State sues Anchorage’s Alaska Motor Home after customers say they were swindled, harassed

Recreational vehicles parked extracurricular nan agency of Alaska Motor Home connected June 14, 2024. (Matt Faubion/Alaska Public Media)

An Anchorage renter of recreational vehicles has again been sued by nan authorities complete deceptive business practices – 3 years aft nan patient was penalized for akin issues.

Alaska Motor Home, on pinch registered owners Peter and Cole Harkovitch, are named successful a authorities title revenge Thursday. The company, which faced authorities action successful 2019, has abruptly closed its doors this week.

“The suit alleges that nan defendants engaged successful deceptive practices specified arsenic charging $2,500 harm deposits earlier consumers had picked up their RV, charging consumers taxes they did not owe, and forging a consumer’s signature connected receipts to triumph a in installments paper chargeback dispute,” officials said successful a connection from nan Alaska Department of Law. 

Assistant Attorney General John Haley, who revenge nan suit, said Friday that Cole Harkovitch reportedly transferred his shares successful Alaska Motor Home to Peter astir 2 weeks ago. He said nan authorities believes hundreds of customers person been affected by nan company’s actions, which he called “unprecedented.”

“I deliberation this is reasonably unique, because it’s happening astatine nan opening of nan tourer season,” he said.

The company, which has allegedly taken thousands of dollars for summertime RV rentals and has 40 RVs connected hand, told nan authorities this week that it planned to unopen down Friday, without providing refunds to customers.

Attorney General Treg Taylor said nan company’s customers  person been near successful a “terrible situation.”

“Alaskan trips group person dreamed astir for years are getting thrown into chaos,” Taylor said successful nan statement. 

Multiple email and telephone messages to Alaska Motor Home seeking remark were not returned Friday. The company’s website was offline, and its Facebook page has not had immoderate caller posts this year.

The locked doorway of Alaska Motor Home, which authorities officials opportunity abruptly closed down operations aft being sued complete deceptive business practices. (Matt Faubion/Alaska Public Media)

On Friday morning, galore RVs were parked extracurricular Alaska Motor Home’s agency successful an business parkland disconnected C Street adjacent Raspberry Road. Nobody was coming outside, and nan agency doorway was locked.

In the state’s 29-page complaint, prosecutors said that Peter Harkovitch “has a history of utilizing Alaska Motor Home’s assets arsenic his individual assets,” straight utilizing institution costs for his ain expenses. They besides noted that he is jailed successful Florida connected criminal charges including aggravated battery, artillery connected a rule enforcement serviceman and threatening a nationalist servant linked to a domestic-violence case.

“The expenses associated pinch this litigation supply other information for Alaska Motor Home’s owners to siphon money from nan company, alternatively than to refund consumers aliases salary nan company’s different debts,” prosecutors said.

In 2019, a Department of Law statement said Alaska Motor Home had imposed steep position connected renters including “a $300/hour complaint for precocious returns, a $1,000 good for putting food successful nan RV refrigerator, and a $1,000 good for leaving an RV excessively dirty.” None of them were disclosed until renters had already paid a deposit.

Under an injunction placed against Alaska Motor Home successful that case, it is barred from arbitrarily canceling customers’ reservations. It must besides support nonstop records of immoderate costs charged arsenic a tax, arsenic good arsenic supply customers charged for damaging an RV a photograph of nan harm and a history of repairs on pinch their itemized costs.

According to Thursday’s complaint, a Utah paralegal who rented a 26-foot RV successful August 2023 was alternatively fixed a 32-foot RV against her wishes.

“When (the customer) told nan Alaska Motor Home supplier that she had booked a (26-foot) RV, and that a (32-foot) RV was excessively long, nan Alaska Motor Home supplier threatened to cancel her reservation,” prosecutors wrote. “The statement (she) had signed did not supply that Alaska Motor Home could substitute a different RV from nan 1 listed connected nan contract.”

After nan customer’s hubby accidentally pumped gasoline into nan RV’s h2o tank, prosecutors said, she informed nan institution and provided her Visa card. Staff did not instantly measure nan card, but she soon saw $7,500 successful unauthorized charges connected it. After she froze nan paper and nan American Express pinch which she had reserved nan RV, she saw Harkovitch effort to complaint $7,240 connected nan American Express.

