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To Whom It May Concern,
I am writing to I inform you of illegal and fraudulent actions that a Travel Agency that has a current IATA and/or TRUE number and does business as Reko Tours/Sunny Vacations/Caribbean Holidays as well as the websites listed below at the end of this email. The agency is currently located in Brooklyn New York. It's " managers " are George Tsapelas and Vicky Stephaneau. I had a contracted with Reko Tours for 26 rooms at the Riu Palace Aruba Resort May 24-28, 2012. After being in constant contact with the agency and the reservation specialist at Riu corporate and after making full payment of over $43, 000.00, I was assured everything was in place for my group. Upon arriving at the resort and shortly after my group began to check in, I discovered thru numerous phone calls, emails, text messages, and faxes that Reko Tours' check payments to the Riu Palace Aruba for my group had bounced and my entire group had been canceled for non-payment. I paid Reko Tours in full and they never paid the resort. I was made to secure the group's stay that weekend using my personal American Express Credit Card for which I am disputing, for the second time. I was in a foreign country with 48 clients, a wedding ceremony, and a anniversary celebration with the threat of being locked out of rooms for non-payment..
I have emails, text messages and voice mail from George Tsapelas indicating he was having trouble with the resort, but him making payment to Riu Resorts on behalf of my group has nothing to do with me.
I have since retained an attorney, contacted the Better Business Bureau, the Brooklyn Attorney General's Office Consumer of Protection Affairs and the Attorney General's Office of Internet Fraud.
I wanted to make the public, travel agent/agency/consortium/host agency community aware of this criminal activity. He continues to do business using the above names and has also scammed others. I am in contact with an agent who also had to repay once she arrived at the Riu Resort in Mexico. She and other agents were on a FAM trip booked by Reko Tours/Sunny Vacations/Caribbean Escape. They too filed with American Express to retrieve their money back.
A Vice Principal from Tennessee booked air travel using Reko Tours for a group of students traveling to Europe. He was scammed out of $25, 000.00 due to the agency not booking the flights/changes to the flight. He has filed a complaint with the Tennessee District Attorney regarding the agency.
The agency is still doing business. I am still pursing a civil case as well as a criminal case. I am seeking to involve the US District Attorney since he has scammed people using the Internet and across state lines. His information is below, PLEASE WARN AS MANY PEOPLE AS YOU CAN about his criminal activity.
The $4, 000.00 check that he sent to me bounced!
I can provide documentation and other proof of the above charges. Please contact me if you are willing to help me with my case or need additional information to ban this agency from doing business with you or your clients.
He is a scam artist. This comment about Reko tours was prior to him stealing $43, 000.00 from us. DO NOT TRUST Reko tours or George. He is a crook! I Have emails, text messages of his promise to pay ME back the $43, 000.00 I paid in and he did not pay the resort.
Do I need to post all the emails and text messages. Even the one from my attorney to me with your email telling me how you are going to pay me back. Stay tuned for the email traffic.
Emails from Reko Tours admitting to owing the money to me.
Sophie, your son Yaniv Amar, a NYC Firefighter and Marine Corps Reservist, who had nothing to do with this situation, showed up at my father's place of business, threatened him in front of clients, ripped out phone lines from the wall and attempted in the crudest of ways to extort money from my father. You have a business dispute with my father and he is more than willing to go to a court of law and settle the matter with you - you want to do otherwise. For the record, I have nothing to do with my father's business, nor have I met you or your son or even talked to you for that matter, but I will not stand by and let someone threaten my family without doing anything. Your son even attempted to extort my civilian employer by promising bad press if he couldn't get his way. There is a police report filed with regards to what has occurred. We have proof and witnesses to your son's actions; your son's reserve unit was contacted as a result of his actions. Again, you are free to take my father to court but if you insist on using false allegations and illegal means to get what you want, we will pursue this to the fullest extent of the law - to include filing a lawsuit from my end for slander and pursuing further action with the NYFD Inspector General's office.
