Smart Moms Travel is allegedly refusing to return deposits to customers who booked Walt Disney World Resort or Disneyland Resort trips through the agency. The situation leaves families uncertain whether their funds remain connected to confirmed Disney Park reservations following Disney's termination of the company's authorized vacation planner status.
Disney Terminates Agency Authorization
The Walt Disney Company revoked Smart Moms Travel's designation as an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner in mid-November. The action followed public allegations from current and former employees regarding unpaid commissions and wrongful terminations. Two current employees claim they haven't resigned or been fired but report missing over $4,000 in October commission payments. The pair has hundreds of future Disney Park vacations booked for clients.
“Based on concerns we have received regarding changes to Smart Moms Travel's business practices, we have exercised our right to terminate our Authorized Disney Vacation Planner designation agreement with the agency,” Disney said last month.
Deposit Refund Requests Ignored
NBC Connecticut reported on December 15 that, weeks after Disney severed ties with Smart Moms Travel, customers continue to wait for agency refunds. Client Whitney Stallbaumer explained to the station that she chose to rebook her vacation to remove Smart Moms Travel from her reservation after the developments in November.
“I mean, if she gets mad at her agents and can fire them and not pay them, what can she do to our trip?” Stallbaumer said of Smart Moms Travel's CEO, Lauren (LJ) Johnson.
Walt Disney World Resort returned Stallbaumer's $200 deposit to Smart Moms Travel, the booking agent for her original reservation. Johnson and Smart Moms Travel have reportedly ignored multiple refund requests for that deposit. Stallbaumer contacted the company “through Instagram, Facebook, email, and even sent a Venmo request at the recommendation of another agent.”
“One of the other frustrating things is she is currently asking for applicants for a position, and so I applied for that and was like, ‘Hey, I see that you're reading these messages. Can you please send me my refund?'” Stallbaumer said.
Stallbaumer hasn't filed a police report over the $200 deposit.
“It's not something that I would, you know, file a police report on or be super stressed about,” she said. “But I think her sitting on the vacation money of everybody else is kind of principle at this point.”
Johnson didn't respond to NBC Connecticut‘s request for comment about the Disney vacation deposit.
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