maintenance costs

julieh156 wrote:

bradd33 wrote:

davidw459 wrote:

Gentlemen, I think that we have to think smart. Its obvious we are all either subject to bad managment or that we are veiwed as a soft touch. If you were inclined, you might even think that there was a hidden agenda to get hold of a valuable piece of real estate for nothing. The contract we entered into provides right and reasonable expectations for 'all' parties. We provide cash, the management provide a resort. Maintenance fees are just that. What is being maintained at the resort that costs so much? Where are the audited accounts that substatiate the special assessment charges? Where are the figures that show how much has been paid out by the isurance company for the damage to the resort? Who has paid for the new Wyndhams sign on the building, the owners or Wyndhams? What has happened to the resort boat since the hurricane? I could go on but I am sure you are getting the idea. These and many more questions are legitimate questions that have to be answered if asked. As well as aking us for money, we can all tie-up the resort management by drip feeding them questions en-mass. If they choose to ignore any of us us, then we can report them to the relevant authorities expressing concern over 'improper conduct'. It will cost them a great deal of time, money and aggrevation. Lets see how they like it!

Agreed. I get the feeling of a runaround. I called the Fairfield group to ask about what this 'special levy' was about and the (nice or at least pleasant) lady on the phone said she had heard it was 'basically for overtime pay to get the resort repaired faster'. Isn't that what insurance is for? I didn't sign up to pay someone else's overtime on a whim. Especially if not much (anything) seems to be happening.

David, I do agree that this is a valuable piece of property and I also wonder if there is a hidden agenda. Santa Barbara currently has 300+ units that are owned by them due to non payment. I wonder how many the need to own before they can take over the property. I think more and more people are going to let the property go due to expense. I know I am considering it. I own 4 units and the special assessment for the units total $5846 not to mention the last two years of common charges paid for nothing and the 2005 special assessment for non payment of maintenance for other owners. Any more thoughts....

Any more thoughts - yes quite a few, but unfortunately most are not printable. Having scanned the internet and reading peoples comments on this site and others some things seem to be 'questionable'. It seems that prior to Wyndams appearing on the scene several Fairfield resorts were facing common difficulties. Mysterious fires occured at some. Other in such places as New Orleans faced similar lack of expected repairs following natural disasters etc. Other non-Fairfield resorts stated charging owners ever increasing fees and charges whilst apparently doing next to nothing. A good idea spreads fast in the world of timeshare! Yes Fairfield seemed to be 'very unlucky'. After some of their chiefs were detained at U.S. government lock up resorts the business was sold to Wyndhams. They in turn are obviously looking to recoup their outlay and maximise their profit, which is where we all come into the picture. Unfortunately I am in Europe, so its somewhat difficult for me to get closely involved for obvious reasons. Having said that, several points are worth thinking about. 1) If the original agreement requires all of us pay for non-paying owners, why do we all not vote on recinding the agreement? It appears to me that we al pay maintenance charges for a resort that isn't being maintained under any interpretation of the word. 2) Why when we all pay the maintenance charges on 'deserted' units do Wyndhams get the money when they are sold? If they get the money from a sale they should pay the charges. 3) Unless everone is so in love with Wyndhams, why don't we just get ourselves a new management company to run the resort. In Europe there are many such companies who are good, honest and charge reasonable fees for their sevices. 4) I consider it reasonable to obtain verifyable assurances from Wyndhams that we as owners are not picking up the repair and refurbishment costs for equipment and areas which are not down to us to pay for. The new Wyndhams sign on the side of the building is a good example. I don't care if its cost me one dollar, its not my cost its Wyndhams. Hopefully this has given you a few more bits to think about. The one thing that Wyndhams will hate more than anything is if we all keep getting as much bad publicity about the situation as possible. Letters to your local papers may get responses from other owners and lead to an investigative journalist taking up the cause. Write to your representatives and the various financial regulatory bodies in Florida, Chamber of Commerce, State Commisioner etc). If enough people complain they will have to investigate- and believe me Wyndhams really are going to want that happening as who knows what might emerge. Don't dispare - stand up for your rights!

