Heard of "M" Resorts in Puerto Vallarta? [AKA Castles & Condos]

[CaptainCaveman1945]

Guess what I found

I bought a one bedroom back in October of 2008. After a period of time where I felt there was a lack of communication I managed to get a hold of the sales rep that sold me the property and I got the following information from him. I found out that the "M" company that was involved was only selling the properties - they don't own anything or have any liability. But I did find the owners. Their names are Donald Wayne Busby and Silvia Hernandez. They own D&G Captiol Corp and Castles & Condos which are one in the same. (You might want to google this Donald guy...he's got some interesting stories and lets say we didn't get involved with a savory group of characters.)

This is Mr. Busby's home address and numbers where he can be contacted at.

Give him a call - he owns the resort, the M people who were somewhat helpful can't do jack for us they're just salespeople

Donald Wayne Busby
Paseo de Las Conchas Chinas # 127 • Puerto Vallarta, Jal. Mexico C.P: 48390
Phone : 011 52 (322) 22 1 64 64 Ext 101 • Fax 011 52 (322) 22 1 64 55

 

[PapaBearAB]

woops - two other important posts I put in the other thread by mistake

I wish there was a way of merging the two threads on Castles and Condos and M Hotes, as I followed up with email to various other resorts advantage and developer contacts today but posted them to the other thread

so here are the links to the other two posts:

http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showpost.php?p=761456&postcount=18
http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showpost.php?p=761456&postcount=19

I will try to remember to post from now on to this thread, as it is the main thread

Joe (PapaBearAB)

 

[oncebitten]

another DNG contact

But I did find the owners. Their names are Donald Wayne Busby and Silvia Hernandez. They own D&G Captiol Corp and Castles & Condos which are one in the same. (You might want to google this Donald guy...he's got some interesting stories and lets say we didn't get involved with a savory group of characters.)

This is Mr. Busby's home address and numbers where he can be contacted at.

Give him a call - he owns the resort, the M people who were somewhat helpful can't do jack for us they're just salespeople

Donald Wayne Busby
Paseo de Las Conchas Chinas # 127 • Puerto Vallarta, Jal. Mexico C.P: 48390
Phone : 011 52 (322) 22 1 64 64 Ext 101 • Fax 011 52 (322) 22 1 64 55

A gentleman by the name of Nick DeMare is also popping up on Google as being a "beneficial" owner ("100% indirectly"???) of DNG Capital Corp. He's a CA from British Columbia and apparently very busy. Check out this link http://infoventure.tsx.com/TSXVentu...GetPage=PersonSummary&PO_ID=38191&HC_FLAG1=on. His name has come up with Donald W. Busby on some different corporations (including DNG) with the address being

1305-1090 West Georgia Street
Vancouver, B.C.
V6E 3V7

I'm sure a person could find a phone number with a little digging.

 

[PapaBearAB]

not necessarily same company just because same name

though there are certainly Canadian connections to DNG Capital Corp in Mexico, one of the partners having a Canadian email and phone number, a company in Mexico with the same name as a company in Canada or the USA does not have to be the same company - in this case it is likely they are not the same company, and I will assume so until proven otherwise, though any data searching done by anyone to find out more information regarding any of the M hotel developments is appreciated

 

[PapaBearAB]

found more threads at other sites, especially Enchantment

I think our only hope is that the developer DNG Capital Corp is no longer invovled with Mamaan Group and is also determined to make the resort work, even if it is stand-a-lone resort with just swapping of weeks through interval international - this is my opinion after reading further posts about Daniel Mamann and about The Enchantment at Los Cabos - thus hopefully we will hear from the developer soon - I have no trust in Resorts Advantage correspondence, especially after further reading in The Enchantment forum at Trip Advisor

seems that Trip Advisor has a long forum for people involved at The Enchantment. It is up to the 12th posting page by now. They are getting the same stories from Resorts Advantage as we are at Castles and Condos. No one believes anything from Resorts Advantage, since, as I have noted in previous posts, someone is paying them to be the customer service liason, and it is not us members, so must be Mamann Group or the developers - so hopefully it is not Mamaan Group, but likely is - here is The Enchantment forum at tripadvisor.com
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopi...Cabo_San_Lucas_Los_Cabos_Baja_California.html

there is another forum at Tripadvisor.com for "Fractional Ownership in PV"
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopi...ship_in_PV-Puerto_Vallarta_Pacific_Coast.html
but there is nothing new there that is not posted in more detail at TUG

