AG Files $3 Million Judgment Against Ultima Travel.Business Editors, Travel/Consumer/Legal Writers OLYMPIA, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 17, 2000 A Bothell travel company will have to pay $90,000 in immediate restitution In the context of Criminal Law, state programs under which an offender is required, as a condition of his or her sentence, to repay money or donate services to the victim or society; with respect to maritime law, the restoration of articles lost by jettison, done when the to consumers for continuing violations of an agreement to stop deceptive de·cep·tive adj. Deceptive or tending to deceive. de·cep  tive·ness n. practices in the sale of travel club memberships in Washington and Oregon. Under judgments entered in King County Superior Court King County Superior Court, the largest trial court in Washington state, is based at the King County Courthouse, 516 Third Avenue, in downtown Seattle, Washington. It also operates a juvenile facility and a Regional Justice Center in Kent, southeast of Seattle. , Ultima Systems, Inc. its owner, William Hunter William Hunter may refer to:
A consent decree is a settlement that is contained in a court order. originally entered in the case in 1997. Hunter also agreed to cancel $3 million in payments still owed by members for their membership payments and annual dues. Today's judgments settle an enforcement action first filed against Ultima by the Attorney General's Office in February 1997. It alleged the company engaged in unfair sales tactics, and misrepresented the amounts and availability of travel discounts. That suit was settled with the entry of a Consent Decree. Since the 1997 Consent Decree, Ultima, Hunter and Vasey continued using "free prize" offers to entice customers to attend high pressure sales presentations and misrepresented actual services provided to members. Members typically paid as much as $3,000 to join the club, and $200 in subsequent annual fees for travel discounts that never materialized. "Ultima Systems blatantly bla·tant adj. 1. Unpleasantly loud and noisy: "There are those who find the trombones blatant and the triangle silly, but both add effective color" Musical Heritage Review. violated vi·o·late tr.v. vi·o·lat·ed, vi·o·lat·ing, vi·o·lates 1. To break or disregard (a law or promise, for example). 2. To assault (a person) sexually. 3. the agreement filed to protect consumers from the club's dishonest sales representations," said Gregoire. "Over 900 new complaints to this office reveal the same patterns of deception deception n. the act of misleading another through intentionally false statements or fraudulent actions. (See: fraud, deceit) that prompted the original enforcement action." "Now consumers have been further deceived by Ultima's false claims that their program was approved by the Attorney General's Office." The Attorney General's Office will be sending copies of the judgments to companies Ultima used to collect their membership and annual dues payments, instructing them to stop all such collections. Ultima members who continue to receive collection notices for payment of membership fees or annual dues should contact the Attorney General's Office at 800/551-4636. Information received by the Attorney General's office indicates that some Ultima members may have been recently contacted by other travel sellers. In these offers, the marketers have referred to association with or agreement with Ultima or the Office of the Attorney General. The Office of the Attorney General does not endorse any product or service offered to consumers and recommends that those contacted review such offers carefully. Copies of this and related press releases are available on the AGO website at: www.wa.gov/ago. |
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