‘Lying to me’: Woman books a Groupon mystery vacation. Then company allegedly leaves out one major detail and a 45-Min call raises even more questions
Booking a mystery vacation means knowing some parts of the trip will be a surprise. But travelers still expect the basic details of their booking to be clear.
One woman says that became a problem after she booked a mystery vacation through Groupon. She expected the destination to be a surprise but says she later learned another major part of the trip was uncertain too.
TikTok creator Samara Leilani (@samaraleilani) says she called customer service looking for answers. But after about 45 minutes on the phone, she claims the information she was getting only became more confusing.
Then the answers started changing
In a video with around 1.1 million views, Samara shares part of the call about her Groupon mystery vacation. She says she knew the destination would be a surprise but claims she was not told that the departure airport could also be uncertain.
The representative repeatedly explains that the trip is a “mystery holiday” and says customers cannot simply choose their destination. But Samara says that was not the issue she had been trying to resolve. “No, we have a concern about the legalities of how you’re operating this business,” she tells him.
The disagreement becomes more complicated when Samara says another representative had already discussed different options with her during the lengthy call. Once a manager became involved, however, she claims those options suddenly changed. For Los Angeles, the manager tells her that he has “only Denver available.”
Samara immediately questions why the information is different from what she says she had just been told. “What she told us in that 45-minute conversation is totally different than what you’re telling us now,” she says. The manager maintains that it is a mystery holiday and says the company is generally not allowed to change the destination. He also tells Samara that if she is unhappy with what is being offered, she can contact Groupon, leaving her caught between different answers over a vacation booking, something other travelers have also experienced.
That answer does little to resolve her concern, especially as unexpected fees or cancellation terms can make vacation bookings more complicated. Samara says the earlier representative had offered other possibilities, while the manager was now presenting Denver as her only option. “So why did that information and the options change?” she asks.
The conversation becomes increasingly tense when Samara accuses the manager of withholding options that had previously been discussed. “You’re lying to me,” she says. “We know you’re lying because of all the information in our 45-minute conversation.” She then asks to be transferred back to the previous representative. The manager refuses.
Samara eventually says she will choose Austin, Texas, claiming that it was one of the options previously offered. The manager tells her Austin is not available. Before the call ends, Samara warns him that the conversation is being recorded and will be posted on social media. He responds that this is “completely all right.” “You have a good day, ma’am. Bye-bye. Take care,” he says before the conversation ends. Afterward, Samara says she plans to report the company’s business practices to U.S. authorities.
Viewers focused heavily on the distinction Samara had raised during the call. “A lottery for the destination is fine, that’s what was sold. A lottery for the departure airport is the problem,” one commenter wrote.
Others claimed they had experienced their own problems with Groupon. “That’s exactly what they did to me and hung up on me!” one person wrote. Another commenter who identified themselves as a travel agent said, “Honestly, as a travel agent, I was very confused on how any of this was legal to begin with.”
Samara’s video does not establish that Groupon or the travel operator violated lottery, sweepstakes, or consumer protection laws. Her claims about what was disclosed during the original purchase and what earlier representatives offered have also not been independently verified.
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