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>>4@ SO A GROUP OF BLACK
VACATIONERS SAVED FOR A
LIFETIME, THEY WERE
EXPECTING AN UNFORGETTABLE
LUXURY EXPERIENCE BUT WHEN
THEY GOT THERE THEY
REALIZED IT WASN'T THE TRIP
THEY PAID FOR.
HERE'S4@ LARRY
HERE'S4@ LARRY MILLER WITH TONIGHT'S
ORIGINAL TRAVEL NIGHTMARE.
>> THAT'S A BIG SMILE,
YOU'RE CLEARLY IN YOUR
ELEMENT.
ELEMENT.
ELEMENT. >> OH, YEAH.
I HAD A GOOD
TIME.
TIME.
TIME. >>
TIME. >> THERE'S NO MISTAKING THE
JOY OF LINDA SAILING IS A
PASSION.
PASSION.
PASSION. SO WHEN TWO
FRIENDS TAGGED H4@ER IN A
POST ON FACEBOOK ABOUT A
CHANCE TO SAIL THE BRITISH
VIRGIN ISLANDS THEY4@ HOPPED
ON IT.
ON IT.
ON IT. IT
ON IT. IT WAS OUT OF NORTH
CAROLINA, THE BLACK TRAVEL
MOVEMENT.
MOVEMENT.
MOVEMENT. SHE WAS ALSO ON
THE TRIP, AND SHE AND JILES
WERE OUT IN NUMBERS.
>> IT'S A BIG4@ DEAL.
>> VACATIONERS WOULD PAY
BETWEEN 2950 AND 3350 FOR
THE TRIP DEPENDING ON THE
PACKAGE.
PACKAGE.
PACKAGE. >> EVEN THOUGH IT WAS WAY
MORE MONEY4@ THAN I HAD TO
PAY TO GO SAILING, I JUST
WANTED TO HAVE THAT
EXPERIENCE.
EXPERIENCE. >> THE ITINERARY INCLUDED
STOPS TO PLACES LIKE
ISLANDS AND SANDY KAY
NATIONAL PARK.
NATIONAL PARK. THE BOATS
THE BOATS
THE BOATS WOULD COME WITH STAFF, A
CAPTAIN AND4@ GOURMET CHEF.
>> YOU'RE EXPECTING A TRIP
OF A LIFETIME.
>> WAS IT THAT FOR YOU.
>> IT WAS DEFINITELY AN
INTERESTING EXPERIENCE AND
NOT AT ALL WHAT I EXPECTED.
>> SHE SAYS IT ALL STARTED
WITH4@ A LACK OF
COMMUNICATION WITH THE
OWNER OF BLACK TRAVEL
MOVEMENT.
MOVEMENT.
MOVEMENT. >> HE WASN'T VERY
RESPONSIVE.
RESPONSIVE. >> SHE SAYS CALLS4@ AND TEXT
MESSAGES, AND THEY STILL
ARE.
ARE.
ARE. SO
ARE. SO WE FLEW DOWN TO
NORTH CAROLINA WHERE HE
LIVES.
LIVES.
LIVES. EVENTUALLY CLOSE TO
250 BLACK SAILERS MADE IT
DOWN TO BEGIN THEIR
SEVEN-DAY VACATION.
SEVEN-DAY VACATION. 27
27
27 BOATS,
27 BOATS, FOOD, ALCOHOL AND
STAFF WERE PROVIDED BY
DREAM YACHT CHARTER.
BUT
BUT
BUT MORE
BUT MORE PROBLEMS WOULD BOBBLE
TO THE SURFACE.
MANY HAD TO
FIND TRANSPORTATION ON
THEIR OWN.
THEIR OWN. IT WAS SUPPOSED
TO BE INCLUDED IN4@ THE
PACKAGE.
PACKAGE.
