Special Assessment / Class Action Lawsuit!

patricia678 wrote:

Hello I own week 21 Unit 801 and I would be interested in the class action law suit. Be happy to help in any way I can, just let me know what I can do. I would also like to see the pictures. My email is trishc82@gmail.com.

I am certainly glad to see these posts today. I have felt for years (long before the hurricaine) that Santa Barbara took advantage of their owners, but didn't realize we could do anything about it.

I am a fixed week owner and have never converted to points. I received a letter a few weeks ago saying if I converted to points they would refund/waive the special assesment fees. I did not even call them about it. I am sure the charge to switch over would have exceeded the special assesment not to mention the addtional maintanance fee. Did anyone else get this letter?

Trish Cordes

Start filing your complaints with the State Attorney General, The F.t.c in Washington, then find someone besides Emily who ws probably their person, email this one person, and go from there, i am not part of this clss action suit I am trying to sue club navigo in florida, from what i understand most of these builders are theifs. glenda

sjdenn wrote:

I have just received a reply from the Division of Land and Condominum Sales, Florida. They have received my complaint and are investigating. I also sent the nine pictures thay I have emailed many of you.

The person I have contacted is as follows:

shelia.fields@dbpr.state.fl.us

Please send your complaint and address to this office.

Steve Dennis stevem5@comcast.net

this is scary because this is the name of the person in charge of club navigo, make sure you are really talking to the right department please email me @ yakesluv@sbcglobal.net and I will give you the correct department to contact.

jeff1112 wrote:

adahiscout wrote:

patricia678 wrote:

jeff1112 wrote:

haroldw42 wrote:

emilyw28 wrote:

My letter said Santa Barbara may be open in January 2008 but the target month is February 2008. In any case, though, the letter promised alternative accommodations in the Ft. Lauderdale area.

My week is in February and I'm planning to go assuming I'll have accommodations somewhere nice.

I wouldn't sell now. It's a bad time. I'd really try to pay these outrageous fees under the assumption it's a one time thing and continue to fight and learn all we can about how much the insurance paid, whether the insurance was adequate, and whether the Santa Barbara management had been keeping up the insurance premiums.

Does anyone have information on this?

We're not alone. Together we can ensure accountability.

You can be assured this is NOT a one time thing. This is our 2nd special assessment in 12 years. There will be another after the next hurricane.

I have some information on the insurance. I also have received information on other issues about Santa Barbara. I'm about to send out my second demand letter requesting copies of the estimates and bids. I have also contacted the Florida State Attorney Generals office and placed a complaint of fraud against the Santa Barbara Board and Wyndham Resorts. They will be accountable to me for my property and my money they are spending.

Jeff,

Should all owners contact the Florida State Attorney Generals office? Would that be helpful? How did you submit your complaint? Phone?Email?Snailmail? I have to admit I have felt for years that they have been taking advantage of us but to be honest I didn't know what to do about it. So if you have some suggestions of what we should be doing has owners I am sure we would all be interested. Thanks Trish

======== If reopening is scheduled for early 2008, might it not be best to hold off for a bit and not divert your fees and assessments into defending against class action suits? Isn't a nicely renovated Santa Barbara ASAP what you really want?

The possibility of hurricanes in Florida is not exactly "news" nor are they anybody's fault. If this has become all too clear, consider rolling your Florida ownership into a new purchase elsewhere in the FF/W system. Great new place in Wisconsin Dells! Of course, we can't guarantee against an occasional tornado! MD

You must be CRAZY! This place has been closed for almost 3 years now. Wyndham and the Board of Directors were supposed to have insurance to pay for hurricane damage. I found out Wyndam has a $200 million dollar blanket insurance policy and that our board may have purchased an insurance package from them? Isn't it amazing that I can not find out what exactly our insurance covered, or if we had insurance at all. If this building was not adequately covered then Wyndam and the Board have some serious legal problems. Why are the owners paying to rebuild this building if it had adequate insurance? Several people that I know have already lost their interest in this place because they can't afford to pay multiple "assessments". In my opinion we have been scammed by both the Board and Wyndam, but that will be for the law and the attorneys to decide.

