Secret Escapes

benfield2

I would warn people against the pitfalls of booking with secret escapes. If anything goes wrong they claim no responsibility as they say they are 'just an agent' They also claim that flight times may be subject to changes -be warned these changes can be dramatic - in our case we lost two days of our short trip. I would not book with them again.

[Deleted User]

I signed up for three or four of these so-called special deal websites last year.

I'm not sure whether it was the tsunami of emails or the fact that virtually every deal I was interested in could be found cheaper elsewhere rapidly made me unsubscribe from them.

The bottom line is that independent research and a small bit of effort will virtually always be cheaper.

How else do they make their commission ?

The best joke of all are the sites which put you on a " waiting list " to fool you into thinking they're somehow exclusive. They aren't. Why on earth would a website restrict the number of people it was trying to sell a product to ?

wallbash

I used Secret Escapes last month. The deal looked good, saving nearly £80 over two nights, so I got in touch with the hotel direct, suggesting they 'price match' The answer was thet could not. So I said I would then book thru S.E. and they then said they would look forward to seeing us .

Moral ....... that web site does work.

hels13_2

Hi - I just wanted to let everyone know about my awful experience with Secret Escapes...

I booked a seven night holiday to Cyprus with Secret Escapes in December 2013, for April 2014, having been enticed by their attractive marketing and sales campaigns.

Following the booking, the email confirmation named the third party holiday company which the booking had actually been made through and advised that we would receive our travel tickets two weeks prior to departure.

Having not received any further correspondence or tickets, I called the travel company a week before the planned departure date, to receive an automated message saying the holiday company had gone into administration and I should contact the Civil Aviation Authority to pursue a claim through ATOL.

I logged on to my Secret Escapes account to find that my holiday was still showing as an upcoming booking, with no note or reference to having been cancelled. I subsequently called Secret Escapes to be advised that the holiday company had indeed gone into administration and the holiday was cancelled. They said that I should have received an email from them and the holiday company, advising me of this - which I hadn't! I asked for their help and assistance in finding an alternative and also asked if I could transfer the money to another booking. I was told neither were possible. They could not assist with the refund or rebook a holiday using the credit. They totally washed their hands of me.

I was left with less than a week to find an alternative and ended up having to pay twice, and paid an additional £400 as no comparable deals were available at such short notice. Had SE contacted me in February, which was when the holiday company went into administation, it would have been far less stressful and I would have been more likely able to find a comparable holiday at a similar price, rather than the very last minute panic we had and additional cost.

I have since tried to contact Secret Escapes via email and Fascebook over a dozen times since April and have received two holding messages to say my complaint is being looked at by their Head of Customer Service Shaun Simpson. I was also assured that I would be contacted within 7 days with a response and was not. I contacted them again and was told that ironically Shaun was on holiday. I have still not received a response from SE. I have found the entire experience totally unacceptable; meanwhile I am seperately pursuing the CAA/ATOL for a refund on my original booking.

I would never use SE again, nor would I recommend them. Their customer service has been shocking.

Steve_Humphrey

Only thing secret about this company is how they can take your money without letting you know they have taken your money and not letting you know that you won't be getting any written correspondence.
Paid £1438 for a half-board holiday with flights and transport to Gran Canaria for two for a 10 day holiday. All was exciting and we really were looking forward to it both being self-employed and working hard to be able to relax on such a lovely break! Right? WRONG!
Money taken without any email or written confirmation after going through their on-line booking system, we booked our time off as we were able to complete booking application without any indication of what was to come!
Received a phone call (only) from somebody claiming to represent SE.
Was told that the holiday was not available, scamming for more money as they were meant to be coming back with alternative dates someday. No call or alternative dates given so following day I booked with a reputable travel agency and set up. Next day received a call offering 4 days prior or 3 days later than originally booked. I informed them that , that was not suitable and they had not come back to me as promised so had booked elsewhere. I also said as the holiday was never available then they better had not taken my £1438 as I had paid a company for a holiday they could and would actually provide.
I was shocked and astounded that they said they had taken my money in the knowledge that either the holiday wasn't and/or wouldn't be available. So after parting with almost £3000 for a holiday that only one company could give me I told them I wanted all monies returned immediately with interest, charges, etc added on top as I would now be charged for being O/D and how dare they after knowing they couldn't provide us what we'd ordered. Nothing heard again until the next day, when the same male rep told me the holiday was now again miraculously available at our original booking date and package. Now forgive me call me cynical but who in their right mind would accept this? So still no refund and nothing else dealt with DO NOT use these poor excuses of a so called company, they are clearly CROOKS AND THIEVES with POOR PRACTISE ON MANY LEVELS!
I have not received any emails and/or anything from them with a reference or the like, they have not provided me with their ombudsman details although I have requested and they are well aware this is a formal complaint!
SECRET ESCAPES will NOT GET AWAY with this cowboy carry on, and they certainly will not keep me quiet. NOTHING will be kept a secret and they will NOT escape!

davelewis

Working in the 'hospitality' industry I would say it is always cheaper and better to book direct. As another poster has correctly said, Secret Escapes have to earn their commission from these hotels/holidays which they sell on to you. Cut them out and go direct to a provider who can offer you what you want, not a 'booking agent' who are only interested in their commission...

wallbash

Ref #14

What then, when I bypassed S.E. and went straight to the hotel and asked them to price match they said it was not possible?

davelewis

Who did you speak to at the hotel? Reception staff may not have much discretion but of course manager will. The managers job is to maximise profit and if you booked direct he is paying no booking fee to the booking agent. We run a Guest House and are often approached by Groupon to offer our rooms at half price. The deal for us is appalling - they want us to let them sell our rooms at 50% off and then give them 25% of the room rate. We tell them to ****off!

troubleonline

I have used Secret Escapes previously. Got a great deal on a 5 star hotel in London (St Martin's Lane) just after the Olympics. Was cheaper than any rate I could find elsewhere at the time (including direct) and included a couple of extra benefits which I cannot recall - think it was breakfast and something like 20% discount in the restaurant. I think I even got cashback via Quidco which made the deal even better!

crazycamper

I have used Secret Escapes for breaks in the UK but would never use them for overseas package holidays. ATOL or not, Atol will only give you your money back if an operator goes bust but it will not get you home if you are overseas, nor will it find you another holiday. Most of the time, you have to claim back from ATOL which can take anything up to a year, in the meantime you still have to fork out for another holiday. With regards to booking direct, again this is not always the cheapest way for overseas because many UK tour operators & bedbanks will get contract rates which are cheaper than going direct to the hotel.