Travel Firm Overcharged for Vacations, State Says
The bank accounts of a Santa Ana travel company have been ordered frozen after the state attorney general complained that the company was overcharging for trips it arranged.
The temporary court order was issued by Superior Court Commissioner Ronald Bauer, who said the freeze will remain until the company, Grand Prix Vacations, establishes a trust account for deposit of 90% of the payments received from customers.
The state also filed its suit against Grand Prix’s current owner and president, Frank Okamura, and previous owners, Robert Morse and Donald Trapp.
State lawyers said the company sold vacation certificates to Southern California merchants for use in store promotions. The certificates led people to believe they would receive a Hawaii vacation for two that included hotel accommodations and two unrestricted coach fare tickets if one round-trip ticket was purchased.
But, the state lawyers said, vacationers who flew from Los Angeles were charged $774 for excursion or otherwise restricted airline tickets that sold elsewhere for half the price.
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