Mani

I would give FlySharp zero stars if that were possible. This has been one of the most upsetting and unacceptable customer-service experiences I have ever had with a travel company.

On 5 December 2025, I paid FlySharp £2,246.45 for five return flights for a family trip from London Heathrow to Abu Dhabi. Our original outbound flight was scheduled for 20 March 2026.

As the departure approached, the security situation in the Middle East deteriorated significantly. FlySharp themselves sent correspondence headed “Please reconfirm your reservations due to the ongoing war situation”, explaining that airlines were making numerous flight changes and cancellations.

Because this was a family booking involving five people, I telephoned FlySharp to ask what options were available. I clearly explained my concerns. The representative advised me that I could change the flights free of charge and encouraged me to move the booking to a later date.

I relied on that advice.

FlySharp then issued an amended itinerary moving our travel dates to 19 April–3 May 2026. The amendment quotation showed an additional cost of £0.00, exactly as I had been told over the telephone. The amendment correspondence was also described as a “reissue due to flight cancelled.”

At no point during that conversation was I told that this would be my one and only free change. I was not warned that accepting the new dates would exhaust the only concession available or that I would face substantial charges if the regional disruption continued.

There was also nothing clear in the amendment email or £0.00 quotation explaining this crucial restriction.

Unfortunately, the situation did not improve as expected. When I contacted FlySharp again, I requested a refund. The refund was refused. It was only at this point—after I had already relied on their original advice—that I was told about substantial amendment or cancellation charges.

I felt completely trapped.

This is not a situation where we simply changed our minds about a holiday. FlySharp advised us what to do during serious travel disruption, encouraged us to accept a free amendment and failed to explain the true consequences of accepting it.

Had I been told that the first change would use the only free amendment and leave me with expensive or restricted options afterwards, I would not have made the same decision. I would have requested a refund or properly considered the alternatives at that stage.

FlySharp may argue that I do not personally have a recording of the telephone call. Ordinary customers do not routinely record their calls with travel agents. FlySharp or its legal owner should have the call recording, internal notes or booking history. In any event, the written evidence supports what happened: the war-situation email, the reference to a cancelled flight, the immediate date change and the written quotation showing £0.00.

The most concerning part of this experience was the lack of transparency. The limitation that supposedly applied to the free change was important information. It should have been clearly explained before I was encouraged to accept the amendment—not revealed later when our alternatives had become more difficult and expensive.

At the time of writing:

FlySharp has refused our refund.
The full £2,246.45 remains in dispute.
We have had to involve Barclaycard.
Our family has been left dealing with the financial and emotional consequences.
FlySharp has still not provided a satisfactory explanation for why the alleged one-change restriction was not disclosed at the outset.

A company should not simply be judged by how quickly it takes a customer’s money or issues an initial ticket. The real test is how it treats customers when something goes wrong. In my experience, FlySharp failed that test completely.

I would never book through FlySharp again, and I would strongly recommend booking directly with the airline instead. Any small saving is not worth the risk of being left without proper support when flights are disrupted.

This review is an honest account of my experience and is supported by my booking confirmation, FlySharp correspondence, amended itinerary, £0.00 quotation and refund request. I will update it if FlySharp provides a full refund and resolves the matter fairly.

I used EconomyBookings to arrange a car hire in Bulgaria and unfortunately the experience left me significantly out of pocket and without the support I expected from a booking platform.

The vehicle was supplied by one of their partner companies, MIM KAR OOD (Mex Rent a Car Sofia), and a substantial security deposit of approximately €500 was taken. Following the return of the vehicle, that deposit was retained despite what I believe was insufficient evidence to justify doing so.

The vehicle was dirty when collected, making a proper inspection difficult, and the car was returned carefully driven and with more fuel than it had when collected. Despite this, the deposit was not returned and I was never provided with satisfactory evidence, repair invoices or documentation to support the charge.

Perhaps most disappointing was the level of support from EconomyBookings once the issue arose. As the company through which the booking was made, I expected stronger advocacy for their customer when a dispute arose with one of their suppliers. Instead, I largely felt left to pursue the matter myself with the rental company and my bank.

