# Ever have a resort shut off the power all night?  Costa del Sol did.



## chriskre (Aug 20, 2015)

I am staying at Costa del Sol in Lauderdale by the sea this week and they posted a notice on the elevators that 
they were shutting off the electricity on Wednesday night from midnight to 6am.  

I approached the staff and asked them why they were doing this at night and their answer was that they were 
not doing it but it was FPL (Florida Power & Light) that was doing it.
Talk about passing the buck.  
FPL does not turn off the power to a full building without notifying the association and coordinating it with them.  
I know because I am a condo President in my complex.
Nothing like this happens without coordination and agreement.  
So this association arranged this with FPL regardless of what they say.

Now the problem with doing this at night aside from the obvious is that for me I use a CPAP and without electricity 
I would not be sleeping at all.
Not to mention that it's mid August in FL where the temps at night are in the high 80's plus our humidity factor.
And never mind that there are a lot of seniors here who could easily fall in the middle of the night in the dark.
Plus 6 hours of food in the fridge may not survive the outage if it went longer and they didn't provide any extra ice.  
There are only two ice trays in each fridge.  

I spoke to other exchangers in the hot tub, cause isn't that where you talk to other guests  :big grin: and one of the l
adies had an autistic daughter and was freaking out how she would handle that.  
She was on an RCI exchange and of course RCI knew nothing about this.  
I'm on an II exchange and it wasn't mentioned there either.   
I did book this a year out though.  
She ended up taking a hotel close by to avoid a problem with her daughter.  
Luckily this was just a stay cation for me and I only live an hour away so came home for the night.  
I guess I'll find out today and tomorrow what others ended up doing.  

I asked the staff why they didn't rent an emergency generator for the night and they said that it wasn't in their budget.
Mind you this is a full service (daily maid service) resort.   
Why they have daily maid service I haven't a clue cause it's overkill for sure.

I called II to see what they could do on their end.  I know it's not their fault but I feel like doing a re-do of this vacation.
I've lost more than just the 1 night since I had to bring my food home and now schlep it back again today.  
Talk about inconvenient.  Luckily I have one of those giant costco freezer bags and most of it fit.  
I've emailed the customer service with II about my displeasure.
Hopefully they can lean on the resort a bit cause this certainly could have been done during daylight hours like noon to 6pm.  :roll eyes:

Other than this huge inconvenience it's actually a nice little place.


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## geekette (Aug 20, 2015)

chriskre said:


> I am staying at Costa del Sol in Lauderdale by the sea this week and they posted a notice on the elevators that
> they were shutting off the electricity on Wednesday night from midnight to 6am.
> 
> I approached the staff and asked them why they were doing this at night and their answer was that they were
> ...



Confused - how would shutting off power during the day be better?  It's hotter, more people out an about, wanting to use microwave, water heater, tv...?   What is the reason for the outage?   

Having been thru my share of outages this summer, food survives just fine for 6 hours if the fridge/freezer doors aren't repeatedly opened.  I still had coldish beverages in fridge after 3 days.  I definitely wouldn't clear out and return, I'd just go to sleep and power would be back before I missed it.

Pardon my ignorance, but not sure I understand the issue with no power while autistic child sleeps?  CPAP, I understand.

I'd be annoyed at losing power as early as midnight, as I'm sure some would be annoyed in not having it by 6 am (no coffee??)   

They really should have offered flashlights to all guests that wanted them and also bring in hot coffee for the early birds (my mother is up at 4:30 every morning).  

Interesting situation overall.


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## DeniseM (Aug 20, 2015)

Just guessing, but an autistic child may not be able to tolerate complete darkness and may need a nightlight or lamp to sleep.


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## presley (Aug 20, 2015)

chriskre said:


> I asked the staff why they didn't rent an emergency generator for the night and they said that it wasn't in their budget.



That doesn't make any sense. I can see why they'd have it shut off at night, though. During the day, they'd have to close the pools/hot tubs and people who are trying to cook would be very upset. I think overall they chose the right time to shut it off, but they absolutely should have rented generators so people could run their medical equipment and the air conditioning. 

I'm sure II will compensate you somehow when they know that you had to drive for an hour to go home so you could sleep that night.


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## sjsharkie (Aug 20, 2015)

I can understand the OPs frustration, but I disagree with some of the inferences in the post.

If FPL is doing a large swath of work in a particular area, they aren't going to get agreement from every single condo board on the dates they want to do it.  There certainly should be ample notification (assuming this was not an emergency repair), but not necessarily agreement on the particular date and time.  I used to be on a board of a non-profit, and when PG&E was doing work which required shutting off electricity for a large project in the area, they gave us over a month's notice, but didn't let us choose the date and time.

The resort could have given occupants more advanced and better notice than a posting on the elevator.  But then again, we don't know how much notice was given to them.

I also agree with others that for the majority of the guests, performing maintenance during the night versus the day is probably less impactful.  I'd be upset if I couldn't use the pool or other facilities during the day.