PACKAGE. >> INDICATED HE WOULD ALSO
COORDINATE SOME
COORDINATE SOME REIMBURSEMENT FOR THOSE
FOLKS WHO HAD TO COME 4@OUT
OF T4@HEIR POCKETS ANYWHERE
BETWEEN 50, SOME HAD TO PAY
ROUGHLY $200.
ROUGHLY $200. >> ONCE DOWN IN THE BBI
THEIR PROBLEMS WOULD GROW
TO A BOIL.
THE NEXT PROBLEM4@
IS THE BOAT.
>> WE EXPERIENCED AN
ELECTRICAL OUTAGE THE NIGHT
WE BOARDED OUR BOAT SO WE
WERE WITHOUT4@ AC FOR THE
ENTIRE EVENING.
ENTIRE EVENING. >> SOME OF THEM WERE -- HAD
MECHANICAL PROBLEMS, SOME
OF THEM HAD AIR
CONDITIONING PROBLEMS,
CONDITIONING PROBLEMS, WATER PUMP PROBLEMS, ENGINE4@
PROBLEMS.
PROBLEMS.
PROBLEMS. >> ATTORNEYS REPRESENTING
DREAM YACHT CHARTERS SAY
THE COMPANY NEVER RECEIVED
COMPLAIN4@TS REGARDING
COMPLAIN4@TS REGARDING MECHANICAL ISSUES DURING
THE COURSE OF THE TRIP AND4@
THERE FOR COULD NOT HAVE
DESED THOSE CONCERNS
WITHOUT NOTICE.
WITHOUT NOTICE. BUT MANY4@ OF
THE BOATS DID NOT HAVE
ENOUGH FOOD.
ENOUGH FOOD. >> ARE WE GOING TO BE ON4@
THE BOAT WITHOUT FOODS AND
DRINK.
DRINK.
DRINK. >>4@ INSTEAD OF GOURMET
MEALS.
MEALS.
MEALS. >>
MEALS. >> THERE WAS BRED,4@ PEANUT
BUTTER AND JELLY, HAM4@
HAMBURGERS.
HAMBURGERS. >> THEY DEPLOYED SPEED
BOATS WITH MORE FOOD EVEN
MONEY FOR THE CAPTAIN.
THE
THE
THE LAWYERS SAY THE PROBLEMS
WERE FIXED IN TWO DAYS, BUT
SHE SAYS THAT WASN'T THE
CASE.4@
CASE.4@
CASE.4@ MANY OF THE SAILERS
HAD DIET RESTRICTION AND
HAD NOTHING TO EAT.
>> IT WAS JUST A BUNCH OF
FOOD THEY PURCHASED.
>> OVER THE4@ COURSE OF THEIR
TRIP THEY WOULD MISS
SEVERAL OF THE ISLANDS.
BASED ON THE4@ ITINERARY THIS
IS WHAT THE TRIP SHOULD
HAVE LOOKED LIKE BUT THIS
IS THE4@ ROUTE MOST OF THE
BOATS TOOK.
BOATS TOOK. SOME OF THE
BIGGEST ATTRACTIONS THEY
SOME OF THE BIGGEST ATTRACTIONS THEY4@
PASSED BY.
PASSED BY. >> YOU WANT TO SEE THE
FLAMINGOS.
FLAMINGOS. >> THE TRIP EVENTUALLY
COMES TO AN END.
THE
THE
THE SAILORS LEAVE THE BBI
FEELING TAKEN MORE
ADVANTAGE OF THAN
REFRESHED.
REFRESHED. >> BECAUSE NOT ONE OF THE
MEMBERS ON THIS TRIEP WROTE
A CHECK, MADE A PAYMENT OF
ANY KIND OH DREAM YACHT
CHARTERS, THEY PAID ME.
>> NOT ONLY ARE WE OUT OF
MONEY, WE'RE ALSO IN THE
SITUATION OF FEELING LIKE
WE WERE KIND OF DUPED BY
SOMEBODY WE SUPPORTED.
>> SHE SENT OUT AN E-MAIL
ABOUT TWO WEEKS LATER.