I've sent a letter to the Attorney General about these problems. I just got , yet another, letter from a Lawyer stating they were putting alien on my property with the intention of foreclosing on me. Now I'm REALLY wondering if their intention is to foreclose on as many of us as they can to "re sell" at a higher price. If I could afford a lawyer I'd get one. I responded to the lawyer by telling him I had NO INTENTION on foreclosing and am considering a class action suit. If I could afford a lawyer I'd sue for a whole lot more than what they've taken from me. Has anyone else written to the Attorney General. Carol

carols306 wrote:

I've sent a letter to the Attorney General about these problems. I just got , yet another, letter from a Lawyer stating they were putting alien on my property with the intention of foreclosing on me. Now I'm REALLY wondering if their intention is to foreclose on as many of us as they can to "re sell" at a higher price. If I could afford a lawyer I'd get one. I responded to the lawyer by telling him I had NO INTENTION on foreclosing and am considering a class action suit. If I could afford a lawyer I'd sue for a whole lot more than what they've taken from me. Has anyone else written to the Attorney General. Carol

boyd18 wrote:

carols306 wrote:

I've sent a letter to the Attorney General about these problems. I just got , yet another, letter from a Lawyer stating they were putting alien on my property with the intention of foreclosing on me. Now I'm REALLY wondering if their intention is to foreclose on as many of us as they can to "re sell" at a higher price. If I could afford a lawyer I'd get one. I responded to the lawyer by telling him I had NO INTENTION on foreclosing and am considering a class action suit. If I could afford a lawyer I'd sue for a whole lot more than what they've taken from me. Has anyone else written to the Attorney General. Carol

I have written to the Attorny General on 6/18/2007. I also filed a complaint with Professional Regulations and my case number is 2007032198. The case was assigned to Maria Mejia for investigation. I have received notification of my complaint and they have sent a letter to Wyndham on June 19th and they requested a response from them by July 5, 2007. I have not recieved any thing yet. Her email is maria.mejia@dbpr,state.fl.us Her phone number is 407-317-7233. The Attorney General's website is www.myfloridalegal.com I think every owner should notify the authorities and keep them on top of the situation. You may contact me at boydlong@cox.net Phone # 402-758-9397 Boyd Long

Boyd, I sent an email this morning to Maria also including pictures of the resort as it stands.

Steve Dennis stevem5@comcast.net

sjdenn wrote:

boyd18 wrote:

carols306 wrote:

I've sent a letter to the Attorney General about these problems. I just got , yet another, letter from a Lawyer stating they were putting alien on my property with the intention of foreclosing on me. Now I'm REALLY wondering if their intention is to foreclose on as many of us as they can to "re sell" at a higher price. If I could afford a lawyer I'd get one. I responded to the lawyer by telling him I had NO INTENTION on foreclosing and am considering a class action suit. If I could afford a lawyer I'd sue for a whole lot more than what they've taken from me. Has anyone else written to the Attorney General. Carol

I have written to the Attorny General on 6/18/2007. I also filed a complaint with Professional Regulations and my case number is 2007032198. The case was assigned to Maria Mejia for investigation. I have received notification of my complaint and they have sent a letter to Wyndham on June 19th and they requested a response from them by July 5, 2007. I have not recieved any thing yet. Her email is maria.mejia@dbpr,state.fl.us Her phone number is 407-317-7233. The Attorney General's website is www.myfloridalegal.com I think every owner should notify the authorities and keep them on top of the situation. You may contact me at boydlong@cox.net Phone # 402-758-9397 Boyd Long

Boyd, I sent an email this morning to Maria also including pictures of the resort as it stands.

Steve Dennis stevem5@comcast.net

Boyd, The email address for Maria did not allow me to send her a message. Please check the email address and send it to me and I will send the information I have today.