After my experience, I looked into reviews left by other customers and was disappointed to find numerous reports describing very similar issues involving deposit retention and disputed charges with Mex Rent a Car. While I appreciate that review platforms do not tell the whole story, it is concerning to see repeated themes appearing across multiple customer experiences.

This makes it particularly disappointing that Mex Rent a Car continues to be offered as one of the rental options through EconomyBookings. Booking platforms are ultimately judged not only by their prices, but also by the quality and conduct of the partners they choose to work with and recommend to customers.

I would strongly encourage prospective customers to carefully read all terms relating to deposits and insurance products and to take extensive photos and videos of any vehicle at both collection and return.

I’m really disappointed with the way Variety has gone about this. I signed up under the impression that I was receiving a free sample bag, not that I was being entered into a subscription or charged £28 afterwards.

In my opinion, this feels very disingenuous. A free sample should be exactly that, a free sample. If there is a subscription attached to it, or if the customer is going to be charged later on, that should be made extremely clear before they sign up. It should not be hidden in the small print or presented in a way that makes people think they are simply trying a product.

It is already hard enough to earn money nowadays, especially with the current state of the economy. Bills are high, food is expensive, fuel is expensive, and most people are trying to be careful with every pound they spend. So to suddenly feel like I have been scammed out of £28 after signing up for what I thought was a free sample is extremely frustrating.

I have been able to start the return process, but honestly, that does not make the situation acceptable. What makes it even worse is that I am also expected to pay for the shipping to return the product. So not only have I been charged for something I did not knowingly agree to, but I now have to spend even more money just to send it back.

It is ridiculous that I now have to spend time, energy, and extra money out of my already busy day to fix a problem that I feel I was tricked into in the first place. I should not have to chase a cancellation, arrange a return, pay for return shipping, and worry about getting my money back for something I did not clearly consent to.

The whole process has left a bad taste in my mouth. It feels like the offer was designed to get people in with the idea of a free sample, only for them to then realise afterwards that they have been subscribed or charged. That is not a transparent or trustworthy way to deal with customers.

If a company genuinely believes in its product, it should be upfront and honest about the cost, the subscription terms, and what the customer is agreeing to. People should not have to read through every tiny detail just to avoid being charged for something they did not clearly consent to.

I would strongly advise anyone considering signing up for a “free sample” from Variety to be very careful and double check everything before entering any details. From my experience, what was presented as a simple free sample has turned into unnecessary stress, wasted time, extra return shipping costs, and a £28 charge that I feel I was misled into.

Extremely disappointing experience with Google Ads promotional credit

I had a very poor experience with Google Ads regarding one of their promotional credit offers.

I took part in a campaign where I understood that if I spent £400 on Google Ads, I would qualify for £400 in promotional credit. I spent a significant amount of money on the platform during the campaign period and have continued spending hundreds of pounds since.

When I contacted Google Ads support about the credit, I was given the impression that the matter was being looked into and that the credit would be applied. Based on those communications, I reasonably believed the issue was still under review and that the promotion would be honoured.

Instead, after several back-and-forth emails, I was eventually told that only £185.72 counted toward the qualifying spend because of how their system calculates spend after the promo code is applied. I was also told that the promotion had expired and that, because it is managed by an automated system, they could not manually reinstate, extend, or apply the credit.

This is extremely frustrating. From a customer perspective, the promotion felt misleading and poorly communicated. I spent real money on the platform in good faith, believing I was working toward the promotional credit. I then continued spending while support were discussing the issue with me, only to later be told that nothing could be done because the automated deadline had passed.

What made the situation worse was the support experience. The responses were polite, but they felt repetitive and avoided the main issue. They repeatedly acknowledged my frustration, thanked me for my patience, and said they valued my business, but no practical resolution was offered. I asked for the matter to be treated as a formal complaint and escalated, but the replies mainly repeated that the system is automated and the promotion had expired.

