Sea To Ski Vacations Ordered To Pay $7 Million In Penalties Restitution
“Free airline ticket” offers were used to rope in customers
Travel club memberships can be great when they work. But when they don’t, they can be a major source of frustration and monetary distress.
Take Sea to Ski Vacations. It’s been ordered to pay $7 million in fines and consumer restitution for violating the Colorado Consumer Protection Act.
Denver District Court Judge Robert McGahey also prohibited the club’s owners from owning, managing, or operating travel-related businesses again because of their deceptive business practices.
Consumers complained that they were told membership in the travel club would entitle them to deep discounts on condos and cruises, said Attorney General John Suthers. Yet, after paying as much as $9,000 for a membership, the Sea to Ski deals were no better than what the consumer could purchase on popular internet travel sites.”
According to testimony from ex-employee witnesses, Sea to Ski employees regularly used Expedia and Priceline to book travel while pretending to be working with an exclusive provider of travel services.
Sea to Ski attracted its customers by mailing postcards claiming that the recipient had won two free airline tickets. The free airline ticket offers often require substantial up-front fees, and such onerous travel restrictions that consumers are unable to redeem the travel vouchers. American Airlines sued the club for copyright infringement for the unlawful use of their logo.
Dreamworks Vacation Club Owner Sentenced To Seven Years In Prison
Daryl Turner stole millions from consumers, New Jersey prosecutors charged
The owner of Dreamworks Vacation Club has been sentenced to seven years in prison by a New Jersey judge. Daryl Turner, 42, stole millions of dollars from customers of his travel club, Acting New Jersey Attorney General John J. Hoffman charged.
Turner, who pleaded guilty August 7, 2013, admitted that he pitched phony vacation travel membership packages to customers. He executed a consent judgment to pay restitution of approximately $2.6 million to his victims.
Turners wife, Robyn Bernstein, 44, who helped run his travel companies, was sentenced to five years of probation. She had also pleaded guilty to theft by deception. Under their plea agreements, Turner and Bernstein agreed to forfeit their home in Marlton and other assets seized in the investigation, including bank accounts, cars and a boat.
Turner carried out one fraudulent scheme after another, stealing from hundreds of unsuspecting customers who thought he would make traveling more affordable for them, Hoffman said. Instead, he ruthlessly stole the money they had set aside for their vacations. This sentence puts Turner safely behind bars, where he can no longer deliver his devious sales pitches, and it requires him to pay full restitution to his victims.
Florida Sues To Stop Travel Scam
Victims told club membership provided free travel
The deal sounded too good to be true. And in fact, it was.
Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum says Suncoast IncentivesLLC’s offer of a travel club with unlimited free travel was nothingbut a scam and he’s hauled the company into court.
McCollum’s complaint alleges that the company owner NicholasCongleton enticed victims to purchase travel club memberships forthousands of dollars, but failed to provide the incentives advertised.McCollum says his suit was prompted by the more than 500 consumercomplaints his office has received.
Once at the seminars, consumers were allegedly told they wouldnever have to pay retail price for travel again if they joined thetravel club. Membership fees ranged from $2,495 to $7,495, and annualrenewal fees ranged from $199 to $249.
The Attorney General’s Economic Crimes Division determined the freecruises were not free and included substantial fees, often overseveral hundreds of dollars. Additionally, investigators believe thecompanies had a contract with only one condo association, and nocontracts with any airlines, cruise lines, hotels, or motels. Formeremployees told investigators they would merely search online for priceoptions, just as consumers might otherwise do for themselves.
Recommended Reading: Ski Vacation Packages Banff Canada
New Jersey Shuts Down Travel Membership Company
Consumers warned to avoid travel club presentations that make big promises
If you receive a postcard inviting you to a presentation on how to saving big money on travel, you might be wise to show some skepticism. These come-ons, usually offering some kind of incentive to attend — can end badly for consumers.
A suit filed by the state of New Jersey claimed Global Travel Solutions, LLC and its owner, Jason A. Krieck, took payments from consumers for costly travel club memberships that promised steep discounts on vacation packages and other travel benefits, and then failed to deliver the contracted-for services.
