New York, NY: Consolidated World Travel Inc., which does business as both Holiday Cruise Line and Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line, is facing a Telephone Consumer protection Act (TCPA) class action lawsuit.
Filed by plaintiff Jason Huhn, the complaint alleges the Florida-based company sent Huhn an automated text message on his cellphone in March 2014 offering a free cruise. Huhn alleges the company never asked him for his consent to send him advertisements.
"Defendants sent similar text messages to thousands of individuals nationwide using an automatic dialing system and without the consent of those individuals,"the complaint states. "At no point did plaintiff consent to receiving such text messages. At no point did plaintiff enter into a business relationship with defendants."
According to the complaint, CWT sends automated text messages to individuals advertising a "free cruise"and providing a phone number that an individual must call to redeem the cruise. When the number in the text message is called, the caller is connected with a company identifying itself as "Travel Services."The operator explains that he or she sees the caller is calling about a free cruise, and immediately "transfers"the caller to "Holiday Cruise Line,"the complaint states.
The lawsuit also names the cruise line' Tampa-based marketing firm, Elite Marketing Inc., as well as CWT owner James H. Verrillo as defendants.
Huhn is represented by Ari Marcus of Marcus Law LLC. The case is Jason Huhn v. Consolidated Travel Holdings Group Inc. et al., case number 2:15-cv-02298, in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.
