Wowcher & Dream Holidays 4U – suspect bait-and-switch, refund after stress. Reported to ScamWatch.

Green_Thea

Booked an Edinburgh - Nice city break via Wowcher (fulfilled by Dream Holidays 4U); a treat for my mum's birthday. After redeeming, Dream Holidays offered a flight that doesn’t exist for my date. The real option was easyJet, but they wanted £129 pp extra. I challenged it, they admitted the error and offered correct flights without surcharge, but by then I’d lost confidence and trust in the company. It took several phone calls and emails to Dream Holiday 4U, WhatsApp messages to Wowcher and even threats of small claims court before they agreed to process a full cash refund.

Bait and Switch?
This feels like a bait-and-switch tactic. I’ve seen many similar complaints. How are Wowcher and these travel agents still getting away with this? What can we do?!

Consumer rights breached:

• Misrepresentation: offering a non-existent flight undermines a key element of the package.
• Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and Package Travel Regulations 2018, you can cancel if a significant element cannot be performed as advertised.
• You are not obliged to accept a replacement, even if they claim it was an “honest mistake” or a “supplier issue”.

What I’ve done:
Reported to Scamwatch Scotland (directed there by Trading Standards Scotland). Company is registered in England, but I live in Scotland.

Advice for others:

• Verify flight numbers/times before agreeing.
• Keep everything in writing and screenshot the deal.
• If something feels off, escalate fast and request a clear resolution.
• Contact the travel agent with a clear email stating you are exercising your right to cancel under UK consumer law. End with:

“Under Wowcher’s terms and UK consumer law, I am entitled to cancel my redemption in these circumstances. Please confirm in writing that the voucher redemption is cancelled so that Wowcher can process my refund. If I do not also receive a written response within 7 calendar days, I will take your silence as confirmation that you accept my position and agree to the requested outcome.”

Question:
Would you also report to Trading Standards in England? Any other steps to protect others (e.g Trustpilot review)?

sheramber

Green_Thea said:

Booked an Edinburgh - Nice city break via Wowcher (fulfilled by Dream Holidays 4U); a treat for my mum's birthday. After redeeming, Dream Holidays offered a flight that doesn’t exist for my date. The real option was easyJet, but they wanted £129 pp extra. I challenged it, they admitted the error and offered correct flights without surcharge, but by then I’d lost confidence and trust in the company. It took several phone calls and emails to Dream Holiday 4U, WhatsApp messages to Wowcher and even threats of small claims court before they agreed to process a full cash refund.

Bait and Switch?
This feels like a bait-and-switch tactic. I’ve seen many similar complaints. How are Wowcher and these travel agents still getting away with this? What can we do?!

Consumer rights breached:

• Misrepresentation: offering a non-existent flight undermines a key element of the package.
• Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and Package Travel Regulations 2018, you can cancel if a significant element cannot be performed as advertised.
• You are not obliged to accept a replacement, even if they claim it was an “honest mistake” or a “supplier issue”.

What I’ve done:
Reported to Scamwatch Scotland (directed there by Trading Standards Scotland). Company is registered in England, but I live in Scotland.

Advice for others:

• Verify flight numbers/times before agreeing.
• Keep everything in writing and screenshot the deal.
• If something feels off, escalate fast and request a clear resolution.
• Contact the travel agent with a clear email stating you are exercising your right to cancel under UK consumer law. End with:

“Under Wowcher’s terms and UK consumer law, I am entitled to cancel my redemption in these circumstances. Please confirm in writing that the voucher redemption is cancelled so that Wowcher can process my refund. If I do not also receive a written response within 7 calendar days, I will take your silence as confirmation that you accept my position and agree to the requested outcome.”

Question:
Would you also report to Trading Standards in England? Any other steps to protect others (e.g Trustpilot review)?

Bait and Switch?
        I’ve seen many similar complaints. How are Wowcher and these travel agents still getting away with this?

They get away with it because people  continue to us them, despite seeing complaints . 

A_Geordie

Report them to the Competition and Markets Authority who are now responsible for misleading practices. They now have the powers to fine without going to court and are typically assert their powers much more widely than trading standards.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/contact-the-cma

Green_Thea

sheramber said:

Green_Thea said:

Booked an Edinburgh - Nice city break via Wowcher (fulfilled by Dream Holidays 4U); a treat for my mum's birthday. After redeeming, Dream Holidays offered a flight that doesn’t exist for my date. The real option was easyJet, but they wanted £129 pp extra. I challenged it, they admitted the error and offered correct flights without surcharge, but by then I’d lost confidence and trust in the company. It took several phone calls and emails to Dream Holiday 4U, WhatsApp messages to Wowcher and even threats of small claims court before they agreed to process a full cash refund.

Bait and Switch?
This feels like a bait-and-switch tactic. I’ve seen many similar complaints. How are Wowcher and these travel agents still getting away with this? What can we do?!

