SCAM ALERT: A WARNING TO THE MTB CYCLING / 4X4 / OUTDOOR ADVENTURE COMMUNITY
Please beware of Taun Kirby Bewsher aka “The notorious wood fetcher”, affiliated with Adventure Logistics Cycling Tours, Adventure Cycling tours, Authentic Adventures, ADVLOG (PTY) LTD.
The ‘Taun’ in the side of the cycling, 4x4 and outdoor adventure community has struck again… (and again… and again).
We booked a MTB cycling trip to the Hessequa/Overberg region with Taun Bewsher of Adventure Logistics Cycling Tours that was meant to take place from 2-8 Sept 2021.
Taun Bewsher, made all the right noises; speedily answering any queries, sending a packing list, sharing videos/blogs of previous trips, and sending an itinerary.
Paid in full, flights booked, leave put in. We contacted Taun on 26 Aug to confirm our pick up, only to receive an apologetic email in reply with a notice of voluntary liquidation attached.
“Sorry”. No trip. No refund. Enjoy your life.
It seems Taun Bewsher is much better at saying “sorry” than he is at running cycling or 4x4 adventure tours. As it turns out he has said sorry many times before, to many different tour groups as far back as 2015… and possibly even before then.
According to a post on 4x4ag.co.za, in 2015, trading as “Authentic Adventures”, Taun Bewsher took a group of people on a 4x4 trip. Very early on in the trip he stepped out to fetch wood and never returned - sending only a message with the word “Sorry”. They continued on the trip only to find he had not made the bookings or arrangements. There was a big hoohah and allegedly, eventually, the money was refunded.
We currently know of at least 7 people on our trip who have been affected (this time), but don’t just take our word for it. Please peruse this list of complaints and bad reviews that a Google search of his name provides:
21 August 2021 - Post on Facebook about a cancelled trip: https://www.facebook.com/groups/134361270058168/posts/1903107483183529
5 July 2021 – A HelloPeter complaint about cancelled trip: https://www.hellopeter.com/adventure-logistics-cycles
11 June 2021 – A post seeking other victims of fraud to come forward: https://forum.bikehub.co.za/topic/189109-fraud-charges-against-%E2%80%9Ccycle-tour-operator%E2%80%9D/#comments
3 Jan 2021 – A warning on 4x4ag forum: https://www.4x4ag.co.za/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1155
30 Dec 2021 – A warning on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anthony.forgey.184/posts/563164774659053
30 Dec 2020 – A warning on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wendy.nieuwoudt.9/posts/10157448823485566
30 December 2020 – A thread on BikeHub: https://forum.bikehub.co.za/topic/187035-night-ride-and-dinner-21-october/page/2/
10 May 2015 – The notorious wood fetcher (A 37-page thread about the incident in 2015): https://www.4x4community.co.za/forum/showthread.php/217922-Dropped-badly-by-Authentic-Adventures
9 April 2015 - Authentic Adventures ceases to be (A thread by Taun playing the world tiniest violin): https://www.4x4community.co.za/forum/showthread.php/217881-Authentic-Adventures-ceases-to-be
I case you’d like to contact Taun Bewsher himself to verify any of these details, please find below: https://adventurelogistics.co.za/
Facebook Profile: https://www.facebook.com/taun.bewsher
Feel free to DM me for a direct chat and please feel free to share widely to help keep our community safe.
Disclaimer: I’m sure this oke has his own stuff and I explicitly do not wish him any harm. I’m posting this because I don’t want someone else ending up in the same trap as we did. This oke has been up to his tricks since 2015, how long is he still going to go on before he is stopped?
