WINTER GARDEN, Fla. – A journey firm that helps college teams arrange musical performances at Central Florida theme parks is accused of failing to reimburse funds to college students after the COVID-19 pandemic brought on their journeys to be canceled, it discovered Information 6.
Winter Backyard-based Musical Locations Inc. organizes transportation, resorts, dinners, theme park tickets and actions for youth teams that carry out at Common Orlando and Walt Disney World, in keeping with the corporate’s web site.
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When theme parks have been briefly closed in March 2020 to mitigate the unfold of the virus, a number of college gangs discovered that their scheduled journeys to Central Florida can be canceled.
Eleven months later, a whole bunch of households throughout the southeastern US are nonetheless ready for Musical Locations to difficulty refunds.
Because the journey firm faces potential litigation, a neighborhood theme park operator introduced that it’s going to not do enterprise with Musical Locations.
“I’ve an entire metropolis of loopy mother and father. They’re struggling, ”mentioned John Rea, an legal professional representing an Alabama college district in a deliberate lawsuit in opposition to Musical Locations. “I am doing every thing I can to get the cash again.”
Musical Locations owes Springville Excessive College in St. Clair County greater than $ 105,000 after the band’s scheduled journey to Walt Disney World in March was canceled because of the virus, in keeping with Rea.
“(Musical Locations) promised a refund in just a few weeks,” Rea mentioned. “However the line of communication simply stopped.”
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Almost 100 college students and 70 chaperones had deliberate to make the journey from Alabama highschool when the pandemic introduced the Central Florida tourism business to a standstill.
1000’s of hospitality staff misplaced their jobs and quite a few tourism-related companies suffered as journey to Central Florida plummeted after the virus outbreak.
“My individuals are cheap. We notice that unhealthy issues have occurred to lots of people, ”Rea mentioned. “We simply want communication.”
Musical Locations has been operated by Joseph “Jody” Cooper since 1995, state information present.
Cooper initially agreed to talk to Information 6, however then didn’t reply his cellphone on the time of the scheduled appointment.
After Cooper didn’t reply to a number of emails, voicemails and textual content messages, a Information 6 reporter visited an deal with of music locations listed on state information.
Cooper entered the home with out commenting on his firm.
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“Mother and father are simply as annoyed as I’m,” mentioned Jeremy McFall, band director at Dora Excessive College in Dora, Alabama. “For a lot of of our college students, they simply do not have the monetary capability to journey loads.”
Though Musical Locations returned a examine for $ 21,000 that he had not but deposited, McFall mentioned the corporate nonetheless owes his college $ 22,000.
“I used to be promised a refund settlement type to start out the method, and I by no means acquired it,” mentioned the band director.
Based mostly on the emails he acquired from Cooper, McFall believes that Musical Locations efficiently recovered practically the entire college cash that the corporate had paid to exterior distributors comparable to resorts and eating places.
“I obtained some refunds from Common at present on my bank cards,” Cooper reportedly wrote in a Might 6, 2020 e-mail McFall supplied to Information 6.
However Common Orlando didn’t elevate cash from the journey firm on behalf of McFall college students previous to the cancellation of the band’s journey, in keeping with a resort consultant.
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“Our coverage and follow has been to promptly reimburse any group of scholars with an occasion affected by the pandemic,” mentioned a Common Orlando spokesperson. “That mentioned, we by no means acquired funds from Musical Locations on behalf of (Dora Excessive College) and we not do enterprise with this firm.”
“Oh my gosh. Wow,” McFall mentioned in response to the theme park operator’s assertion. “The place did the cash go? I imply, immediately, that is the one query I’ve. “
Common Orlando introduced on March 12, 2020 that it will briefly shut its theme parks efficient March 16, 2020, three days earlier than Dora Excessive College’s scheduled journey to Central Florida.
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey declared a state of emergency on March 13, 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic and closed public faculties for greater than two weeks.
That very same day, McFall mentioned his college band’s journey was formally canceled.
Below Dora Excessive College’s contract with Musical Locations, “if the group cancels” three months earlier than the journey, all monies are refundable.
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The settlement states that no refunds might be issued if your complete group tour is canceled lower than a month earlier than the journey.
The contract doesn’t particularly deal with cancellations attributable to the closure of theme parks or resorts.
The varsity group’s bundle included journey insurance coverage for “post-departure scholar safety,” in keeping with the contract, however it’s unclear whether or not the insurance coverage coverage coated journey cancellation prices.
“I perceive from Musical Locations that we’d get our a reimbursement for every thing,” mentioned McFall, who claims the corporate by no means claimed that the funds have been non-refundable following the pandemic-related cancellation.
Information 6 has discovered that a minimum of two Alabama faculties have been efficiently reimbursed from Musical Locations, together with one the place Cooper’s brother works as a band director.
The Homewood Excessive College marching band had deliberate to journey to the Match of Roses Parade in California earlier than the pandemic pressured a cancellation of the New Years Day occasion.
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Musical Locations issued a partial refund to the college as a number of the deposits have been non-refundable.
“Homewood Center College went by way of the suitable strategy of requesting a refund from Musical Locations,” mentioned a spokesperson for the college district. “Homewood Excessive’s settlement to make use of Musical Locations for journey preparations for the Match of Roses parade was made previous to the hiring of the present (college) band director.”
Cooper’s brother didn’t reply to emails providing the chance to remark.
In close by Shelby County, Musical Locations issued a refund to 1 college, however households at two different faculties, Chelsea Excessive and Chelsea Center, are nonetheless ready to get the cash again.
“It is an excessive frustration,” mentioned Barry Lovette, a father whose two daughters deliberate to bounce alongside the marching band from Chelsea Excessive College in Common Orlando whereas his spouse served as a chaperone.
Lovette advised Information 6 that her household paid about $ 2,500 for the journey, which had been scheduled for the week of April 1, 2020.
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Lovette mentioned he and different mother and father have repeatedly tried to contact Musical Locations with out success.
“I am making an attempt to get assist to get this cash, not only for our household, however for all of the households,” Lovette mentioned. “And never only for our Chelsea Excessive College, however for all the faculties affected by this example.”
Common Orlando by no means acquired funds from Musical Locations on behalf of Chelsea Excessive College, in keeping with a Common spokesperson.
Information 6 requested a duplicate of Chelsea Excessive College’s contract with Musical Locations below Alabama public information legislation, however directors on the Shelby County Board of Training declined to offer it.
“In an effort to resolve the scenario, our attorneys would love us to maintain issues between the College Board and Music Locations confidential at the moment,” mentioned John Gwin, chief monetary officer for the college board.
In a December 16, 2020 letter to oldsters, Gwin acknowledged that the college board had not been in touch with Musical Locations since September 2020, regardless of leaving voice messages and emails with the corporate on daily basis.
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The Shelby County Board of Training decided that it was not possible to file a lawsuit in opposition to Musical Locations, in keeping with the letter.
“The mother and father are livid and it is hurting the college,” mentioned Kattie Curiel, who paid $ 565 for her daughter to journey to Orlando with the Chelsea Center College band. “I do not know the way the proprietor (of Musical Locations) sleeps at night time.”
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