A travel agency known for booking Disney vacations has recently been featured in multiple news reports following Disney’s decision to end its relationship with the company. Recent reports have focused on allegations made by travel agencies that work with the agency.
We have been following wider media coverage of these developments, with the latest reporting focusing on allegations from travel agency customers claiming they have not yet received their refunds. Mickey’s Access brings you the latest Disney news and planning resources, including a roundup of the recent Disney Vacation Club rental crackdown and the latest policy changes.
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Smart Mom Travel Agency Now Faces Customer Accusations
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National travel agency Smart Moms Travel has attracted media attention over the past few months following reports that former and current employees accused it of wrongful termination and unpaid commissions.
Disney previously issued the following statement to NBC Connecticut about the matter: “Based on concerns we received about changes in the business practices of Smart Moms Travel, we have exercised our right to terminate our Disney Authorized Vacation Planner designation agreement with the agency.” You can view our initial summary of the dispute here.
Following Disney’s announcement, Smart Moms Travel CEO Lauralyn “LJ” Johnson spoke to NBC Connecticut in a Zoom interview. We covered the conversation with news outlets.
Then another report from NBC in Connecticut said Current Smart Moms Travel employees accuse the agency of withholding commissions. Two current employees, Ashton Chinault and Kathleen Wright, told NBC Connecticut they did not resign, were not fired and were not paid their previous months’ commissions in November. According to Chinault, she was owed $3,250 in October and still has 145 families booked for future Disney trips. Wright claims she is owed nearly $1,000 and is still working with clients to arrange future Disney trips. See all the details in a separate article here.
Now, a former customer has come forward to accuse Smart Moms Travel of not refunding her money. Customer Whitney Stallbaumer told NBC Connecticut that she chose to rebook her Disney trip in order to remove Smart Moms Travel’s access to her reservation, citing concerns about recent allegations involving the company’s CEO Lauren Johnson, aka LJ.
“I mean, if she’s mad at her agents and can fire them and not pay them, what can she do with our trip?” Stalbaumer said in an interview with NBC Connecticut.
After Stallbaumer rebooked her trip, Disney refunded her original $200 deposit to Smart Moms Travel after the credit card information on the reservation was changed. She told NBC Connecticut that she has tried contacting Johnson and Smart Moms Travel but has yet to receive a refund or response. In the interview, Stallbaumer said she contacted the company “through Instagram, Facebook, email, and even sent a Venmo request at the recommendation of another agent.”
“I’ve sent an email. The other frustrating thing is she’s currently looking for applicants for a position, so I applied for the position and said, hey, I see you’re reading these messages. Can you send me my refund?”
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Stalbaumer told NBC Connecticut, “You know, it’s not something that I would file a police report or feel super stressed about. But I think it’s a matter of principle at this point that she’s sitting on other people’s vacation money.”
NBC Connecticut said it reached out to Disney for a response but has not yet heard back, and has contacted Johnson twice in the past week for comment on the refund request and the travel agent’s allegations.
NBC Connecticut first reported this story.
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