George and his wife have swindled us the very same way, we are a travel agency with our own IATA number in good standings, and decided to use George to set up the Land Packages, when my clients arrived they found out that there was no land package nor transportation, they were left stranded in Greece to fend for themselves, I personally paid for the clients after George said it was a mix up and he would reimburse us with interest since we had to put it on our credit cards. when the clients returned, George gave us a 3, 000 check to give to the clients directly for their expense in booking the first hotel and he promised to pay us the rest for what we shelled out which was around 9, 000 to 10, 000... after a week or so the check bounced and damaged my clients credit as the check was written to our clients directed to AMEX, which lowered his credit once it bounced. Then his son Carlos Tsapelas, who is a 25 year Marine Officer called my sons Marine Corps base with False accusations and tried to strong arm my son from trying to get our money back. I found out that Carlos still works in the Business with his father George. I will be filling with the USMC and the department of the Navy, as it is Illegal for an officer to conduct himself in such a manner of disrepute.
The reason I urge you to write to Brooklyn Attorney General is because this guy operates his sham business in this district, Brooklyn
All who have been scammed, write to Brooklyn Attorney general, if we all speak up, this crook may be stopped from scamming others
Lois Booker-Williams
55 Hanson Place, suite 1080
Brooklyn NY 11217
Phone Number: [protected]
Fax Number: [protected]
Write to Brooklyn ATtorney general office
Address:
55 Hanson Place
Suite 1080
Brooklyn, NY 11217
Phone Number: [protected]
Fax Number: [protected]
Office hours: 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday
Current Attorney Staff:
Lois Booker-Williams: Assistant Attorney General In-Charge and Public Integrity Officer
George and his company are CROOKS! AVOID AVOID AVOID!
I was scammed out of about $3000. My family and I arrived to Mexico only to find out that our reservation
did not exist. George claimed "it was an overbooking problem at the resort." He's a liar and a thief.
Do not deal with him. He should be arrested and jailed for this fraud.
Please be advised that neither RIU or Reko Tours/Sunny Vacations/Caribbean Holidays ever did illegal and fraudulent actions. We worked with Pleasure Travel in the past, four years with RIU Wedding Groups, Punta Cana and same other reservations, owner Susan Jackson see testimonials, Subj: Trip to Punta Cana
Date: 9/9/2011 12:53:37 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time
From: SEJackson@pleasureparadisetravel.com
To: vstephanou@rekotours.com
CC: res@cevacation.com
Greetings,
I am a home-based travel agent with my own TRUE number and wanted to find a tour wholesaler/agency that would work with me and my many demands.
I was able to find this with the Caribbean Escape travel staff. Being home-based with no staff, the staff of Caribbean Escape were very helpful with the planning of the entire "Hall Milestone Birthday" trip to Punta Cana DR Aug 4-8, 2011.
We ran into a few small problems while there, but George and Vicky were right on top of all the issues. George even provided his personal cell number to make sure I could reach him with any issues.
Both George and Vicky were very professional in their handling of any issues that arose while on the trip. The group received A1 treatment from the Riu Palace Punta Cana Staff (many thanks to the banquet manager Magnolia and the staff that decorated the rooms of the birthday ladies) and airport transfer company.
I am now planning my next group trip to Aruba May 2012 with George and Vicky and look forward to the same great service.
THANKS AGAIN, VICKY & GEORGE FOR YOUR PROFESSIONALISM...I look forward to continued business with your agency!
Sincerely,
Susan/Owner Pleasure Paradise Travel LLC
Make the day Great!
Susan
Pleasure Paradise Travel LLC
Independent Travel Consultant/Agency
[protected]
FAX: [protected]
Website:
http://pleasureparadisetravelllc.vpweb.com/default.html
The situation with this Group was that amount they claim was a deference of upscale rooms, Junior Suite, Ocean View etc.
We try to settle with claimant.
We are in business for 40 years and we serve a lot of happy clients traveling all over the world.
AGAIN, RIU Hotels are reputable company for 96 years all over the world as well, and no any scam or illegal and fraudulent actions are ever done for ether company.