxi as promised. I wandered the airport for over an hour, trying to get people to help me, find a phone, and endlessly call the school with no answer. FInally I did get someone on the phone and she just told me to get my own taxi. Thanks. I was overcharged nearly DOUBLE the rate, just to get to the school.
2. Once I got to the school, I found out THERE WAS NO MASTER!!!! All of my emails and dreams of training under a proper master were promptly crushed and I felt so disappointed and crushed for putting my trust in a total lie.
3. The accommodation was DISGUSTING.
4. There was No Orientation. I was given my keys by a lady I thought was a cleaning lady, who turned out to be in charge of the school. She didn’t give me any information about the town, where to get any food, or how to get anywhere for that matter. I asked for a map, and she literally laughed in my face. After a 5 minute walk through, she LEFT ME FOR THREE DAYS without even telling me where to get drinking water!!!
5. The food was Horrid. It was not “provided at your request” nor is it “healthy, balanced, local, and tastes great”, as the website says. The food is terrible and cheap prepared by the landlord at low cost to save on money and is loaded with MSG and oil. Every meal I had was cheap and revolting.
Never Go HERE: http://www.yangshuo-taichi-college (DOT) com This SCHOOL SUCKS!
How To Avoid Travel Scams
Look Up Scams
As soon as this happened, I looked online to see how to contact my embassy. On their page, I found an additional link to “common scams” in the country. While the Yangshuo Tai Chi School Scam was not listed, I was really facinated by How Many scams actually do exist, and, they were laid out in detail on this page:
http://beijing.usembassy-china.org.cn/scams.html
I would HIGHLY recommend checking out countries before you visit. And, do a quick bit of research so you can avoid scams in the area. I never really thought that I would experience one, myself, but after looking through this list, I was shocked to see how easy it would be to end up getting scammed. Check out your destination, and Be Prepared in advance!!
Oh, and don’t pay in advance, like I did.
What To Do If You’ve Been Scammed
Contact Your Embassy
Look up the country you are in, and your embassy should have a website with “contact us” information. Send an email describing your situation, or call them if you wish, but report the situation! I contacted the US Embassy about The Yangshuo Tai Chi School Scam in hopes that it wouldn’t happen to anyone else. This will help you with your documentation and case.
Contact a Lawyer
The embassy page will also give you contacts to leal information, or use a lawyer from home. Find out first what they will charge for their involvement and what steps to take.
Contact Local Authorities
Hopefully it will not come to this. I have heard that the best way to deal with money issues (in China, at least) is to show up at their door with the Police! You will need to have someone to translate, and it will also help if you have done the above steps to prove your case to the authorities.
Post Your Reviews!!!!!
Unless you share what happened to you, the scammer will continue to make money off of more people. I have never written a bad review in my life, but I found the best way to deal with this situation was to share it so at least it won’t happen to somebody else!
Post your reviews on tripadvisor.com, travel forums, or anywhere that will help to get the message out. These people are fraudulent criminals, taking people’s money and dreams away.
Get Out of the Situation
Sometimes our pride can get in the way, and other times we are determined to make a situation better. Whatever your reasons are, don’t stick around in a situation that is unfavorable or unsafe. I relocated from the Yangshuo Tai Chi School Scam when I heard back from the “Master” that he wouldn’t refund my money. I left the country so I could take the appropriate actions to get my money back and be in a safe environment. Remember: Your Safety Comes First!!! And, you are on HOLIDAY, so try to make the most of it, or if you realize you can’t, move on to brighter pastures, they are definitely out there :)!
Share your story if you’ve been scammed below!! Help get the word out!!
[2018 Update – I never did get my money back. “Master” (liar) Huang said he wired it to me in China after I had already left. All he needed to do was call in an access code so I could actually collect it in Thailand, but he REFUSED to do so. After many unanswered emails, I gave up hope that this “Master” had any integrity, work ethic, or business acumen. Just another Scammer to put on your Watch List.]