Woman pleads guilty to incorrect booking at Wisconsin Dells
Customers tell Contact 6 they booked rooms through Colleen Wogernese-Jesberger’s Facebook pages, which were unavailable and difficult to get a refund.
Short
-
- Customers tell Contact 6 they booked rooms through Colleen Wogernese-Jesberger’s Facebook pages, which were unavailable and difficult to get a refund.
- On Oct. 8, Wogernese-Jesberger pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of theft and false representation in Outagamie County Court.
- Over the past three to four years, DATCP has received 42 complaints about its Facebook pages. The Wisconsin Department of Justice confirms it is assisting with the criminal investigation.
MILWAUKEE – – I shouldn’t have taken that money. That’s what one woman told an Outagamie County judge about reserving business rooms at the Wisconsin Dells. Customers tell Contact 6 their rooms are unavailable and it’s difficult to get a refund.
Chique Rodriguez of Racine has visited Wisconsin Dells several times. His last trip in December was for a special occasion.
“It was for my birthday,” Rodriguez said. “Friends, family and everyone could meet in the Dells.”
Through a Facebook page called Wisconsin Dells Condo Deals, Rodriguez says he got a great deal: $675 for three nights at Club Wyndham Glacier Canyon. He made the reservation via Facebook Messenger and paid for the room via CashApp.
“It was supposed to be a large four-bedroom presidential suite,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez says he spoke to the front desk on the day of the reservation and made a surprising discovery.
“There were no objections,” Rodriguez said. “Condo owners shouldn’t even be featured in Facebook ads.”
Rodriguez used a Facebook page that rents apartments to Club Wyndham Glacier Canyon timeshare owners. It does so without the knowledge or consent of Club Wyndham Glacier Canyon. This means that the site cannot actually guarantee the availability of the rooms you have booked.
“I was furious. Almost to the point where I could cry,” Rodriguez said.
SUBSCRIBE TODAY: Get daily headlines and breaking news emails from FOX6 News
Over the past three years, the Better Business Bureau Serving Wisconsin (BBB) has received 65 complaints about the site’s operator, Colleen Wogernese-Jesberger. The complaints aren’t just about Wisconsin Dells housing listings. The BBB has complaints about other Wogernese-Jesberger Facebook pages: Destination Vacation, Kate Deals and Dani Deals.
“We are trying to warn as many consumers as possible about this company’s past activities,” said Jim Temmer, president of BBB Serving Wisconsin. “People are not getting refunds and the company is not communicative.”
Contact 6 reported another family’s bad experience with Destination Vacation in August 2023. https://www.fox6now.com/news/wisconsin-dells-vacation-ruined-facebook-travel-agent
The Wisconsin Dells fraud Facebook page is filled with stories about Wogernese-Jesberger. The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture Trade and Consumer Protection has received 42 complaints about her vacation rental over the past three to four years.
On October 8, Wogernese-Jesberger appeared in Outagamie County Court and pleaded guilty to misdemeanor theft and making false statements in connection with her Facebook pages.
The Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) tells Contact 6, “The Department of Justice’s Criminal Investigations Division is assisting with the investigation.”
Bridget Lorenz is at the center of an Outagamie County case. Lorenz and her extended family paid more than $1,000 for a 2024 “Presidents’ Day weekend” at Club Wyndham Glacier Canyon. She used the same Wisconsin Dells Condo Deals Facebook page as Rodriguez.
Lorenz claims that two days before the departure, Wogernese-Jesberger told her that the reservation was invalid.
“She told us we would get our money back within two days. Then… maybe in two weeks,” Lorenz said. “(There was) always something different. It was like, “OK, will we ever get our money back?”
FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts on the FOX6 News app for iOS or Android
Wogernese-Jesberger returned the money to Lorenz just before her sentencing. Judge Mark McGinnis criticized the timing of her payment in court.
“It seems selfish. It helps you. “Your back was like against the wall,” McGinnis said.
Colleen Wogernese-Jesberger
McGinnis asked Wogernese-Jesberger to explain why Lorenzo’s reservation was invalid. Wogernese said Wyndham inspects timeshares when rooms are not available.
“Wyndham has changed its policies and stated that owners can no longer allow guests to use their apartments on weekends,” Wogernese-Jesberger said.
McGinnis said it sounded like she was trying to minimize her responsibility and called the case “disturbing.”
“You have made no effort to apologize,” McGinnis said. “I’m not sure why you lack the skill and courage to do this.”
Wogernese-Jesberger told McGinnis she had done her homework. Her attorney, Amanda Skorr, said her client no longer reserves rooms at Wisconsin Dells and works as a special education teacher.
“I’m really sorry. I feel terrible that I ruined their vacation. That was never my intention,” Wogernese-Jesberger said.
McGinnis pressed Wogernese-Jesberger to learn her lesson.
“That I probably never should have done it,” Wogernese-Jesberger replied.
“Wait a minute,” McGinnis interrupted. “You’re just a manipulator. You started by saying, “well, that’s probably it.” You told me you learned your lesson. It shouldn’t be “probably.”
“I shouldn’t have taken the money if I wasn’t 100 percent sure they were going to get the apartment,” Wogernese-Jesberger replied. “When I knew it wasn’t (valid), I should have returned (the money) first and foremost, including my personal affairs, bills and finances.”
McGinnis sentenced her to ten days in jail followed by probation. A week later she was released from prison.
Colleen Wogernese-Jesberger
After deputies booked Wogernese-Jesberger into the county jail, a Justice Department agent who was present at the hearing sent the court an email. In the email, he accused Wogernese-Jesberger of fraud for using a free public defender when she didn’t need one.
“I know he has significant income from various sources,” the agent wrote. “I was shocked to learn that she was represented at public expense… I am filing a formal report of fraud with the (State Public Defender) office….”
On Oct. 1, a second misdemeanor count of theft and false statement was filed against Wogernese-Jesberger in Pierce County. The complaint says the woman paid $850 for a room through Wisconsin Dells Condo Deals. She called the facility nine days before her visit and was told there was “no reservation” for her.
The woman demanded a refund but stated that she had not received it.
Rodriguez says he has been waiting for his refund for ten months. He found a smaller room in Wisconsin Dells for his birthday weekend.
“I couldn’t even enjoy being there. All I could think about was the money I lost,” Rodriguez said. “I’m glad the case is coming to light and justice is being served.”
Wogernese-Jesberger lived in Appleton but moved to Grayslake, Illinois.
Club Wyndham Glacier Canyon is part of Travel + Leisure. In 2023, an Old Contact 6 spokesperson stated that “those doing business with any website should ensure that the site they are purchasing from is able to facilitate the transaction and ensure that the consumer receives what he or she paid for.”
In the case of Club Wyndham, it is ExtraHolidays.com.
At the Wisconsin Dells Club, Wyndham Glacier Canyon is adjacent to Glacier Canyon Lodge at Wilderness Resort. Guests have access to Wildness Resort amenities, including the water parks, but both are separately owned and operated.
If you have a consumer complaint and want to see if Kontakt 6 can help, give us a call 414-586-2666 oR submit a complaint form.
Source
-
In connection with this story, contact person 6 attended the plea/sentence hearing on October 8. We reviewed criminal complaints filed in Outagamie County Courts and Pierce County Courts, pleadings and correspondence submitted to the Outagamie County Courthouse on October 9, statements submitted by DATCP and the Wisconsin Department of Justice, and Chique Rodriguez’s Facebook messaging and CashApp payment history. We also commented on the statement made to Contact 6 by Travel + Leisure in 2023.