HE
HE
HE SAID
HE SAID HE WAS MAKING AN
EFFORT TO ADDRESS THE
ISSUES.
ISSUES.
ISSUES. HE EVEN OUTLINED A
REFUND.
REFUND.
REFUND. >> SO WHEN CAN THEY EXPECT
THEIR MONEY.
THEIR MONEY. >> IT IS A VERY, VERY
COMPLEX CONVERSATION AND
PROCESS TO GET TO THAT.
>> THE SITUATION IS MADE
COMPLEX BECAUSE DREAM YACHT
CHARTER AND BLACK TRAVEL
MOVEMENT ARE LOCKED IN A
LEGAL BATTLE.
LEGAL BATTLE. THE COMPANY
THE COMPANY SAYS CUMMINGS FAILED TO4@ PAY
A4@ BALL LANGUAGES OF
$500,000 BEFORE EMBARKING
ON THE TRIP.4@
THEY NEVER
THEY NEVER RECEIVED T4@HE BALL
LANGUA4@GES, EVEN AFTER THEY
SIGNED A CONFESSION OF
JUDGMENT ACKNOWLEDGING HE
OWED THE MONEY.
DREAM YACHT
DREAM YACHT CHARTER IS NOW SUING
CUMMINGS FOR UNJUST
ENRICHMENT AND FRAUD.
>> I'M NOT ALLOWED TO
DISCUSS THE FINANCIAL
SITUATION BETWEEN ME AND
DREAM YACHT CHARTERS.
>> THEY SUBMITTED A MOTION
TO VACATE THE JUDGMENT BY
CONFESSION.
CONFESSION. HE WANTS IT
THROWN OUT CLAIMING
CUMMINGS WAS COERCED INTO4@
SIGNING THE DOCUMENT AND
NOT AFFORDED AN OPPORTUNITY
TO SEEK THE ADVICE AND
COUNSEL OF AN ATTORNEY.
JOEL PIERSON WAS ALSO ON
THE TRIP.
THE TRIP.
THE TRIP. >> WE'RE TRYING TO ORGANIZE
AND WE'RE TRYING TO GET OUR
MONEY BACK AND FOLLOW LEGAL
CHANNELS.
CHANNELS.
CHANNELS. >> THEY HAVE PROMPTED4@
ACTIONS BY THE VACATIONERS.
16 COMPLAINTS WITH NORTH
CAROLINA CONSUMER
CAROLINA CONSUMER PROTECTION WERE FILED.
AND
AND
AND NOW
AND NOW THE STATE'S JUSTICE
DEPARTMENT IS INVESTIGATING
CUMMINGS FOR UNFAIR AND
DECEPTIVE PRACTICES.
DECEPTIVE PRACTICES. HIS
HIS
HIS HOME
HIS HOME DESK WAS PILED WITH
LETTERS FROM THE STATE'S
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT AND THE
BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU.
MANY OF THE LETTERS WERE
UNOPENED AND UNA4@NSWERED.
>> SOME ARE CONCERNED A
COMPANY THAT IS SUPPOSED TO
LOOKOUT AND PROTECT BLACK4@
PEOPLE AND HAS IN FACT
PREYED ON THEM.
>> WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THAT.
>> MY FIRST REACTION IS IT
HURT MY FEELINGS.
I'VE BEEN
I'VE BEEN
I'VE BEEN OWNING, MANAGING BUSINESSES
FOR 30 YEARS.
NEVER ONCE
NEVER ONCE HAVE I EVER BEEN CALLED
SUCH NAMES IN ANY4@ FORM AND
TO HAVE THIS HAPPEN REALLY
SET ME BACK.
>> LARRY MILLER, WUSA9.
>> LARRY ASKED HIM THE
WHEREABOUTS OF THE M4@ONEY HE
COLLECTED FOR THE TRIP AND4@
HE SAID THE MONEY WAS BEING
HELD IN AN ESCROW ACCOUNT.
SO WE FOLLOWED UP WITH