My question to you! Why are all the Wyndam Resorts in the area OPEN and have been since shortly after the hurricane that closed the Santa Barbara?

My opinion is this place was not insured and Wyndam and the Board is covering up this fact by charging special assessments to cover the cost of the repairs. That is FRAUD! A reasonable person would expect their Board of Directors to adequately insure the interest they were assigned to maintain!

Yes, all owners should contact the Florida Attorney Generals Office and provide the paper work you have received from Wyndam and the Board. You should also contact the local law enforcement and file a complaint for fraud. I plan on doing that ASAP.

The owners of this place need to hold the Board and Wyndams accountable.

file your complaints with the attorney general and every agency, THEN file your complain with the GOVERNOR, if he gets enough complaints and sees how unsatisfied people are he will have to do something about it, this is his state and does not want to lose any revenue. Then contact channel 2 and ask then to investigate time share theft, i already have, but it takes more than 1 person to call.if channel 2 has many complaints they will investigate and the country will know about it, A good attorney will pick it up and want the case.

glenday2 wrote:

jeff1112 wrote:

adahiscout wrote:

patricia678 wrote:

jeff1112 wrote:

haroldw42 wrote:

emilyw28 wrote:

My letter said Santa Barbara may be open in January 2008 but the target month is February 2008. In any case, though, the letter promised alternative accommodations in the Ft. Lauderdale area.

My week is in February and I'm planning to go assuming I'll have accommodations somewhere nice.

I wouldn't sell now. It's a bad time. I'd really try to pay these outrageous fees under the assumption it's a one time thing and continue to fight and learn all we can about how much the insurance paid, whether the insurance was adequate, and whether the Santa Barbara management had been keeping up the insurance premiums.

Does anyone have information on this?

We're not alone. Together we can ensure accountability.

You can be assured this is NOT a one time thing. This is our 2nd special assessment in 12 years. There will be another after the next hurricane.

I have some information on the insurance. I also have received information on other issues about Santa Barbara. I'm about to send out my second demand letter requesting copies of the estimates and bids. I have also contacted the Florida State Attorney Generals office and placed a complaint of fraud against the Santa Barbara Board and Wyndham Resorts. They will be accountable to me for my property and my money they are spending.

Jeff,

Should all owners contact the Florida State Attorney Generals office? Would that be helpful? How did you submit your complaint? Phone?Email?Snailmail? I have to admit I have felt for years that they have been taking advantage of us but to be honest I didn't know what to do about it. So if you have some suggestions of what we should be doing has owners I am sure we would all be interested. Thanks Trish

======== If reopening is scheduled for early 2008, might it not be best to hold off for a bit and not divert your fees and assessments into defending against class action suits? Isn't a nicely renovated Santa Barbara ASAP what you really want?

The possibility of hurricanes in Florida is not exactly "news" nor are they anybody's fault. If this has become all too clear, consider rolling your Florida ownership into a new purchase elsewhere in the FF/W system. Great new place in Wisconsin Dells! Of course, we can't guarantee against an occasional tornado! MD

You must be CRAZY! This place has been closed for almost 3 years now. Wyndham and the Board of Directors were supposed to have insurance to pay for hurricane damage. I found out Wyndam has a $200 million dollar blanket insurance policy and that our board may have purchased an insurance package from them? Isn't it amazing that I can not find out what exactly our insurance covered, or if we had insurance at all. If this building was not adequately covered then Wyndam and the Board have some serious legal problems. Why are the owners paying to rebuild this building if it had adequate insurance? Several people that I know have already lost their interest in this place because they can't afford to pay multiple "assessments". In my opinion we have been scammed by both the Board and Wyndam, but that will be for the law and the attorneys to decide.