I'd complain and see what compensation is given.  That's really all that can be done IMHO.

-ryan


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## Ty1on (Aug 20, 2015)

sjsharkie said:


> I can understand the OPs frustration, but I disagree with some of the inferences in the post.
> 
> If FPL is doing a large swath of work in a particular area, they aren't going to get agreement from every single condo board on the dates they want to do it.  There certainly should be ample notification (assuming this was not an emergency repair), but not necessarily agreement on the particular date and time.  I used to be on a board of a non-profit, and when PG&E was doing work which required shutting off electricity for a large project in the area, they gave us over a month's notice, but didn't let us choose the date and time.
> 
> ...



As far as renting a generator, it seems to me that's the kind of thing Reserve funds are there for.


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## chriskre (Aug 20, 2015)

geekette said:


> Confused - how would shutting off power during the day be better?  It's hotter, more people out an about, wanting to use microwave, water heater, tv...?   What is the reason for the outage?
> 
> Having been thru my share of outages this summer, food survives just fine for 6 hours if the fridge/freezer doors aren't repeatedly opened.  I still had coldish beverages in fridge after 3 days.  I definitely wouldn't clear out and return, I'd just go to sleep and power would be back before I missed it.
> 
> ...



I think it would have been less impactful during the day because at least you can get out and about during the day so the autistic child and their family wouldn't be impacted.  There are things to do in Fort Lauderdale other than hang out at the resort if it was really necessary to do during the day but definitely not happening at 12-6am  unless you're taking grandma clubbing.  :whoopie:
Yeah maybe we couldn't use the pool and hot tub, but at least we had the ocean.  

And yeah the CPAP issue is a problem for me.  
Not so much worried about my food since I brought it home with me.  



DeniseM said:


> Just guessing, but an autistic child may not be able to tolerate complete darkness and may need a nightlight or lamp to sleep.



Yes that's what the Mom said.  Apparently he sleeps with a light on.



presley said:


> That doesn't make any sense. I can see why they'd have it shut off at night, though. During the day, they'd have to close the pools/hot tubs and people who are trying to cook would be very upset. I think overall they chose the right time to shut it off, but they absolutely should have rented generators so people could run their medical equipment and the air conditioning.
> 
> I'm sure II will compensate you somehow when they know that you had to drive for an hour to go home so you could sleep that night.



No II didn't do anything for me. :annoyed: 
They agreed with me that it was an unacceptable situation but that I should have called them before I left so they could find me accommodations for the night.  I didn't even think to call them until today when I am home checking the sightings. They blame the resort, which I agree and that they do not have to do anything for me, not even a stupid AC.  Sheesh.  :roll eyes:

They did say they were going to talk to the resort manager and let them know that they could possibly lose their rating if they do this again.  



sjsharkie said:


> I can understand the OPs frustration, but I disagree with some of the inferences in the post.
> 
> If FPL is doing a large swath of work in a particular area, they aren't going to get agreement from every single condo board on the dates they want to do it.  There certainly should be ample notification (assuming this was not an emergency repair), but not necessarily agreement on the particular date and time.  I used to be on a board of a non-profit, and when PG&E was doing work which required shutting off electricity for a large project in the area, they gave us over a month's notice, but didn't let us choose the date and time.
> 
> ...



The resort is doing lots of work on the building.  FPL was only going to run new lines to the building.  Honestly this doesn't sound like a 6 hour job but that's what they were telling them just to cover their butts.  




Ty1on said:


> As far as renting a generator, it seems to me that's the kind of thing Reserve funds are there for.



Ya think?  They don't seem to have a line item for that.


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## Miss Marty (Aug 20, 2015)

*Being without Electricity at Home or at a Resort*



chriskre said:


> I am staying at Costa del Sol in Lauderdale by the sea
> this week and they posted a notice on the elevators
> that they were shutting off the electricity on
> Wednesday night from midnight to 6am.
> ...



You may want to consider: 

A LED rechargeable plug-in power outage flashlight 
that senses a power failure and automatically lights 
up in an emergency for home and travel. 

Also Alternative Power Options for Your CPAP 
Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Machine


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## Miss Marty (Aug 20, 2015)

*Ever have a resort shut off the power all night? Costa del Sol did. No*

_
Our First Hurricane _

Once we stayed at The Hilton Grand Vacation Club on I-Drive
and was without power for 26 hours during a Sept. Hurricane. 

The only things we had were a flashlight and a small battery 
operated transistor radio to sit out the storm.  
(A gift from Timesharing Today Magazine) 

I will always remember watching the rain pour down 
International Drive and the resort resetting almost
all their big beautiful palm trees after the Hurricane. 

Next day, we visited the other HGVClub 
and learned that they never lost power.


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## Ken555 (Aug 20, 2015)

Sounds like the HOA is managed by a bunch of incompetents.


Sent from my iPad


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## chriskre (Aug 20, 2015)

Miss Marty said:


> You may want to consider:
> 
> 
> 
> ...




