USGTC Camp in MA canceled?

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Many camps do not take credit cards, the cards charge quite a lot to the vendor to use them. This is where I would be certain I had good trip insurance cancellation, that can be purchased very cheaply online.
 
Many camps do not take credit cards, the cards charge quite a lot to the vendor to use them. This is where I would be certain I had good trip insurance cancellation, that can be purchased very cheaply online.
I have no dog in this fight but I’ve never come across a summer experience for kids- residential or day camp, travel, or anything else that did not take credit cards. Hell, more people refuse cash these days (not that I’d mail cash, I’m talking local there) and cards are the default, at least in our experience.
 
Are there any parents on here from Florida? I have contacted Sabirah Rayford from the Florida station WPTV. She is hoping to do a story on this and is looking for parents from Florida to talk to. I am in MA and have given her a lot of information but she is looking for a Florida connection. Anyone interested in contributing to this story please email her at sabirah.rayford@WPTV.com. I am forwarding her the emails we received and pictures from last year.
 
Are there any parents on here from Florida? I have contacted Sabirah Rayford from the Florida station WPTV. She is hoping to do a story on this and is looking for parents from Florida to talk to. I am in MA and have given her a lot of information but she is looking for a Florida connection. Anyone interested in contributing to this story please email her at sabirah.rayford@WPTV.com. I am forwarding her the emails we received and pictures from last year.
This is great. I'm in Mass too, but hope that she's able to get in touch with someone.
 
Why won't someone try to contact a news station in Mass? I understand the owners live in Florida, but most of the affected people are in Mass, so wouldn't it make sense to run the story here?
 
Why won't someone try to contact a news station in Mass? I understand the owners live in Florida, but most of the affected people are in Mass, so wouldn't it make sense to run the story here?
Or whatever network the Florida Station is on... try contacting the same network station in Mass. MAybe they could do a story in each state and share some interviews ... maybe then, it will go National!
 
I paid by cashier's check which I confirmed with our bank was cashed on June 5th. Bank of America said there is nothing they can do. After numerous calls and emails to the camp yesterday I contacted the local TV stations that I have seen help in cases like this - Solve IT 7 and Call to Action WBZ CBS affiliate. WBZ called me right back and I gave her all the info that the camp owners have left hundreds of families out $1400 with the last minute cancellation and have been non responsive. Call to action is a non profit volunteer organization. I live in MA so started with this since the camp was to be here. Contacting similar organizations in Florida is a good idea too since that's where the business is located. They also highly suggest contacting MA Attorney General Maura Healy 617-727-8400. All affected by this need to call and log a complaint online as soon as possible.

Has anyone received their money back? I understand this camp had a wonderful reputation and the owners appear to be very nice and dedicated but my daughter was completely devastated as she has been working so hard and was really looking forward to camp. I scrambled to get her to another camp and cannot afford this. The owners being completely non-responsive is unacceptable.


I also am out $1450 for this camp. I even called Mt. HOLYOKE but they were tight lipped about what happened. I am hoping there is something we can all do to get our money back.
 
Hi, we too lost $1450 and paid via check. I am not an attorney and would love some advice as to how and to file a civil claim. I am a New York resident. Who would I contact regarding this situation? NY or FL?

Thank you!

Nope. Looks like theft. Also, many, like me, paid by bank check so there's no recourse.

Just got an e-mail from them:

Dear Parents,

We apologize for the delay in response regarding refunds. We have been forced by
this situation to seek the assistance of an attorney.
At this point all questions must be directed to our attorney, Donna Bumgardner.
Donna Bumgardner can be reached at 954-724-4366.

I googled their attorney and she is a bankruptcy attorney. Looks like they don't plan on relinquishing our money soon.

I'm an attorney in Massachusetts and also a parent whose money was stolen by these two individuals. I am contacting the attorney general's offices in both Mass. and Florida, have contacted their counsel, and plan to investigate a civil action against them. This is absurd.
we
 
Hi, we too lost $1450 and paid via check. I am not an attorney and would love some advice as to how and to file a civil claim. I am a New York resident. Who would I contact regarding this situation? NY or FL?

Thank you!


we


I too have contacted the MA AGO and have a complaint #. However, do the Bankruptcy laws protect these people??? If so, that is absurd!!! We all need to work together and take action. This is unacceptable. Anybody else no of any other paths we can take besides the AGO's and Help/News channels?? I certainly can't afford a lawyer after dishing out the $1405 for this camp...
 
I agree!! It would be too costly for one of us to get a lawyer but if we all fight... we contacted a Florida station and had her do a great job ... still nothing back from the camp. We need to get more media and more lawyers involved! I will find the video but it was about 3 minutes long and the reporter saw a lock box on the owners former house, then knocked on the owners’ door of where they live now and there was no answer ... this is absolutely cruel and I feel so foolish. Is there a way for all of us to communicate as a team to move forward ? I will contact that station above .
 
Hi, we too lost $1450 and paid via check. I am not an attorney and would love some advice as to how and to file a civil claim. I am a New York resident. Who would I contact regarding this situation? NY or FL?

Thank you!


we
Because independently $1450 (or 2x that if you paid for both weeks) isn't enough to go out and hire an attorney, I think our best bet is collectively to continue to press the state attorney general's offices in Mass. and Florida (you can also contact the NY office if you want to add to the list of potential interest) and the USAG offices in Mass. and Florida. If as expected USGTC files bankruptcy, dischargeability can still be challenged. You can do it independently, or hope the state or feds or bankruptcy trustee do so. Also interested to see whether only the corp files bankruptcy or both the corp and individuals. I'm monitoring PACER (the online court filing system) and will post if something pops up.

