First Resorts Points Program

[beejaybeeohio]

Have any other owners recieved a prospectus to join this program? What are your thoughts, especially if you are a non-resident SA owner?

[zzcn69]

Received yesterday, but have not taken the time to examine yet. Seems I remember some negative comments in the past re First Resorts so will really think about this.

[Dori]

I haven't seen it yet, but you can bet it will be useless, just like any other options that will be offered. Mr. Lamont, AKA Bullfrog, is out to destroy the rights of owners. He has done this to several other properties as well. We have been owners at Lowveld Lodge for over ten years, and have enjoyed so many wonderful exchanges, but that has sadly come to an end.

Dori

[Carolinian]

First Resorts is the management arm of the Club Leisure Group, which runs quite a few points clubs, CRI South Africa, Flexi-Club, Star Club, etc, none of which have a good reputation.

There was a loooonnnngggg section on them on the old Crimeshare website, which was run by some officers of the Timeshare Consumers Association in the UK. I obtained and reposted items on Club Leisure Group and its tenacles from Crimeshare in this thread:

http://www.timeshareforums.com/forum...dikhololo.html

In particular, the Crimeshare material is in posts 4 and 7. There is also an article from the Johannesburg Star newspaper that had been reposted at Crimeshare included in its entirely in post 2.

[pat.uk]

Does anyone know anything about the Oceanic in Durban, we have been told that we can no longer use the timeshare despite always paying our levies, it is being renovated to become rental accommodation. We have been asked to pay towards the renovation, plus our levies and told that rental income will be returned to us. Needless to say First Resorts are the managing company. We live in the UK, can we just walk away? I have emailed VIOSA (TISA) regarding this but although they are supposed to represent timeshare owners I feel they are in league with Stuart Lamont and will not help.

[muranojo]

I wouldn't give them a dime more for their 'renovation' or 'rental program.'
More than likely, they will take your unit back if you ask--after all, that's what they want: push out the owners with a no-choice option and take over. Piece of cake.
Amazing.

[Liz Wolf-Spada]

Just got a letter saying they are going with long term renters and are getting rid of the timeshare "scheme", but expect shareholders to pay levies and say they will get back money. I am going to send a letter saying, "Count me out!"
Liz

[Carolinian]

Originally Posted by Liz Wolf-Spada

Just got a letter saying they are going with long term renters and are getting rid of the timeshare "scheme", but expect shareholders to pay levies and say they will get back money. I am going to send a letter saying, "Count me out!"
Liz

I think they expect many, possibly most owners to do that, and that is their whole point. They end up owning the property after they have pushed you out, and make a bunc
dle.

Froggy Lamont has turned from shady points clubs to crashing resorts as his main source of ill-gotten gain.

[Gophesjo]

If the HOA were willing to take back share blocksfrom owners who no longer want them, and get them in the hands of 'acquire to use' owners, perhaps Froggy's plan could be thwarted.

[Carolinian]

Originally Posted by Gophesjo

If the HOA were willing to take back share blocksfrom owners who no longer want them, and get them in the hands of 'acquire to use' owners, perhaps Froggy's plan could be thwarted.

Obviously, you have not followed how Froggy operates. He uses the muscle of a block of weeks owned by his points clubs to get control of the HOA board, hires his management company First Resorts, sometimes with a lifetime contract, and puts only Club Leisure Group employees on the HOA board. He has taken a board seat for himself at every resort where he has done this that I have seen. Usually his son gets another. A former apartheid era police general who works for him often gets a third and there are some other Club Leisure employees in the mix. ONce Froggy takes over, he controls everything, the board is looking out for him and not the members, and it is very dificult to fight back. The Bullfrog can be beaten at early stages if owners get organized as they did at Dikhololo a couple of years ago, but once he gets all the levers of power in his hands, it has been too late. The key is being alert and getting proxies in to stop him when he first makes his move for control of the HOA board. Froggy's minions not only do not do much to try to sell HOA weeks to others, they also often add restrictions on who individual members can sell to, often causing them to just deed back to Froggy.