My phone has a flashlight.  
I wasn't scared of the dark.  
If this had just happened by accident I would have just winged it.  
I have slept on the floor thru many a hurricane at the hospital as a nurse waiting out the storm for 36 to 48 hours. 
I am not a whimp trust me.   
Been thru much worse with hurricanes and keeping people alive on life support.  
But that wasn't planned and we were better prepared than these bozos.  


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## chriskre (Aug 20, 2015)

Ken555 said:


> Sounds like the HOA is managed by a bunch of incompetents.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad




Yup.  It appears so.  


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## theo (Aug 21, 2015)

*Perception vs. reality...*

I certainly have "no dog in this fight" and (just like *everyone* else here) I do *not* know all of the underlying facts or the real reason(s) for the temporary interruption of power in the unfortunate instance cited.  Sometimes s&*t happens --- and six (likley unavoidable) hours of inconvenience (with written advance notice provided and limited to a time period in the middle of the night) ain't exactly a tragedy of epic proportions, nor is it in any way a "compensation-eligible" situation (IMnsHO). C'mon, really?

My primary point in commenting at all on this matter is to simply note that unless the facility *already* has a backup generator *capability* and *all* the necessary associated wiring and circuit "switching" infrastructure *already in place* and integrated into the facility's electrical system for future use, there is not now (and there was not then) any realistic (or even available) option to just go out and get a generator, even if one was somehow available for free. Frankly, the very idea is just absurd, reflecting a complete lack of knowledge and / or understanding about how independent backup generation of electricity actually integrates into *any* electrical system.

In short, running out to buy, borrow, rent, teletransport (or acquire by *any* other conceivable means) a generator for six hours of use at any structure not already fully equipped to integrate it was *never* a realistic option --- *regardless* of cost, personal viewpoints, disappointment, inconvenience, or preferences to the contrary. 
To suggest otherwise is to just conveniently ignore all factual reality regarding backup power availability in infrastructure not even equipped to employ it. Just sayin'... 

P.S. I have no experience with this facility, but beyond the minor inconvenience one *could* question how / why *any* coastal Florida (historically a hurricane prone area) facility doesn't have independent, integrated backup power generation capability in place *already*; my FL timeshares (all of them built back in the 1980's) certainly do.


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## chriskre (Aug 21, 2015)

Theo there are companies who specialize in emergency generator rentals.  
This isn't the types of generators you buy at home depot.  
They are commercial ones like caterpillars 

Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk 2


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## e.bram (Aug 21, 2015)

I have been in my Cape Cod oceanfront TS, where we have had some storm related blackouts. C'est la vie.


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## PigsDad (Aug 21, 2015)

chriskre said:


> Theo there are companies who specialize in emergency generator rentals.
> This isn't the types of generators you buy at home depot.
> They are commercial ones like caterpillars



Even if you have a large enough generator, you can't just "plug it in" to a building's electrical system that isn't already designed for a backup power source.  

Theo is correct on this and brought up an excellent point.

Kurt


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## geekette (Aug 21, 2015)

DeniseM said:


> Just guessing, but an autistic child may not be able to tolerate complete darkness and may need a nightlight or lamp to sleep.



Thank you.  I appreciate the education.


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## Saintsfanfl (Aug 21, 2015)

Ty1on said:


> As far as renting a generator, it seems to me that's the kind of thing Reserve funds are there for.



Not at all. Reserves are ear marked for specific capital purposes. I've never seen a general reserve for unforeseen random misc expenses. That would open the door for mismanagement of funds. Everything is budgeted specifically. Almost all timeshares are not properly funded so not only is there a deficit in reserves for what should be known expenses but there is definitely nothing left for unforeseen events.


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## pedro47 (Aug 21, 2015)

Did the FL electric company post a notice in the local newspaper or run this on the local television station about this action?

I would call the state attorney general office to see if this is legal ?


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## Passepartout (Aug 21, 2015)

I think that for the resort to continue to take reservations for the time when MAJOR utilities are KNOWN to be interrupted for extended time is unconscionable! The VERY least they should have done when the power outage was known would have been to notify reservation holders so that alternative plans could be made by those who wished to not be inconvenienced.

Offering monetary or credit refunds to affected guests would be appropriate. Guests asking for such should be accommodated- up to the cost of a night's lodging in similar quality facility.

Jim


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## e.bram (Aug 21, 2015)

The TS has no control over the power company, therefore they are not negligent and can not be held responsible.


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## tschwa2 (Aug 21, 2015)

> I think that for the resort to continue to take reservations for the time when MAJOR utilities are KNOWN to be interrupted for extended time is unconscionable!



I agree with this statement but I don't really consider 6 hours max (and it may have been less but the resort and the power company wanted guests to prepare for the worst) to be MAJOR or even extended.  If they knew it would be anything above 24-36 hrs I would agree that no reservations should have been taken and all guests effected should have been notified in advance and given alternatives.  As it is advance notice plus some kind of flash light should have been provide but not really that major.


