A new tour company, Haggis Waggon Tours, is facing scrutiny after new employees reported that its advertised head office is an empty property and that the company's fleet of tour buses may not exist. The company's founder, Darryl Smith, has attributed these issues to the company being new and in the process of branding its vehicles.
One new employee, Ella, described her experience after attending a job fair and being hired by the firm. On July 9, a group of new employees were invited to a "training exercise" in Paisley. During this exercise, Ella noted that the bus Darryl Smith claimed to have brought was nowhere to be seen. The group then visited the supposed "Haggis Waggon Tours' head office" on Paisley High Street, only to find the building vacant and locked.
This same address had been listed on the company's website. However, the landlord confirmed to the BBC that Darryl Smith does not hold a lease for the property. The contact address on the website has since been changed to "Edinburgh." Smith stated that the Paisley address was only ever intended as a meeting point and that he built the website himself, acknowledging the address listing was a mistake.
Despite these initial concerns, Ella agreed to shadow a Harry Potter-themed tour on July 13. She and three other individuals were scheduled to be picked up in Paisley at 8 a.m. by a Haggis Waggon Tours bus. After waiting for four hours, no vehicle arrived. Smith reportedly assured the group there had been a mix-up and cited domestic issues.
Ella also raised concerns about images used on the company's website and social media, suggesting they were AI-generated. Smith's explanation was that the company is new and the coaches were still being wrapped with the company's branding. He maintains that the coaches do exist, stating, "Images online of tour buses are AI as [the] company is relatively new and we are in the process of getting coaches wrapped with our 'Haggis Waggon' design."
As of the report, Ella stated that none of the new employees had seen the buses, and questioned their existence. Smith, however, continues to assert that the vehicles are real and that the company is in the process of finalizing their branding.