Wong Travel Agent

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Joe Guy
Posts: 13927
Joined: Fri Apr 09, 2010 2:40 pm
Location: Redweird City, California

Wong Travel Agent

Post by Joe Guy »

I bet she doesn't have a lot of friends...
'These people put their trust in her': Hawaii travel agent allegedly defrauded Bay Area residents

A Hawaii travel agent has been charged with nearly four dozen felonies for allegedly defrauding clients, including family friends and former classmates, for thousands of dollars.

Wendy Wong, the owner of the now-defunct House of Aloha Hawaii travel agency, was charged last December with 47 felony counts — 45 of them for failing to refund her clients for trips that she failed to book, and two more for withdrawing from a business account “for unapproved purposes.” She was arraigned March 18, and pled not guilty to all of the charges.

Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney Tamalca Harris told SFGATE that Wong appeared in court remotely with her attorney due to the ongoing pandemic.

According to a KGO investigation, Wong listed a litany of reasons for failing to refund her customers, citing bad weather and canceled flights.

Jennifer Sioxson, one woman who worked with Wong and considered her a family friend, said that she was left without a hotel by the time she arrived to Hawaii for a vacation. She was forced to pay for a hotel out-of-pocket, she told KGO, but was unable to get a refund from Wong.

"She was a family friend, our kids are friends, she's hosted my kids at her house many times, so you know it's just, I thought she'd come around," Sioxson told the news outlet.

Another client named Johnny Phan who allegedly booked a trip with at least 80 people costing nearly $100,000 to renew wedding vows, had their trip canceled last minute by Wong, who again neglected to refund them for the trip. Phan told KHNL in Hawaii that he trusted Wong because they had attended middle school together in Milpitas.

She was not licensed by the state of Hawaii to be a travel agent, KHNL reported. The Better Business Bureau also cited the agency, noting that the organization "received a pattern of complaints concerning contract and service issues" from disgruntled customers.

The Bureau also said that customers were sent fake itineraries, leading customers to believe that trips were booked.

“If there’s anybody who believes they’re a victim with House of Aloha Hawaii, report it to their local law enforcement,” Harris told SFGATE. Santa Clara County residents can email travelcomplaints@dao.sccgov.org. The next hearing for this case will be held May 3, Harris told SFGATE.

"You reap what you sow. I mean all these people put their trust in her and their money," Sioxson told KGO.
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dales
Posts: 10922
Joined: Sat Apr 17, 2010 5:13 am
Location: SF Bay Area - NORTH California - USA

Re: Wong Travel Agent

Post by dales »

Back in the day "travel agent" meant an LSD peddler.

Oh, the good old days.

Your collective inability to acknowledge this obvious truth makes you all look like fools.


yrs,
rubato

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