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## Ty1on (Aug 21, 2015)

theo said:


> I certainly have "no dog in this fight" and (just like *everyone* else here) do *not* know all of the underlying facts or the real reason(s) for the temporary interruption of power in the unfortunate instance cited.  Sometimes s&*t happens --- and 6 (likley unavoidable) hours of (written advance notice provided) inconvenience (...and limited to a time period in the middle of the night) ain't exactly a tragedy of epic proportions, IMnsHO.
> 
> My primary point in commenting *at all* on this matter is to simply note that unless the facility *already* has a backup generator capability and all necessary associated wiring and circuit "switching" capability integrated into their multi-unit facility's electrical system, there is not now (and  was not then) any realistic option to just go out and get a generator. Frankly, the very idea is just absurd, reflecting a lack of knowledge or understanding about how independent backup generation of electricity actually integrates into any large, multi-unit structure and its' operation with various, assorted units and occupants with individual and different electricity needs or demands.
> 
> ...



Granted it was the conventional hospitality industry, but I have never in my 30 year career worked for a resort that wasn't at least designed for temporary emergency power to be harnessed in.  Of course, the larger ones all have backup generator plants onsite.

I doubt it is, but I personally think it should be building code for any hotel or short term residence property.  Not to own and maintain the equipment, but to at least be able to use it in emergencies.  There is a public good in hotels/resorts being able to run on generator power during crises, too.

Hey, I wonder if FEMA compensates a timeshare for use as emergency shelter, whether that compensation credits against owner maintenance fees LOL


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## Ty1on (Aug 21, 2015)

Saintsfanfl said:


> Not at all. Reserves are ear marked for specific capital purposes. I've never seen a general reserve for unforeseen random misc expenses. That would open the door for mismanagement of funds. Everything is budgeted specifically. Almost all timeshares are not properly funded so not only is there a deficit in reserves for what should be known expenses but there is definitely nothing left for unforeseen events.



Reserves are held for _contingencies_, not specific capital purposes.  The HOA financial report shows an expectancy range of when of these different capital needs arise, but they are not precisely forecasted in advance.

And I agree with you about mismanagement and improper funding....If an HOA can't afford a $500 or even $2,000 one time generator rental to cover a scheduled power outage out of a multi-million dollar budget, either they are afraid to budget what they really need out of fear of owner revolt, or they are inept.  

I've seen several HOA financial statements where (minor) operating overages were floated from the reserve, and the reserve repaid out of the following year's operating budget.


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## theo (Aug 22, 2015)

*Perception vs. Reality --- Redux...*



Ty1on said:


> <snip> .If an HOA can't afford a $500 or even $2,000 one time generator rental to cover a scheduled power outage out of a multi-million dollar budget, either they are afraid to budget what they really need out of fear of owner revolt, or they are inept.



A nonsense conclusion (no disrespect intended). As clearly pointed out already, even a *free* mega watt generator delivered right to the site is utterly useless to any large, multi-unit facility whose electrical system and circuitry switching infrastructure / capability is *not already fully in place and set up in advance to accommodate** it*. 

As someone else already eloquently and correctly observed above, you can't just latch onto a generator and just "plug it in" to the facility. 
It just ain't that simple or straightforward, whether or not anyone particularly likes and / or understands that clear and indisputable fact. 

The lame "not in the budget" response from a desk clerk (or whatever other clueless facility minion actually said that) regarding obtaining a generator for temporary use was unfortunate, uninformed and unhelpful --- but ultimately completely irrelevant anyhow to the *real* reason why it was never really even an available option *at all*.


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## vacationhopeful (Aug 22, 2015)

I arrived at one resort at 11:15PM and found a slew of FPL trucks on the street and in the parking lot. Thought to self ... "this don't look good". No lights in parking lot but front desk building was up & running. A few MORE people around in parking lot and lobby .. but not every seat taken.

Then I recognized the #2 resort manager ... okay ... this is LATE for him; actually this was way TOO late for him. Asked him HOW he got in the Dog House and he said, the electric was OUT in half of the resort - transformer on street had blown up. Asked what building ... told me that one was up & running as power came from different street.

I guess now the main office area was on backup generator - front buildings ran on the bad (DEAD) transformer and back buildings ran off the rear street transformer. Notice all power was running by 12:30AM.


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## chriskre (Aug 22, 2015)

Well Friday the resort had a free lunch for all the guests to compensate everyone for the construction inconvenience.   They never mentioned the electricity per se but I guess there was enough ill will that the resort felt the need to do a little damage control.  

So it started at 12 noon and by 12:10 all the food was gone. 
Mostly scarfed up by the construction workers who were loading up plates and taking multiple sodas.  
Good thing I got there by 12:05 or wouldn't have even gotten a bag of chips.
We heard the workers in spanish telling each other to get extras.