Steve Dennis

sjdenn wrote:

sjdenn wrote:

boyd18 wrote:

carols306 wrote:

I've sent a letter to the Attorney General about these problems. I just got , yet another, letter from a Lawyer stating they were putting alien on my property with the intention of foreclosing on me. Now I'm REALLY wondering if their intention is to foreclose on as many of us as they can to "re sell" at a higher price. If I could afford a lawyer I'd get one. I responded to the lawyer by telling him I had NO INTENTION on foreclosing and am considering a class action suit. If I could afford a lawyer I'd sue for a whole lot more than what they've taken from me. Has anyone else written to the Attorney General. Carol

I have written to the Attorny General on 6/18/2007. I also filed a complaint with Professional Regulations and my case number is 2007032198. The case was assigned to Maria Mejia for investigation. I have received notification of my complaint and they have sent a letter to Wyndham on June 19th and they requested a response from them by July 5, 2007. I have not recieved any thing yet. Her email is maria.mejia@dbpr.state.fl.us Her phone number is 407-317-7233. The Attorney General's website is www.myfloridalegal.com I think every owner should notify the authorities and keep them on top of the situation. You may contact me at boydlong@cox.net Phone # 402-758-9397 Boyd Long

Boyd, I sent an email this morning to Maria also including pictures of the resort as it stands.

Steve Dennis stevem5@comcast.net

Boyd, The email address for Maria did not allow me to send her a message. Please check the email address and send it to me and I will send the information I have today.

Steve Dennis

boyd18 wrote:

sjdenn wrote:

sjdenn wrote:

boyd18 wrote:

carols306 wrote:

I've sent a letter to the Attorney General about these problems. I just got , yet another, letter from a Lawyer stating they were putting alien on my property with the intention of foreclosing on me. Now I'm REALLY wondering if their intention is to foreclose on as many of us as they can to "re sell" at a higher price. If I could afford a lawyer I'd get one. I responded to the lawyer by telling him I had NO INTENTION on foreclosing and am considering a class action suit. If I could afford a lawyer I'd sue for a whole lot more than what they've taken from me. Has anyone else written to the Attorney General. Carol

I have written to the Attorny General on 6/18/2007. I also filed a complaint with Professional Regulations and my case number is 2007032198. The case was assigned to Maria Mejia for investigation. I have received notification of my complaint and they have sent a letter to Wyndham on June 19th and they requested a response from them by July 5, 2007. I have not recieved any thing yet. Her email is maria.mejia@dbpr.state.fl.us Her phone number is 407-317-7233. The Attorney General's website is www.myfloridalegal.com I think every owner should notify the authorities and keep them on top of the situation. You may contact me at boydlong@cox.net Phone # 402-758-9397 Boyd Long

Boyd, I sent an email this morning to Maria also including pictures of the resort as it stands.

Steve Dennis stevem5@comcast.net

Boyd, The email address for Maria did not allow me to send her a message. Please check the email address and send it to me and I will send the information I have today.

Steve Dennis

I have corrected the email address. Boyd Long You may also try www.myfloridalicense.com

julieh156 wrote:

boyd18 wrote:

sjdenn wrote:

sjdenn wrote:

boyd18 wrote:

carols306 wrote:

I've sent a letter to the Attorney General about these problems. I just got , yet another, letter from a Lawyer stating they were putting alien on my property with the intention of foreclosing on me. Now I'm REALLY wondering if their intention is to foreclose on as many of us as they can to "re sell" at a higher price. If I could afford a lawyer I'd get one. I responded to the lawyer by telling him I had NO INTENTION on foreclosing and am considering a class action suit. If I could afford a lawyer I'd sue for a whole lot more than what they've taken from me. Has anyone else written to the Attorney General. Carol

I have written to the Attorny General on 6/18/2007. I also filed a complaint with Professional Regulations and my case number is 2007032198. The case was assigned to Maria Mejia for investigation. I have received notification of my complaint and they have sent a letter to Wyndham on June 19th and they requested a response from them by July 5, 2007. I have not recieved any thing yet. Her email is maria.mejia@dbpr.state.fl.us Her phone number is 407-317-7233. The Attorney General's website is www.myfloridalegal.com I think every owner should notify the authorities and keep them on top of the situation. You may contact me at boydlong@cox.net Phone # 402-758-9397 Boyd Long

Boyd, I sent an email this morning to Maria also including pictures of the resort as it stands.

