Idaho business to pay $100K in case of fake Alaska trips

BOISE, Idaho (AP) - Business owners in Idaho have reached a settlement agreement after they were accused of selling fake fishing trips in Alaska and leaving people stranded, a newspaper reported.

Access Life's Adventures and its owners Craig Fletcher and Crystal Fletcher have agreed to pay more than $100,000 in refunds to 25 customers, the Idaho Statesman reported Thursday.

They have also agreed not to advertise or sell vacation packages, travel or vacation-related goods or services from within Idaho or to customers in the state for 10 years. The Fletchers have said they did not violate any regulations and agreed to the settlement to resolve the complaints.

The couple must repay the funds within the 10 years or the ban becomes indefinite, the settlement said.

Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden alleged in a civil lawsuit filed in July that the couple violated the state Consumer Protection Act, which protects against unfair or deceptive business practices.

"While stopping a business from further harming consumers is a primary enforcement goal for my office, recovering consumer restitution also is important," Wasden said.

The case stemmed from multiple complaints to the attorney general's office from customers who said the company canceled their trips without refunding their money, Wasden said.