In my opinion, this is not a fair or transparent way to handle a promotional offer. If a promotion has strict technical conditions, those conditions should be made extremely clear before a customer spends money. If support communications lead a customer to believe the issue is still being reviewed, the customer should not later be penalised because the promotion expired while the case was ongoing.

This experience has left me feeling as though I was encouraged to continue spending money on the platform without being given a fair or clear route to claim the credit that I believed I had qualified for.

I expected much better from Google Ads, especially given the amount of money small businesses and advertisers are encouraged to spend on the platform. Based on this experience, I would urge anyone considering a Google Ads promotional offer to be extremely careful, read every technical condition, take screenshots of everything, and do not rely on support reassurances unless you have the outcome confirmed clearly in writing.

Very disappointing and, in my opinion, a misleading promotional experience.

I honestly cannot recommend A-Team Property Group highly enough. Aaron and his team have been absolutely brilliant from start to finish. In a space where property companies can sometimes feel slow, vague or purely transactional, these guys were the complete opposite — professional, proactive, honest and genuinely helpful throughout.

What really stood out to me was how much they cared about getting things sorted properly rather than just doing the bare minimum. There were a few situations where I needed clear guidance and quick action, and Aaron stepped in with real confidence and calm. Whether it was helping me navigate a stressful property issue, giving me solid advice when I was unsure on the best route forward, or just being available when I needed updates, he and his team made a huge difference.

At one stage, I was dealing with delays and uncertainty around a property matter that could have easily become a headache, but Aaron handled it in a way that made me feel reassured the whole time. On another occasion, they helped me identify opportunities and practical next steps that I genuinely would not have spotted on my own. That kind of experience and attention is rare. You can tell they know the market, know the process, and most importantly know how to look after people.

Their communication was excellent, their approach was transparent, and I never felt like I was being pushed or fobbed off with fluff. Just good, solid service from people who clearly know what they’re doing. Aaron in particular deserves a lot of credit — approachable, knowledgeable and someone who clearly takes pride in helping his clients get the right outcome.

I’m very grateful to Aaron and the whole team for all their help and support. They made stressful situations feel manageable and gave me a lot of confidence throughout the process. If you’re looking for a property company that is reliable, switched on and genuinely has your back, A-Team Property Group is one I would strongly recommend.

5 stars all day.

Review: Mex Rent a Car Sofia

I had a very poor and concerning experience with Mex Rent a Car Sofia, booked via EconomyBookings.

On collection, I was told that deposits would be temporarily frozen on my card. Instead, my card was fully debited, including a vehicle deposit of over £400 and a £200 key deposit. I was clearly told by staff that all deposits would be returned, but I am still waiting for this money.

The car itself was handed over in a very dirty condition, with grime and marks all over it. Because of this, when their initial photos were taken, it was difficult to properly identify existing scratches or marks. I then drove extremely carefully from Sofia to Bansko and returned the vehicle with more fuel than I was given.

Despite this, I was later challenged over an alleged tiny mark on the car. When I questioned it, the staff went back and forth before eventually saying it was “fine” and covered by my policy. This felt like a deliberate tactic to create uncertainty and pressure customers into accepting blame or extra charges.

To make matters worse, I booked an SUV or similar and was not provided with an SUV, which is a clear failure to provide what was paid for.

Overall, this experience felt unprofessional, misleading, and stressful. Between the unclear deposit handling, dirty vehicle, attempted damage claim, and incorrect car category, I cannot recommend Mex Rent a Car Sofia. I would strongly advise others to take extreme caution, document everything in detail, and think twice before booking with this company.

My recent experience with ParkMaven has been nothing short of disgraceful — and I feel a responsibility to share my story so that others are aware of how this company operates.

I received a Parking Charge Notice from ParkMaven after parking at Rhode Street Car Park on 21/02/2025. What makes this situation so frustrating is that I did pay for parking using the on-site machine provided at the car park.

Like any honest driver, I attempted to pay the first time and experienced an issue with the machine. My friend, who was with me at the time, even tried to use his phone to make a contactless payment but was unsuccessful. On my second attempt, the payment finally appeared to go through — and thankfully, I took a screenshot of the payment confirmation because without it, I would have had absolutely no evidence to defend myself against what has turned into a ridiculous situation.