Steve Dennis stevem5@comcast.net

Boyd, The email address for Maria did not allow me to send her a message. Please check the email address and send it to me and I will send the information I have today.

Steve Dennis

I have corrected the email address. Boyd Long You may also try www.myfloridalicense.com

I have sent a e-mail to Maria as well.

I have also sent an email to Maria as well. Tomorrow I will also be in contact with the Florida Registration Board of Division Corporations. They handle the financial and registration of the Board of Directors. I will follow up as soon as I get more information.

julieh156 wrote:

davidw459 wrote:

jeff1112 wrote:

carols306

I went through the exact same situation, I never recieved a bill and the the resort added on "late fees" and sent me to "collection". Talking to those people are like pounding your head against the wall! I contacted my attorney and she took care of it. Thank GOD for pre-paid legal. Davidw495 is correct in his attempt to ask for information, I'm having my attorney do that as we speak. I see fraud taking place here!

Good for you Jeff. It's about time someone stared using the same 'legal' tactics as they apply to us. Late billing is may be an obvious ploy to charge us more but blaming us for its cause. Of course it is could be charged because of their robotic staff's inefficiency but in either case, why should we suffer. I may be wrong, but I believe some of the controlling interests in Wyndhams are the same as those in Fairfield and its former parent company Cendant. Remember some of the Cendant chiefs were recently imprisoned for being crooks! Nice!!!! It may also be worthwhile notifying the Attorney General of Florida about our concerns over any potential financial irregular arising from the management of the Santa Barbara Resort. His details are: Economic Crimes Division Office of the Attorney General 135 W. Central Blvd. Suite 1000 Orlando FL 32801

The more complaints this gentleman gets, the more oblidged he is to investigate matters. The mere fact that they are under potential investigation will keep our management on its toes and get them to rethink any games they are playing. I appreciate that 'maintenace fees' are in a 'contract clause' to be paid to the resort even if it has been affected by a hurricane. However the term 'reasonable' applies to any contract term. The maintenance fees under this contract clause are based on the assumtion that the resort is still operational, albeit unavailable or is temporarily closed for a short period. In other words, all existing resort employees continue to be paid, utility charges still apply, etc etc. None of this applies to Santa Barbara. It has been completely closed for nearly two years for major works. Its just a construction site, so what existing items are being maintained? What are the maintenance charges for? Where is this money going (is it being used for other purposes that the owners shouldn't be paying for)? Where are the bills and invoices for this money to substantiate these fees and special charges?

I think that as owners there are a lot of valid questions that we have the legal right to have answered. Its about time we insist that they are answered in detail and in the public domain so we all know the truth.

My regards to all of you.

Good Morning everyone, I am new to this, but was excited to see that there are others who share in my frustration. I own 4 units at Santa Barbara, so I have paid 2 years of common charges plus now the assessment for the 4 units. I am seriously considering letting the go into foreclosure. I have contacted Wyndham regarding them taking the units back, of course.......no response. Any thoughts from you guys.......There is strength in numbers.

I have just spoken with an attorney from central Fla. It appears we have a serious issue here. PAY your assessments if possible or you will have more problems in relation to your credit if you are forclosed on. There are several steps we need to take to start to remedy this situation. We need to gather information so if we choose to have an attorney persue this matter he/she will have a good understanding of the suit. There is also the possibility of a criminal complaint for fraud. The attorney I spoke with feels there is most likely and at the very least a breech of the fiduciary agreement between the Association / Wyndhams and us the timeshare owners. If we want to pursue this we will first have to write a Demand Letter to the Association asking for a detailed accounting where the special assessment monies will be spent. We also need to get a copy of the insurance policy that was in effect when the hurricane struck the property. There is more info but I don't have time to write it down now. If you would like to get information on the Association registration go to www.sunbiz.org, the association was not registered for several years and we were being charged assessments by them, this is an issue!

