Regulatory Regulations 

Florida State Regulatory Requirements for Vacation Certificates

If you have lived in Florida for any length of time, you are undoubtedly aware of the state's past problems with travel related scams. A company would solicit sales of great bargains, like a 6-day cruise and 4-day land resort vacation for two at the incredibly low price of only $549. You would buy the package, receive beautiful brochures, certificates and vouchers in the mail, but when you tried to make reservations, there was never anything available. The offer was legitimate, IF you could meet all of the restrictions in the fine print and were lucky enough to catch the one or two units that were available. Since all sales were final, you couldn't get a refund and if outraged purchasers made it too hot, the company simply closed and would open a few months later under a new name. While these operators victimized residents from many states, the greatest number were Florida residents. Since the package was technically and legally a legitimate offer, the state had a difficult time trying to shut down these operations, particularly the few set-up outside the state. So, they opted for strict consumer protection regulation of travel/vacation certificates/vouchers that are for an unspecified future date and location, which applies to both Florida and non-Florida based companies.

The UATB RVC is a pre-paid rental reservation for an unspecified location and date; precisely what the state of Florida regulates very closely. To sell a vacation certificate (that is not tied to a specific property and date) in Florida, the certificate program must be approved (registered) by the state, including the look and content of the certificate and any documentation sent to the purchaser. After you are approved, each individual certificate must be registered, by certificate number and recipient name, with the state before it is sent to the purchaser. The state registration fee is $250 per certificate and 10 business days to process, once it is received and logged by the state.

At a purchase price of $349, we simply can't afford to register each certificate. While they couldn't make the product illegal, their intent was to make it so difficult and costly that it simply isn't practical. And, they did a pretty good job. Unfortunately, in protecting Florida consumers from con artists, they also blocked a few legitimate programs.

The Florida consumer protection regulation only impacts the sale of UATB RVCs. It in no way restricts use of the Space-A rental program by eligible individuals, because when you make and pay for a reservation, it is for a specific location and date.