Smeagol

Dogster, whilst i totally agree with what you have said about it being Pauls' business so he can do what he wants. From Tangatas post i can't see the problem. I actually thought his posts were measured and WAY more charitable than i think i would have been given the curcumstances. Yes, we do not know the true story but i actually think his over reaction is super childish. (although when dealing with some of our customers, many of my guys would dearly LOVE to tell them to Fox trot oscar)
For me i think Kathie's response i about where i am, i like ecentric people too, but i also like them to act like adults...
Also Dog not sure what the relevance to the awful passengers being British has to do with it?
I am sure that all around the world there are HIDEOUS passengers of all nationalities (and i am not trying to pick a fight ref nationalities here just saying thats all...)

Gpanda

I sent an inquiry to Pandaw by E-mail. They responded quickly that Paul Strachan was away and they would get back to me upon his return. We shall see. Perhaps they would be more likely to respond if they received additional inquiries. I sent my inquiry to:

[email protected]

dogster

You are correct Smeagol. The nationality of the pax was an unnecessary observation in this context. Accurate, kinda spooky - but unnecessary.

Gpanda, I'd imagine that P.S. and all his executive staff are in India. He has a new cruise up the Ganges starting in three weeks.

In the interests of balance, let me show you these new similar cruises that I just found:

http://www.assambengalnavigation.com/bengal_cruises.htm

Kathie

I've had pleasant correspondence with Paul in the past as I was inquiring about cruises.

Dogster, that's the cruise line Mitch reported on, isn't it?

Gpanda

Dogster-I was impressed that they responded quickly and showed concern. Hopefully, we can be enlightened concerning the "banning".

Smeagol

I can't believe what a thread this is turning out to be, whilst i am sure not great for Tangata FASCINATING to us!

dogster

Yup Kathie, Mitch has been on a cruise down the Brahmaputra with these guys.

Dogster, I believe, has done four cruises in Assam and West Bengal with this company; 28 days in total. He may even have written about them but, as he actually paid for his cruises, didn't feel obliged to mention their name much.

Once he discovered, too late, that they made their tour guides return personal tips to the company at the end of the cruises he took to his bed and wouldn't come out. It's been months now. I'll ask him if he emerges.

Kathie

Ah, Dogster, I thought you'd done them too, but since you didn't mention it I thought perhaps I'd misremembered.

I can't believe they make their guides return tips to the company. Very tacky.

Gpanda

The entire saga and questions about the banning raises the following:

"Oh what a tangled web we weave,
When first we practice to perceive."

Apologies to Sir Walter Scott.

LAleslie

"He may even have written about them but, as he actually paid for his cruises, didn't feel obliged to mention their name much. "
Call me slow dogster, but not sure I get the reference here. Are you saying TAs and such freebie takers on this board are posting favorable trip reports? I'm SHOCKED, SHOCKED! ("You're winnings, sir")
I hope Pandaw responds and clears this up and puts Tangata back on board the Ganges cruise with a generous shipboard credit and apologies. IF what everyone believes here is true.

LAleslie

Oh, I AM slow. Just figured it out by reading "Mitch04"'s India cruise report. Actually, he's a flack, as we in the states refer to PR people. Judging by its florid positive tones, it's really a puff piece off a freebie trip. Very common in the so-called travel journalism game, esp. in Australia.

dogster

Yes, LA; incredible but true - which might explain the state of travel journalism these days. Only you and I maintain any standards at all.

I'm not entirely sure what anybody thinks in here. As none of us have the complete information it seems silly to jump to any conclusions at all. I still feel that the name of tang's travel agent will hold the clue.

I could find all of this out - but I don't want to. If you look at the existing bookings for the Ganges cruises I really don't think P.S. needs to care overly about our attitudes or the rights and wrongs of anything. For a hopeless business man, he's managed to nearly fill his first season in India - at a juicy $6000 a pop.

I might tart up a couple of rowboats and go into business myself.

thursdaysd

"I might tart up a couple of rowboats and go into business myself." - delicious thought! Indian tours by dogster...only the intrepid need apply.

Kathie

Hmm... fascinating, dofster. I didn't know that about Mitch, though I knew from a post of yours that you two had crossed paths. I believe in full disclosure - if someone were paying for my trip, my readers would have the right ot know that. Alas! I can't find anyone who wants to pay for my trips!

Hanuman

Shrewd business mind. Get rid of one loyal customer(Tangata) who wasn't completely satisfied so they can keep the multiple $6,000 a pop coming!

I agree with LAleslie that they should allow Tangata back as a customer and should offer him a huge discount. Of course Tangata should then declined their offer and find alternatives.

dogster

Method. Madness.

It occurs to me that on the fortnight in question Pandaw will be running six boats simultaneously in four countries. Each boat can hold 60 passengers. Two of the cruises are for 14 days, the rest in a combination of 7 and 4 day cruises. I'd estimate Pandaw has about 500 potential customers over that time - at between $4 and $6,000 a pop.

They won't notice tangata - or Fodor's.

An interested observer might wonder what salary the crew are getting. Any estimates? I'd think about $100 a month average.

Hanuman

If they are from Myanmar, India, Vietnam or Thailand I would estimate around $300+ a month for the starting salary.

dogster

I'll defer to your knowledge here, Hanuman - but I think it's a lot less. $300 a month for an Indian deck-hand? Well, I hope so. I'm just wondering about the ecomomics of these cruises - AssamBengal as well. If there are 20 crew @ $300 a month average that's a monthly wage bill of $6000 a boat. Let's double that in case we got it wrong. So it's $12,000 a month. Let's double that again to be safe. So it's $24,000 a month wages.

Which is covered by FOUR passengers on a two week cruise. That means there are theoretically another 116 passengers each month to cover the rest of it.

Yup, he's a crap businessman. lol.

LAleslie

Kathie, it wasn't hard to find out about Mitch because he posted his Web site on the trip report. His business is right there for all to see, so he wasn't exactly obfuscating. But he does mask his identity by making it sounds like he's a Regular Joe who booked it himself. The travel stories by hacks are usually easy to spot: unlike Dogster's trip reports, beware the ones where there's not a dark cloud in the sky.

Which is, ironically, why Tangata's report has credibility and will bring people TO Pandaw. People actually LIKE the candor. Many in the travel business don't get it. And, like Dogster says, maybe when you've got it rolling in you don't care.

Still, Tangata's a regular customer, so it seems short sighted. I still don't think we know the whole story.

Dogster, your math is good but one also has to figure advertising, Web site upkeep, liability insurance, bribes to backwater potentates, travel agent kickbacks, and the like.

I'd buy a ticket on your row boat...

Hanuman

You can hire people for a lot less but what you get is what you pay! For a river cruiser I hope that they do hire more knowledgeable workers or staffs.

From what you've described he's not a crap businessman at all but a rather shrewd one. To treat a loyal customer badly and, from the look of it, to represent himself or his company and entrap Tangata further by posting under the anonymous name of "Tawtha" is not very ethical IMO. Not a business that I would want to patronise or recommend.