FOR RELEASE: JULY 2, 1992
FTC CHARGES JAMES R. QUINCY, ATLANTA TELEMARKETER WITH
VIOLATION OF FEDERAL COURT ORDER
A federal judge has frozen the assets of James R. Quincy and
Feelin' Great International, Inc., an Atlanta, Georgia tele-
marketing firm selling Caribbean and Florida vacation travel
packages. The firm allegedly is operated by Quincy in violation
of a 1988 federal district court order that followed charges
filed by the Federal Trade Commission. In a new motion, filed
June 29, the FTC alleged that Quincy operated Feeling' Great
without posting the bond required by the order, and failed to
make certain required disclosures to consumers.
The asset freeze is in effect until a hearing can be held on
the FTC's motion. The hearing is scheduled for July 13. The
court has ordered Quincy to explain at the hearing why the court
should not hold him in contempt for the alleged violations of the
court's order.
The temporary restraining order is the latest event stemming
from 1981 FTC charges that Quincy and 12 other individual and
corporate defendants made numerous misrepresentations in the
promotion and sale of vacation-timeshare interests in Harbor
Village Club and Paradise Palms Vacation Club. Quincy and the
other defendants allegedly misrepresented the ownership, location
and number of timeshare units available through those clubs, as
well as purchasers' ability to exchange their timeshare rights at
those Clubs for rights at timeshare developments elsewhere in the
world.
- more -
James R. Quincy--07/02/92)
After the FTC filed its complaint, the federal district
court entered a preliminary injunction against Quincy prohibiting
him from engaging in the challenged behavior. In July 1982, the
Commission charged that Quincy had violated the preliminary
injunction in connection with his promotion and sale of motor
home vacation timeshares. In February 1983, the court found
Quincy in contempt of court, ordered him to reimburse the FTC for
costs and counsel fees, and banned him from any involvement in
the timeshare industry.
Quincy agreed to a stipulated final judgment, which was
entered in July 1988. The final judgment permanently barred him
from the timeshare industry. It also prohibited him from making
misrepresentations in connection with the promotion or sale of
vacation and recreation programs, home improvement products or
services, and business or investment opportunities, and required
him to obtain a performance bond and file it with the FTC and the
court prior to selling any goods or services to consumers who
paid in advance of delivery.
In its motion for an order to show cause, the FTC said that
Quincy, as president and sole officer and director of Feelin'
Great International, Inc., markets Caribbean and Florida travel
packages to consumers. According to the FTC, Quincy allegedly
violated the 1988 permanent injunction by failing to post the
required bond. Feelin' Great International, Inc. customers must
pay for their travel long before they take the trips. The FTC
also claimed Quincy allegedly failed to notify consumers that
they had a right to cancel, and that they had 10 days in which to
cancel. The FTC also asserted that Quincy required some
consumers to waive their right to cancel or to receive a refund
from Feeling' Great when they tried to obtain the travel they had
purchased.
The FTC's Division of Marketing Practices in Washington,
D.C. and the Seattle Regional Office are handling the motion for
contempt. The FTC staff has received assistance from the Postal
Inspectors in Nebraska and Georgia, and the Georgia Governor's
Office of Consumer Affairs.
The FTC filed the contempt action under seal in the U.S.
District Court for the Western District of Washington, in
Seattle, and the judge issued the order to show cause and the
temporary restraining order on June 29. The seal was lifted on
June 30.
James R. Quincy--07/02/92)
Copies of the temporary restraining order, the 1988
permanent injunction and the order to show cause are available
from the FTC's Public Reference Branch, Room 130, 6th Street and
Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20580; 202-326-2222;
TTY 1-866-653-4261.
# # #
MEDIA CONTACT: Brenda A. Mack, Office of Public Affairs
202-326-2182
STAFF CONTACT: Patricia S. Howard, Bureau of Consumer Protection
202-326-2321
(Civil Action No. C81-1160(V)D)
(quincy)