A condo rental agency allegedly cheated dozens of Quebec snowbirds in Florida

Dozens of Quebec snowbirds have seen their vacations turn into a nightmare and fear never seeing again the color of the money given to a rental agency in Florida for condos to which they never had access.

“We are all convinced that we are going to lose our money. It smells like a scam,” criticizes Daniel Richard, a 70-year-old Montrealer.

He is one of dozens of Quebecers to whom The newspaper spoke who had rented a condo to spend several weeks in the sun this winter with the Segula Vacations agency.

This company, created in 2022, acts as an intermediary between owners of residential units located in several cities in Florida and customers who wish to rent them. It initially received good comments, notably from several Quebecers, for which many people trusted it.

No condo or refund

Things started to go wrong around the beginning of this winter, when clients noticed that their condo had never actually been rented from the owner, despite sending an initial payment of several thousand or even tens of dollars. thousands of US dollars to Segula Vacations.

“I’ve never had a condo. I came back here at Christmas, my children all lost their plane tickets. I had never felt like that, to be cheated in the same way,” laments Hélène Cholette, who had gone to Florida before realizing that the accommodation was not rented. She thus saw her dream Christmas with her family in Florida be ruined.

The Laurentides resident is today unable to be reimbursed, despite a clause to this effect provided for in the contract, the hefty sum of 28,000 USD (or 37,000 CAD) that she had paid to rent a condo for four months.

She estimates that she lost “at least $50,000” due to the problems caused by the false reservation, notably in hotel and transportation costs before returning to Quebec.

For several weeks, the alleged victims of this company have been mobilizing to find the lost sums. A review validated by The newspaper shows that at least 20 Quebec customers lost more than US$120,000 ($161,000 CAN).

• Listen to the interview with Olivier Faucher, journalist at Journal de Montréal on Alexandre Dubé’s show via QUB radio :

“No fraud,” says the owner

Some alleged victims have since filed complaints at the Hallandale Police Station in Florida, where several of the condos allegedly being rented are located.

The owner of Segula Vacations, Maryline Martinez, has become increasingly difficult to reach since many customers are demanding refunds. She did not respond to multiple requests for interviews from the Newspaper.

Some received an apology email from the owner, including The newspaper obtained a copy, in which she explains that her company had had “difficulty honoring its commitments”.

“I would like to clarify that there was no fraud, no unhealthy intention […] Growth in booking demand [sic] was too fast and the structure was not adequate to deal with it,” wrote M^me Martinez.

Hallandale Beach police yesterday were unable to confirm Newspaper the holding of an investigation into this matter.

Expert advises against bank transfers

Paying large sums via bank transfers is not recommended, according to an expert.

“It’s the equivalent of giving someone cash. For very large amounts, I would tend to recommend using a credit card instead,” says Simon Marchand, security expert.

Credit card payment systems come with several protections. “For example, they can go and look for the money in the seller’s accounts.”

“I don’t think we can blame people for trusting a company that already had a track record, especially if it’s the second time they’ve done business with them,” believes Mr. Marchand.

Other testimonies:

“Not a question of money”

Daniel Richard, one of the many Quebecers saying they have been cheated by Segula Vacations, calls on the authorities to do their job, to avoid other cases like his.

“We have to stop the bleeding, let everyone send money without getting anything in return. It’s not about money for me.”

Mr. Richard was to stay in Pompano Beach with his partner from February 24 to March 25, after sending US$2,500 to Segula Vacations on October 31, 2023.

He has little hope of having access to the condo that the agency had promised him, seeing his messages and requests for reimbursement being ignored by the company.

A much more expensive vacation

Raymond Leblanc was not the only one in his entourage who had booked with Segula Vacations, which allowed him to see several red flags and save his vacation.

“From the end of November, we had a friend who had booked with Segula and wanted to cancel. He was running after M^me Martinez for his money. We were starting to have little doubts.”

His brother-in-law decided to send a friend to check with the owner of the condo he had been promised.

“My condo is not for rent,” the owner reportedly replied.

Unable to contact M^me Martinez and obtain a refund before his vacation, Mr. Leblanc gave up on his reservation and on his luxurious condo.

He was still able to “turn around” and rent another condo to save his vacation, which will cost him nearly $11,000 in accommodation expenses if he cannot be reimbursed, instead of $4,500. .

“It had been good” last year

Nearly $10,000: that’s the amount Nathalie Dion paid to Segula Vacation for a condo she never managed to set foot in.

However, nothing led him to believe that things would happen like this. “In 2023, I had rented with her. I had dinner with her, I saw her family. I paid for it on the spot and everything was fine.”

She therefore rented again with this agency for a stay from January 29 to March 31, 2024.

The night before she left for Florida in 2024, she received a call from Maryline Martinez saying that due to a problem, her condo was not available.

His solution? Promise to pay for the hotel for a month, until January 31, while you find him something else.

However, “on the evening of January 15, someone came and knocked on my bedroom door and said to me: shouldn’t you go out today? I had to go out” because payment for the rest of the month had not been received, laments Ms. Dion, who also had to rent something else to save her winter in Florida.