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Feb 23, 2009 10:00 pm US/Central
Garland Company Accused Of Religious Travel Scam
GARLAND (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
They paid for a sacred journey, but claim they got ripped off. CBS 11 News has details about a Garland man, who some say, is using religion to prey on believers all across North Texas and the country.
Raida Viajar is a globe-trotter. She's visited the Seven Wonders of the World and even got a hug from the Dali Lama. Last year, Viajar planned to embark on a new adventure; a religious pilgrimage to Europe.
To finance the trip, Viajar said she cashed in a savings bond to pay Renaissance Pilgrimages of Garland more than $3,800 for a spiritual adventure. Ten days before the trip, the head of the company, Robert Grove, sent an e-mail, according to Viajar, "That he's going to cancel the trip because a few people dropped out and without enough people going, they cannot do it."
So what happened to Viajar's money? "I called him, could not get a hold of him. I called his cell phone, then I called his office number," explained Viajar. "Being Catholic, I expected him to be honest with his clients."
Finally, Viajar received a check for $300 and then another check for $1,000, but she said the $1,000 check bounced. "I kind of feel like I'm being cheated. I tell him, please return my money, whatever you asked I paid you and I trusted you."
The Dallas Better Business Bureau (BBB) has a file on Renaissance Pilgrimages. The BBB gives the company a failing grade of F. In the past six months, the BBB has had 10 complaints on Renaissance Pilgrimages and three of those haven't been resolved. BBB spokesperson, Jeannette Kopko, said the complainants claim they "Were notified that the trip had been canceled and they were promised a refund and didn't get the refund."
CBS 11 News tracked down Robert Grove, the man who runs Renaissance Pilgrimages, at his home in Garland. He walked away from the camera and refused to answer any questions. Perhaps Grove didn't say anything because there's a lot more to this story.
Court records show about six years ago, Grove ran a company called Mediatrix. The company organized religious pilgrimages around the world, and there were dozens of unhappy clients who complained to the Texas Attorney General's Office that their trip was canceled and they never got a refund.
In fact, the Catholic Diocese of Dallas cooperated with the Texas Attorney General's inquiry into Grove's company, because of allegations that Mediatrix was somehow affiliated with the Catholic Church. "There was great concern that anyone might be mislead to believe that the Diocese of Dallas or the Roman Catholic Church , in an official way, sponsored these activities, this business, these trips, in any way, shape, or form, because they were not," explained Diocese Spokesperson Annette Gonzalez Taylor.
Records show in 2003, the Texas Attorney General's Office sued Mediatrix and Grove. A judge found Grove engaged in false, misleading and deceptive trade practices. Mediatrix was ordered to pay millions in penalties and Grove ordered to pay nearly $550,000 in restitution. In the end, neither Grove nor Mediatrix paid a dime. They both filed for bankruptcy.
Now it appears Grove is selling tours again. He has a website promoting upcoming trips. A couple from Louisiana recently signed up for a tour to French Canada, but they received a letter days before the planned departure stating the trip had been canceled. The couple claims to have paid $4,400 to Grove and only got $300 back.
"I think it is of concern that people are not getting their refunds and the company is still selling tours and taking in new money," Kopko said of the recent alleged activity. Meanwhile, Viajar is still out thousands of dollars. "I never thought he's going to do this to me. Because it's my money and I paid him whatever he asked, I paid him for it," she said.
The Texas Attorney General did not bring criminal charges against Grove. According to Grove's website, he's had successful tours and made some refunds.
If you're owed money by Renaissance Pilgrimages, send us an e-mail and let us know.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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