The following is a report from the Anchorage Daily News.
An Anchorage, Alaska, motor home rental business closed abruptly Friday, June 14, leaving hundreds of visitors out thousands of dollars and scrambling for replacements at the peak of Alaska’s summer tourism season.
The shutdown came a day after the state filed a civil lawsuit accusing the business, Alaska Motor Home Inc., of deceptive practices.
The state claims the company illegally charged customers for deposits before they picked up RVs, overcharged for taxes, and forged at least one customer’s signature, according to a complaint filed Thursday in Anchorage Superior Court.
The complaint names owner Peter Harkovitch and his son, Cole Harkovitch, as defendants along with the business.
The company decided to close without intending to refund customers, yet was still accepting reservations and payments through July, the complaint said.
An Alaska Department of Law spokesman said officials believe there are hundreds of victims in the case, given the company’s anticipated fleet of 60 motor homes this summer.
Other RV companies in Anchorage this week reported a deluge of calls from visitors looking for last-minute rentals. Great Alaskan Holidays received about a hundred inquiries from Alaska Motor Home customers, according to marketing director Bob Johnson.
“It started yesterday morning as soon as we opened, and it has only probably within the last hour began to settle down,” Johnson said Friday afternoon, adding all requests have been accommodated.
At Alaska Motor Home’s offices in South Anchorage on West 64th Avenue near C Street on Friday, two longtime employees expressed sadness over the sudden closing. One cleaned RVs still being returned by customers — the employees said they expected more to be returned through the month — while another said he was shuttling customers to cruise ships or the airport to catch flights home to the Lower 48.
Read the full story by Zaz Hollander and Tess Williams at the Anchorage Daily News here.