Consumers were also charged monthly fees for the memberships. The defendants allegedly invited consumers to attend sales presentations for the memberships with free promotional items, and then failed to deliver the items.
Suit Claims Vacation Travel Club Defrauded Consumers
Firm allegedly failed to deliver on its many promises
Being invited to attend a presentation on vacation travel packages is like being invited to a presentation on timeshares. Chances are you’re going to be sold something you don’t really want that doesn’t turn out nearly the way it’s presented.
We allege the defendants deceptive business practices began with postcards the company mailed offering complimentary cruises and roundtrip airfare, and continued right through their sales presentations, Chiesa said. Rather than getting away on a vacation, these consumers ended up stuck at home, dealing with the loss of their hard-earned money.
Also Check: What Is The Cheapest Caribbean Vacation
Failed To Fulfill Promises
The six-count complaint filed this week charges Turner,individually and d/b/a Reservations, his wife Robyn B. Bernstein,and their Marlton-based company, Travel Deals Limited LiabilityCompany, as well as VIP Executives, LLC, with violating the NewJersey Consumer Fraud Act and Advertising Regulations, by failingto fulfill promises of complimentary cruises and airfare used toinduce attendance at sales presentations, and failing to providethe luxury vacation packages at discounted prices representedduring the sales presentations.
At the same time, the New Jersey attorney general is takingTurner back to court on the state’s allegation that he is inviolation of the recently agreed-to settlement.
New Jersey Travel Clubs Banished From The Garden State
Clubs and their owner fined, barred from New Jersey for five years
The owner of numerous vacation travel club companies with a long history of consumer complaints in New Jersey has been barred from doing business in the state for no less than five years.
According to a lawsuit filed by the New Jersey Attorney General in 2009, defendants Daryl T. Turner, 39, of Cherry Hill, and his vacation travel companies took payments from numerous consumers and then repeatedly failed to provide the contracted-for travel packages, or refund the money.
The defendants also failed to deliver various promotional items promised to consumers in return for their attendance at promotional seminars. To date, over 670 affected consumers have been identified. The lawsuit further charges Turner and his companies with using in their promotional materials the corporate logos of airlines, hotels, and car rental companies without those companies permission.
Besides being barred from doing business for five years, Turner cannot open or operate any such business in the future without state approval, under terms of a settlement with the Office of the Attorney General and State Division of Consumer Affairs.
The civil complaint, filed in Morris County, was amended several times as Consumer Affairs investigators uncovered additional travel club companies owned or controlled by Turner throughout New Jersey. The Final Consent Judgment includes nine of Turners travel companies, all of which are now shut down.
Read Also: Disney Vacation Club Home Resort
Florida Shuts Down ‘deceptive’ Travel Club
Consumers advised to use caution when booking vacation travel
In Florida, Attorney General Pam Bondi has announced a settlement that permanently shuts down a travel company operation that she says was deceiving consumers with its sales tactics.
The agreement bars Map Destinations, LLC and its owners, operators, and managers from marketing travel cl…
Thank you, you have successfully subscribed to our newsletter! Enjoy reading our tips and recommendations.
Is Complaintsboardcom Associated With Getaroom
ComplaintsBoard.com is not affiliated, associated, authorized, endorsed by, or in any way officially connected with Getaroom Customer Service. Initial Getaroom complaints should be directed to their team directly. You can find contact details for Getaroom above.
ComplaintsBoard.com is an independent complaint resolution platform that has been successfully voicing consumer concerns since 2004. We are doing work that matters – connecting customers with businesses around the world and help them resolve issues and be heard.
Use this comments board to leave complaints and reviews about Getaroom. Discuss the issues you have had with Getaroom and work with their customer service team to find a resolution.
Also Check: Book Now Pay Later Vacation Homes
Overview Of Global Discovery Vacations Complaint Handling
75Global Discovery Vacations reviews first appeared on Complaints Board on Jul 30, 2009.The latest review Customer Service & Management was posted on Apr 16, 2022.The latest complaint fire sales are usually scam was resolved on Dec 08, 2014. Global Discovery Vacations has an average consumer rating of 2 stars from 75 reviews.Global Discovery Vacations has resolved 12 complaints.
