by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 6:25 PM ET, Tue June 13, 2023
Vantage Deluxe World Travel is the focus of a class-action lawsuit that accuses the company of leaving travelers stranded after shutting down unexpectedly.
The company, which had been in business for 40 years and specialized in luxury vacations, apparently left travelers stuck all across the country. The impacted individuals are now seeking refunds for their trips.
Some travelers were unaware that their trip had even been cancelled until they arrived at the airport to depart, according to a report in NewsNation.
“At my age of 82, it was probably going to be my last foreign trip. So we were really looking forward to this,” Carolyn Cefalo Horich, a retired professor, said, according to NewsNation.
Cefalo Horich had been scheduled to travel with her daughters to Spain and Portugal on a trip that was booked with Vantage Deluxe World Travel. However, a few days before they were slated to leave, one of the family members received a cancellation email.
“I was told, ‘I’m sorry, this is just not going to work. We’re not going to be able to do this,'” she said, according to NewsNation.
Cefalo Horich is just one such traveler who shared this type of story regarding Vantage Deluxe World Travel with NewsNation. Other travelers said they felt completely betrayed by the company.
Now those travelers are going to court to obtain compensation.
“I think we have a right to demand our refund in full. The trouble is, thousands of other people want the same thing,” Retired elementary school teacher Suzanne Clarke told the news publication.
Traveler waiting for delayed flight. (photo via NicolasMcComber / E+)
Legal Challenge to Recoup Lost Funds
The luxury travel company apparently left thousands of travelers stranded this summer, according to sources familiar with the case.
“I have millions of dollars that are owed to customers,” Advocate Michelle Couch-Friedman, who runs Consumer Rescue, told NewsNation.
The NewsNation investigation found that countless passengers, some of whom spent as much as $40,000 on trips, were canceled without receiving any compensation.
The class-action lawsuit against the company was filed by Ronald Dunbar, Jr. ”Everybody is between the age of 65 and 80. Everybody has spent between $15,000 and $60,000.” Dunbar told NewsNation.
The news organization also reported that Vantage Travel’s River Splendor cruise liner, is being held in Germany for unpaid debts.
NewsNation said it made multiple attempts to obtain comment fromVantage Deluxe World Travel in response to the lawsuit, but did not receive any response.
Meanwhile, the travel company's website remains fully functional and makes no mention of the closure.
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