Woman pleads guilty to invalid reservation in Wisconsin Dells

MILWAUKEE – “I shouldn’t have taken that money.” That’s what a woman told an Outagamie County judge about her business room reservations in the Wisconsin Dells. Guests tell Contact 6 their rooms were unavailable and their refunds were difficult to obtain.

Chique Rodriguez of Racine has visited the 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 basically gather in the Dells.”

Through a Facebook page called Wisconsin Dells Condo Deals, Rodriguez says he got a good 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.

On the day of her reservation, Rodriguez says she spoke with the front desk and made a surprising discovery.

“There were no reservations,” Rodriguez said. “Condo owners aren’t even supposed to advertise on Facebook.”

Rodriguez used a Facebook page that rents condos to timeshare owners at Club Wyndham Glacier Canyon. He does this without the knowledge or approval of the Wyndham Glacier Canyon Club. This means that the page cannot actually guarantee that the rooms it books are available.

“I was furious. Almost to the point where I could cry,” Rodriguez said.

SUBSCRIBE TODAY: Get daily headlines and breaking news stories delivered to your email from FOX6 News

The Better Business Bureau Serving Wisconsin (BBB) ​​has received 65 complaints about the page’s operator, Colleen Wogernese-Jesberger, over the past three years. The complaints aren’t just about Wisconsin Dells condo deals. The BBB has complaints about Wogernese-Jesberger’s other Facebook pages: Destination Vacation, Kate Deals and Dani Deals.

“We are trying to alert as many consumers as possible about this company’s past operations,” said Jim Temmer, president of BBB Serving Wisconsin. “People are not receiving refunds and the company is not communicating.”

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

A Facebook page dedicated to scams in the Wisconsin Dells is full of stories about Wogernese-Jesberger. The Wisconsin Department of Agricultural Trade and Consumer Protection has received 42 complaints regarding its vacation rentals over the past 3-4 years.

On October 8, Wogernese-Jesberger appeared in Outagamie County Court and pleaded guilty to misdemeanor theft and making false statements in connection with his Facebook pages.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) told Contact 6, “The DOJ Criminal Investigation Division is assisting in the investigation.”

Bridget Lorenz is at the center of the Outagamie County case. Lorenz and his extended family paid more than $1,000 for a 2024 “President’s Day Weekend” at Club Wyndham Glacier Canyon. She used the same Wisconsin Dells Condo Deals Facebook page as Rodriguez.

Lorenz says two days before his trip, Wogernese-Jesberger told him the reservation was invalid.

“She told us we would get a refund in two days. Then…maybe in two weeks,” Lorenz said. “(There was) always something else. It’s like, ‘Okay, are we ever going to get our money back?’

FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX6 News app for iOS or Android

Wogernese-Jesberger repaid Lorenz just before his sentencing. Judge Mark McGinnis criticized the timing of his payment in court.

“It seems selfish. It helps you. You kind of had your back against the wall,” McGinnis said.

McGinnis asked Wogernese-Jesberger to explain why Lorenz’s booking was invalid. Wogernese said Wyndham controls the timeshare when rooms are not available.

“Wyndham changed its rules and said owners could no longer let guests use condos on weekends,” Wogernese-Jesberger said.

McGinnis said it appeared she was trying to minimize her responsibility and called the matter “troubling.”

“You made no effort to apologize,” McGinnis said. “I don’t know why you lack the ability or courage to do this.”

Wogernese-Jesberger told McGinnis she learned her lesson. Her attorney, Amanda Skorr, said her client was no longer booking rooms in Wisconsin Dells and was working as a special education teacher.

“I feel sorry. I feel horrible for ruining their vacation. That was never my intention,” Wogernese-Jesberger said.

McGinnis emphasized the lesson she learned.

“I probably should never have started doing that,” Wogernese-Jesberger responded.

“Wait a second,” McGinnis interrupted. “You’re just a manipulator. You started off by saying, ‘Well, probably this’. You told me you learned your lesson. It shouldn’t be a ‘probably’.”

“I shouldn’t have taken the money unless I was 100 percent sure they would get a condo,” Wogernese-Jesberger responded. “When I knew it wasn’t (valid), I should have returned (the money) before anything else, including my personal problems, my bills and my finances.”

McGinnis sentenced her to ten days in jail followed by probation. She was released from prison a week later.

As deputies booked Wogernese-Jesberger into the county jail, a DOJ agent who attended the hearing sent an email to the court. In the email, he accuses Wogernese-Jesberger of fraud by hiring a free public defender when she doesn’t need one.

“I know she has significant income from various sources,” the agent wrote. “I was shocked to find that she was represented at public expense…I am making a formal notification of fraud to the (state public defender) office…”

On Oct. 1, a second misdemeanor theft and false representation case was filed against Wogernese-Jesberger in Pierce County. According to the criminal complaint, a woman paid $850 for a room through Wisconsin Dells Condo Deals. She called the resort nine days before her visit and was told there were “no reservations for her.”

The woman asked for a refund but said she did not get one.

Rodriguez says he’s been waiting ten months for his refund. He found a smaller room in Wisconsin Dells for his birthday weekend.

“I couldn’t even enjoy my time up there. I was just thinking about the money I lost,” Rodriguez said. “I am happy that this is revealed and that justice finds her.”

Wogernese-Jesberger lived in Appleton but moved to Grayslake, Illinois.

Club Wyndham Glacier Canyon is part of Travel + Leisure. In 2023, a former Contact 6 spokesperson said that “people dealing with online websites should ensure that the party they are purchasing from has the ability to facilitate the transaction and will ensure that the consumer will get what he paid for.”

For the Wyndham Club, it’s ExtraHolidays.com.

In Wisconsin Dells, Club Wyndham Glacier Canyon is adjacent to Glacier Canyon Lodge at Wilderness Resort. Its guests have access to Wildness Resort amenities, including its water parks, however, the two are separately owned and operated.

If you have a consumer complaint and would like to know if Contact 6 can help you, call 414-586-2666 orr submit a complaint form.