Don't book these holidays! They're not the bargains they claim to be

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Customers who are lured by "limited time only" holiday bargain adverts are being ripped off, according to a new Which? report.

The consumer watchdog looked at 30 adverts for "hurry-before-it-goes" holidays and found that as many as 43 per cent of them could be found for the same or even lower price after the supposed deal had ended.

In 13 cases, they found deals costing the same or less than in the original ads after the offers had finished - suggesting there was no need to hurry after all.

For example, an advert for one hotel company offered the opportunity to "save up to 40 per cent on selected summer 2012 breaks' if they were booked by May 1.

But the same deals appeared ten days later - and some of the prices had dropped even further.

Email offers were also studied - and the researchers again found similar deals for less money after the time period had ended.

Which? said one cruise company sent out an email encouraging consumers to book a "dream cruise" in an offer only available for five days. But a month later, it launched a six-day sale that offered even lower prices for exactly the same cabins.

Speaking to the Press Association, Which? executive director Richard Lloyd said: "No one likes finding out that someone on the same holiday paid less for it. But it's even worse if you bought your holiday in a rush because the ads told you the prices would be available only for a short time.

"It's unacceptable that holidaymakers are hurried into making decisions that might not give them the best value for money.

"Travel companies understandably have to adjust prices up or down according to demand. But they shouldn't kid customers that the prices on offer won't be around for long."

Have you been lured by a 'hurry while it lasts' bargain only to find you've spent more than you needed to? Tell us your stories below.