My question to you! Why are all the Wyndam Resorts in the area OPEN and have been since shortly after the hurricane that closed the Santa Barbara?

My opinion is this place was not insured and Wyndam and the Board is covering up this fact by charging special assessments to cover the cost of the repairs. That is FRAUD! A reasonable person would expect their Board of Directors to adequately insure the interest they were assigned to maintain!

Yes, all owners should contact the Florida Attorney Generals Office and provide the paper work you have received from Wyndam and the Board. You should also contact the local law enforcement and file a complaint for fraud. I plan on doing that ASAP.

The owners of this place need to hold the Board and Wyndams accountable.

file your complaints with the attorney general and every agency, THEN file your complain with the GOVERNOR, if he gets enough complaints and sees how unsatisfied people are he will have to do something about it, this is his state and does not want to lose any revenue. Then contact channel 2 and ask then to investigate time share theft, i already have, but it takes more than 1 person to call.if channel 2 has many complaints they will investigate and the country will know about it, A good attorney will pick it up and want the case.

1. What letter from the board do we send in with our complaint, for we only received the assessment bills. 2.Who can make up a legal letter filing the complaint for all of us to sign and then send into the legal agencies who can help us? I know that a group letter or petition with lots of names will bring more attention than individual letters. 3. Also, I checked our contract and it said the resort was covered with insurance and we pay for it in our maintenance fees. Wyndham said that the assessments were for bringing the resort up to code. The insurance should have paid for that not our assessments. RW

richardw235 wrote:

haroldw42 wrote:

We inquired of RCI if they had a resales outlet and we were told that RCI is working on something involving a buy back deal, however, it would not be available until at least 6 months from now. They advised us to contact them (RCI) in 6 months or so.

My wife called RCI today about this buy back deal, and the supervisor said RCI does not and will not buy back any timeshares, but we could call the Century 21 RE broker who they recommend. She said no thank you for we tried this RE for a cost of $500 up front fee which they said satisfied the Florida Law to appraise the unit. Which we have just found out is illegal, but we thought Century 21 was an honest company, and found out they scam people too. So I am asking who you talked to about this buy back? Thanks for a reply, R White

Yes, we received the letter on points too and the cost was close to $3,000. another rip off. Who knows how to swap our deeded unit with one in Utah, Wyoming or Colorado.

richardw235 wrote:

glenday2 wrote:

jeff1112 wrote:

adahiscout wrote:

patricia678 wrote:

jeff1112 wrote:

haroldw42 wrote:

emilyw28 wrote:

My letter said Santa Barbara may be open in January 2008 but the target month is February 2008. In any case, though, the letter promised alternative accommodations in the Ft. Lauderdale area.

My week is in February and I'm planning to go assuming I'll have accommodations somewhere nice.

I wouldn't sell now. It's a bad time. I'd really try to pay these outrageous fees under the assumption it's a one time thing and continue to fight and learn all we can about how much the insurance paid, whether the insurance was adequate, and whether the Santa Barbara management had been keeping up the insurance premiums.

Does anyone have information on this?

We're not alone. Together we can ensure accountability.

You can be assured this is NOT a one time thing. This is our 2nd special assessment in 12 years. There will be another after the next hurricane.

I have some information on the insurance. I also have received information on other issues about Santa Barbara. I'm about to send out my second demand letter requesting copies of the estimates and bids. I have also contacted the Florida State Attorney Generals office and placed a complaint of fraud against the Santa Barbara Board and Wyndham Resorts. They will be accountable to me for my property and my money they are spending.

Jeff,

Should all owners contact the Florida State Attorney Generals office? Would that be helpful? How did you submit your complaint? Phone?Email?Snailmail? I have to admit I have felt for years that they have been taking advantage of us but to be honest I didn't know what to do about it. So if you have some suggestions of what we should be doing has owners I am sure we would all be interested. Thanks Trish

======== If reopening is scheduled for early 2008, might it not be best to hold off for a bit and not divert your fees and assessments into defending against class action suits? Isn't a nicely renovated Santa Barbara ASAP what you really want?

