On Oct. 1, 2012, Club ABC Tours disappeared. So did $1,033,245. So did the long-anticipated travel dreams of countless ABC customers.
Today NJ’s Acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman and the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs filed suit against the two brothers who ran the Bloomfield-based companies — Club ABC Tours for its members, and Club ABC Destinations for entities such as educational institutions, business groups, churches, etc. The state alleges that Robert S. and Thomas H. Paris were selling packages and taking in money though they were well aware their business was insolvent.
The State alleges that, for years, the Paris brothers allegedly kept the businesses functioning by accepting payment for future travel packages and using them to pay off already outstanding debts. Eventually the system began to fall apart. The whole time, however, the brothers made sure they paid themselves nice salaries. Oct. 1, at 5 p.m., they locked their doors, and made their escape — stranding hundreds of customers, some quite literally.
Travelers mid-trip discovered airline tickets, hotel rooms, tours – things they believed they’d paid for in advance – had never been paid for, and the vouchers or tickets they held wre useless. Travelers who’d reserved the time off, shelled out heaps of money for what might have been their trip of a lifetime, felt like they’d been hit in the head with a two-by-four.
We wrote about the situation — really, the ultimate travel nightmare – when it happened. For weeks afterward, “Where’s Club ABC?” was a question raised more often than “Where’s Waldo.” Along with the ultimately more important “Where’s my, money?”
For months, there were no answers. But during that time the State’s Division of Consumer Affairs conducted an extensive investigation, finding all sorts of fraudulent business practices, including the fact that, while the disappearance seemed sudden, ABC Tours had been insolvent at least as far back as December 2008.
“These victims deserve protection,” said Acting Attorney General Hoffman. “The State will use its full authority in an effort to recover the money they lost.”
Consumer Affairs has identified 230 customers who are owed a total of $1,033,245.39. If you were jilted by the company and haven’t contacted state officials yet, they want to hear from you. Call 800-242-5846, 973-504-6200, or go to the division’s Web site.
You might also want to check out my followup story on why such things can happen, why travel insurance might not protect you, and what you can do to reduce the risk of losing your dream vacation to the ABC’s of the world — thankfully, there aren’t all that many, but all it takes is one.