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## chriskre (Aug 22, 2015)

PigsDad said:


> Even if you have a large enough generator, you can't just "plug it in" to a building's electrical system that isn't already designed for a backup power source.
> 
> Theo is correct on this and brought up an excellent point.
> 
> Kurt



Okay, this is FL.  
We get hit with hurricanes all the time.  
I'm sure an electrician can fix this issue so in the future the resort could run on Emergency power if the need would arise.  It's not like it's not going to ever happen again, it's only a matter of when.  



pedro47 said:


> Did the FL electric company post a notice in the local newspaper or run this on the local television station about this action?
> 
> I would call the state attorney general office to see if this is legal ?



This is FL.  Our AG can't do squat.  
Maybe the Public Service Commission but I doubt the AG would even bother with this.  They're too busy with all the other issues we have in this land of scammers.  



e.bram said:


> The TS has no control over the power company, therefore they are not negligent and can not be held responsible.



Of course they have no control over FPL.  
That was exactly their stance on this whole issue.  Easier to pass the buck.

But they certainly should be better prepared for similar issues like this one like say a hurricane!  Everybody here has a generator.  I have a generator.  
Of course mine is only for my little house and controls a few appliances but all this can be done to scale.  We Floridians know about generators.  



Ty1on said:


> Granted it was the conventional hospitality industry, but I have never in my 30 year career worked for a resort that wasn't at least designed for temporary emergency power to be harnessed in.  Of course, the larger ones all have backup generator plants onsite.







Ty1on said:


> And I agree with you about mismanagement and improper funding....If an HOA can't afford a $500 or even $2,000 one time generator rental to cover a scheduled power outage out of a multi-million dollar budget, either they are afraid to budget what they really need out of fear of owner revolt, or they are inept.
> 
> I've seen several HOA financial statements where (minor) operating overages were floated from the reserve, and the reserve repaid out of the following year's operating budget.



All HOA's have an emergency fund for things like cleanup after a hurricane.
I guess this resort thinks that they are immune to emergencies and they run the place as such.  



theo said:


> As someone else already quite eloquently observed, you can't just latch onto a generator and somehow "plug it in" to the facility.
> It just ain't that simple or straightforward, whether or not anyone particularly likes and / or understands that indisputable fact.



Obviously there is more to renting a generator than just having it delivered.
That's what we have electricians for or is an electrician someone who would be clueless on how to hook up a generator?    Shoot my handyman knows how to do this.


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## vacationhopeful (Aug 22, 2015)

chriskre said:


> Well Friday the resort had a free lunch for all the guests to compensate everyone for the construction inconvenience.   They never mentioned the electricity per se but I guess there was enough ill will that the resort felt the need to do a little damage control.
> 
> So it started at 12 noon and by 12:10 all the food was gone.
> Mostly scarfed up by the construction workers who were loading up plates and taking multiple sodas.
> ...



The resort manager should have TOLD the construction site manager his work force was NOT INVITED to lunch... they were being paid to go a job ... at a larger resort, the lunch should NOT have been near the construction guys. If YOUR resort manager INVITED the construction dudes to chow down .... he still owes HIS guests a thank you ....  maybe a Subway gift card for $25 each room.

Resort facilities are NOT open to contractors .... were they swimming in the pool, sitting in the hot tub, sliding up to the Tiki Bar, sleeping on the lounge chairs, using the luggage carts?


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## AKE (Aug 22, 2015)

I don't know where everyone else lives (maybe a dream world!) but power interruptions can and do occur, whether planned or not.  Today power outages are way less frequent than 30 or 40 years ago and guess what - we all somehow survived. 

If you live in a rental and there is a power outage do you run to your landlord and demand a refund of your rent or do you use a flashlight? If a road is closed off due to construction do you demand that your local politicians refund part of your taxes or do you take an alternate route?  If your plane gets delayed or cancelled (be it weather or mechanical) do you demand a refund or do you make the best of the situation?  There are rules re what the airlines are required to do but most people simply put up with the inconvenience instead of taking a refund because they still have to get to where they were going to.  Life is not perfect and neither are holidays (I would think that a 6 hour night-time power outage is way preferable to 7 days of straight rain at a resort yet I am not aware of resorts compensating their guests because of the weather). Be glad that you are fortunate enough to be able to take a holiday - many others can never afford to even take a holiday or those that do, rarely experience the lifestyle offered by a timeshare.


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## Talent312 (Aug 23, 2015)

Six hours w/o power in the middle of the night (when you should be asleep) is nothing; certainly nothing to get one's dander up. Think of it as camping out.

Get the room as cold as possible beforehand.
Need a light? Buy a battery-powered lantern at Wal-Mart.
Need something kept cold? A bag of ice will cover it.
CPAP? There are DC (battery) adaptors to use w/car or marine battery.
Wanna watch TV? Invest in a UPS, which are nice to have on hand.
.


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## Ken555 (Aug 23, 2015)

These types of threads seem to follow a typical process. First people are upset that the vendor could do such a thing. Then, others chime in that things are so easy today - who are you to complain about such a little inconvenience? Etc etc

Absurd. Resorts need to have backup power plans. There could be medical, business, and many other objectivity reasonable concerns which require constant power. Buying a flashlight might not solve the problem. That said, a few hours of an outage in the middle of the night is not out of line, but six hours? Something should have been done to minimize that outage.


