The Department of Agriculture Trade and Consumer Protection,
DATCP, is investigating complaints made against Vacation Station, a
firm that is operating in the Dells area selling vacation
packages.

The DATCP stated it has received six complaints: two in 2009 and
four in 2011. One of the complaints received in 2009 is in regard
to calls from Vacation Station. The other five complaints are from
people who made purchases from Vacation Station.

The DATCP states Vacation Station claims it was selling weekend
getaway vacation packages. Those filing complaints say they lost
$855 or never received promised gift cards.

The Events spoke to one of the people who was promised a stay by
Vacation Station.

She said she received a call from Vacation Station, and the
caller offered her a two night, three day stay at Wilderness Resort
as well as a $100 gift card in exchange for $99 and for her to
attend a timeshare meeting.

She said when she arrived at the arranged meeting place no one
was there. She said the Vacation Station number was disconnected
and when she tried to talk to people at the resort no one was able
to answer her questions and claimed not to know about Vacation
Station.

When she was able to get in contact with a person at an upper
level at the resort she was told they had been contacted by several
other people with similar stories. She said she was told the
stories were almost identical to hers.

The DATCP states of the $855 lost $200 is from Amex gift cards,
which were not received.

The DATCP states Vacation Station sold packages for Festiva and
the Wilderness in 2009 and packages for Hilton Garden Inn,
Wilderness and Kalahari in 2011.

Kalahari released the following statement about Vacation
Station: “It is our understanding that a complaint was filed with
the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection
regarding a reservation for a trip that was booked through a third
party booking agency, of which Kalahari Resorts has no prior or
current relationship with. The Consumer Protection Department is
rightfully looking into the situation and we’re cooperating with
the investigation.”

In a release, Joe Eck, general manager of Wilderness Hotel &
Golf Resort, said, “Vacation Station is a fraudulent company that
our resort has no relationship, contracts or agreements with.
Vacation Station was using the Wilderness name without our
knowledge or permission.”

Hilton Garden Inn and Festiva did not respond to a request for
comment.