Jennie
TUG Member
- Joined
- Jun 9, 2005
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I have just learned that $2200. has been deducted from our checking account because of a garnishment (sp?) by Club Land'or. It was issued by a court in Virginia. I was never served with any papers. I called my bank and they gave me a phone number of some attorney to call. Does anyone know what I need to do to "fight" this injustice.
Here's some background information. I am on vacation out-of-state at this moment and do not have access to the exact information which is in files at home.
Hubby and I own 16 timeshares. We've accumulated them gradually via resale through the years. We love each and every one of them--except a floating week at CLUB LAND'Or on Paradise Island in Nassau, Bahamas. We purchased it very cheap around 1997. There were approximately 20 weeks left on the RTU lease. It was a great trader for the first few years. We were able to "pull down" more than one week per year by paying the maintenance fees, and we did so a few times.
The person who sold it to me (via a TUG ad)had to pay a special assessment before transferring it to me. We received two special assessments in the next 3-4 years. I paid the first one without "fussing" even though the paperwork from the resort didn't sound very convincing as to why it was needed. They mentioned things like repaving around the pool and other little"stuff" that I felt should be covered by the annual maintenance fees which they incresed every year.
The second assessment for about $600. was allegedly needed to cover the cost of replacing a burned out transformer which, they stated, unlike in the U.S. must be paid by property owners, not the utility company. This didn't sound right to me either.
Soon thereafter, I exchanged into another timeshare in Nassau and discussed the situation with the manager there. He said that there would be no reason for Club Land'or to have had to pay for repair or replacement of the transformer. The utility company does it unless it is a huge property such as Atlantis that might want to install and maintain their own transformer in return for a lower electric rate. But this would only benefit a property that uses a huge amount of power. Club Land'or is a very small resort.
I paid my annual maintenance fees but refused to pay the assessment unless and until they sent me a financial report showing income and expenditures. including proof that they had paid for the transformer. I have received a statement each year from every timeshare we own--large and small--but never once from Land'or. Who knows what they have been collecting and how it has been spent?
The TUG reviews have been mediocre at best. I have collected a lot of recent reviews from various other web sites where people complain about the units being very dirty and smelly. The "bedroom" is small and is separated from the living room by a curtain--no door for privacy. The furnishings are circa 1970 and are in serious need of replacement.
Club Land'or hounded me with phone calls about the unpaid special assessment. It was never the same person calling. I must have received calls from 20 different people. Each time I requested a financial accounting. They kept telling me that it was "confidential" info which could not be divulged. Finally one person said she would send it. What I received was a brief report from RCI to Club Land'or showing the customer ratings they have received from exchange guests, and how they compare to other Caribbean resorts. They should be ashamed of the ratings they received--very poor in all categories.
Soon thereafter, Land'or started charging every guest (owner and exchangers) a fee of $19. per day per person, including children age 14+. This was not for food or activities. They said it was tax and service charges for things such as maid service and electricity. You can imagine what happened to the trading power of my RCI space-banked weeks due to this outrageous fee. I do my own on-line searches. A blue week in the Ozarks pulled more than Land'or. It's the only week that I ever let expire unused because it pulled absolutely nothing I could use, even within 30-60 days of check in.
Land'or is apparently owned by 2 brothers and is headquartered in Virginia. The manager at the other Bahamas timeshare (the one who told me about the likely false story about the transformer) said that John Holt used to belong to a local group of timeshare resort owners/managers but was "kicked out" for some shady dealings. One incident allegedly involved Holt entering into a contract to sell Land'or to the owners of the nearby Harbour Club. Holt tied them up for over a year until he finally conceded that he had done nothing to get the consent of the Land'or ts owners which would be required. The manager clearly felt that Holt had a reputation for shady conduct. He gave me the name and phone number of a man in a high position at another timeshare on Paradise Island whom he described as "an arch enemy" of Holt. Unfortunately this man died before I had a chance to call him, although I'm told that the man's widow may have a lot of info to share, as she is deeply involved in the operation of the timeshare.
After I returned from that vacation, I posted a message here on TUG inviting disgruntled Land'or owners to contact me. I received many responses and everyone was angry and frustrated about the high maintenance fees, assessments, daily $19. fees, and serious deterioration of the resort, etc...
