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NEWARK - Modern Destinations
Unlimited, a travel company currently operating
in Manalapan, has been named as an additional
defendant in the lawsuit originally filed
in May by the Office of the Attorney General
and the Division of Consumer Affairs against
Daryl T. Turner, Dreamworks Vacation Club
a/k/a Dreamworks Vacation a/k/a Dreamworks
and Five Points Travel Company d/b/a Bentley
Travel.
The state’s lawsuit
alleges that the defendant travel companies,
all owned or controlled by Turner, failed
to provide contracted-for vacation club membership
benefits and related services to consumers
and misrepresented their relationship with
hotel, airline and car rental companies through
the unauthorized use of their corporate logos.
Modern Destinations Unlimited
is located at 600 Park Avenue, Suite 200,
Manalapan, the same location where another
travel company owned by Turner, La Bonne Vie
Travel, was operating earlier this year.
“The company names change
but we allege the common thread of fraud and
deception remains, all of it linked to Mr.
Turner,” Attorney General Anne Milgram
said. “Our goal continues to be obtaining
restitution for defrauded consumers and ensuring
that these defendants comply with our laws
and regulations.”
The state has amended its
original lawsuit three times since the May
filing, earlier adding as defendants Dream
Vacations International, Inc. and Vacation
Clubs, LLC d/b/a La Bonne Vie Travel and now
Modern Destinations Unlimited, all additional
travel companies under which Turner has conducted
business.
“Consumers need to file complaints with
the Division if they have been defrauded by
any of the defendants,” said David Szuchman,
Consumer Affairs Director. “Filing complaints
helps our investigators and also ensures that
we know who the affected consumers are.”
The Division of Consumer Affairs
has received 389 consumer complaints to date
against the defendants, 23 of which are against
Modern Destinations Unlimited. Dreamworks
Vacation Club, Bentley Travel and Five Points
Travel Company, had previously operated out
of locations in Parsippany, Sewell and Westampton.
The
state also alleges that the defendants forwarded
mailings to consumers which indicated that
they were entitled to receive free items (i.e.
seven-day cruises, round-trip airline tickets
for two, hotel stays, free dinners, car rentals
and/or free gas coupons) yet when consumers
contacted the "800" telephone number
listed on the mailings to claim their gifts,
they were informed that they had to attend
a 90-minute sales presentation for vacation
membership packages. Even if they attended
the presentations, consumers were not provided
with the gifts.
Consumers paid $1,200 to $8,000 upfront to
purchase a vacation club membership package,
but were not provided with the airline, hotel
or other travel arrangements at the price
and quality represented by defendants prior
to purchase.
Consumers
can file complaints with the Division on its
Web site at www.nj.gov/oag/ca/ocp/ocpform.htm
or by calling 1-800-242-5846 (toll-free
within N.J.) or 973-504-6200.
Deputy Attorneys General Gina M. Betts and
Lorraine K. Rak, Chief of the Consumer Fraud
Prosecution Section, are representing the
state in this action.
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