New Jersey Travel Club Owner Arrested, Charged with Theft

Daryl Turner

Police have arrested the owner of numerous New Jersey vacation travel companies with a long history of consumer complaints. Daryl Turner, 39, of Cherry Hill, is accused of stealing more than $75,000 from consumers for vacation packages and travel benefits that were never provided.

Criminal Justice Director Stephen J. Taylor said Turner was arrested at his home and charged with second degree theft by deception.

It is alleged that since 2008, Turner, through his vacation travel companies, took payments from numerous consumers and then repeatedly failed to provide the contracted-for travel packages, or refund the money. Turner also allegedly failed to deliver various promotional items promised to consumers in return for their attendance at promotional seminars.

That's what happened to Donald of Edgewater Park, N.J.

“Sat in on a 90-minute presentation in return we were to receive a free cruise for 8 days 7 nights and airfare,” Donald told ConsumerAffairs.com. “We filled all information, sent in $603.00 for port charges, government taxes” but never received confirmation of the cruise and soon found that the company's telephone number had been disconnected.

Turner also allegedly used the corporate logos of airlines, hotels, and car rental companies in promotional materials without those companies' permission.

Under terms of a February 2011 agreement with the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General and the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs, Turner is barred from doing business in the state for no less than five years and cannot open or operate any such business in the future without state approval.

Under the agreement, Turner is responsible for over $2,188,000 in consumer restitution and $478,000 in civil penalties. Turner also is required to reimburse the state $419,780.10 for its attorneys’ fees and investigative costs.

The vacation trav el companies named as defendants in the state’s civil lawsuit included Dreamworks Vacation Club, Dreamworks Vacations, Bentley Travel, Modern Destinations Unlimited, Blue Water, Vacation Clubs LLC d/b/a La Bonne Vie Travel, Five Points Travel Company, Dream Vacations International, Inc., and Away We Go Promotions, LLC.

The Division of Consumer Affairs last month filed a six-count Complaint in Burlington County Superior Court that charges Turner, individually and d/b/a Reservations, his wife Robyn B. Bernstein, and their Marlton-based company, Travel Deals Limited Liability Company, as well as VIP Executives, LLC, with violating the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act and Advertising Regulations by failing to fulfill promises of complimentary cruises and airfare used to induce attendance at sales presentations, and failing to provide the luxury vacation packages at discounted prices represented during the sales presentations.