IMPORTANT! If you cannot afford to pay these special assessments there is an option to ask the association to take your deed instead of forclosure and paying the special assessment fees. THIS IS JUST INFORMATION I RECIEVED FROM THE ATTORNEY. PLEASE DO NOT GIVE UP YOUR PROPERTY IF YOU CAN WEATHER THE STORM. Here is the addresses to the association members, David Bremer, 2601 Palmaire Dr. N. Pompano Beach, Fl 33069 Rick Dingle, 1110 South Ocean Blvd. Pompamo Beach, Fl. 33062 Dan Walters 8427 South Park Circle, Suite 500. Orlando, Fla. 32819

If anyone would like to work on this please contact me. Jeff Andring 3081 Post Rd. Newport, Mi. 48166 734-586-8988

There is plenty of work to be done to enforce our property rights!!

We are being billed for more. 2008 maintenance fees bill arrived on 10/25/07 and due 11/15/07, studio total is $618.70. Will the resort even be open in 2008? I was there in Sept. 2007 and NO WORK WAS BEING DONE> The resort was boarded up. Why, since the damages occurred in 2005 was the resort allowed to sit for two years before repairs even began? Were they waiting for the deal with Wyndham to go through? Was it because our board wasn't legal? I went through Pompano Beach last weekend and saw the repairs being done now. Just don't understand why it took two years before they started.

I still have not paid the assessment fees and now we will have this! Does anyone have any suggestions what to do at this point, before we are sent to collections...

Hi I have no interest in this BUT reading about your problems I fail to see why someone (anyone) has not stepped up and taken the lead to bring this to a head. You all need a lawyer to put these people in their place. Maybe the lawyer will do on a no cost to you basis. The laws of recovery are crazy there (I'm from Canada) so there is probably money in a class action suit. Someone talk to a lawyer. This chit chat back and forth is what the management are living on but no one does anything. Think Class Action

Are you still talking about the aruba grand (new rio) in this forum.??? I don't own a time share here, but we have been to the aruba grand twice, and it has reopened.........

doreen - this thread is about Santa Bardara Resort & Yacht Club. We haven't talked about Aruba Grand at all in this thread.

julieh156 wrote:

davidw459 wrote:

jeff1112 wrote:

carols306

I went through the exact same situation, I never recieved a bill and the the resort added on "late fees" and sent me to "collection". Talking to those people are like pounding your head against the wall! I contacted my attorney and she took care of it. Thank GOD for pre-paid legal. Davidw495 is correct in his attempt to ask for information, I'm having my attorney do that as we speak. I see fraud taking place here!

Good for you Jeff. It's about time someone stared using the same 'legal' tactics as they apply to us. Late billing is may be an obvious ploy to charge us more but blaming us for its cause. Of course it is could be charged because of their robotic staff's inefficiency but in either case, why should we suffer. I may be wrong, but I believe some of the controlling interests in Wyndhams are the same as those in Fairfield and its former parent company Cendant. Remember some of the Cendant chiefs were recently imprisoned for being crooks! Nice!!!! It may also be worthwhile notifying the Attorney General of Florida about our concerns over any potential financial irregular arising from the management of the Santa Barbara Resort. His details are: Economic Crimes Division Office of the Attorney General 135 W. Central Blvd. Suite 1000 Orlando FL 32801

The more complaints this gentleman gets, the more oblidged he is to investigate matters. The mere fact that they are under potential investigation will keep our management on its toes and get them to rethink any games they are playing. I appreciate that 'maintenace fees' are in a 'contract clause' to be paid to the resort even if it has been affected by a hurricane. However the term 'reasonable' applies to any contract term. The maintenance fees under this contract clause are based on the assumtion that the resort is still operational, albeit unavailable or is temporarily closed for a short period. In other words, all existing resort employees continue to be paid, utility charges still apply, etc etc. None of this applies to Santa Barbara. It has been completely closed for nearly two years for major works. Its just a construction site, so what existing items are being maintained? What are the maintenance charges for? Where is this money going (is it being used for other purposes that the owners shouldn't be paying for)? Where are the bills and invoices for this money to substantiate these fees and special charges?

I think that as owners there are a lot of valid questions that we have the legal right to have answered. Its about time we insist that they are answered in detail and in the public domain so we all know the truth.

My regards to all of you.

