Wine Escape 'scam' victims hit dead end trying to get money back as company folds

Several victims who forked out to attend wine-themed escape room events in hotels across Cornwall have hit a dead end trying to get their money back as the company has gone bust and Action Fraud said it won't be investigating.

Dozens across Cornwall forked out £65 per head to attend one of four plush-sounding parties that were advertised at venues in Redruth, St Ives, Newquay and Padstow last month. But just days before the first event, put on by company Wine Escape, the hotels confirmed no bookings were ever made and no such thing was taking place.

People were furious and accused the business, which is registered on Companies House, of being a scam in the aftermath. One group paid £800 for tickets ahead of the 1920s themed occasion. It was only after the first event in St Ives was supposed to have started that Wine Escape emailed those with bookings to say it had been cancelled.

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Ironically, the description of the event said the escape room story involved a storyline in which "the celebrations turn sour when a storm of vengeance, lies and deceit ruins the evening". Despite telling customers they would get their money back after a period of complete silence, no refunds have materialised.

The company number listed on the Wine Escape website linked to a Staffordshire-based business on Companies House called Cherry Tree Productions Limited which was incorporated in February 2022. This company is more than six months overdue on its accounts and was almost struck off earlier this year.

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Director Rebecca Jayne Dignon is also listed by Companies House as the director of a second company called White Star Studios Limited, the nature of which is described as 'activities of conference organisers'. That was incorporated in October 2023.

Companies House says she is also the director of a third company called Flix24 Limited, with a registered address at 8 Bank Street in Newquay, the former home of Palm Bay café. Flix24 Limited was incorporated on April 13 and is listed in the 'unlicensed restaurants and cafes' business category.

In an initial statement after the fallout in Cornwall, Wine Escape said it has "temporarily" paused operations of its business. Earlier this month though, the business announced it was insolvent. In a further statement it blamed an "unprecedented rise in costs" saying it wanted to go through the insolvency process with "integrity and accountability".

Now Action Fraud also confirmed to one of the victims this week that it will not be pursuing her report of fraud. In an email to Ali Sainsbury-Read, who paid £118 for a rare night out with her husband, it said: "I am sorry to hear you have been a victim of crime. Thank you for taking the time to report to Action Fraud.

"Your report has been sent to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) for review. Experts at the NFIB examine the information you provide.

"Where possible, the information is also matched against other available data in order to enrich and corroborate the details of the fraud. The NFIB assess whether there are viable lines of enquiry that would enable a law enforcement body, such as the police service, to investigate.

"On this occasion, based on the information currently available, it has not been possible to identify a line of enquiry which a law enforcement organisation in the United Kingdom could pursue.

"Registered users of our service have the opportunity to update their report, so if you have additional information about your crime which you believe could change the assessment, please log in to your account and submit that information. We continuously assess the content of individual and linked crime reports; in the event that a line of enquiry is identified we will provide you with an update."