Manalapan, NJ – A Monmouth County travel club has been slapped with a lawsuit by the New Jersey Attorney General for frauding hundreds of would be vacationers out of thousands of dollars each.  Modern Destinations Unlimited who also operates as Away We Go Promotions has been operating their newest scam since June.   The scam begins with a post card in your mailbox offering victims a complimentary birthday cruise on Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian and Celebrity Cruise Lines.    

When customers called the 800 number on the post card the operators schedule a meeting in which people were encouraged to buy into Darryl Turner’s ‘vacation club’.     The company told vacationers who just wanted their free cruise that they would be responsible for paying taxes and port charges.   Away We Go Promotions however only accepted cash or money order on these charges, a “red flag” according to Jackson Township Cruise Consultant and Cruise Line International Association member Christine Stilton “When booking cruises, customers should always demand credit card purchases for the added fraud protection many card companies provide.   Another important thing to remember is that if a deal sounds too good to be true it usually is. ”

Keansburg resident and victim Ruth Schlatmann said she received the postcard and decided to attend the meeting.   She said she had no reason to believe the operation was a scam until phone calls regarding her vacation went unanswered and inquiries about delays were met with excuses and double talk by employees of Away We Go Promotions and Modern Destinations Unlimited.    Schlatmann is currently out $598 and is hoping the lawsuit against Turner and his fraudulent enterprises will help her recover the money that was stolen from her.

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.

.