Good Morning everyone, I am new to this, but was excited to see that there are others who share in my frustration. I own 4 units at Santa Barbara, so I have paid 2 years of common charges plus now the assessment for the 4 units. I am seriously considering letting the go into foreclosure. I have contacted Wyndham regarding them taking the units back, of course.......no response. Any thoughts from you guys.......There is strength in numbers.

julieh156 wrote:

bradd33 wrote:

davidw459 wrote:

Gentlemen, I think that we have to think smart. Its obvious we are all either subject to bad managment or that we are veiwed as a soft touch. If you were inclined, you might even think that there was a hidden agenda to get hold of a valuable piece of real estate for nothing. The contract we entered into provides right and reasonable expectations for 'all' parties. We provide cash, the management provide a resort. Maintenance fees are just that. What is being maintained at the resort that costs so much? Where are the audited accounts that substatiate the special assessment charges? Where are the figures that show how much has been paid out by the isurance company for the damage to the resort? Who has paid for the new Wyndhams sign on the building, the owners or Wyndhams? What has happened to the resort boat since the hurricane? I could go on but I am sure you are getting the idea. These and many more questions are legitimate questions that have to be answered if asked. As well as aking us for money, we can all tie-up the resort management by drip feeding them questions en-mass. If they choose to ignore any of us us, then we can report them to the relevant authorities expressing concern over 'improper conduct'. It will cost them a great deal of time, money and aggrevation. Lets see how they like it!

Agreed. I get the feeling of a runaround. I called the Fairfield group to ask about what this 'special levy' was about and the (nice or at least pleasant) lady on the phone said she had heard it was 'basically for overtime pay to get the resort repaired faster'. Isn't that what insurance is for? I didn't sign up to pay someone else's overtime on a whim. Especially if not much (anything) seems to be happening.

David, I do agree that this is a valuable piece of property and I also wonder if there is a hidden agenda. Santa Barbara currently has 300+ units that are owned by them due to non payment. I wonder how many the need to own before they can take over the property. I think more and more people are going to let the property go due to expense. I know I am considering it. I own 4 units and the special assessment for the units total $5846 not to mention the last two years of common charges paid for nothing and the 2005 special assessment for non payment of maintenance for other owners. Any more thoughts....

julieh156 wrote:

boyd18 wrote:

sjdenn wrote:

sjdenn wrote:

boyd18 wrote:

carols306 wrote:

I've sent a letter to the Attorney General about these problems. I just got , yet another, letter from a Lawyer stating they were putting alien on my property with the intention of foreclosing on me. Now I'm REALLY wondering if their intention is to foreclose on as many of us as they can to "re sell" at a higher price. If I could afford a lawyer I'd get one. I responded to the lawyer by telling him I had NO INTENTION on foreclosing and am considering a class action suit. If I could afford a lawyer I'd sue for a whole lot more than what they've taken from me. Has anyone else written to the Attorney General. Carol

I have written to the Attorny General on 6/18/2007. I also filed a complaint with Professional Regulations and my case number is 2007032198. The case was assigned to Maria Mejia for investigation. I have received notification of my complaint and they have sent a letter to Wyndham on June 19th and they requested a response from them by July 5, 2007. I have not recieved any thing yet. Her email is maria.mejia@dbpr.state.fl.us Her phone number is 407-317-7233. The Attorney General's website is www.myfloridalegal.com I think every owner should notify the authorities and keep them on top of the situation. You may contact me at boydlong@cox.net Phone # 402-758-9397 Boyd Long

Boyd, I sent an email this morning to Maria also including pictures of the resort as it stands.

Steve Dennis stevem5@comcast.net

Boyd, The email address for Maria did not allow me to send her a message. Please check the email address and send it to me and I will send the information I have today.

Steve Dennis

I have corrected the email address. Boyd Long You may also try www.myfloridalicense.com

I have sent a e-mail to Maria as well.

Santa Barbara is opening the first week of January according to CS at Wyndham, Thank Goodness

julieh156 wrote:

Santa Barbara is opening the first week of January according to CS at Wyndham, Thank Goodness