Also a very interesting post at
http://todopuertovallarta.yuku.com/reply/55413/t/Mamann-Group-M-Hotels-revisted.html#reply-55413

and another from 2008 at:
http://todopuertovallarta.yuku.com/topic/8908/t/Vallarta-Ponzi-scheme-redux.html
(how I wished I had found some of these posts while in Puerto Vallarta searching the internet the day after I bought at C&C for any hints of problems at Castles and Condos or the Mamann Group)

by the way, I have now heard from about 15 Castles and Condos members that have provided further contact information for future consideration of joint actions whether legal or just more clout when communicating with developer or others than we would have as individuals

Joe (PapaBearAB)

 

[PapaBearAB]

important post for all Castles and Condos members - time for action

It is now time for action and to have a lawyer in Puerto Vallarta work for us (one has already been suggested and corresponed with us after our approach) to gather good information there in Puerto Vallarta were the action and information is, not necessarily and not ideally to pursure legal action, but to possibly work WITH the developer(s) and others on our behalf to attempt the best possible outcomes for the members who find ourselves in this current situation.

I am now of the opinion, though perhaps wrong in some cases, that:

1) at least the Castles and Condos project is now likely and hopefully a separate entity unrelated to Mamann Group and M Hotels, but this needs to be determined quickly - the only reason that hints that this may not be true is that Resorts Advantage is taking calls from both Enchantment members and Castles and Condos, but they might be separate contracts with each developer but with a common approach

2) if separate projects, Enchantment owners probably need to follow the TripAdvisor forum and become involved in that group and any actions they are doing

3) Castles and the developer of Castles and Condos may now be separate from Mamann Group, as per one of the posts in Trip Advisor Enchantment thread indicated that financing powers behind the Castles and Condos may have demanded the developer separate from M Hotels and Mamann Group (this needs to be determined), and that would be good news for Castles and Condos members, as that means the developer may be able to continue to complete the project on his own and we would have our resort and weeks there but not elsewhere that could however be exchanged through Interval International. I think Daniel Mamann has too many problems to come out of this in the best interest of the residence club members, and I feel sorry for the Enchantment members if this is true

4) we need someone in Puerto Vallarta, and yes, likely a lawyer (one has been proposed already by another TUG poster and member of Castles and Condos), gathering more information for us, though we should not be hasty about getting into legal action - I believe it is time to email the contacts we have and see who is willing to contribute start-up money to do the following
a) confirm the developer and partners in the property
b) approach the developer and partners and express the concern that the members need more information, and need to see a construction schedule and a regular report on progress
c) know what membership privileges they will retain
d) determine if there will be no scheduled completion whether the developer is willing to refund money to buyers and what % on the dollar (ideally 100%, but I will take something close)
e) if no completion schedule and construction progress reports and remaining privileges can be agreed upon then determine whether it is likely worthwhile to try and freeze the property and have it sold or otherwise act to have some or all of our purchase money recovered
f) find out what other lawyers are already involved in Castles and Condos, and in Enchantment, since the latter will be involved with investigating M Hotels and Daniel Mamann even if we are not if the C&C project is now separate
g) determine how each member status should continue to be involved, from the point of view of the lawyer, for those paid in full, those partially paid and paying monthly, those partially paid and who stopped paying anything further due to the uncertainty of the project and the likely use of their membership

5) As mentioned above in 3), I believe their is a good chance the developer is going to try to complete the project (though we need some confirmation from the developer and partners), and that is likely the best outcome for the members, even if that means m-weeks cannot be exchanged at other prior or future m-hotel projects except as a regular interval world timreshare exchange, and even if we lose some other extras such as the free golf and discounted private planes and yaughts

I believe we can do the initial investigation via a lawyer in Puerto Vallarta for a reasonable cost that would be gathered and provided by the following proposal:
$25 per member contract per "inquiry unit" based on proportionally suite size and weeks (registered plus m-weeks), so for example
a) a studio suite with 1 weeks is $25,
b) a studio suite with 2 weeks $50
c) a 1 bedroom with 2 weeks is $100
d) a 2 bedroom with 4 weeks is $300,
e) a 3 bedroom with 2 weeks is $200,
etc,
or whatever people can afford if they cannot afford that, surplus funds to be returned proportionally
PLEASE REPLY WHETHER YOU AGREE TO THE ABOVE CONTRIBUTIONS TO GET THE BEST INFORMATION WE CAN.

