On their yearly trip to Branson last year, the Pfizenmaiers agreed to sit down for a presentation by Travel More Now in exchange for some discounted show tickets. They were tempted by the promise of discount vacation packages, despite the enrollment charge of more than $3,000 and $159 yearly fee.

"Supposedly, you join a travel club and get big discounts, airfare, motels," said Fred Pfizenmaier.

After signing the contract, the Pfizenmaiers attended a show in Branson using the discounted tickets that they were promised for attending the presentation. Later that night, they talked things over and decided they wanted to cancel their travel club membership.

"Sometimes you just have a funny feeling about things," said Susie Pfizenmaier.

The contract that they signed said they had three days to rescind their membership, so they turned in their membership papers. Then they got a surprise.

"The excuse they gave us not to let us out of contract is we had accessed benefits by using the show tickets."

The Pfizenmaiers are not alone. Hundreds of consumers filed similar complaints against Travel More Now with the Missouri attorney general's office.

One consumer complained he notified the company within three days but it wouldn’t refund his money. Like the Pfizenmaiers, another consumer says Travel More Now told them that using show tickets constituted accessing member benefits and therefore they couldn't cancel.

Another consumer says the sales representative offered two gift cards to Red Lobster. Two days later, they tried to cancel the membership but also were denied.

In all, nearly 100 similar complaints were filed against Travel More Now in one year alone.

"They knew what they could do to get us into the club and found a way that we couldn't get out," said Susie Pfizenmaier.

A spokesman for Travel More Now refutes those complaints.

"No individual - who acquired a membership in TMN - ever accessed any benefits . . . without signing a clear declaration stating that they understood that they were accessing benefits at the time,” he said in an e-mail message.

Missouri law says travel club members can cancel their memberships within three days "assuming a purchaser has not otherwise accessed any travel benefits and returns to the travel club all materials of value." The question that remains is whether discount show tickets and free gift cards fall under that law.

"Trust me; that is open to dispute as to whether that is considered to be a benefit that the service offers," said Assistant Attorney General Ron Carrier.

With no immediate plans to take action against Travel More Now, Carrier said several days ago that his office was focusing on educating consumers about travel clubs. A big development recently complicated that mission.

Travel More Now owner James Kilroy opened a new travel club at the same location, a strip mall at 3310 W. Missouri 76, called Forever Grand Vacations. A representative for the companies says Forever Grand Vacations is a separate/stand alone enterprise but an application for a Branson merchant license shows the same business address and owner as Travel More Now.

Armed with this new information, Carrier says consumers need to think hard before signing any agreement, no matter the name of the business.

"You have to be careful that you fully understand what your obligation is,” he said.

A bill introduced in the Missouri House last session would have removed the provision that accepting a travel benefit during the three-day rescission period waives consumers’ right to cancel their contract. It didn't get anywhere but the bill's sponsor says he will pursue it again next year.

As for what happens to current Travel More Now customers now that the business has closed its doors, the company representative says the organization that has acquired Travel More Now’s "book of business'" is obligated to provide the same or better benefits and services. The representative wouldn't say whether that new organization is Forever Grand Vacations or another company.