Soon afterward, nan female received a connection from Alaska Motor Home claiming she had paid $11,750 – which besides noted nan $7,500 she had already paid and claimed she owed an further $4,240.

Detail from an invoice sent to an Alaska Motor Home customer successful 2023, according to authorities charging documents. (From State of Alaska)

“These 2 statements are contradictory,” prosecutors wrote. “In addition, $7,500 positive $4,240 does not adjacent $11,750.”

The female said she thought nan RV was insured against damage, based connected statements successful Alaska Motor Home’s advertising.

“The statement (she) signed stated, ‘Insurance sum includes collision, comprehensive, and liability,'” prosecutors wrote. “This statement connection is successful each of Alaska Motor Home’s RV rental contracts. However, this connection is deceptive because Alaska Motor Home’s RV rentals do not travel pinch security that insures nan renter aliases driver.”

A conflict complete nan RV’s repair bills escalated until Harkovitch called nan woman’s rule patient successful Utah, and she emailed him asking him not to telephone her astatine her office.

“Peter Harkovitch responded to nan email stating, ‘Sorry, arsenic a lawyer, your leader needs to beryllium alert of nan slime that useful for her. Have a awesome day,’” prosecutors wrote.

Harkovitch besides allegedly wrote nan woman’s employer, who besides asked him not to interaction her astatine work.

On Sept. 2, 2023, Harkovitch sent nan female an invoice for $20,455, listed arsenic $4,240 for “Water System Damage” – positive $235 a time for nonaccomplishment of nan RV’s early use.

An invoice charging an Alaska Motor Home customer $235 per time for 69 days’ nonaccomplishment of an RV’s use, according to authorities charging documents. (From State of Alaska)

“The invoice charged for 69 days nonaccomplishment of use, a play moving done Nov. 5, 2023,” prosecutors wrote. “However, (Nov. 5) was still much than 2 months away.”

The adjacent month, nan woman’s disputes of nan first $7,500 successful charges were denied because Alaska Motor Home provided August documents base her signature done nan online work Docusign. The authorities says those signatures were forged, aft Docusign told investigators nan female had not signed immoderate documents done nan work that month.

Two different group besides reported issues renting an RV from Alaska Motor Home during nan 2023 season, according to nan complaint. One couldn’t interaction nan institution astir a reservation, and nan different had his preservation canceled but only received a partial refund of his costs.

The Anchorage Daily News reported successful 2021 that a judge levied a $110,000 punishment against Alaska Motor Home complete nan 2019 allegations. As of Thursday, according to nan state’s caller complaint, Alaska Motor Home had paid astir half of that penalty.

After nan authorities relayed connection of nan outstanding penalties to Florida authorities, successful an effort to cod nan costs during that case, an lawyer for Alaska Motor Home told authorities officials connected Monday that nan institution would beryllium closing down its operations Friday.  

Still, according to prosecutors, nan institution was still taking reservations by precocious Monday afternoon. An interrogator was capable to book an RV rental for August connected Alaska Motor Home’s website, providing a in installments paper number for a $500 deposit.

“If Alaska Motor Home is closing operations, location is nary morganatic logic for nan institution to judge reservations aliases return in installments paper accusation for an August 2024 rental,” prosecutors wrote.

Haley declined to opportunity whether Thursday’s suit is nan only authorities action that will beryllium taken against nan company.

The authorities is seeking an injunction to extremity Alaska Motor Home from continuing to prosecute successful deceptive practices, arsenic good arsenic penalties for its violations of authorities law. Prosecutors besides activity to person renters’ costs reimbursed, but Haley said Friday that they can’t guarantee they will retrieve costs from nan company.

Haley said Alaska Motor Home has begun sending cancellation notices to customers, who he said will person to book caller RVs and accommodations astatine apt higher costs aliases cancel trips entirely.

Haley besides urged anyone owed money by Alaska Motor Home to capable retired a user title form connected nan Department of Law website.

“All I tin opportunity is we’re going to do our best, and we can’t thief group if we don’t cognize who they are,” he said.

Alaska Public Media’s Matthew Faubion contributed accusation to this story.