We would control the funds at this end and provide the lawyer with funds as needed and make decisions as a group voting on some formula that is weighted dependent on the type of unit and weeks one has and the amount of funds contributed to investigation costs.
Those that do not contribute would receive only minimal information through TUGS, the rest informed directly and in detail by direct email and other contact means.

Contact information for contact outside of TUG forum, and further information regarding the actions above that likely may not all be posted to TUG, will be provided to those who have or will reply via TUG to me in a private message or email and provide within your reply at least most of the following information (leave out what you are uncomfortable disclosing): your email address, name, home address, phone number, resort and type of unit you purchased, when you purchased, how much you paid, whether paid in full, your ICC number, your TUG posting name if you have one (you do have one if you reply to this post via TUG), number of weeks per year or alternating year (yes, at least one member purchased for use every 2nd year only), seasonal usage allowed (anytime, no vacation periods, or low season only)

If you are in contact with me privately already, but have not provided most of the information requested in the paragraph above, please do so. By the way, we are approaching the 20 member count now of those M Hotels Residence Club members (almost all Castles and Condos members, a few Enchantment, all members to date from USA and Canada) finding these posts and replying to them.

Joe Faubert (PapaBearAB)
joefaubert at shaw.ca (replace " at " with "@" to email me directly)

 

[PapaBearAB]

thanks to other TUG members for laying the groundwork and your continued help

Thanks to kscar, indigo502 and other TUG members and non-members for providing information and your continued sleuthing to find out more. Without your posts, we would not be anywhere near the point we are now to really digging to get more information and to hopefully have the developer(s) start to talk with us directly or indirectly.
Over at the Enchatment forum at the Trip Advisor web site, YFAM_SR (Stephen Rouse) and others are certainly way ahead of us, and I thank them also, especially Stephen, for all the groundwork he has done and the posts of information provided on that Trip Advisor forum "The Enchantment in Cabo", giving us a head start here for Castles and Condos members.

PapaBearAB

 

[CaptainCaveman1945]

DNG Capitol Corp

Just did some digging. Nick DeMare and DNG Capitol Corp in Canada are the same company as the one in Mexico.

 

[PapaBearAB]

likely last email sent to Resorts Adv. and developers

this is likely the last email that I will try sending to Resorts Advantage and the developer and partners at Castles and Condos. I am also about to try and phone the developer and partners. After that, if we are not getting good and credible communication from the developer and partners, we will work through representation in Puerto Vallarta for awhile.

I am not trying to keep Enchantment members out of the picture. It's just that until we have better information, I believe that the Castles and Condos development is now a separate entity. We will also pass on to Enchantment members anything we find out about that project, or anything that leads us to believe the projects are still connected.

here is the wording of the email I just sent out ...


Good Day, ladies and gentleman,

We have direct contact now with 20 Castles and Condos Residence Club members and that number is growing daily.

Most of us would like to see the project at Castles and Condos succeed, even if that meant that m-weeks that we have purchased are just Castles and Condos residence weeks but also exchangable elsewhere through Resorts Advantage / Interval International but maybe not in any other manner with other m hotel developments that are or were to occur.

Most of us would like to not get involved in legal actions, and hopefully that will not be necessary.

But we are lacking any up-to-date information on the project, any information so far provided recently not having much merit to it, the information from Resorts Advantage being very vague and non-committal and lacking any backing by visible communication from the project developers.

We wish you would keep us more informed.

We are collectively at this time planning on hiring legal representation in Puerto Vallarta to at least try to gather more information locally and elsewhere with regards to the constructoin status of the project, the financial situation of the development, the remaining expected rights and privileges of those that already have purchased memberships, etc.

You can save us time and money by being more co-operative in providing information to Castles and Condos members so that we are confident we have purchased something still viable and timely.

We can help you financially by painting a positive picture for future buyers of accommadation at Castles and Condos and revising our negative viewpoint if we know the developers and partners have our interests in mind also and will communicate with us on expected schedule of construction and give us regular visual updates on construction progress and thus believable information as to when occupancy by Castles and Condos members can really begin. We can help you by having reason to encourage members still paying monthly that their monthly payments are not being wasted and that the payments should continue.

