SOUTH HOLLAND, Ill. (WLS) — They paid several thousands of dollars, only to see their vacations disappear and their money vanish, too.
Six individuals claim they were deceived out of their dream holidays after placing their trust in a South Holland travel agent who became unresponsive. Consequently, the ABC7 I-Team embarked on a quest for answers and sought out the travel agent.
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Several mentioned they became acquainted with the travel agent, Vikki McNuckle of ACL Travel Group LLC, either through church connections or other residents of the south suburb. Some participants had even traveled with her prior. They assert that their trip expenses included airfare and accommodation.
“So no, I’m not postponing it any longer. I say if the trip’s not a go, then send me my refund,” said Christopher Suber.
Suber and his spouse, Harriet, allege they suffered a $35,000 loss after financing two 2024 trips to Dubai and Greece. They claim these trips were repeatedly rescheduled and ultimately canceled without notice by McNuckle, who later acknowledged the debt in correspondence.
“And that’s a financial strain on us, you know, preventing us from pursuing other endeavors that we might have wanted to try, you know, while we’re still here waiting to recover $35,000 from our retirement fund that we withdrew,” Suber explained.
Others in this group have similar stories.
“Postponed twice. And the second time, twice now, is totally canceled,” said Arnold Watkins.
Watkins reports having paid $14,000 for a Dubai trip that was subsequently canceled and has awaited a refund since January. He mentions recently achieving success in a $4,000 credit card dispute.
“Makes me feel disheartened and very disheartened because the simple fact of it is this was supposed to be my honeymoon trip,” Watkins said.
Eunice Lockett and her sister, Dorothy Eichelbergar, booked separately for a trip to Greece in October 2024 that never happened.
“Just be upfront, let me know you spent the money, alright? I’d prefer honesty over being ignored. It frustrates me, makes me very upset,” Eichelbergar expressed.
Lockett says she did get the airfare refunded, but she filed a small claims court lawsuit, asking for the rest of her money.
Inez Thomas says she paid $10,000 for that same Greece trip but recently received a $3,000 refund, only for the airfare.
“Don’t steal from me. And that’s what I feel like. She has stolen our money,” Thomas said.
Consumers say McNuckle blamed the 2024 wildfires for the Greece cancellations but did not follow through on rescheduling, and refunds have not been issued. ABC7 also found another frustrated customer.
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“And this is going on a year. No vacation,” said Tracy Thomas.
Thomas says she and her roommate are owed $10,000 for the same Greece trip for her 16th birthday.
“I’m living paycheck to paycheck, so I should be able to use that to pay off whatever I need to pay off one if I choose to select another trip, that would be fine,” Thomas said.
Thomas says she was told a refund was on the way.
“She said that the refund would take 90 business days. That was the first time. Then when we started inquiring, she said, ‘It takes 120 days.’ Next thing I know, we haven’t heard anything and we’re calling,” Thomas said.
The I-Team found seven Illinois attorney general reports filed against the company. Many are from the consumers in our story, and some of these customers filed police reports. The South Holland Police Department told ABC7’s Jason Knowles that it is “actively investigating this case.”
Knowles sent several emails to McNuckle, called her and stopped by her home. We never heard back from that travel agent who these consumers say cashed in and broke promises.
“She cannot be trusted. Do not book any trips with her,” Watkins said.
You should always use a credit card when booking with a travel agent.
However, some of the consumers say they could not dispute charges on their credit cards because by the time the trips were officially canceled, it was beyond the window to dispute.
You can also research travel insurance. However, some consumers who had it say it did not cover losses since the vendor made the cancellation.
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