The Ohio Attorney General's Office has filed a consumer protection lawsuit against Discovery Tours after the agency declared bankruptcy and canceled several school field trips within the last two weeks.
Attorney General Mike DeWine says an investigation by his office found Discovery Tours took money from parents and schools despite knowing it would not be able to provide the requested services.
The lawsuit, filed in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court, is demanding the company cease all illegal activities and reimburse all customers.
Discovery Tours Complaint by WKYC.com on Scribd
“We believe Discovery Tours violated consumer protection laws and must be held accountable,” DeWine, who is also the Republican nominee for Ohio governor, said. “Families and schools across the state trusted this company, and their trust was betrayed.”
Discovery Tours first came under scrutiny last week after Mentor was forced to cancel and eighth grade field trip to Washington, D.C., due to problems with the agency. Other local school districts soon started voicing concerns, and eventually Discovery Tours shut its doors and scrapped all planned trips despite the fact that most payments had already been made by customers.
While some school districts have been able to find ways to go ahead with their respective trips, others have not. The state Attorney General's Office soon took up the case, and apparently received more than 700 complaints, mostly from parents who say they payed hundreds of dollars for their kids to travel.
The story has even reached the federal level, with U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown writing letters to both the Federal Trade Commission and the Northern District of Ohio's U.S. Attorney requesting an investigation into Discovery Tours.