Tourists say their Maryland travel company left 70 women stranded in France and is dragging heels on refunds

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A Maryland travel company reportedly cut short a luxury France trip for more than 70 women and postponed another trip, travelers say, leaving some still waiting for refunds.

Younique Ventures, a Charles County-based travel company owned by married couple Kendra and Kelvin Brown, is facing complaints from customers who say they were hit with unexpected travel costs, lost portions of planned vacations and struggled to reach the company afterwards.

In July, more than 70 women traveled to Europe for the company's “Goddess Refresh Experience,” a women's retreat that included stops in the South of France.

WUSA9 reports that it spoke with 12 women who attended the trip, several of whom said they were suddenly left to figure out their own travel plans after the experience was cut short by four days.

According to the travelers, Kendra Brown told the group that a flight disruption meant the planned itinerary could not continue.

“The trip is ending here,” Dell Sibury recalled Brown telling the group. “At that point, the room erupted with different emotions.”

With the remaining accommodations and activities canceled or unavailable, travelers said they had to decide what to do next on their own dime. Some found flights home, while others stayed in France and arranged later flights themselves.

Travelers said Brown promised refunds for canceled portions of the trip and reimbursement for unexpected costs within 60 days, but that deadline has passed, and they say they are still waiting for the money.

Younique Ventures said in a statement posted on Facebook that a last-minute aircraft change left too few seats for the group.

“Rather than separate the group and leave people behind, we made the difficult decision to end the group experience early. We know that this was very disappointing to many of our travellers and it was to us as well," the statement read.

The company also said its contract did not require refunds but that it chose to refund the unused portion of the trip and reimburse reasonable travel costs for those who returned home instead of continuing on their own.

"We chose to offer a refund for the unused portion of the trip and reimbursements for reasonable costs of travel home for those travelers who elected not to stay and continue on the trip on an individualized basis," the statement read, adding that the high number of chargebacks has delayed the company’s ability to issue refunds within its intended 60-day timeline.

Meanwhile, another traveler who said they paid nearly $30,000 for an Australia and Fiji trip scheduled to begin October 18 filed a police report last week after never receiving flight or hotel confirmations, she told WUSA9.

The Charles County Sheriff's Office confirmed to The Independent that it received the report with an allegation of possible fraud, and said they are investigating.

The traveler said Younique Ventures stopped responding to her calls and emails as the departure date approached.

“They have cut all communication via email and phone,” she said in a video obtained by WUSA9 showing her confronting Kendra Brown’s mother at the company's registered business address. “They have not provided any flight confirmation, any hotel confirmation.”

“We are working to provide the best options for them to use their travel credit,” the company said. “We will continue to keep affected travelers informed, with our next update by Friday, October 2.”

The Independent has contacted Younique Ventures for comment.