Schmitt sues local timeshare exit businesses

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt's office yesterday announced a lawsuit filed against Brian Scroggs and his Springfield-area timeshare exit companies.

The suit alleges that Real Travel LLC, The Transfer Group LLC, Vacation Consulting Services LLC and VCS Communications LLC accepted payments from some customers but did not provide the promised services of transferring or terminating consumer timeshare interests within one year, according to a news release.

Chris Nuelle, spokesperson for Schmitt’s office, said the suit seeks an injunction, restitution and civil penalties.

“The Missouri attorney general’s office is dedicated to protecting consumers, and whenever we can take action to hold those seeking to defraud Missourians accountable, we will,” Schmitt said in the release.

The suit further alleges Scroggs' companies directed some consumers to stop making maintenance payments on their timeshares. The timeshare exit companies claimed they would pay the costs, but the suit alleges those payments were not made as promised.

An attempt to reach Scroggs was unsuccessful by deadline. However, Scroggs previously issued a statement in August 2019 when the Better Business Bureau called attention to a suit filed against him by Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge’s office.

At the time, Scroggs took issue with Rutledge’s office filing suit against his company, rather than timeshare sellers themselves.

“They don't blame the resorts who have thousands and thousands of AG and BBB complaints,” he said in the August statement. “They want to blame another industry.”