New Jersey Sues Travel Company Owner
Charged a second time with deceptive marketing prices
The State of New Jersey has filed a lawsuit against travelcompany owner Daryl Turner alleging deceptive marketing practices.The process was familiar because the state sued Turner and hiscompany previously for the same reason.
In February New Jersey settled a multi-million dollar lawsuitalleging a pattern of deceptive business practices carried out byTurner’s numerous vacation travel membership companies.
Recommended Reading: Lake Almanor Country Club Vacation Rentals
Is Complaintsboardcom Associated With Global Discovery Vacations
ComplaintsBoard.com is not affiliated, associated, authorized, endorsed by, or in any way officially connected with Global Discovery Vacations Customer Service. Initial Global Discovery Vacations complaints should be directed to their team directly. You can find contact details for Global Discovery Vacations above.
ComplaintsBoard.com is an independent complaint resolution platform that has been successfully voicing consumer concerns since 2004. We are doing work that matters – connecting customers with businesses around the world and help them resolve issues and be heard.
Use this comments board to leave complaints and reviews about Global Discovery Vacations. Discuss the issues you have had with Global Discovery Vacations and work with their customer service team to find a resolution.
Compare Global Vacation Network To
Companies are selected automatically by the algorithm. A company’s rating is calculated using a mathematical algorithm that evaluates the information in your profile. The algorithm parameters are: user’s rating, number of resolved issues, number of company’s responses etc. The algorithm is subject to change in future.
Also Check: Best Family Winter Vacations East Coast
Phony Checks From Phony Companies
The Global Discovery Vacation Program is sold through direct mail solicitations and telemarketing calls that claim recipients have won a free prize or free roundtrip airfare. Many consumers reported receiving a fake check or letter made out to them from legitimate-sounding airlines, including US Airlines or American Airways.
When consumers contacted the company to claim their free prize and airfare, they learned they first had to attend a sales presentation for the Global Discovery Vacation Program. The presentation billed the program as an exclusive club, promising consumers access to hundreds of properties across the country and around the world for a discount.
This operation has all the makings of a scam, Madigan said. Any time you are offered a free prize or a supposed award, thats a red flag. If you receive solicitations like this, your first and only move should be to throw it in the trash.
The suit alleges consumers who signed up for the travel club had access to few of the promised vacation properties — if any at all. The few consumers who were able to book a vacation found substandard conditions of the vacation properties, including reports of hotels infested with cockroaches and broken appliances.
The lawsuit seeks to ban the companies from operating in Illinois, provide full restitution to affected consumers and assess penalties based on violations of the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act.
Back To His Old Tricks
After law enforcement shut down Turners shady travel companies, he opened a new one and went back to his old tricks, said Director Elie Honig of the Division of Criminal Justice. By sending Turner to prison, we have ended his fraud spree and warned the public that this is not a man you want to trust with your money.
We remain committed to getting money back to the consumers who were defrauded, through liquidation of the ill-gotten assets seized from Turner and Bernstein, said Eric T. Kanefsky, Director of the State Division of Consumer Affairs. The civil and criminal cases are concluded but we do not consider this matter closed until restitution is in the hands of these consumers.
The states investigation revealed that Turner and Bernstein recruited customers using mass postcard mailings that offered recipients a complimentary cruise for two and/or complimentary airfare for two.
When recipients called the toll-free number on the card, they were told they must visit one of defendants business locations for a 90-minute presentation, which turned out to be a high-pressure sales pitch to purchase vacation packages.
Recommended Reading: Lose Weight Fast For Beach Vacation
Get More With 2x Discovery Dollars
Now through the end of June 2022, you can earn 2X the DISCOVERY Dollars our new and generous rewards currencyon all eligible stays and spend at more than 500 hotels, resorts and palaces worldwide. That’s up to 14% back in D$ to spend on future stays and indulgences. Register now to start earning. Lets go!
Researcher Warns Of Microbial Threat To Coral Reefs Other Ocean Habitat
FOREST ROHWER
Personal: Age 41 married with one child lives in University Heights.
Education: B.A., 1991, College of Idaho Ph.D., 1997, University of California San Diego-San Diego State University.
Experience: postdoctoral researcher, 1997-2001, Scripps Institution of Oceanography professor, 2001-present, San Diego State University.
