Vermont Business Magazine Thirty-two Vermonters who were deceived into purchasing nearly worthless memberships in the “Member Choice” travel club will receive partial refunds from some of the companies involved in the unfair and deceptive membership sales. The Vermonters paid a total of nearly $130,000 to become members of the discount travel club, which was claimed to offer steep discounts on travel services. The travel club ultimately provided its Vermont members a total of less than $3,000 in discounts. Vermont consumers who purchased the travel club memberships will receive checks in the mail providing partial restitution for the cost of the membership purchases. The amount paid to each Vermonter will be approximately 10 percent of the initial purchase price, or 10 cents on the dollar.
“Vermont law provides strong protections for consumers who are being offered memberships in discount programs,” said Attorney General William Sorrell. “Those who trick Vermonters into overpaying for services of limited value will be held accountable for violating our law.”
Attorney General Sorrell announced a settlement with two Florida men and three of their companies which engaged in marketing efforts related to these sales and fulfilled the memberships sold to consumers. Tony Armand, Henry Armand, and their companies will pay a total of $15,000 in restitution to Vermont consumers who purchased memberships in the travel clubs, and $10,000 in penalties to the State of Vermont. Additionally, the Armands and their businesses are prohibited from doing business in the State in the future, and will cooperate with the Attorney General’s case against the other parties involved in sales of these memberships.
In order to secure additional restitution for Vermonters affected by these practices, the Attorney General has filed a lawsuit against Adrian Miller and his companies, Travel Supplier of America, Start 2 Finish Travel Management, and Universal Concepts Inc., for their unfair and deceptive claims and conduct related to the sales of these memberships.
Any person who expects to receive restitution under this settlement but does not receive it in the next week is encouraged to contact the Consumer Assistance Program at 1-800-649-2424 for more information. Neither the settlement nor the lawsuit prevents individual Vermonters from bringing their own lawsuits against any of the involved companies and individuals.
Source: Vermont AG Nov 22, 2016