Consumer Services investigates Travel Partners USA, Inc.

By WINK News

SOUTHWEST FLORIDA - Pictures of family trips decorate Steve Jagoda's home.

Hoping to make more memories, Steve bought a $6,000 membership with Travel Partners.

"I wanted to use it for the future, when I decided to retire and take some trips," Steve told WINK NEWS.

But Steve doesn't have a single snapshot of a trip he took with Travel Partners.

Steve told WINK, "You could probably get better deals on the Internet than on travel partners."

CALL FOR ACTION checked it out. For instance, on its website Travel Partners boasted a trip to Las Vegas for 385 dollars.

We found the same trip on Expedia.com for $393. Expedia does not charge a membership fee.

Jagoda also complains he could never book a date.

Even though travel partners closed, Steve's still receiving bills from a third party.

"I just want to cancel all the obligations," said Jagoda.

Travel Partners owner Bill Matty wouldn't talk to CALL FOR ACTION on camera, but told us over the phone his business closed because many of the company's 3,000 defaulted on their payments.

Matty says he made arrangements for a bigger club, Phoenix Travel, to take over the membership base.

Both Matty and a representative at Phoenix Travel say Travel Partners members continue to receive discount trips by converting their memberships to the new club.

But in complaints filed with the Florida Attorney General's office, members say they're required to pay twice the contracted price to convert their memberships to Phoenix Travel.

That's frustrating to customers like Steve Jagoda.

"I don't want any money back from them. I just want this to end," said Jagoda.

The Florida Department of Agriculture Consumer Services Division is actively investigating Travel Partners USA, Inc., but will not release any details of their investigation at this time.

Both the Department of Agriculture and the Florida Attorney General's office warn against travel clubs on their websites.

To file a complaint with the Department of Agriculture's Division of Consumer Services, click here.
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