Soon thereafter one of these owners, who had also refused to pay the special assessment, received a notice that he was being sued in Virginia. He obtained a few adjournments by phone, and began collecting information to use in court. He spoke kinda "off the record" with a court clerk who indicated that the court was annoyed at the large number of lawsuits Land'or has filed. Most people fail to show up and a default judgment is filed. But of those who do show up, most have their cases dismissed for reasons such as "I'm old and don't travel much anymore." This man made a long trip to the court (about 800 miles)hoping to get the case dismissed. He is a very intelligent, articulate businessman who wanted to fight the case on general principle. When he showed up, he was brought into an empty court room. Then a judge came out and sat on the bench. A few minutes later, an older woman using a cane came into the court room and held an animated conversation with the judge with much laughter between them. About 15 minutes later, the case was called and the only persons present were the judge and the lady with the cane who, it turned out, represented Club Land'or. When the businessman said he had papers he wanted to show the judge (bad reviews, annual financila statements he has received from other ts companies, and the Virginia statute stating that Land'or is required to file such a statement but has failed to do so)the judge stopped him and said that it would require a trial and that would take at least a week to schedule. The man requested at least a 6 week period to return for the trial, as he had other business appointments in the coming weeks. His request was granted. Thereafter he negotiated by phone with Land'or and they agreed to accept 1/2 of the approx. $2100. they were suing for. He agreed to pay it with the guarantee that his ownership at Land'or would be terminated. And it was. He was very annoyed to pay them a penny, calling them a "bunch of crooks" but he didn't have the time to keep coming back to Virginia. That was about 2 years ago.
The land on which Club Land'or is situated is very valuable. I have read posts which indicate that Holt is trying to get rid of as many owners as possible so that he will obtain a higher amount when the property is eventually sold. I also saw an article in a Bahamian newspaper that stated that Holt has submitted plans to add a new building on the Land'or property. Where he would put it is a mystery to me. And he should be required to bring the existing building up to standard before being granted permission to build something new.
I forgot to mention that Land'or charged a $75. fee for transferring the contract to me around 1997. The fee is now $975.. Land'or is on the short list of timeshares that will not be accepted at donateforacause.com and it has gone without any bids on Ebay.
I have heard NOTHING from Land'or for about 3 years. I didn't even receive bills for the annual maintenance fees.
And now out of the blue, they have a judgment against me, with no notification whatsoever. Any advice on how to proceed will be greatly appreciated.
Here's some background information. I am on vacation out-of-state at this moment and do not have access to the exact information which is in files at home.
Hubby and I own 16 timeshares. We've accumulated them gradually via resale through the years. We love each and every one of them--except a floating week at CLUB LAND'Or on Paradise Island in Nassau, Bahamas. We purchased it very cheap around 1997. There were approximately 20 weeks left on the RTU lease. It was a great trader for the first few years. We were able to "pull down" more than one week per year by paying the maintenance fees, and we did so a few times.
The person who sold it to me (via a TUG ad)had to pay a special assessment before transferring it to me. We received two special assessments in the next 3-4 years. I paid the first one without "fussing" even though the paperwork from the resort didn't sound very convincing as to why it was needed. They mentioned things like repaving around the pool and other little"stuff" that I felt should be covered by the annual maintenance fees which they incresed every year.
The second assessment for about $600. was allegedly needed to cover the cost of replacing a burned out transformer which, they stated, unlike in the U.S. must be paid by property owners, not the utility company. This didn't sound right to me either.
Soon thereafter, I exchanged into another timeshare in Nassau and discussed the situation with the manager there. He said that there would be no reason for Club Land'or to have had to pay for repair or replacement of the transformer. The utility company does it unless it is a huge property such as Atlantis that might want to install and maintain their own transformer in return for a lower electric rate. But this would only benefit a property that uses a huge amount of power. Club Land'or is a very small resort.
I paid my annual maintenance fees but refused to pay the assessment unless and until they sent me a financial report showing income and expenditures. including proof that they had paid for the transformer. I have received a statement each year from every timeshare we own--large and small--but never once from Land'or. Who knows what they have been collecting and how it has been spent?
The TUG reviews have been mediocre at best. I have collected a lot of recent reviews from various other web sites where people complain about the units being very dirty and smelly. The "bedroom" is small and is separated from the living room by a curtain--no door for privacy. The furnishings are circa 1970 and are in serious need of replacement.