The fact that they continued to accept tuition money knowing that camp was likely not going to happen (I know their stories change daily but Susan did tell me that they knew of the new "regulations" back in May) smells funny. For those of you suggesting that this wasn't fraud or theft, remember that even reputable people do bad things sometimes.
 
Thank you so much for doing all of this. If anyone wants to message me from this thread feel free... I would love to assist in any way to help all of us.
860-614-5622
 
Some things don't add up. The "owners" have been holding these camp from what I gather for 20 years? How does something like getting a permit slip through the cracks. I believe that may not be the reason. At some point, not days or weeks before, permits would have been needed to be presented.

If they have retained a bankruptcy attorney, it is highly unlikely anyone will get entirely what they paid. The type of bankruptcy they file will determine how much you guys will recover. There is Chapter 7, 11, 12 and 13. USAGTC will likely file either Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 (Chapter 12 is used by farmers and Chapter 11 while similar to Chapter 13 cost more and is usually utilized by larger corporations.) Chapter 7 bankruptcy is the worse for creditors as it is a complete discharge of debts. The debtors comes out without any future obligations. If the attorney is asking for receipts, it sounds like it may either be a Chapter 13. A Chapter 13 debtor is not seeking to get rid of all of their debt entirely but will likely restructure their payments so that they are more manageable. A payment plan will need to be approved by the court and the debtor must pay all or part of his debts from its "future income" over a period of three to five years. If they don't stay in business, the court will assess its assets and divide those assets among the creditors. In other words, if your plan only provides for payment of 10% of the unsecured debt, then the remaining 90% plus any accrued interest will be discharged or wiped out upon completion of the plan. Unfortunately, to my knowledge once a debtor has started to file bankruptcy, there is very little unsecured creditors (this is where all of you fall under) can do to recover all their money. You will be prohibited from filing a civil case lawsuit..

In order to be a secured creditor you must have a judgment in file already before the bankruptcy happens. A secured creditor is paid first and anything left after secured creditors have been paid will go to the unsecured creditors. To be a secured creditor, you must possess a judgment prior to the filing of a bankruptcy. You will provide a Proof of Claim to the bankruptcy attorney to get this claim paid. Getting a civil lawsuit to judgment before USAGTC files bankruptcy (if they have not already) is unlikely. It is a long procedure and costly. Individually though, you can file a small claims lawsuit. You don't need an attorney and the claim limit is $5000. It is a one page form where you state the amount you are owed and why you are owed this amount. Also you can attach proof. A hearing is scheduled about a month to two months out. If you appear and the plaintiff does not appear, you can get a judgment. the problem with this procedure, is if I recall correctly, you'll need to file the claim in a court where the defendant either lives or does business. But once you have a judgment you become a secured creditor. Still does not mean you get all your money, but you will be first in line to get paid. This is my recollection of how bankruptcy works. I do not know if procedure has changed as it has been a while since I've worked in this field. So pardon me if there are any inaccuracies.

At this stage, your only recourse that I can see based on all the posts above is to just wait. You can get media attention but I doubt it will expedite the matter. If USGTC has been dishonest that may be brought out by the media. The only other benefit is perhaps you can get the matter expedited to avoid media coverage. But I doubt it will affect the amount of money you will receive.
 
I am new to this group and am not an attorney. I also have a child who was screwed over when the camp failed to fulfill their contracted obligations (purposefully or not, I don’t care). Today I spoke to the attorneys office who is now handling the camps affairs. They confirmed that The camp is filing chapter 7 bankruptcy, this week. This seems to mean they are requesting a complete discharge of the camps debts. If you had a child registered the attorneys office is requesting that you fax your info to them (of course they have all of our info but it is a formality and they will use that as contact information for then the court paperwork is filed). We will get notice when the bankruptcy is filed and when the court dates are but I think very few of us are from Florida so and there is a high likelihood that many of us will not be in attendance. The attorneys office indicated that after they file, this becomes a the court decision. The Process can take up to 6 months and there is zero guarantee of getting any money back, from what I can tell. Great ideas suggested above and I do believe their filing for chapter 7 restricts our options.

I’m all for contacting the AG’s offices and the media. USGA needs to know about this fiasco as well as all of the Olympic medalists previously affiliated with this camp. I signed up my son for this camp because of their stellar 20 year reputation and the endorsement of all of the great gymnasts who were affiliated with it.

would love to hear from a current bankruptcy atty familiar with cross state issues like this one to confirm or deny any real options we may have in getting our $ back given the most recent info. Thanks
 
Unfortunate! A Chapter 7 bankruptcy is typically referred to as "no assets". If approved by the court, there is unlikely a recovery for anyone. They could not have spent all the money on rental of venue or gym equipment, etc. Something else is askew here.
 
Based on what the lawyer said, everyone in Mass and Florida should immediately file Small Claims cases... BEFORE they get the Bankruptcy claim filed. All others can see if you would be able to file in your state, but dont file if they wont allow it.
 
Based on what the lawyer said, everyone in Mass and Florida should immediately file Small Claims cases... BEFORE they get the Bankruptcy claim filed. All others can see if you would be able to file in your state, but dont file if they wont allow it.
How does one go about filing a small claims case?
 
Leslie Gaydos, consumer reporter, of NBC 10, has emailed me that they will be airing a story on USGTC tonight (8/15) at 11 pm...
 

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