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Re: Manhattan Club Lawsuit (by Diane B.):

Thank you for your sample message. Here is what I sent to the Judge. ------------------------------------------------------------- I have owned my time share at the Manhattan Club for since November of 2013. When I purchased I was promised a valuable ownership in a New York property and access to all the wonders that the city has to offer at a very convenient location a few steps from Carnegie Hall, Broadway, Central Park and Lincoln Center. In addition I were told that our property would appreciate in value over the years and would be relatively easy to sell if necessary. In fact, I was told that the Developer/Owner of The Manhattan Club would buy it back to maintain the value of the property. I decided upon a flexible ownership plan allowing me to book three nights at a time rather than a set, fixed one week. I was told that bookings would have to be made considerably in advance of my needs. While the maintenance fee seemed a bit high, I felt that based upon what I was told about the club, that it was something I was willing to pay.

However, several things have happened recently that have made me question my investment: A friend of mine who is an owner (I found out about The Manhattan Club when she gave me a stay for a present) recently called the Club to talk about selling her unit. She was told that the club was not buying back any units, and that she should try to sell it on Craigslist. Craigslist? Where is all the concern about maintaining the value of the unit? This was a major feature that caused me to purchase my unit. Please note that the selling price of the current unit of the size of my friend’s unit was quite a bit higher than what she paid for it 10 years ago, which I considered , naively, when purchasing my unit. I am very distressed to see all the advertising of the”available rooms” at The Manhattan Club online – e.g. on Facebook and other sites that use cookies to target advertising. When I called and asked about it, I got a message saying that of course, these were only rooms that were not booked by members. However, I then found out about the lawsuit and wondered why the rooms were available when it appeared that some owners were unable to book even a year in advance. So far, I have been able to book a year in advance – but would like to be able to book a bit less far in advance.

Please consider the plight of owners like me carefully. I am by no means wealthy and this investment was planned carefully so I could spend time in a city I love, at a location that is very convenient to everything I like to do. I am distressed by the apparent greed of the management of The Manhattan Club, and the lies I was told by the sales team.

I ask that you rule to insure that the owners get what we paid for. Thank you.