But right now all we have is a lack of any credible and detailed information as to project constuction and its completion and some comment or even guarantees to the expected eventual use of at least some or most of the core privileges of our purchased memberships.

On behalf of a growing number of many other Castles and Condos members including myself,
we hope to hear from you soon.
Joe Faubert

 

[PapaBearAB]

just finished telephone conversation with Sylvia at DNG today

I just spoke with Sylvia at DNG Capital Corp. today.
She said she is not a part owner in the project,
but an assistant to Donald Busby.
She was quite cordial.
She said she has been receiving my emails.
She said Donald Busby is currently out of the country,
but that they are working day and night
(a little exaggeration perhaps, as one must rest and sleep at some point)
to put together documentation to all the Castles and Condos members
to provide a project and membership update,
and that that update would be available soon.
I asked her if "soon" meant a few days, a week, or a month.
She said she hoped it would be a few days
(so let's call it a week from our point of view).
She noted they are also trying to compile a full list of members,
and that they don't have that yet,
and that Resorts Advantage's list is not a full list
(which to me therefore implies a break perhaps with M Hotels and Mamann Group, or just that M Dreams held back membership information and maybe even money when they were removed from the project).
She said she cannot comment further as that is her instruction by the lawyers, but DNG does expect to be providing an informative update soon.
I will send her a copy of this post so she knows what I have said about our conversation to the TUG forum group.
Joe Faubert

 

[PapaBearAB]

phone calls made to C&C "partners" today

When the M Dreams letter was emailed out to Castles and Condos members earlier this month, it mentioned contact information not only for developer DNG Capital Corp., but also email and phone numbers for two partners, one Rob Anderson with a Canadian phone number, the other Frank Taggart, having a Panama phone number.

I phoned Rob Anderson at the number given (604-762-7528), got a voice mail message saying he was out of the country (Canada), and that one could email him at whenworking@hotmail.com (vs the blackberry email address), and the voice mail also said that one could call a Pam Streich (unsure of spelling of last name from voice mail) at 604-643-7331. I called her and spoke with her about the letter from M Dreams and Rob's name being on it. She works with or for Rob. She had not seen the letter. She said she did not know of what involvement Rob Anderson might have if any with Castles and Condos. I was of the impression she might not know what Castles and Condos is. She said I was the first person to call her on this matter. She said that Rob Anderson does occassionally check his blackberry email even when out of the country. I did not pursue any further questions with Pam, as she did not appear to know anything about this matter or this business. I did however now also forward the two last email messages I had sent to Rob Anderson's blackberry email address to the hotmail.com email address.

As for phoning the other partner Frank Taggart, I wanted to call the number listed in the letter, 507-674-72-121 but did not know what prefix to put in front of that number to call from Canada to Panama or wherever that number is. So I put a 1- in front of the number, called 1-507-674-72-121, got a message saying the number was not in service. So I am either calling the number with the wrong prefix, or the number is out of service. But maybe he is reading my emails.

Joe Faubert

 

[Gustavo]

Some more inconvenient truths....

I just returned to PV last night and had dinner with some friends from the Conchas Chinas neighborhood. Things are totally shut down at the site and apparently they have no electricity. The entrance to the garage is boarded up. I didn't see any guards last night but today I see a couple.

This e-mail was apparently sent out yesterday and was forwarded to me last night as well:

Subject: M Hotels, M Dreams Constructions, S.A. de C.V. - Castles & Condos in Puerto Vallarta, M Enterprises, S.A. de C.V. - The Enchantment in Cabo San Lucas, Daniel Aryeh Mamann

To: Any and all Concerned Parties, Members, Associates - past, present and future
From: Concerned Former Employees of M Hotels

Although as former employees of M Hotels; we are not and have never been privy to any insider information in regards to what was happening behind the scenes and what has actually transpired with the association with various investors or what has or will happen to the developements, known as Castles & Condos, The Enchantment, Mandalay, Cascadas, and M "signature" resort, we feel it incumbent upon ourselves to speak out. To be clear, we were all only employees with a particular job to perform and are not to be confused with being in any position of authority or responsibility on the performance or lack thereof of M Hotels or any of the developements.