Club Land'or hounded me with phone calls about the unpaid special assessment. It was never the same person calling. I must have received calls from 20 different people. Each time I requested a financial accounting. They kept telling me that it was "confidential" info which could not be divulged. Finally one person said she would send it. What I received was a brief report from RCI to Club Land'or showing the customer ratings they have received from exchange guests, and how they compare to other Caribbean resorts. They should be ashamed of the ratings they received--very poor in all categories.
Soon thereafter, Land'or started charging every guest (owner and exchangers) a fee of $19. per day per person, including children age 14+. This was not for food or activities. They said it was tax and service charges for things such as maid service and electricity. You can imagine what happened to the trading power of my RCI space-banked weeks due to this outrageous fee. I do my own on-line searches. A blue week in the Ozarks pulled more than Land'or. It's the only week that I ever let expire unused because it pulled absolutely nothing I could use, even within 30-60 days of check in.
Land'or is apparently owned by 2 brothers and is headquartered in Virginia. The manager at the other Bahamas timeshare (the one who told me about the likely false story about the transformer) said that John Holt used to belong to a local group of timeshare resort owners/managers but was "kicked out" for some shady dealings. One incident allegedly involved Holt entering into a contract to sell Land'or to the owners of the nearby Harbour Club. Holt tied them up for over a year until he finally conceded that he had done nothing to get the consent of the Land'or ts owners which would be required. The manager clearly felt that Holt had a reputation for shady conduct. He gave me the name and phone number of a man in a high position at another timeshare on Paradise Island whom he described as "an arch enemy" of Holt. Unfortunately this man died before I had a chance to call him, although I'm told that the man's widow may have a lot of info to share, as she is deeply involved in the operation of the timeshare.
After I returned from that vacation, I posted a message here on TUG inviting disgruntled Land'or owners to contact me. I received many responses and everyone was angry and frustrated about the high maintenance fees, assessments, daily $19. fees, and serious deterioration of the resort, etc...
Soon thereafter one of these owners, who had also refused to pay the special assessment, received a notice that he was being sued in Virginia. He obtained a few adjournments by phone, and began collecting information to use in court. He spoke kinda "off the record" with a court clerk who indicated that the court was annoyed at the large number of lawsuits Land'or has filed. Most people fail to show up and a default judgment is filed. But of those who do show up, most have their cases dismissed for reasons such as "I'm old and don't travel much anymore." This man made a long trip to the court (about 800 miles)hoping to get the case dismissed. He is a very intelligent, articulate businessman who wanted to fight the case on general principle. When he showed up, he was brought into an empty court room. Then a judge came out and sat on the bench. A few minutes later, an older woman using a cane came into the court room and held an animated conversation with the judge with much laughter between them. About 15 minutes later, the case was called and the only persons present were the judge and the lady with the cane who, it turned out, represented Club Land'or. When the businessman said he had papers he wanted to show the judge (bad reviews, annual financila statements he has received from other ts companies, and the Virginia statute stating that Land'or is required to file such a statement but has failed to do so)the judge stopped him and said that it would require a trial and that would take at least a week to schedule. The man requested at least a 6 week period to return for the trial, as he had other business appointments in the coming weeks. His request was granted. Thereafter he negotiated by phone with Land'or and they agreed to accept 1/2 of the approx. $2100. they were suing for. He agreed to pay it with the guarantee that his ownership at Land'or would be terminated. And it was. He was very annoyed to pay them a penny, calling them a "bunch of crooks" but he didn't have the time to keep coming back to Virginia. That was about 2 years ago.
The land on which Club Land'or is situated is very valuable. I have read posts which indicate that Holt is trying to get rid of as many owners as possible so that he will obtain a higher amount when the property is eventually sold. I also saw an article in a Bahamian newspaper that stated that Holt has submitted plans to add a new building on the Land'or property. Where he would put it is a mystery to me. And he should be required to bring the existing building up to standard before being granted permission to build something new.
I forgot to mention that Land'or charged a $75. fee for transferring the contract to me around 1997. The fee is now $975.. Land'or is on the short list of timeshares that will not be accepted at donateforacause.com and it has gone without any bids on Ebay.
I have heard NOTHING from Land'or for about 3 years. I didn't even receive bills for the annual maintenance fees.
And now out of the blue, they have a judgment against me, with no notification whatsoever. Any advice on how to proceed will be greatly appreciated.