The possibility of hurricanes in Florida is not exactly "news" nor are they anybody's fault. If this has become all too clear, consider rolling your Florida ownership into a new purchase elsewhere in the FF/W system. Great new place in Wisconsin Dells! Of course, we can't guarantee against an occasional tornado! MD

You must be CRAZY! This place has been closed for almost 3 years now. Wyndham and the Board of Directors were supposed to have insurance to pay for hurricane damage. I found out Wyndam has a $200 million dollar blanket insurance policy and that our board may have purchased an insurance package from them? Isn't it amazing that I can not find out what exactly our insurance covered, or if we had insurance at all. If this building was not adequately covered then Wyndam and the Board have some serious legal problems. Why are the owners paying to rebuild this building if it had adequate insurance? Several people that I know have already lost their interest in this place because they can't afford to pay multiple "assessments". In my opinion we have been scammed by both the Board and Wyndam, but that will be for the law and the attorneys to decide.

My question to you! Why are all the Wyndam Resorts in the area OPEN and have been since shortly after the hurricane that closed the Santa Barbara?

My opinion is this place was not insured and Wyndam and the Board is covering up this fact by charging special assessments to cover the cost of the repairs. That is FRAUD! A reasonable person would expect their Board of Directors to adequately insure the interest they were assigned to maintain!

Yes, all owners should contact the Florida Attorney Generals Office and provide the paper work you have received from Wyndam and the Board. You should also contact the local law enforcement and file a complaint for fraud. I plan on doing that ASAP.

The owners of this place need to hold the Board and Wyndams accountable.

file your complaints with the attorney general and every agency, THEN file your complain with the GOVERNOR, if he gets enough complaints and sees how unsatisfied people are he will have to do something about it, this is his state and does not want to lose any revenue. Then contact channel 2 and ask then to investigate time share theft, i already have, but it takes more than 1 person to call.if channel 2 has many complaints they will investigate and the country will know about it, A good attorney will pick it up and want the case.

1. What letter from the board do we send in with our complaint, for we only received the assessment bills. 2.Who can make up a legal letter filing the complaint for all of us to sign and then send into the legal agencies who can help us? I know that a group letter or petition with lots of names will bring more attention than individual letters. 3. Also, I checked our contract and it said the resort was covered with insurance and we pay for it in our maintenance fees. Wyndham said that the assessments were for bringing the resort up to code. The insurance should have paid for that not our assessments. RW

why are you guys paying for something that does not exist? start your paper trail with the states attorney general NOW.

glenday2 wrote:

richardw235 wrote:

glenday2 wrote:

jeff1112 wrote:

adahiscout wrote:

patricia678 wrote:

jeff1112 wrote:

haroldw42 wrote:

emilyw28 wrote:

My letter said Santa Barbara may be open in January 2008 but the target month is February 2008. In any case, though, the letter promised alternative accommodations in the Ft. Lauderdale area.

My week is in February and I'm planning to go assuming I'll have accommodations somewhere nice.

I wouldn't sell now. It's a bad time. I'd really try to pay these outrageous fees under the assumption it's a one time thing and continue to fight and learn all we can about how much the insurance paid, whether the insurance was adequate, and whether the Santa Barbara management had been keeping up the insurance premiums.

Does anyone have information on this?

We're not alone. Together we can ensure accountability.

You can be assured this is NOT a one time thing. This is our 2nd special assessment in 12 years. There will be another after the next hurricane.

I have some information on the insurance. I also have received information on other issues about Santa Barbara. I'm about to send out my second demand letter requesting copies of the estimates and bids. I have also contacted the Florida State Attorney Generals office and placed a complaint of fraud against the Santa Barbara Board and Wyndham Resorts. They will be accountable to me for my property and my money they are spending.