We have been led to believe that the sudden dissolution of M Hotels and their professional involvement in the developements has been due to the actions of the person know as Daniel Aryeh Mamann. He has been operating an "allegedly" fraudulent business under an "allegedly" assumed name, his real name is appearantly Sebastian Morad. Further to that, he has also "allegedly" embezzled over 5 million US dollars from the investors, partners and members and has closed the business down without any prior notice. Presumably, he has fled the country. He has seemingly deliberately neglected to ensure payment of outstanding monies owing to employees; such as salaries, commissions, holiday pay and severance packages - as required by Mexican law, as well as avoided making payment to various service providers and suppliers. As we are sure you can understand, many former employees are legally pursuing our cases as a whole and to the fullest extent of the law in order to receive restitution and can only incourage anyone finding themselves in a similar situation to do the same. We anticipate that many former associates of Mr. Mamann's will be doing exactly that, here in Mexico as well as in the United States and in Canada .

We also wish for this notice to act as a warning to everyone, the world over. Beware of what it means to become involved with this individual. He has proven himself to be unprofessional, untrustworthy and completely unscupulous. From our experience, Mr. Mamann has proven to be an undesirable individual; personally as well as professionally.

In addition, we would like to take this opportunity to suggest to all immigration officials, here in Mexico, the United States of America, Canada and elsewhere, as well as all law enforcement personnel in these three countries and around the world, who may read this; to deny him access to your borders and/or revoke any migratory status that he may have obtained either legally or illegally. This man has "allegedly" bilked, swindled, and literally stolen millions of US dollars from many unsuspecting people from at least three countries. We plead with you to not allow him asylum and encourage you to extradite him expeditiously back to Mexico where he will be held accountable for his actions.

Further; specifically to the members of M Hotels:
Various former employees have found out that someone at M Hotels sent out a mass email on or about July 10, 2009 to Castles & Condos and Enchantment members using a former employee's work email....it clearly wasn't from them. First; this employee was on vacation for the month of June and secondly; the company laid off all employees on June 30, 2009.

The email to Castles & Condos members stated;

To All Concerned,

Please be advised that M Dreams, S.A. de C.V., or M Hotels is no longer affilated with the project known as Castles and Condos in Puerto Vallarta , Mexico .
M Dreams, S.A. de C.V., was a commissioned agent for the former resort owner and developer Castles and Condos, S.A. de C.V.. The current property owner and developer is DNG Capital Corp., S.A. de C.V., a Mexican corporation. All correspondence should be addressed to them or their customer support agent including any payment due (see below).

It is our understanding that the new resort developer will be moving forward with the project as soon as possible. We want to wish everyone the best and hope for a smooth and uneventful transition period for all parties concerned.

Your new contact information for CASTLES AND CONDOS will be:

DEVELOPER AND LAND OWNER:

DNG Capital Corp S.A. de C.V..
Paseo de los Corales 135
Col. Conchas Chinas
Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco
Mexico, C.P 48320.
Email: minasvallarta@prodigy.net.mx.
Phone: 011.52.322.221.6464.
Attention: Donald W. Busby

RESERVATIONS, COLLECTIONS AND CUSTOMER SERVICE:

RESORTS ADVANTAGE
DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS: Ralph Diaz-Cortes
Email: Ralph-d@resorts-advantage.com
Phone: (305)670-8405

For your further information, the above address for the Developer is also the location of the villa that the developer and land owner, Mr. Donald Wayne Busby owns, Villa Quinta del Mar. Silvia is his assistant and the above is her email. There is also another email for the villa which is quinta@qdmproperties.com. Hopefully someone at either of these emails can give you a better idea of what members can expect in the coming months.

For The Enchantment, the above email was the same, however it was M Enterprises, S.A. de C.V.:

DEVELOPER AND LAND OWNER:

CABOS DEVELOPMENTS, S.A. de C.C.
Arquitecto Enrique Antonio Cardenas
Email: arqecl@yahoo.com.mx; presidencia_colima@asofom.com.mx

PROJECT DIRECTOR:

Carlos Cardenas
Email: c_beto77@yahoo.com; tlaloc01@hotmail.com
Phone: 011.52.624.157.6664

Resorts Advantage is the reservation, collection and customer service agent for The Enchantment as well.

We can only assume that Resorts Advantage will be trying to assist all members as best they can with the limited knowledge that they have. They probably know more at this point than any of us do. You can also try contacting them through their website www.resorts-advantage.com.


