Cowboys Fans Pay Ticket Company Thousands For Package, Get Nothing
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ARLINGTON (CBS11) — A family of Cowboys fans is crushed after spending thousands on an all-inclusive package only to be told at the last minute the company was bankrupt.
The Lachapelle family lives in Connecticut, but they are die-hard Dallas Cowboys fans.
"I grew up watching the Cowboys with my dad, and my husband has always been a Cowboys fan. When we had our daughter, she didn't really have a choice in the matter," said Michelle Lachapelle.
Michelle Lachapelle couldn't wait to take 14-year-old Brianne Lachapelle to the Cowboys-Panthers game on Thanksgiving Day.
"I really wanted to go all out for my first game," said Brianne Lachapelle, with her died blue hair and blue and white nails.
Michelle Lachapelle and her husband booked a Thanksgiving trip in 2010 through the company Maximum Sports Connection run by Ronni Sokol. They paid $1500 for a tailgate, autograph session, hotel accommodations and the tickets.
"I raved about that trip and told so many people about that trip up until today," Michelle Lachapelle said.
Michelle Lachapelle said her experience was so good she used Sokol's company to book this trip, noting the name had changed from Maximum Sports Connection to Cowboy Sports Tours. Michelle Lachapelle paid Cowboy Sports Tours $2400 for an all-inclusive package including tickets, a tour of AT&T stadium, a tailgate party and full Thanksgiving dinner.
Tuesday night they got a call from the company.
"The package I paid for, they couldn't give to me," Michelle Lachapelle said. "I said, 'You are a reputable company. What happened?' She went into the company is going to be filing for bankruptcy, financial issues."
The Cowboy Sports Tours website is no longer up.
According to the Dallas Better Business Bureau, Sokol has been in trouble for this sort of thing before.
The F-rated company has at least 25 complaints on file with the BBB from customers alleging they paid the company thousands for tickets and packages that they didn't receive.
The Texas Attorney General's Office settled a deceptive trade practices case against her and Maximum Sports Connection in August 2014.
"She continues to do it," Michelle Lachapelle said.
Michelle Lachapelle had to put thousands more on her credit card for new tickets and hotel rooms to salvage this experience.
"I want a refund. I really think she should not be allowed to run a business in the state of Texas," Michelle Lachapelle said.
Consumer Justice is still waiting to hear back from Sokol and Cowboy Sports Tours about Michelle Lachapelle's refund.
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