Jeff,

Should all owners contact the Florida State Attorney Generals office? Would that be helpful? How did you submit your complaint? Phone?Email?Snailmail? I have to admit I have felt for years that they have been taking advantage of us but to be honest I didn't know what to do about it. So if you have some suggestions of what we should be doing has owners I am sure we would all be interested. Thanks Trish

======== If reopening is scheduled for early 2008, might it not be best to hold off for a bit and not divert your fees and assessments into defending against class action suits? Isn't a nicely renovated Santa Barbara ASAP what you really want?

The possibility of hurricanes in Florida is not exactly "news" nor are they anybody's fault. If this has become all too clear, consider rolling your Florida ownership into a new purchase elsewhere in the FF/W system. Great new place in Wisconsin Dells! Of course, we can't guarantee against an occasional tornado! MD

You must be CRAZY! This place has been closed for almost 3 years now. Wyndham and the Board of Directors were supposed to have insurance to pay for hurricane damage. I found out Wyndam has a $200 million dollar blanket insurance policy and that our board may have purchased an insurance package from them? Isn't it amazing that I can not find out what exactly our insurance covered, or if we had insurance at all. If this building was not adequately covered then Wyndam and the Board have some serious legal problems. Why are the owners paying to rebuild this building if it had adequate insurance? Several people that I know have already lost their interest in this place because they can't afford to pay multiple "assessments". In my opinion we have been scammed by both the Board and Wyndam, but that will be for the law and the attorneys to decide.

My question to you! Why are all the Wyndam Resorts in the area OPEN and have been since shortly after the hurricane that closed the Santa Barbara?

My opinion is this place was not insured and Wyndam and the Board is covering up this fact by charging special assessments to cover the cost of the repairs. That is FRAUD! A reasonable person would expect their Board of Directors to adequately insure the interest they were assigned to maintain!

Yes, all owners should contact the Florida Attorney Generals Office and provide the paper work you have received from Wyndam and the Board. You should also contact the local law enforcement and file a complaint for fraud. I plan on doing that ASAP.

The owners of this place need to hold the Board and Wyndams accountable.

file your complaints with the attorney general and every agency, THEN file your complain with the GOVERNOR, if he gets enough complaints and sees how unsatisfied people are he will have to do something about it, this is his state and does not want to lose any revenue. Then contact channel 2 and ask then to investigate time share theft, i already have, but it takes more than 1 person to call.if channel 2 has many complaints they will investigate and the country will know about it, A good attorney will pick it up and want the case.

1. What letter from the board do we send in with our complaint, for we only received the assessment bills. 2.Who can make up a legal letter filing the complaint for all of us to sign and then send into the legal agencies who can help us? I know that a group letter or petition with lots of names will bring more attention than individual letters. 3. Also, I checked our contract and it said the resort was covered with insurance and we pay for it in our maintenance fees. Wyndham said that the assessments were for bringing the resort up to code. The insurance should have paid for that not our assessments. RW

why are you guys paying for something that does not exist? start your paper trail with the states attorney general NOW.

How do you do this? What proof in writing do we need and who is Florida's state attorney general and the address (email) too if you have it. Thanks.

In case it is not clear to anyone just starting to read this topic, the Santa Barbara did reopen, thoroughly redone, early in 2008. It is one of the older (oldest?) of the Wyndham Ft. Lauderdale area timeshares and and took the heaviest damage. Since major rebuilding had to be done, there undoubtedly were code updates required. These additional costs may have gone beyond the insured amount for the replacement of the original structure.

Perhaps a person out there who is experienced in property insurance can tell us whether it is possible to insure a building for the cost of rebuilding it up to new code standards. MD

Is there anyhting going on with this? I had to pay to stay out of collections, but was never told why the existing insurance didn't cover the storm damage. It seems to me that Wynham collected at least 150k with these fees.