Branson travel business ordered to pay $1.95M

Taney County Circuit Judge James Eiffert Friday issued the penalty – the largest ever for a travel-related consumer case in Missouri – after finding the travel business in contempt of court.

Vacation Travel did business as Vacation Travel Outlet and sold Vacation Travel Club memberships.

Attorney General Jay Nixon brought two orders against the company several years ago, alleging it subjected customers to high-pressure sales tactics, misled customers about selling back their memberships and misrepresented the savings and ease of using a membership. Eiffert at the time ordered the company and its owners – Tom Wood, Denver Wood and David Large – to provide customers with certain information about their rights to cancel contracts and obtain refunds, and to comply with Missouri’s tax laws.

Those cases also resulted in the company paying restitution to customers who had paid up to $5,000 for club memberships.

In Friday’s order, Eiffert found the company again violated consumer protection laws and previous court orders at least 390 times; it was ordered to pay $5,000 for each violation.

The new order prohibits the defendants from ever operating, owning, working for, investing in, profiting from or participating in any business that’s part of the discount travel or discount-travel membership clubs industries.

The company also is ordered to pay the state’s legal costs in the case.