Travel agency hit with lawsuit over spring break trip

A Plainview travel agency, whose website promotes spring-break trips to Mexico where college students can "party like a rock star," failed to deliver vacations and refused refunds to 16 college students, a lawsuit says.

The lawsuit, filed last week in state Supreme Court in Mineola, alleged that Xtreme Brands LLC, doing business as Xtreme Trips, promised trips to Puerto Vallarta featuring "luxury hotels, private villas, beach parties, all-night dance clubs and music festivals." 

In reality, the lawsuit said, "trips were abruptly cancelled" and the students, including seven from Long Island, were charged "without ever receiving any goods or services" or getting refunds.

Peter Thomas, a Forest Hills attorney who filed the lawsuit on behalf of the students, said in a telephone interview that the company's no-refund policy was "unconscionable."

Also named in the lawsuit were Mark Tobin of Huntington and Alex Goldstein of Dix Hills, described by Thomas as officers or directors of the company.

Xtreme Trips listed its address as a suite at 1 DuPont St., Plainview, but a representative of the business occupying that office Tuesday said they had moved in last week and had no contact information for the travel agency. 

In a telephone interview, Tobin declined to provide his title with the company or respond to the lawsuit's allegations until his lawyers had reviewed it.

"There's no reason for a lawsuit," he said. "We're completely unaware of it." 

Alex Goldstein said by phone that he was unavailable to talk and did not respond immediately to an email.

The lawsuit seeks compensatory damages of $65,406 plus interest, punitive damages and attorneys' fees, for a total of $250,000.

As of Tuesday, the website of Xtreme Trips, xtremetrips.com, continued to advertise Puerto Vallarta 2020 spring-break trips. 

"Create the perfect spring break Xperience with roundtrip private charters, luxury 5-or-7 night stays at Xclusive hotels, all-inclusive food and drink options, and the wildest parties!" the website said.

The website includes slow-motion video of young adults dancing, drinking and carousing. 

Thomas said he found the plaintiffs when disgruntled customers of the travel agency joined together on a Facebook page.

Four of the plaintiffs are students from Nassau County, and three are from Suffolk. The  other students are from Westchester County, Manhattan, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Florida.

One plaintiff, Zachary Snitofsky of Dix Hills, said in a phone interview that after a few students backed out of the trip to Puerto Vallarta, the travel agency canceled his vacation entirely but refused to return his money, citing a no-refund policy.

"I understand they have a no-refund policy, but they canceled," said Snitofsky, a sophomore at the University of Maryland.

By Ken Schachter

kenneth.schachter@newsday.comkschach

Ken Schachter covers corporate news, including technology and aerospace, and other business topics for Newsday. He has also worked at The Miami Herald and The Jerusalem Post.