At first glance, the Christmas Atoll south of Hawaii seems to be a tropical paradise.
That may be true above the waterline, but explorations of the surrounding seas by San Diego-based researchers found corals were dead or diseased, sharks and other large predators were scarce and only small fish darted past slime-covered reefs.
That discovery prompted scientists at San Diego State University and the University of California San Diego to publish scholarly articles about the decline of coral, which play a critical role in the seafood chain and tourism.
One of the researchers, SDSU professor Forest Rohwer, wanted to share his concerns about Earths most diverse ecosystem with the kind of people who dont read academic papers. A microbe expert, Rohwer teamed with writer Merry Youle and tattoo artist Derek Vosten to compose Coral Reefs in the Microbial Seas about his work and the mission. It was recently published by Plaid Press.
Question: Who did you have in mind when you decided to write a book in the style that you did? That is, why not leave it to the peer-reviewed journals?
Don’t Miss: Vacation Rentals Near Bethany Beach
Illinois Sues Alleged Vacation Travel Club
The suit says consumers got taken for nearly $80k
The state of Illinois is taking a Kansas-based company and two of its Chicago area sales agents to court, charging that they scammed Illinois residents out of at least $80,000 for membership in a bogus travel club that failed to deliver on its promises of vacation destinations across the globe.
Attorney General Lisa Madigan filed the lawsuit in Cook County Circuit Court against Global Connections of Overland Park, Kan., Madmol Inc., based in Crystal Lake, Ill., and GVN Illinois, based in Tinley Park, Ill.
According to the lawsuit, the companies operate a bogus travel club called Global Discovery Vacation Program. Madigan maintains the club scams as much as $8,000 in upfront payments and $398 annual fees from consumers for membership in the program that in reality provides no discounts and — instead — charges consumers even more money to book vacations.
New Jersey Expands Travel Service Lawsuit
Companies allegedly provided no services
Vacation Clubs, LLC, which does business as La Bonne Vie Travel, is now a defendant in New Jersey’s lawsuit against travel companies it claims took consumers money but provided no services.
In May, the state sued Daryl T. Turner and his businesses, Dreamworks Vacation Club, Five Points Travel Company and Bentley Travel. These businesses had previously operated out of locations in Parsippany, Sewell and Westampton. Defendants are now operating La Bonne Vie Travel at 600 Park Avenue, Suite 200, in Manalapan, New Jersey.
“We’re continuing our investigation of Turner and his companies. This investigative effort has led us to La Bonne Vie Travel, which we’ve added as a defendant,” said David Szuchman, New Jersey’s Consumer Affairs Director.
To date, the division has received complaints from approximately 300 consumers against the defendants either directly or from the Burlington County Consumer Affairs Office. The defendants this month filed a response to the state’s complaint, in which they deny all the alleged violations.
The state’s complaint alleges that the defendants failed to provide any services to consumers and misrepresented their relationship with hotel, airline and car rental companies through the unauthorized use of their corporate logos. The state also alleges that the defendants depicted specific resorts, regions and packages in mailings and sales presentations that, in actuality, were not available to consumers.
Read Also: How To Postpone Period For Vacation
Texas Shuts Down Travel Club
Victims paid thousands for ‘worthless’ memberships
According to court documents filed by the state, Royal Palms Travel Inc. and All Inclusive Excursions promised prospects they would get steep discounts on travel purchases if they signed up as members of Sealand Travel club, which Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott says was nothing more than a shell company.
The state maintains the memberships actually had little or no value. In response to the state’s enforcement action, a Dallas County District Court issued a temporary restraining order against the defendants that prevents them from continuing to violate the law. A temporary injunction hearing is set for 2 p.m., March 30.
Among the defendants charged with legal violations were company principals Adrian D. Miller, William H. Bailey and Christy Spensberger. Other named defendants were Travel Services Inc., Funseekers Vacations Inc. and Royal Palms Travel. According to state investigators, Royal Palms Travel and a related entity, All Inclusive Excursions, unlawfully misled potential customers and relied upon improper high-pressure sales tactics to sell worthless travel club memberships.
Abbott says he’s seen this kind of scheme before. It’s similar, he says, to other illegal travel scams he’s shut down in the past.