Sincerely and with the best regards:

Former Employees of M Hotels

End of message_________________________________________________

My maid told me that last Thursday or Friday, lawyers were outside the building and people were carefully lowering furniture from the windows of some of the apartments. Also, the people I dined with last night told me that the son of the owner was mistakenly abducted and severely beaten. They only let him go when he proved he was the son and not the father. I believe this is the son of Busby but can't confirm it. But someone was roughed up very badly. My maid had the same story and said the father was out of the country and in the US so it seems that the development is mixed up with some people operating well outside the law. I'm sorry to let you know this, but I doubt that the news is going to get any better anytime soon.

 

[kscar]

First I would like to say thank you to Gustavo. You do not seem to have any vested interest in this project & yet you are keeping us informed on what is happeninng. I for one appreciate any information that you may pass on.

Secondly I also received an answer back from the email that I sent out last evening. Of course it was Maglay that replied, but at least there is someone out there that is still answering us.

Greetings from Castles and Condos!

I am pleased to inform you that we, Resorts Advantage, has been contracted by your Vacation Club to offer excellent customer service and support to their valued members. Resorts Advantage has been a customer service provider in the U.S. for many different resorts worldwide, Castles and Condos being one of them.

Currently, we are still working towards retrieving all information regarding your resort so that we may better assist you. I do want to inform you that yes, Castles and Condos has had a change in management, however the resort will continue construction next month and be ready by January or February 2010. We do not have a definite date as to when we can start booking members, however I will advise once we can.

I understand that you may feel frustrated considering this has taken some time and we still do not have answers to all your questions, however, I can assure you that we are working diligently to be able to provide the service that you deserve as a valued member. Once we have received all information regarding your resort, I will gladly contact you.

I advise you that this may take sometime and ask that you bear with us until we are able to provide you with further information.

Thank you for your understanding and continues support.

Kind Regards,



Magaly Peña
Member Services/ Atencion a Socio
Resorts Advantage

Third, I am not really to throw anymore money into this at this point. I understand that some of you may feel that this is the time to act but we are not in a situtation where that is a option. I will continue to dig into this, send emails, make phone calls, & do whatever I can to get the answers that we are all looking for but we are not able to invest in a lawyer at this time.

Sue

 

[pittle]

I am not really to throw anymore money into this at this point. I understand that some of you may feel that this is the time to act but we are not in a situtation where that is a option. I will continue to dig into this, send emails, make phone calls, & do whatever I can to get the answers that we are all looking for but we are not able to invest in a lawyer at this time.

Sue

Well said Sue. I totally agree with your comments.

Thanks for all the time you have spent so far.

 

[indigo502]

Keep an Eye out for PapaBear's (Joe's) Email

I just got off the phone with Joe and we have discovered that we have two different names on our contracts- mine being M Dreams and his being DNG. This may answer some of the questions as to why some of us are on a list at the place I hadn't heard of until earlier this week (Resorts Advantage) while some of us aren't. Joe is going to send out a private email to those of you who have provided contact info to him- please be on the lookout. We feel it is related to the purchase date as I purchased in 2008 and he purchased in 2009. This could open up a whole new can of worms.

In the morning I'm going to contact Resorts Advantage with my ICC # and see if I'm on the list. I'll go from there.

 

[PapaBearAB]

wait time, but not long, in meantime check your contracts

First, perhaps a misunderstanding. We do not want to spend large amounts of money on a lawyer yet. We just want some in-Puerto-Vallarta research and access to legal documents as to who is who and what financial situation exists (receivership, bankruptcy, everything ok, or whatever can be found).

This was going to be done very inexpensively, perhaps in total from all interested we may spend in total just one thousand dollars spread over 10 or 20 interested people (or even as little as $300 total). Just some legal searches to start with. Perhaps a few phone calls also and inquiries with other law firms as to what is already proceeding or pending. Though some of you aren't ready to contribute 50-200 dollars, some are, and we will get started one way or the other at some point in time soon if we need to.

Second, since the development of my conversation with Sylvia at DNG and the fact that she did also respond to two of my emails, we are going to wait a week and see if anything is forthcoming or imminent from DNG Capital Corp before asking anyone for commitment. We really would like to work with the developer and partners and Castles and Condos if we can. If we find the information lacking in detail, then we will likely decide to pay someone to find out more if we can, or to vet what is said if it is questionable. But preferably we wish to continue to work together with Castles and Condos to resolve this situation.

Third, and most importantly, and an email will also go out privately to those of you who have passed on your emails to me, and I would ask you to respond back by private email also. I will make this point a separate post to follow now, in case this email is too long and people have quit reading already.