Despite providing ParkMaven with proof that payment was taken from my account, they have chosen to reject my appeal and continue to pursue me for a parking fine. Their reason? Apparently, I paid via a “different operator” — despite using the machine that was right there in the car park. How exactly is that my fault? As a customer, I used the facilities provided on-site to pay for my parking. The fact that your systems are fragmented or poorly integrated is not my responsibility.

To me, this is incredibly unprofessional, and it raises serious concerns about ParkMaven's practices. It feels like they are looking for any loophole, any technicality, to punish drivers and force them into paying more — regardless of fairness or common sense.

Even after explaining the situation in detail, and offering to have them check their security footage — which would clearly show me at the machine attempting to pay (along with my friend assisting me) — their response was cold, generic, and dismissive.

This whole process feels underhanded, exploitative, and completely detached from what good customer service should look like. It’s shocking that even with evidence of payment, I am being threatened with escalating fines and debt collection processes.

This experience has highlighted some key things about ParkMaven:
They do not seem to care about fairness or context.

They take no accountability for potential faults with their own machines or systems.

Their appeal process feels like a formality with no genuine investigation.

Their communication is robotic and unsympathetic.

The whole approach feels like it's designed to wear people down into just paying up.

Final Thoughts:
If this is how ParkMaven treats paying customers, I would strongly urge everyone to be extremely cautious when parking in any car park managed by them.

It’s incredibly disappointing that a simple parking session — where I did everything right — has turned into this stressful and time-consuming ordeal.

Absolutely shocking behaviour from a company that clearly prioritises profit over people.

Avoid if you can.

I don’t usually leave reviews, but my recent experience with YourParkingSpace has left me absolutely appalled and I feel compelled to warn others.

I recently parked at Rhode Street Car Park on 21/02/2025 and paid for my parking using the on-site machine. I initially had an issue when I tried to pay the first time — the machine didn’t process the payment properly. My friend, who was with me at the time, even tried to make a contactless payment on his phone but faced a similar issue.

Eventually, I managed to make a payment which appeared to go through successfully. Thankfully (and luckily), I took a screenshot of the payment confirmation — otherwise YourParkingSpace would have completely ignored the fact that I had paid.

Despite providing proof of this payment being taken from my bank account, YourParkingSpace have continued to press me for a parking fine, claiming I paid through the “wrong” operator — even though I paid using the machine provided at the car park itself.

It is absolutely shocking that even with evidence of payment, this company’s attitude is to penalise drivers for technical issues with their own machines or systems. Their response to my appeal was beyond disappointing — it felt generic, dismissive, and gave the impression that their priority was simply to force me into paying the fine rather than investigating properly.

The fact they’ve told me to appeal to POPLA rather than taking accountability is just another layer of inconvenience that no genuine customer should have to go through — especially when they’ve done everything right.

To make matters worse, I even requested that they review their CCTV footage, where they will clearly see me (and my friend) at the machine trying to pay — but they have not acknowledged this or shown any intention to do so.

It feels like YourParkingSpace is banking on people not having proof or just giving up and paying to avoid the stress — and frankly, that is completely unacceptable and highly unprofessional.

Final Thoughts:
→ If this is how YourParkingSpace treats paying customers, I would strongly advise anyone to avoid using them wherever possible.
→ Their systems clearly aren’t reliable.
→ Their customer service is dismissive.
→ And their process feels designed to intimidate and squeeze extra money from people unfairly.

I would urge YourParkingSpace to look seriously at their processes, their payment systems, and most importantly, how they treat honest customers who simply came to park, paid their fee, and left — only to be met with threats of fines and debt collection later.

Never again.

I’ve been an eBay user for years, but my recent experience has been appalling. Different customer service agents gave me wildly conflicting information about how returns and refunds would be handled—and some were downright rude about it. One agent even assured me eBay would refund the buyer on my behalf since I followed all their guidelines, while the next one refused to back that up. It’s exhausting when you get your hopes up from one conversation only to have them dashed in the next.

