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Re: Important Update Affecting Resale Purchasers (by Marc D.):

danachat wrote:

Oh, glad to see I am not the only one complaining to SVC about their fees. We own five weeks at the 'Beach Club' and simply love the resort. When we got our new maintenance fee invoice they had hiked the fees up to over $1,300.00 per week fro $1,063.00 in 2009. In fairness this was supposed to be the last year of the "special assessment" of an extra $250.00 per year over five years to modernize the resort but their new reason given was the large number of delinquent accounts!! I emailed a four page letter outlining the twisted logic their proposed 2010 budget contained. How in the world could a 70 unit complex completely redone four years ago carry a $1.3 million for repair budget which didn't include the extra carried for the two elevators? I questioned that the raised maintenance fees would prompt others to walk away from their units therefore increasing the burden on the non delinquent owners next year. It really is simple economics. If the money is needed to cover other peoples maintenance fees why is this not budgeted as a loan to the corporation rather than a non returnable feethat the Owner's receive no credit? We then included a breakdown of the various comparable or higher quality two bedroom resorts along the coast and the Keys. They were all under a $1,000.00/year. We have not received a reply in the two weeks we gave them. Now it is in my wife's hands and perhaps legally challenging the actions through her law firm. A class action suit would be very entertaining to make Starwood actually explain the shell game they are playing. They are encouraging by their actions the lowering of the value of the units and stimulating people to walk away in droves. What a pity.

You are absolutly right. I had the same reaction about the one not paying. I'm still upset at there refurbished cost to bring the unit "ugly". If you wife has a class action, I would join. My email is marcdub@videotron.ca.

By the way, I will be there in 2 days. I reserved at my home resort (Lakes) at the end of the summer last year. They just called me 2 days (which they never do???) to tell me that I'm booked at the Falls (an older unit). I'm really upset and I suspect that they play games in booking other in the best units and flip owner to the old one. Have you ever heard of this? I was also upset when they had the guts to change the points of Vistana and call it an improvement. It's baloney as the small amount of point you get to go elswhere does not buy you anything. But i also own at Mission Hills (grest resort) and I cannot use the small portion of lockoff to go to Vistana in 2 Bedroom. If you look carefully at the Option Chart, that's why they made the change. The plus doesn't cost them anything but it burns points faster to go to Vistana..