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

born_again

Green_Thea said:

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.

There is a section just for that. 

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/categories/praise-vent-warnings

 👍

Aylesbury_Duck

How are they getting away with this?

Because lots of people prioritise price over just about everything.

Given three options for the same holiday:

A. Flights, hotel, etc. booked directly with airline, hotel, car hire company, etc.  £2000

B. The same things, booked as a package through a reputable operator.  £1900

C. The same things, booked using a voucher from Wowcher, cheapdeals4u, cashbacksRus or similar.  £1700.

How many will choose C?  At least a sizeable minority, I'd wager.  

Green_Thea

I think you meant sizeable majority. Paying more or assuming a company is “reputable” isn’t a guaranteed safeguard; plenty of well-known brands have faced complaints too. The real protection comes from knowing and exercising your consumer rights.

Under UK law, if a significant element of a package (like flights) can’t be provided as advertised, you have the right to cancel and get a full refund. Misrepresentation is not acceptable, whether it’s an “honest mistake” or not.

Holding businesses accountable for misleading practices is key, because even careful buyers can be caught out when the advertised terms aren’t honoured.

Aylesbury_Duck said:

How are they getting away with this?

Because lots of people prioritise price over just about everything.

Given three options for the same holiday:

A. Flights, hotel, etc. booked directly with airline, hotel, car hire company, etc.  £2000

B. The same things, booked as a package through a reputable operator.  £1900

C. The same things, booked using a voucher from Wowcher, cheapdeals4u, cashbacksRus or similar.  £1700.

How many will choose C?  At least a sizeable minority, I'd wager.  

Aylesbury_Duck

Green_Thea said:

I think you meant sizeable majority. 

I didn't.  I don't think the majority use these voucher schemes.

Green_Thea

Aylesbury_Duck said:

Green_Thea said:

I think you meant sizeable majority. 

I didn't.  I don't think the majority use these voucher schemes.

So, if you think most people prioritise price, I’d expect the cheapest option to dominate. Are you thinking that trust or convenience outweighs price for the majority? That would explain why you think voucher schemes stay a minority choice.

Emmia

Aylesbury_Duck said:

Green_Thea said:

I think you meant sizeable majority. 

I didn't.  I don't think the majority use these voucher schemes.

I have to agree. It wouldn't occur to me to book international transport (flights/Eurostar/coach) (or any transport / hotel) using one of the voucher websites - I always book direct. This saves a lot of hassle if there is a problem as you don't have a third party (or parties) in the way of getting a solution.

I think these things can be a bargain for a reason.

Aylesbury_Duck

Green_Thea said:

Aylesbury_Duck said:

Green_Thea said:

I think you meant sizeable majority. 

I didn't.  I don't think the majority use these voucher schemes.

So, if you think most people prioritise price, I’d expect the cheapest option to dominate. Are you thinking that trust or convenience outweighs price for the majority? That would explain why you think voucher schemes stay a minority choice.

I didn't say that, either.  I said lots of people prioritise price.  It is perfectly possible for there to be lots of people in a minority, and indeed, that's what I suspect is the case.  

A trawl through ABTA data is quite interesting.

• According to travel industry reports from ABTA and YouGov, approximately 15% to 18% of UK travelers are "deal-driven," meaning they prioritise price-drop notifications and flash-sale sites (like Wowcher, Groupon, or Travelzoo) as their primary booking method.  Voucher purchases account for c.5-8% of holiday bookings.

So not even the sizeable minority I was guessing at (I guessed 10-15%) , although 5-8% of all UK holiday bookings is a sizeable nunber, of course.

Trust or convenience does appear to outweigh price for the majority.  The great majority, at that.

eskbanker

Green_Thea said:

Under UK law, if a significant element of a package (like flights) can’t be provided as advertised, you have the right to cancel and get a full refund.

It's not quite as simple as that - under the Package Travel Regulations there is indeed the right to cancel for a full refund but only if the package provider changes the package significantly (i.e. it's the change that has to be significant, not just the element, e.g. a change of departure date) or the price increases by 8%, compared with what was booked (not necessarily versus what was advertised).

born_again

Green_Thea said:

Aylesbury_Duck said:

Green_Thea said:

I think you meant sizeable majority. 

I didn't.  I don't think the majority use these voucher schemes.

So, if you think most people prioritise price, I’d expect the cheapest option to dominate. Are you thinking that trust or convenience outweighs price for the majority? That would explain why you think voucher schemes stay a minority choice.

Simple really.
You are messing up the purchase chain, losing rights & making getting any issues sorted.

Personally never use a 3rd party for holidays. Always book direct with where we are staying or with a co that I know will not be obstructive. 

Note that on the likes of Wowcher that co submits a offer, once gone that offer may still be there due to timeframe of offer. So leads to issues such as these. 

Many of these cheap holiday 3rd party co's. Will seem cheaper. Then you find they add extra charges for various things & they end up dearer than booking direct.
Never mind if anything goes wrong & you want to sort something out...