Intsapho yeenkampani zokuhamba ezisekelwe eFlorida ezenza ishishini e-Austin naseSan Antonio zijongene nezityholo zezenzo zorhwebo ezikhohlisayo kunye nokunye ukuphulwa kwekhowudi yoshishino kunye neyorhwebo evela kwiofisi yeGqwetha Jikelele laseTexas.
Abamangalelwa, Escapes Austin LLC and Escapes Midwest LLC, abaqhuba ishishini phantsi kwamagama Global Escapes, Blue Water, Sun Tree kunye nabanye, batyholwa ngokusebenzisa izipho zobuxoki ukurhwebesha abathengi ukuba baye kwiisemina intengiso ukuba intengiso engenaxabiso ezinxulumene-isoftware iinkqubo zesoftware. , ngokwengxelo yeendaba evela kwiofisi yegqwetha jikelele.
UGqwetha Jikelele uGreg Abbott uthe iofisi yakhe ifuna ukubuyiselwa kubathengi baseTexas abangama-5,000 ekusenokwenzeka ukuba bakhohlisiwe ekuthengeni isoftware. Isabela kwisenzo sommeli-jikelele, iNkundla yeSithili yama-73 yaseBexar County yakhupha umyalelo wokuba ngumkhenkce impahla yabamangalelwa.
Iinombolo zefowuni eziqhagamshelwe kwi-Global Escapes 'i-Austin kunye ne-ofisi yaseSan Antonio ziye zacinywa xa ucofa ngoMvulo. Ummeli wenkampani ejongene nenkonzo yogcino uthe akavumelekanga ukuba anike iinombolo zemfonomfono zenkampani. Inombolo eyi-1-800 edweliswe kwiWebhsayithi yenkampani ibisoloko ixakekile kusasa ngoMvulo.
Amaxwebhu enkundla afakwe ngurhulumente anika igosa elilawulayo uJames Carey III kunye nelungu elilawulayo uGwendolyn Carey. Ngokwesimangalo sikarhulumente, abamangalelwa basebenzise i-imeyile ngokuthe ngqo kunye neefowuni zokuthengisa ngomnxeba ukwazisa abathengi abanokubakho ukuba "baphumelele" ukuhamba ngeenqanawa simahla, ukuhlala ehotele, izithuthi, iinqwelomoya okanye iiwotshi ezixabisa kakhulu. Noko ke, abo baphumeleleyo baxelelwa ukuba bamele benze idinga lokuya kumboniso wokuthengisa ukuze bafumane ibhaso labo.
Abo banyuliweyo nabo baxelelwa ukuba kufuneka bahlawule irhafu efunekayo kwizipho. Abamkeli abazange baziswe ngezithintelo, iindleko ezifihlakeleyo, ixabiso lebhaso xa lilonke okanye ukufumaneka okulinganiselweyo kwamabhaso. Ngokutsho kwabaphandi bakarhulumente, kwakunzima ukuhlawulela amabhaso, kubiza imali eninzi ukuwakhulula, okanye ayengafumaneki ngeentsuku ezithile.
Ngexesha lesemina zokuthengisa ezinyanzelekileyo, abamangalelwa babhengeza “itekhnoloji ye-injini yokukhangela yesoftware,” abathi iya kuvumela abathengi ukuba bafumane kwaye bagcine izivumelwano zokuhamba nge-intanethi. "Abamangalelwa emva koko basebenzisa amaqhinga okuthengisa oxinzelelo oluphezulu ukuze baqinisekise abathengi ukuba ithuba labo 'lelayisensi yesoftware' lingaphezulu kwabo bonke abanye abakwishishini," itsho njalo. "Abameli bokuthengisa abamangalelwa bahlala bethetha 'uthethathethwano phantsi' ukusuka kwixabiso lentengiso le-software yeedola ezili-12,000 ukuya kwi-7,000 yeedola, iidola ezi-4,000, okanye 'ukuthotywa kwexabiso kanye' ngeedola ezingama-2,200."
Abathengi ababengenako ukufikelela kwixabiso lokuthenga babenikwa inkxaso-mali. Kunokuba bagcine ityala lomthengi elingekahlawulwa, abamangalelwa bahlala belithengisa kwiqela lesithathu eliqokelela amatyala okanye iinkampani zemali.
Ngokwamaxwebhu, emva kokuthenga imveliso, abathengi abaninzi abakwazanga ukungena kwiWebhusayithi ubuncinci iiveki ezimbini. “Xa abamangalelwa ekugqibeleni banikezela ngezazisi eziyimfuneko kunye namagama ayimfihlo, abathengi abaninzi badibana neengxaki zobugcisa. Abathengi abakwaziyo ukufikelela ngokupheleleyo kule nkqubo bafumanise ukuba izivumelwano zohambo zentengiso ababethenjisiwe zazingekho ngokwenene. ”
Ngexesha lothethathethwano lwentengiso, abathengi baxelelwa ukuba bangabuyisela imveliso ukuze babuyiselwe imali ukuba abanelisekanga ngokuthenga kwabo. Nangona kunjalo, xa abathengi bezama ukurhoxisa izivumelwano zabo, abamangalelwa bathi ikhontrakthi yokuthengisa iyabophelela. Ukuxhalabisa ukuba ii-arhente zokuqokelela amatyala zingonakalisa ukulinganisa kwabo kwamatyala, abathengi abaninzi nabo bahlawula inkxaso yonyaka "yemirhumo yokuphucula isofthiwe", nangona bengenako okanye bengayisebenzisi inkqubo.
Phantsi koMthetho wezoRhwebo ezikhohlisayo waseTexas, abamangalelwa bajongana nezohlwayo eziya kuthi ga kwi-20,000 yeedola ngokutyeshela, kunye nesohlwayo se-$250,000 ukuba ukuziphatha bekuyilelwe ukwenzakalisa umntu oneminyaka engama-65 nangaphezulu. Isenzo sonyanzeliso sikhankanya ukwaphulwa okuninzi kweKhowudi yoShishino kunye noRhwebo lweKhowudi yaseTexas yoKhuphiswano kunye noMthetho wokuNikelana ngesipho. Ukongeza, iGqwetha Jikelele lamangalela abamangalelwa ngokwaphula iTexas Disclosure and Privacy Act, edla ngokubizwa ngokuba ngumthetho waseTexas No-Call.
INTO ONOKUYITHATHA KWELI NQAKU:
- The defendants, Escapes Austin LLC and Escapes Midwest LLC, which do business under the names Global Escapes, Blue Water, Sun Tree and others, are accused of using false gift giveaways to entice customers to attend sales seminars that marketed worthless travel-related software programs, according to a news release from the attorney general's office.
- Under the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, the defendants face civil penalties of up to $20,000 per violation, as well as a $250,000 penalty if the conduct was designed to harm a person aged 65 or older.
- According to the documents, after purchasing the product, many customers were unable to log on to the Web site for at least two weeks.