Worse yet, there seems to be zero accountability for buyers who misuse the system or make contradictory claims. I honestly expected more from such a large platform, but eBay’s lack of consistency makes it feel like a gamble every time I have an issue. What a joke of a company.

I wish I could say I had a better experience with SSE, but they are just as bad, if not worse, than OVO Energy. Without my knowledge, they signed me up for boiler insurance when I switched energy providers. The payments were so small and under the radar that I didn’t even realize what was happening. I assumed that the money being taken out was for my energy bill since the payments were under the name “SSE.” How was I supposed to know it was for some sneaky insurance policy I never wanted or agreed to?

To make matters worse, when SSE handed over their customers to OVO Energy, they conveniently transferred the boiler insurance as well, meaning I was paying for something completely useless to me for over a year! I didn’t even realize this until months after leaving OVO, only to find small amounts of money still being taken from my account. How on earth can a company do this without explicit consent?

SSE’s actions feel predatory and deceptive. Signing me up for insurance without my knowledge and then passing me on to another company to continue charging me is beyond unethical. It makes me question how many other people have fallen victim to their underhanded tactics. I can’t speak to their customer service directly, as I never dealt with them after the switch, but the fact that this policy was in place in the first place speaks volumes about their shady practices.

Do yourself a favor and stay far, far away from SSE. They clearly have no respect for their customers and can’t be trusted with your money. If they can sign you up for something without your knowledge, what else might they be doing behind your back? Absolute disgrace.

My experience with OVO Energy has been nothing short of a nightmare, and to be honest, I feel completely victimized by their shockingly poor customer service. From the very beginning, dealing with this company was an uphill battle, and 90% of the staff I spoke to were rude, dismissive, and downright patronizing. It was as if I was an inconvenience rather than a paying customer. Each interaction left me more frustrated and powerless than the last.

The final straw came when I discovered that I had unknowingly been paying for a boiler insurance policy, something I never signed up for. I noticed small payments of £10 still being taken from my account months after I had switched providers. When I contacted them to investigate this, I was met with confusion from the representative who, like me, couldn’t figure out why these payments were being deducted since I had left the company earlier in the year.

What followed was weeks of back-and-forth, where I was treated like I was at fault for something I had no control over. The representative had the nerve to suggest that I should have been aware of the policy because “we sent you correspondence in the post,” as if that absolves them of signing me up for something I never agreed to. I hadn’t received any such letter, and even if I had, I would have queried it immediately. But instead of addressing the issue, they continued to speak down to me, insinuating that I must have known about the policy simply because it had been active for a while.

It was as if they were deliberately trying to make the situation as difficult as possible for me, refusing to listen or offer any kind of resolution. After asking to speak to someone else, I was told no one else could help because “they would just tell me the same thing.” To make matters worse, when I finally did receive a callback, it was from the same representative who smugly informed me that her boss agreed with her decision. No accountability, no apology, just an appalling display of arrogance.

I feel utterly sickened by how I was treated. OVO Energy showed zero interest in resolving my problem, refused to give me my hard-earned money back, and even tried to charge me a cancellation fee for a policy I never wanted in the first place. After more battling, they reluctantly waived the fee, but I’m still out of pocket for the payments they took without my knowledge. This company is a disgrace, and I would never recommend them to anyone. Avoid them at all costs.

One of the worst experiences I’ve ever had with a retailer. Waited two weeks for my jacket only for me to call them and find out that the jacket wasn’t in stock. No one decided to tell me and if I hadn’t actually called in, I don’t think anyone would have.

The woman that I spoke to on the phone spoke in such a monotone voice, she sounded like she didn’t actually care.

She told me that I would have to wait until the order came in from the factory at months end. I called back a couple days into the new month and the same story. I then called back again about 2 weeks after that and this lady was playing the same tune.

I enquired about a refund so that I could get the jacket elsewhere because I’d been waiting well over a month for the jacket. The woman said that the refund could take about 2 weeks which I thought was just ridiculous considering I’d already waited so long.

I wouldn’t recommend this place to my enemy 👍