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Ella was hired on the spot by Haggis Waggon Tours after going to a job fair in Paisley
BySelena JacksonBBC Scotland News and Emma Clifford BellBBC Scotland News
When Ella was offered a job as a tour guide, it seemed like an exciting opportunity.
The 23-year-old was hired on the spot by Haggis Waggon Tours boss Darryl Smith after meeting him at a job fair in Paisley.
Just a week later, Ella was listed as a "guest favourite" on the group's website, despite never having done a tour for them or meeting any customers.
She has since discovered its "head office" is an empty property and many of the claims on its website were false.
Ella says she first met Darryl Smith in June and was hired without a formal interview, along with several others.
A week later, she received an email, apparently from the HR department, asking for her address, right to work documents, and bank details.
Darryl Smith responded over email to some of the allegations put to him by BBC Scotland News.
In his email responses, he said there was no formal interview for candidates as training was offered instead - "giving potential employees the opportunity to see if it is the role for them".
Image source, Haggis Wagon Tours
Darryl Smith is described as the founder and chief executive of Haggis Waggon Tours
On 9 July, the group of new employees were invited to walk around Paisley as a "training exercise".
Ella said something "felt off" when they couldn't see the bus that Darryl Smith said he had brought.
They stopped outside what he described as the "Haggis Waggon Tours' head office" on Paisley High Street. The building was vacant and locked up.
The same address was listed on the business' website under the 'contact us' section, but the landlord of the building confirmed to the BBC that Darryl Smith does not hold a lease there. The contact address has now been changed to say 'Edinburgh'.
Darryl Smith told the BBC he had built the website himself and mentioning that address had been a mistake.
"That spot was only ever used as a meeting point for new tours leaving from Paisley," he said.
Despite the "red flags", Ella decided to give Darryl Smith the benefit of the doubt and agreed to shadow a Harry Potter themed tour on 13 July.
She was due to be picked up on one of the Haggis Waggon Tours buses in Paisley at 8am, along with three others.
But after four hours, no vehicle had arrived.
Ella says Darryl Smith assured the group there had been a mix-up and claimed to be dealing with domestic issues.
She said: "When the original concern with the buses was brought up and it was pointed out that the pictures that he was using on his social media and on the website were AI, he had given us the excuse that he hadn't had all the buses wrapped yet," she says.
"I think to this day none of us have actually seen the buses. They don't exist, do they?"
Darry Smith says the coaches "do in fact exist".
"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," he said.
Image source, Haggis Waggon Tours
The website features images which it claims are of the tour company's buses
Ella says she spent weeks researching Scottish history and witch trials without any payment in preparation for the role but she'll now need to return to searching for jobs.
"I'd never thought about being a tour guide before, but when I actually was standing there that day and I put some thought into it and I would love to do that job," she said.
"It leaves you feeling a bit helpless. What am I supposed to do now?"
Another member of the group, who we're calling Jennifer, agreed to speak anonymously.
She also met Darryl Smith at the Paisley jobs fair in June, which was organised by Invest in Renfrewshire and the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP).
"[He] seemed dead friendly," she said.
"When we approached him, he was wearing a kilt and even had a polo shirt with the Haggis Waggons Tour logo printed on it, so it looked legit at the time."
She first realised she'd been recruited without interview when she was added to a group chat on WhatsApp.
The premises which were listed on the website are empty and locked up
Like Ella, her picture was also added to the Haggis Waggon Tours website.
But after waiting with Ella for the bus that didn't turn up, she asked for her information to be removed.
Jennifer doesn't think the group will ever get answers about Darryl Smith's intentions.
She's now applying for Universal Credit and has been left angered by the situation.
"What really annoys me the most is just the fact that I don't know why," she said.
"I feel disheartened. I thought I was getting a job, and it was a decent job, a good job, a fun job and something I could take pride in about my own country.
"You put your trust in someone and then they sort of rip it from underneath you.
"And it just really concerns me that he has personal details of me, and I don't want that coming back on me."
There is no listing for Haggis Waggon Tours with Companies House, but Darryl Smith is registered as a director of two other businesses.
One of them, Mó Chroi Travel Ltd, has several reviews on Tripadvisor.
They include claims that tours did not go ahead or were cancelled at short notice, and that customers were waiting for refunds.
Some reviewers described their experience as "a scam".
Mó Chroi Travel Ltd was made subject to a compulsory strike-off order on 21 July and was dissolved on 28 July.
Jennifer reported the situation with Haggis Waggon Tours to Job Centre staff who had originally encouraged her to attend the job fair.
The landlord of the "head office" has confirmed that Darryl Smith does not hold a lease there
A spokesperson for the Department of Work and Pensions said: "We are sorry to hear about these jobseekers' experiences and are considering new measures when engaging with prospective employers.
"Our priority remains supporting people into work – our Work Coaches continue to provide personalised employment support tailored to individual need."
On its website, Haggis Waggon Tours claims to offer "expertly crafted" experiences, including Outlander and Harry Potter tours.
Darryl Smith, described as its founder and chief executive, is "the heart, humour, and unstoppable energy" behind the business, the website says.
It says he oversees "everything from route design and guest experience to team culture and the iconic blue fleet".
Until we contacted him, The Haggis Waggons Tour website displayed a logo suggesting it was 'in partnership' with VisitScotland.
However, a spokesperson from the tourist organisation said: "Haggis Waggon Tours is not 'in partnership with' VisitScotland."
Until recently, there was also a logo displayed at the bottom of the website suggesting the business had received a 'Traveler's Choice Award' from review website, TripAdvisor.
It told us that no experience provided by Haggis Waggon Tours had ever received one.
BBC Scotland understands Haggis Waggons Tours did not have an established relationship with Invest in Renfrewshire - and was invited to the jobs fair by a partner organisation.
A spokesperson for Renfrewshire Council said: "If anyone has concerns about a business, they should call Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 164 6000 or visit www.consumeradvice.scot."
