VNI VACATIONS RIP-OFF UNSUSPECTING SENIOR CITIZENS Evans Georgia

VNI is a pre-paid vacation service based in Georgia that has consistently failed to deliver on its promises. Properties advertised on the VNI site were either substandard or non-existent.

In 2003, my parents paid VNI approximately $3400 for a 12-year contract, and for the past three years, paid an additional annual maintenance fee of $300. Because they were consistently dissatisfied with the choices provided, with the non-availability of the properties they really wanted, and the extra fees they were charged(e.g. for prime-time), they ultimately used only 3 years of this vacation agreement.

Things reached a head in 2006 when they booked a vacation at Eagle Village in Pennsylvania and discovered, a week before they were to depart, that the property was under construction and had little to no facilities.

After a series of phone calls and letters from me to VNI, over a period of three months (with little to no response from VNI), a refund of the remaining nine years' fees were refused. My parents who are in their 80's, who are retired, and who are financially challenged, have asked me to write to you to express our collective outrage. We are truly wondering what sort of organization would solicit senior citizens in their late 70s to sign a long-term contract only to "trap" them later on.

My parents also face several disabilities(macular degeneration, cancer, hearing loss) which makes continued use of VNI's vacation service ill-advised. Medical proof of these conditions was provided to VNI to no avail. VNI is requesting an additional $528 from my parents who were granted a refund because it was discovered that the Pennsylvania property they were going to book last year was indeed non-existent.

We are seeking three things from VNI: 1) an immediate termination of the contract 2) suspension of all present and future annual maintenance fees, and 3) a refund of approximately 75% of the amount that was prepaid to this organization.

Number 1 Son
New York, New York
U.S.A.