Sent from my iPad


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## chriskre (Aug 23, 2015)

Ken555 said:


> These types of threads seem to follow a typical process. First people are upset that the vendor could do such a thing. Then, others chime in that things are so easy today - who are you to complain about such a little inconvenience? Etc etc
> 
> Absurd. Resorts need to have backup power plans. There could be medical, business, and many other objectivity reasonable concerns which require constant power. Buying a flashlight might not solve the problem. That said, a few hours of an outage in the middle of the night is not out of line, but six hours? Something should have been done to minimize that outage.
> 
> ...



Thanks Ken.  
I was starting to feel the weight of the bricks.   

And I know, I know first world problems until it's your problem.  Ha!  
I'm half Dominican so I know first hand about power outages and guess what?   Dominicans buy Catepillar generators and build little houses for them and buy $600 worth of gas a month to run them just at night for when the power goes out.
So the third world knows how better to handle a power outage than us first worlds.


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## Jim Bryan (Aug 24, 2015)

Bottom line, the Resort should have probably handled it much better than they did. I would want to know why, so I could know how to judge their response.


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## geekette (Aug 24, 2015)

Passepartout said:


> I think that for the resort to continue to take reservations for the time when MAJOR utilities are KNOWN to be interrupted for extended time is unconscionable! The VERY least they should have done when the power outage was known would have been to notify reservation holders so that alternative plans could be made by those who wished to not be inconvenienced.
> 
> Offering monetary or credit refunds to affected guests would be appropriate. Guests asking for such should be accommodated- up to the cost of a night's lodging in similar quality facility.
> 
> Jim



How would they have known a year + ago?


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## Passepartout (Aug 24, 2015)

geekette said:


> How would they have known a year + ago?



They wouldn't have to have known a year ago, but it's clear from what the OP posted that the resort DID have *some* advance knowledge. Even advising current guests with a flyer under the door, or by mail with incoming guests so contingencies could be made. For instance for people with CPAP devices, or a child that needs a night light or for a cooler with some ice in it for food that needed refrigeration. 

Another way the situation was poorly handled was allowing the construction workers unfettered access to the guests' lunch that was meant as compensation for their inconvenience.

The thing was simply handled poorly. Period.


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## geekette (Aug 24, 2015)

Passepartout said:


> They wouldn't have to have known a year ago, but it's clear from what the OP posted that the resort DID have *some* advance knowledge. Even advising current guests with a flyer under the door, or by mail with incoming guests so contingencies could be made. For instance for people with CPAP devices, or a child that needs a night light or for a cooler with some ice in it for food that needed refrigeration.
> 
> Another way the situation was poorly handled was allowing the construction workers unfettered access to the guests' lunch that was meant as compensation for their inconvenience.
> 
> The thing was simply handled poorly. Period.



I agree, handled poorly.  Sign on the elevator is very very lame (what about peeps that use the stairs?), but wondering if resort knew at check-in day??  If they knew by then, every guest checking-in should have been notified, don't like it, here's RCI's number if you want to move, and agree, warning before ever leaving home IF resort had advance notice.  Don't know what the nature of the electrical issue was, sometimes there isn't notice.  

Cannot comment with family language what I think of the luncheon that kinda wasn't....  :ignore:


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## vacationhopeful (Aug 24, 2015)

It is ALL in the mindset of the people handling the issue .... 3rd world countries and the people who live there do NOT CONSIDER a 6 hour electric cut out anything more than a cloudy day ... it is a "SO WHAT" moment in their universe.

I suggest your BODs look at to WHO is running the show and get them into the current century .... cheap labor ... hire an 18 year old who would be flipping out if no internet or able to run his computer.


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## Ty1on (Aug 24, 2015)

vacationhopeful said:


> It is ALL in the mindset of the people handling the issue .... 3rd world countries and the people who live there do NOT CONSIDER a 6 hour electric cut out anything more than a cloudy day ... it is a "SO WHAT" moment in their universe.
> 
> I suggest your BODs look at to WHO is running the show and get them into the current century .... cheap labor ... hire an 18 year old who would be flipping out if no internet or able to run his computer.



3d world countries and the people who are in them are NOT paying $1,000 to $2,000 per use week for maintenance fees in addition to the equity cost of their contracts (Even if you bought resale, there was an initial equity cost that someone paid).

I think the bottom line is that resorts have backup plans because they are going to lose revenue if they don't.  What's the incentive for an HOA or management company to arrange backup power?


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## Talent312 (Aug 25, 2015)

geekette said:


> I agree, handled poorly.  Sign on the elevator is very very lame (what about peeps that use the stairs?)...



The class and there's no class. As an example of class:
There were 3 false fire alarms in the span of a few hours at a Hyatt Hotel where we stayed a few weeks ago. All 454 occupied rooms received a letter of apology from the manager. No drink coupons, but a classy gesture nonetheless.
.


