A Florida company that called Wisconsin residents on the state's "no-call" list with a pitch that they had won free vacations has agreed to refund hundreds of dollars charged to individual credit cards.

A settlement was reached with Joseph P. Maher, former operator of Sunshine Travel Escapes of Orlando, said Glen Loyd, a spokesman for the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.

The company's sales calls included residents in western Wisconsin. One of the complainants, David Kaun of Hudson, said Monday that he didn't reveal his credit card number when the company contacted him in November 2004. He was offered a free three-day trip by a "national travel service."

A spokesman for the Minnesota Attorney General's office, Brian Bergson, said complaints toward specific companies are private by state law unless a company is sued. He said he didn't know of any action in Minnesota against Sunshine Travel.

Many of the telemarketers who called Wisconsin residents lied about their location, saying that they were calling from Canada and were not subject to Wisconsin law, said investigator Jody Ullman.

"They were calling and claiming to sell travel packages at a discounted rate," Ullman said. Several people were coaxed into giving their credit card numbers but received no vacation packages, and Sunshine Travel didn't answer their complaints, she said.

Most of the calls were placed in late 2004 and early 2005, and the Wisconsin Department of Justice is now investigating, she said.

Kaun and his wife, Kathy, said Monday that they receive two or three calls a week that they think violate Wisconsin's "no-call" list. Many come from companies selling siding and windows, often in the form of "surveys" that quickly become sales pitches, they said.

Loyd said consumers everywhere should be beware of free vacation offers. He said they're often tied to out-of-state time-share presentations with the vacation "winner" having to pay travel costs. In some cases, he said, consumers will be told that the initial vacation offer is unavailable, but that they can buy an "upgrade" by supplying a credit card number.

Just how much restitution might be due Wisconsin residents remains unclear because anyone who lost money has 90 days to file a claim, Ullman said.

Meanwhile, Maher, who has denied the allegations, has agreed to stop telemarketing in Wisconsin, she said.

Kevin Giles • 651-298-1554

Kevin Giles • kgiles@startribune.com