Travel Agency's Woes Jilt Couples' Honeymoon Vacations

A bride-to-be says her dream honeymoon is tainted because a Tampa-based travel agency took her money but didn't pay for the reservations at a Jamaican resort.

Lori McMullen and her fiance, Jeffrey Cox, paid Dynamic Leisure $5,200 for their Aug. 4 honeymoon and recently checked the Web site of Couples Resort in Jamaica for updates. What McMullen read on the site was like a bad dream, she said.

Dynamic Leisure, which also does business under the name Changes in L'Attitudes, is months behind in paying its bills to the resort, and all future reservations made through the travel agency have been canceled, said a message from Randy Russell, senior vice president of Couples Resort.

Dozens of vacationers have been affected, Russell said. Some customers not aware of the cancellation arrived in Jamaica, discovered they did not have reservations and were told at the airport that they had to pay again to stay at the resort, he said. Dynamic Leisure has accumulated thousands of dollars in debt with the resort, Russell said.

McMullen has filed a complaint with the Florida attorney general's office. Three other vacationers also filed complaints with the office this month. McMullen, who lives in New York, said she called Dynamic Leisure but spent hours on hold.

Daniel G. Brandano, chief executive officer of Dynamic Leisure, could not be reached for comment. The doors were locked and the lights were off Tuesday morning and Wednesday afternoon at the travel agency, 5680-A W. Cypress Ave.

According to a July 10 report filed by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Brandano's company owes an investment company about $3.6 million.

Couples Resort has allowed McMullen and Cox to rebook their rooms at the rate previously offered to them, Russell said. Cox said that although he paid the resort about $4,000 to rebook, he and McMullen wonder whether they will get their $5,200 from the agency.