Santa Ana : Travel Agency to Make Restitution on Trips

A Santa Ana-based travel company agreed Tuesday to pay full restitution to clients who bought certificates for trips to Hawaii but were allegedly defrauded, the state attorney general’s office said.

The company, Grand Prix Vacations, was the subject of a lawsuit filed last October by state prosecutors in Orange County Superior Court. According to the complaint, the company sold certificates for discounted Hawaii trips to merchants, who in turn used them in store promotions.

But the customers who eventually wound up with the certificates, which promised a Hawaii vacation for two for the price of one airline ticket, found that they had to buy two tickets at rates much higher than commonly available, authorities said.

Tuesday, without admitting liability, the company agreed to pay full restitution to certificate holders who were deprived of their vacations. It also agreed to pay $25,000 in civil penalties and establish a trust account for payments to certificate holders, as required by state law.

People who believe they are entitled to restitution should write to Grand Prix Vacations, 3301 W. MacArthur Blvd., Santa Ana, Calif. 92704, and should include proof of purchase of the certificates. They may also contact the state’s Consumer Law Section at (213) 736-3645.

Complaints against two former executives of the company, former owner Donald L. Trapp and former president Robert Morse, were not part of the settlement and are continuing.