THOUSANDS of devastated families are losing out on their paid-for holidays to Disneyland Paris after the "scam artist" company they booked with closed shop without warning.
But their heartbreaking stories is just the tip of the ice berg.
Go West With Mickey (GWWM), trading under MDG Travel Services, sold Disneyland Paris holidays via Facebook and their website.
They claimed to be a small company that offered a personalised service, with the owner Elspeth as the main point of contact for customers.
On its now-removed Facebook page, fans were full of praise about the wonderful holidays they've been on, and the amazing deals they were offered by GWWM.
Indeed, several people have told Sun Online Travel that they were able to go on their booked holidays – but it wasn't always plain sailing.
And behind these messages was a much more sinister story where customers claim they were subjected to emotional blackmail and threatened by the owners.
The issues around GWWM came to light in August this year after Jaide Ellery-Martin and her family publicly complained about their experience.
Speaking to Sun Online Travel, Jaide's mother Sandra explained how her daughter had booked the holiday through Facebook as "there was absolutely nothing negative about this company at all".
Jaide paid around £3,000 for a four-night break for her, her husband and son.
It should have included accommodation at Disneyland Hotel, half-board premium meal plan with character breakfasts, and Disney tickets and photo pass for five days.
But on the morning they were due to set off, Jaide received an email from GWWM claiming that Disney had made a mistake and that the family would have to stay in another hotel on the first night.
Jaide had already booked transfers to Disneyland Hotel and was devastated to find when she arrived that there was no reservation in her name.
To make matters worse, the family say they couldn't get through to GWWM at all to sort the issue out.
Sandra explained: "She (Jaide) phoned 40 – 50 times and wasn't getting any response; she tried emailing them, sending messages, still getting no response."
Instead, the family was forced to move to another hotel, arriving after midnight, before returning to Disneyland Hotel for the rest of their stay.
Sandra explained how Jaide then encountered numerous issues during her holiday, including missing bookings for character breakfasts and meal plans.
Meanwhile, in the UK, Sandra posted about her daughter's ordeal on Facebook and tried to get in touch with GWWM as well.
Sandra claims that after the post went live, GWWM's owner Elspeth sent numerous threats to her to get her to take the post down and offered a full refund and second holiday to make up for the error – a fact verified in the communications that Sun Online Travel has seen.
And while Sandra says that £800 was refunded to Jaide, it was far from the full sum they were promised.
Jaide and her family's experience quickly went viral in Disney fan groups.
A GWWM victims group has since been founded on Facebook by those affected, which now has thousands of members who say that collectively, they've lost upwards of £300,000.
An overwhelming number of them shared their experiences with Sun Online Travel – some on the condition of anonymity as they were too scared of backlash from the company.
Its members claimed that although GWWM had taken their money months ahead of their trip, they wouldn't actually book the holidays until the very last minute in order to cash in on last minute deals.
While some people received an upgrade, as seen in many of those rave reviews, most didn't get the holidays they booked as a result.
The issues ranged from wrong hotels and different number of rooms booked to missing meal plans and guests not being added to the bookings.
They were usually followed by frantic phone calls to make amends when the families were already at Disney and promises of some redress.
Can you get your money back from fraudsters?
If you've paid for your holiday with a credit card, you may be able to claim the money back under Section 75 of the consumer credit act.
A number of British banks have signed up to a voluntary scam code that came into force on May 28 this year.
It means that customers can try to claim back monies they've paid to scammers.
Not all banks have signed up though – you can find out more here.
Many said they were too afraid to speak out before Jaide and Sandra as GWWM's terms and conditions explicitly forbade this.
On its website, which has since been removed alongside the Facebook page, GWWM said: "You can be provided with the reference number on the booking, but you cannot without our knowledge change information on the booking or retrieve the cost amounts that the company has paid.
"If this happens, your booking will be immediately cancelled."
The terms and conditions went on to state that sharing any information, including "invoices, emails/instant messages or any other communications with our team on social media or forums" is also a breach of their contract.
Others said that negative comments in GWWM's Facebook and groups were quickly deleted and they were harassed into removing posts placed elsewhere.
On why they were encouraged to book through GWWM in the first place, many said that the positive Facebook reviews were a key factor – and prices were so competitive.
In fact, many were encouraged to pay off their balance via bank transfer early through incentives including free toys and upgrades that never materialised.
GWWM had also assured its customers, via messages and on its website, that although it didn't have holiday protection from ABTA or ATOL, supposedly because it's too small, its holidays were protected by a company called Towergate Insurance.
A spokesperson for Towergate Insurance told Sun Online Travel: "Towergate Insurance do not, and have never, provided insurance cover to, or arranged insurance cover on behalf of the organisation 'Go West With Mickey'."
The insurance firm says they have also issued a formal warning to GWWM to stop telling customers that their holidays were covered by Towergate Insurance.
And ABTA told Sun Online Travel that while ABTA and ATOL aren't the only organisations that protect holidays, travel firms are legally obligated to have financial protection for package breaks such as the ones GWWM offered as selling holidays without it is a criminal offence.
An ABTA Spokesperson added: “Go West with Mickey is not an ABTA Member and we have no record of them applying to join."
How to protect yourself from fraudsters
ACTION Fraud recommends taking the following advice to stay safe:
- When making a purchase, be suspicious of any requests to pay by bank transfer or virtual currency instead of safer methods, such as credit card or payment services such as PayPal.
- Listen to your instincts: If something feels wrong then it is usually right to question it. Don’t pay for goods or services unless you know and trust the individual or business.
- Personal information obtained from data breaches is making it increasingly easier for fraudsters to create highly targeted phishing messages and calls – watch out for these.
- You shouldn’t assume the caller is genuine just because they’re able to provide some basic details about you.
- Always be suspicious of unsolicited requests for your personal or financial information.
Disney itself has said that GWWM is not an official travel provider for them.
A spokesperson said: "Go West With Mickey is not an official commercial partner of Disneyland Paris and the organisation does not meet our strict requirements to become an official travel provider. They are an unauthorised re-seller. [We work with partners that meet our comprehensive standards and brand values.]"
Disney said they are launching an internal investigation into the issue but has urged any worried customers to get in touch.
Before its Facebook page was taken down, GWWM claimed all the negative stories were a disgruntled ex-employee's attempts at dragging their "good reputation through the mud".
They added that the company was too inundated with messages to reply to everyone, but stressed that it would refund anyone who requested the money.
Despite its promises, many of those who contacted Sun Online Travel have said that they have been met with silence, with their emails now bouncing back.
When Sun Online Travel tried to get in touch, we also received bounced emails and a phone number that's been disconnected.
But now with its website and Facebook down, calls left unanswered, and emails bouncing back, those who have already paid for their holidays with have to fight their banks and credit cards to try and get their money back.
Source: Read Full Article