I paid £1,063 for Disneyland trip but tour firm Navig8 never booked me flights or a hotel: CRANE ON THE CASE

Last October I booked a holiday for my niece and I to Disneyland Paris, departing in May 2026. I planned it as a treat for my niece as she was due to finish her university exams then. I booked with a firm called Navig8 Tours which I found online. It confirmed the details by email and I was asked to pay £20 by bank transfer to a Lloyds account initially, then a £209 installment for each of the next five months. But a few days before the holiday when the time came to check in for the flights, the details we had didn't work. I called the airlines, Air France and Easyjet and they said there were no flights booked under our names. The hotel also had no booking. Navig8 then stopped answering the phone and emails and I saw it was listed as 'dissolved' on Companies House.I contacted Bank of Scotland but it said it couldn't help as I paid by bank transfer and not debit card. S.C., Edinburgh Special treat: Reader S.C. wanted to treat her niece to a trip to Disneyland Paris after her examsHelen Crane of This is Money replies: When you contacted me about this back in May, you were devastated. Your niece was just about to sit the final exam for her law degree, and you hadn't the heart to tell her that the trip she had been looking forward to through all those long days of studying was no longer going ahead. You told me you were 'disgusted' with yourself for falling to spot potential concerns.But as I often say in this column, it is becoming harder and harder to tell what is legitimate, and what is not. Navig8 advertises itself on its website and Instagram feed as a specialist in trips to Disneyland Paris. All the communications you received looked professional with a Navig8 company email address. There are reviews online of people who claim they booked a holiday with Navig8 that went ahead without a hitch. But there are also others like you who say they found out at the last moment that no flights or hotels had been booked for them. Some say they turned up at the Disneyland Park to find their tickets had already been used by someone else. The Atol protection number it used in its communications with you exists, but when I looked it up it appeared to be associated with a company that had a completely different name. So while I can't say with certainty that every holiday booked with this company was suspicious, it appears not everyone is getting what they paid for. The first sign in my opinion was when you were asked to pay by bank transfer. This isn't always a red flag. Some providers of holiday accommodation do legitimately ask for payment through bank transfer, for example private individuals who rent out holiday homes and don't have access to the infrastructure to process card transactions. But it is also how many scammers operate, because the protections aren't strong – for example, Section 75 credit card protections and chargeback can't be relied upon. It's wise to exercise caution if you're asked to pay for something in this way. CRANE ON THE CASE Our weekly column sees This is Money consumer expert Helen Crane tackle reader problems and shine the light on companies doing both good and bad.Want her to investigate a problem, or do you want to praise a firm for going that extra mile? Get in touch:helen.crane@thisismoney.co.ukAlways pay with your debit or credit card via an official website wherever possible, rather than sending the money through your banking app. Once you realised the holiday wasn't booked, you Whatsapped the contact number you had for the company, which it had used to remind you of your monthly payments each month. After some time, you received a reply saying said the bookings had not been 'fully processed or confirmed by suppliers' and it was waiting for money back from suppliers before it could refund you. In the meantime, you decided you couldn't let down your niece and booked another holiday, costing £500 more than the refund you were due from Navig8. In total, you had sent 15 messages between April 25 and May 15 (the day before you were due to travel) asking for either your flight and hotel bookings to be made, or for your money back. Navig8 continually said it would sort this out but nothing actually happened. This is when you contacted me. I decided to go via your bank, Bank of Scotland as like you I also had little faith Navig8 would ever pay you. As the bank investigated, it decided to put a temporary freeze on Navig8's account and funds. It was able to do this as Navig8's account was with Lloyds, the parent company of BOS. Navig8 then messaged you to say you needed to withdraw your complaint with the bank so that its accounts would be unfrozen and it could pay you the money. But you refused, saying you wanted the company to be properly investigated so that others wouldn't go through the same thing. 'It’s just sad that other people have had to tell children they are not going to Disney,' you told me.After investigating, BOS told me its initial decision to reject your claim for reimbursement was incorrect and apologised for this. It said it should have refunded you under rules set by the Payment Systems Regulator. These rules protect consumers from scams to the tune of £85,000. BOS has now paid you back £1,063. When I asked, it said it could not confirm whether Navig8's account with the bank remained open or not. During the time its bank account was being investigated, Navig8 also paid you the £1,063 from another account. I was pleased to hear this as it means the extra £500 you spent to have your holiday to Disneyland was covered. A Bank of Scotland spokesman said: 'We have a great deal of sympathy for S.C. as a victim of a purchase scam and we’re sorry for the delay with her case. 'Holiday scams can be hard to spot so we'd always suggest people protect themselves by booking with trusted retailers or directly with airlines and hotels.'Navig8 did not provide a comment for publication, but a staff member who did not provide their name said in emails that your holiday was not booked due to a clerical error and the departure of the staff member responsible for your holiday.The company pointed out it refunded you two days before I asked it for a comment, which is correct. However, this was after I had contacted the bank, prompting its investigation into the Navig8 account. Navig8 said that it tried to refund you earlier but it could not because Lloyds froze its bank account when I got involved. It claimed the fact it eventually paid you back proved it was not operating a purchase scam. Commenting on the online reviews from a customer who claims to have received used tickets for Disneyland, Navig8 said this was due to an administrative error by a new employee and the customer in question was compensated. Navig8's website now claims it doesn't sell holidays at all, reading: 'We don’t sell flight tickets, hotel rooms, or car hire deals – we show you the latest available prices and let you choose the offer you prefer.'When you try to book, it simply links to other established websites. It hasn't posted on its Instagram or Facebook accounts since January 1. I'm glad you and your niece got your fairytale ending and could go on the special trip, even if there were some headaches along the way. 'Lesson learned - always used a reputable company,' you said. CRANE ON THE CASE