Consumer rights breached:

• Misrepresentation: offering a non-existent flight undermines a key element of the package.
• Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and Package Travel Regulations 2018, you can cancel if a significant element cannot be performed as advertised.
• You are not obliged to accept a replacement, even if they claim it was an “honest mistake” or a “supplier issue”.

What I’ve done:
Reported to Scamwatch Scotland (directed there by Trading Standards Scotland). Company is registered in England, but I live in Scotland.

Advice for others:

• Verify flight numbers/times before agreeing.
• Keep everything in writing and screenshot the deal.
• If something feels off, escalate fast and request a clear resolution.
• Contact the travel agent with a clear email stating you are exercising your right to cancel under UK consumer law. End with:

“Under Wowcher’s terms and UK consumer law, I am entitled to cancel my redemption in these circumstances. Please confirm in writing that the voucher redemption is cancelled so that Wowcher can process my refund. If I do not also receive a written response within 7 calendar days, I will take your silence as confirmation that you accept my position and agree to the requested outcome.”

Question:
Would you also report to Trading Standards in England? Any other steps to protect others (e.g Trustpilot review)?

Bait and Switch?
        I’ve seen many similar complaints. How are Wowcher and these travel agents still getting away with this?

They get away with it because people  continue to us them, despite seeing complaints . 

I think there’s been a misunderstanding: I didn’t see those complaints before booking. If I had, I’d have avoided the deal entirely. My post was to highlight what happened and warn others, because these tactics catch people out even when they’re careful.

The responsibility here lies with the companies: offering a non-existent flight and then trying to upsell breaches consumer protection laws. I hope sharing experiences like this helps others make informed choices.

Green_Thea

A_Geordie said:

Report them to the Competition and Markets Authority who are now responsible for misleading practices. They now have the powers to fine without going to court and are typically assert their powers much more widely than trading standards.

This is really helpful - I hadn't thought about contacting the CMA. Thanks!

Alderbank

When the OP raised the issue with Dream Holidays 4U they fixed it.

The OP then demanded a full refund for change of mind which the seller agreed to.

Doesn't sound like a scam to me.

Green_Thea

It’s still a scam because the original behaviour was bait and switch: they advertised one thing and delivered something different. Fixing it after being challenged doesn’t erase that. Agreeing a refund later (after many phonecalls and emails from me) is just damage control.

Trading Standards defines bait and switch as:
“Advertising a product at a very attractive price to lure consumers, then refusing to supply it or supplying something different.”

That’s exactly what happened here. And it’s doubtful this was a one-off mistake: I’ve since found similar reports about holidays bought on Wowcher where a fake flight is invented to pressure customers into paying a surcharge for the real one.

born_again

Green_Thea said:

It’s still a scam because the original behaviour was bait and switch: they advertised one thing and delivered something different. Fixing it after being challenged doesn’t erase that. Agreeing a refund later (after many phonecalls and emails from me) is just damage control.

Trading Standards defines bait and switch as:
“Advertising a product at a very attractive price to lure consumers, then refusing to supply it or supplying something different.”

That’s exactly what happened here. And it’s doubtful this was a one-off mistake: I’ve since found similar reports about holidays bought on Wowcher where a fake flight is invented to pressure customers into paying a surcharge for the real one.

Wowcher offer vouchers for these companies. They do not sell the flights. Any issues are with the company selling flights etc. Not Wowcher.

Emmia

You know if you don't book with these companies then you avoid all this hassle.

Green_Thea

born_again said:

Green_Thea said:

It’s still a scam because the original behaviour was bait and switch: they advertised one thing and delivered something different. Fixing it after being challenged doesn’t erase that. Agreeing a refund later (after many phonecalls and emails from me) is just damage control.

Trading Standards defines bait and switch as:
“Advertising a product at a very attractive price to lure consumers, then refusing to supply it or supplying something different.”

That’s exactly what happened here. And it’s doubtful this was a one-off mistake: I’ve since found similar reports about holidays bought on Wowcher where a fake flight is invented to pressure customers into paying a surcharge for the real one.

Wowcher offer vouchers for these companies. They do not sell the flights. Any issues are with the company selling flights etc. Not Wowcher.

I understand Wowcher acts as a voucher platform, but they still have a duty under UK consumer law to ensure deals advertised on their site are accurate and not misleading. When a voucher is sold for a "flight-inclusive" package, consumers reasonably expect the flights offered to exist and match the description.

In my case, the initial flight didn’t exist, and the process involved multiple escalations before a refund was agreed. That’s why I’ve raised this with regulators because both the merchant and the platform benefit from these sales, and both should take responsibility for preventing misrepresentation.

Green_Thea

Emmia said:

You know if you don't book with these companies then you avoid all this hassle.

That’s true in theory, but it’s not very helpful for people who’ve already booked in good faith. The point of sharing experiences here is to warn others and highlight patterns that regulators should address. These companies advertise deals that look legitimate, and many consumers don’t see the complaints beforehand.

Saying “just don’t book” doesn’t solve the underlying issue of misleading practices. Holding businesses accountable and informing others does.