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## vacationhopeful (Aug 25, 2015)

Reminds me of the Marriott Beach Place_ helpful_* (NOT)* handling of a hurricane/tropical storm several years ago.

3 nights in a row after 6PM, a letter from the resort manager being pushed under the door. Basicly, implying the resort _MAY_ be closed down ... but NOT clearly saying such. If you call or went do to the Front Desk ... those staff members KNEW NOT what you were talking or asking about as the manager had gone home. It was advising they were watching a storm in the Atlantic and advised (more like a HINT) there MIGHT be a evacution - consultant the Broward County Emergency Management for shelter locations. 

The resort management team was NEVER available to be asked any questions .... I guess they had left town. 

Talk about helping to keep their out of town guests in the loop. NOT!


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## chriskre (Aug 25, 2015)

vacationhopeful said:


> It is ALL in the mindset of the people handling the issue .... 3rd world countries and the people who live there do NOT CONSIDER a 6 hour electric cut out anything more than a cloudy day ... it is a "SO WHAT" moment in their universe.
> 
> I suggest your BODs look at to WHO is running the show and get them into the current century .... cheap labor ... hire an 18 year old who would be flipping out if no internet or able to run his computer.



My cousin is in a wheelchair in the Dominican Republic and she lives on the top floor of a 10 story building.  Many a time she gets stuck on the first floor because the building loses power.  The downstairs neighbors let her hang out with them until the power returns when it happens which is luckily less often then in years past.  It's an older building so they don't have a generator for the elevators.  So yes it's something she lives with but certainly is not a "so what" moment for her.  But there isn't anything she can do about it except move which is not an option for her.   There is no ADA to defend her rights.


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## chriskre (Aug 25, 2015)

geekette said:


> I agree, handled poorly.  Sign on the elevator is very very lame (what about peeps that use the stairs?), but wondering if resort knew at check-in day??  If they knew by then, every guest checking-in should have been notified, don't like it, here's RCI's number if you want to move, and agree, warning before ever leaving home IF resort had advance notice.  Don't know what the nature of the electrical issue was, sometimes there isn't notice.
> 
> Cannot comment with family language what I think of the luncheon that kinda wasn't....  :ignore:



Well the lady with the autistic child had been using the stairs only and had not seen the notice until we started a little chat in the hot tub.  Isn't that where you meet everyone in the resort?  

The resort check in lady did not mention it at check in.  I saw it in the elevator the day of check in but definitely those who took the stairs didn't see it.


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## wed100105 (Sep 15, 2015)

I understand your frustration; instead of going home and calling after the fact, I would have most likely went to the front desk as soon as I saw the notice of the power outage, politely stated my problem (medical issue-CPAP) and asked for them to put me up in a nearby hotel (with power) for the night. Why did you wait until after the vacation to say something? 

Our family could have easily dealt with the outage, but I am not naive enough to suggest that it would be a major issue for others. I would expect the resort to have some sort of back up plan for medical necessities (given that this was an expected outage with no weather or emergency causes).


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## VacationForever (Sep 15, 2015)

Sometimes there is really nothing the resort can do about it.  Late last year we checked into Marriott DSV II and I happened to have picked "Jasmine Court" due to TUGgers' input that it is a quiet end of the resort.  We checked in at the main lobby and there were notices posted and flyers handed out that water would be shut off between 10pm to 6am by the city in at DSV I and DSV II on one of the weeknights (Wed or something like that) to repair piping. We later learned that Jasmine Court was the only area of the resort that not affected (I don't remember if it was after the fact or knew about it before hand).  There was a Thank You and Sorry For The Inconvenience party held a day after the incident.  All I can say is shit happens and sometimes the resort can do something about it but sometimes not.


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## theo (Sep 15, 2015)

sptung said:


> <snip>  All I can say is shit happens and sometimes the resort can do something about it but sometimes not.



Exactly so. Well said.


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## silentg (Sep 15, 2015)

The past couple of exchanges I have made thru RCI were fine at the time I made them. I went back to check dates etc in my vacation history and noticed In red writing to click for updates. One said major remodeling would be done at the resort during the time I would be there. So I canceled that exchange. Last one said there would be painting of the exterior and interior of the buildings. We went anyway, and found they closed some of the buildings, unoccupied and were renovating those. It did not affect our stay at all. 
Did you have any alert on your resort confirmation? Check as your week gets closer each time, they slip those in, sometimes at the last minute.
Also, living in Florida, we get last minute notices that they are shutting off power, or water. Last week, I returned home to find a man digging in my yard, and trucks up and down the street, with men digging in everyone's yard. The one in my yard said , no worries we are changing all the water meters. They left a note on the front door and said the water would be off while they changed up the meters! It was off for an hour or so. 
Never a dull moment here!
Silentg


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## Chrispee (Sep 15, 2015)

This reminds me of our stay at the Westin Kierland Villas at the end of August.  We were given 24 hours notice of a water shutoff from 10am to 4pm in our building (the main building with the lobby).  The resort's contingency plan was to have 3 units in other buildings opened as public rest rooms.  We went to bed that night wishing that we had a trip planned for the next day rather than a day of rest at the pool.

