Dreams of a Hawaiian vacation have turned into big disappointment for an Oakland County family, and it looks like they may not be alone. Waterford Police confirm they're investigating Penny's Personal Travel of Waterford.
Police say several people have filed complaints claiming that after booking trips with Penny's Personal Travel, the business failed to provide that travel service.
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Patricia Trosen of White Lake is one of those customers. She dreamed of spending some time in Hawaii in February. "It was on our bucket list and it was three weeks, oh- I mean three weeks in paradise."
Her son planned the trip for three couples for three weeks in paradise, with Penny's Personal Travel. He had used the agency before. This time something went wrong.
"We were supposed to leave on the 9th of February. We found on the 8th we were not going," said Patricia Trosen.
Travel Agency Owner Responds
Ruth to the Rescue spoke with the Penny Kane, owner of Penny's Personal Travel. She blamed bad weather in other parts of the country for canceling the flights to Hawaii during the week following Feb. 9.
"The weather situation and the fallout from the reaccomodation ended up being so much bigger of a situation that I anticipated," she said.
While Kane maintains it's the ripple effect of cancellations across the nation, Patricia Trosen isn't buying the excuse. "Well, I did check- there was no planes canceled out of Metro-Airport or Flint," she said.
There is some dispute over how the trip was canceled. Kane says she believed Ken Trosen left a voice mail canceling the trip, but the Trosen family says Kane misunderstood a message that reflected their frustration that they weren't getting to Hawaii more quickly.
Either way, Kane has said she's promised the Trosens a refund, but it will take some time.
"They were quoted early on and many times that this was a non-refundable trip- in the event there's a reason to refund- it takes 12 weeks," said Penny Kane of Penny's Personal Travel.
The Trosen family is unsatisfied with Kane's response. "It's sad not going to Hawaii, but its sad losing our money, our son losing his money," said Patricia Trosen of White Lake.
She called the police, the Attorney General and Ruth to the Rescue. Penny Kane says she runs and honest business. "I've never taken money for a trip that somebody did not get, or that they did not get their refund," she told Ruth to the Rescue.
Ruth to the Rescue will be watching to see if the Trosens get their refund. Waterford Police say they're working with local, state, and federal investigators.
Ruth to the Rescue also checked the agency's record with the local Better Business Bureau. A spokesperson says Penny's Personal Travel was an accredited business since June, 2012. However, due to the amount of complaints and unresolved complaints, the agency is in the middle of revoking the accredited business status. Penny Kane has 30 days to appeal.