Can you bargain tour price?

Old Apr 21st, 2014, 02:34 AM
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Can you bargain tour price?

Hi all,

We were quoted a tour price by Castle and King. From the boards they sound like a reputable company. I know bargaining is ok with in India, so I it acceptable for me to negotiate a lower price? Also, any input on Castle and King would be greatly appreciated.Thank you!
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Old Apr 21st, 2014, 04:11 AM
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Most tour operators have huge markups. Some will bargain (witness G Adventures, Intrepid, etc. who cut prices on their websites). Others will not. My guess is C&K considers themselves above the fray and will maybe cut a 5% deal, if that. It's always worth asking if anything can be done to help one's budget.
NoFlyZone is offline  
Old Apr 21st, 2014, 05:26 AM
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Note that NoFlyZone is talking about tour operators that lead group tours when he references G Adventures, Intrepid, etc. Yes, the group tour operators have large mark-ups, then make you think you are getting a bargain by having "specials." Overseas agents are always more expensive than local agents, as they will sub-contract out many services to local agents, then add their own mark-up to that.

Castle and Kings is a travel agency in India that sets up local arrangements for travelers. You can always ask for a lower price, but they are likely to recommend different accommodations (or whatever) if you need a lower price. Their mark-ups aren't huge, as you can see if you price out what they are offering. Indeed, in some cases, it can be cheaper to have a local agent make the arrangements.
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Old Apr 21st, 2014, 07:09 AM
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I sent an email detailing our desired two month itinerary to Castle and King - asking them to provide car and driver between some points - and purchase train tickets on our behalf between a few other locations. We arranged everything else (all lodging etc) ourselves. Arvind from C&K responded immediately with a total price - for all the drives and all the train ticks.
The price seemed reasonable based on what I'd read about cars/drivers and train tic prices. I didn't try to negotiate (but then I'm not much of a negotiator). He provided several different options for paying, and I chose to pay via credit card using secure link he provided.

All the drivers arrived on time as planned and were careful drivers with good cars. Since we were only two we chose smallish sedans, which were comfortable enough for us on those drives. All drivers spoke at least some "tourist English." A few spoke more and were more inclined to talk, provide local info etc. But they were not in any way guides - which would be another category altogether. When we wanted a guide or driver at a particular location, we arranged that through our lodging or on our own otherwise.
I'm sure C&K would arrange that for you too for a price if you wanted. Arvind was very responsive to other small requests we made. He got us an Indian SIM card and had it delivered to our hotel in Mumbai. He suggested some wonderful lodging for a single "free" night we had in our itinerary and got us a great price there too! Highly recommend them.

I suspect that Kathie is right about any markups C&K would have and the way in which they might be able/willing to reduce their prices.

I seem to remember at least one fodors poster (Bob? rmk . . ) may have negotiated a bit with C&K. .. .
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Old Apr 21st, 2014, 03:18 PM
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We used castle and king and were also very satisfied with arvind's services. We did not negotiate, but compared him with other tour operators and felt his prices were in line and that he was very responsive. It doesn't hurt to ask, but I'm not sure if he negotiates. I will say that he is a perfect gentlemen and was most helpful. When my husband was pick pocketed on the second to last day of our trip, he even offered us money if we needed any. Luckily most if our cash was hidden away in our money belts. I can't say enough about Arvind though.
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