The Westin staff embraced the unexpected inconvenience with all activity staff donning high visibility vests and hard hats.  They had extra staff on deck giving out water, apologizing for the inconvenience, and directing people to the available restrooms.  They even grilled hot dogs by the pool to thank everybody for their patience.  It's not about the crisis, it's about how it's handled.


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## Jim Bryan (Sep 16, 2015)

This shows a Resort that cares.


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## klpca (Sep 16, 2015)

We had no power for a full day at the Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas in 2014. No notice at check in four days earlier - just a note slid under the door the day before. It was for an installation of an hvac unit or something like that. So they *did* know - this was scheduled maintenance. Of course, it was the day that we had scheduled as a resort day. (I'm not one to lay around - ever - but I was traveling with a friend who only wants to lay around the pool at the resort. Figures that it would be that day, lol). We couldn't use our room so we went to the pool as planned. We couldn't even use the jacuzzi's because the power was shut off. They had a bbq lunch which I thought was a nice touch since you couldn't cook in your unit, but they charged for the meal. Tacky.

I didn't complain because it the big scheme of things it wasn't the end of the world, but IMHO I thought that it was handled quite poorly. It was more disruptive than it needed to be. If we had been told at check in, we would have scheduled our spa day for that day and been away from the property all day. If they had provided a meal to recognize the disruption to our vacation that would have been a gracious gesture. Instead, charging for it felt like another shakedown for money. It didn't ruin our trip but I will never forget how we were treated, that's for sure.


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## chriskre (Sep 17, 2015)

wed100105 said:


> I understand your frustration; instead of going home and calling after the fact, I would have most likely went to the front desk as soon as I saw the notice of the power outage, politely stated my problem (medical issue-CPAP) and asked for them to put me up in a nearby hotel (with power) for the night. Why did you wait until after the vacation to say something?
> 
> Our family could have easily dealt with the outage, but I am not naive enough to suggest that it would be a major issue for others. I would expect the resort to have some sort of back up plan for medical necessities (given that this was an expected outage with no weather or emergency causes).



I did say something the first day.
The only answer I got was that they were not the ones shutting off the power but that it was FPL.  The girl at the front desk was very nice but they were passing the buck.  
Whateverrrrrrr.  
Lucky for me I live 35 miles away so I wouldn't have wanted a hotel room anyway.  But no the resort has no backup plan for anything.  They said they do not have money in the budget for those things.


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## chriskre (Sep 17, 2015)

sptung said:


> All I can say is shit happens and sometimes the resort can do something about it but sometimes not.



Well they certainly could have done something about it but chose not to.
Very poor management at this resort.


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## chriskre (Sep 17, 2015)

silentg said:


> Did you have any alert on your resort confirmation? Check as your week gets closer each time, they slip those in, sometimes at the last minute.
> Also, living in Florida, we get last minute notices that they are shutting off power, or water. Last week, I returned home to find a man digging in my yard, and trucks up and down the street, with men digging in everyone's yard. The one in my yard said , no worries we are changing all the water meters. They left a note on the front door and said the water would be off while they changed up the meters! It was off for an hour or so.
> Never a dull moment here!
> Silentg



This was an II exchange and no alerts.
I called II and they were not aware either.
They said they were going to speak to the manager of the resort.
They probably didn't do it since it's not their problem either.  
I'm sure they were just trying to pacify me.
They got their exchange money and that's all they care about.


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## chriskre (Sep 17, 2015)

Chrispee said:


> This reminds me of our stay at the Westin Kierland Villas at the end of August.  We were given 24 hours notice of a water shutoff from 10am to 4pm in our building (the main building with the lobby).  The resort's contingency plan was to have 3 units in other buildings opened as public rest rooms.  We went to bed that night wishing that we had a trip planned for the next day rather than a day of rest at the pool.
> 
> The Westin staff embraced the unexpected inconvenience with all activity staff donning high visibility vests and hard hats.  They had extra staff on deck giving out water, apologizing for the inconvenience, and directing people to the available restrooms.  They even grilled hot dogs by the pool to thank everybody for their patience.  It's not about the crisis, it's about how it's handled.



Yes!  Totally agree.
This isn't that big of a deal, it's just that this was handled poorly.


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## suzannesimon (Sep 20, 2015)

Last year Harborside Resort at Atlantis blew a transformer and power was off 3+ days.  They tried to move guests to other Atlantis Resorts, which was nice of them plus they had a free BBQ.  We weren't there, thankfully, but it was amazing that they needed to wait several days to bring another transformer from the mainland and there was no generator.  You would think that they would have extra transformers on hand if they can't be purchased on the island.  Instead, guests were standing in line for hours hoping to be assigned alternative rooms.  It doesn't make for a pleasant vacation experience.


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