Check next post, and check your home emails if I have your email address.

Joe

 

[PapaBearAB]

so check your contracts for who you have a contract with

so check the fine print in your Castles and Condos contacts and see who you have a contract with.

I am referring to your contract that will say Residence Club Purchase and Security Agreement, or maybe Platimum Member Residence Club Purcase and Security Agreement. Mine only says Residence Club Purchase and Security Agreement.

(I also have a Platinum Preferred Member by Castles and Condos contract for the travel packages access and booking privileges defined for the yearly hotel rewards points and platinum weeks (different from m-weeks), that being the $99 per year contract and login access to www.castles andcondosmembers.com, that serviced by Vacations Club. - this is not the contract I am referring to.

In your Residence Club Purchase and Security Agreement, after defining who the contract purchaser is, downpayment, balance to be funded, etc, there is a line that states "This agreement is dated as of the date noted above for the pre-sale or sale of lodging services by and between ...".

My contract continues "by and between DNG Capital Corp. S.A. de C.V. (DBA Castles and Condos) a Mexican entity ... (hereinafter "PROVIDER"), and sales representative M Dreams Constructions ..." ... "PROVIDER undertakes to provide MEMBER lodging services ..."

My contract was done April 20, 2009.

Another Castles and Condos member, whose contract is from 2008, states "This agreement is dated as of the date noted above for the pre-sale or sale of lodging services by and betweem M Dreams Construction" ... (but not clear if that is called the provider in the contract, as we did not discuss maybe in greater detail, but the other member (TUG indigo502) felt that her contract was with M Dreams Construction, and mine definately says DNG is the provider, and M Dreams is just a sales agent).

Does your contract mention only M Dreams Construction and not DNG ???

If so, maybe that is nastier, unless DNG bought up the M Dreams contracts, because DNG is the owner of the property, not M Dreams, and M Dreams is too closely tied to Daniel Mamann and M Hotels, perhaps moreso than DNG, and it is that M empire that seems to be in the bigger financial difficulty.

Feel free to send your replies to joefaubert at shaw.ca - we don't need to fill this thread with everyone's answer. I will instead summarize the replies on the post. Perhaps everyone before a certain date has a contract with M Dreams and everyone after has a contract with DNG. Or maybe it was dependent on which paper they pulled out of the drawer and/or which sales rep you dealt with, and that would be a real mess, or they all are really the same company anyway.

Joe Faubert
PapabearAB

 

[kscar]

Joe,
Our contract is the same as yours as a matter of fact we purchased a week after you.

I am answering back on this thread because I feel that it is important that all the members are kept in the loop. I don't know who has or who hasn't sent you their email but I believe we all have the same goal. I also keep a check on the Enchantment thread, maybe they will come up with something that may be useful to us at C & C. Should they develop another form of communication hopefully they would let us join also.

Sue

 

[pittle]

PapaBear, I really appreciate all your efforts and I do hope something can come from this. Thanks!!!

I do not want to be negative at all, but we bought our unit back in November 2008. Since it has been 8 months, I'm afraid it has been too long for us to be hopeful about gettiing any money back - it is long gone!

I was involved with something similar several years ago, and by the time the suit was settled (3 years), the association only recouped about 50% and then once the attorney was paid, the owners got about 33%. Some attorneys charge more than others, and I have absolutely no idea what one in Mexico would cost.

I just hope that they do eventually finish the building. I do not know what these M weeks that you are talking about are, but we got our one week and were told that we could pay extra mf to use an additional one each year if it was available. With only 16 units, I do not know how they could promise people 3 or 4 extra weeks each year for the price they were selling them for. We have taken many timeshare presentations and own a lot of weeks, so we knew what to expect at the presentation and what the costs would be. We were just impressed with the location and model unit.

We also had something with bonus weeks with the travel club that they had in November 2008, but that site has been down for a while. I quickly learned that it was not all it was cracked up to be either - you did not get to use any of your points towards airfare.

 

[Oleander]

Castles & Condos

I just received the notice letter from M Hotels today. In answer to some of the above questions I deduce that:

1. Resorts Advantage is just a payments and reservations service agency. They likely don't own anything.
   
2. The developer e-mail address is at Minas Vallarta which is a Canadian owned mining company which suggests they do have assets. However they are incorporated in Mexico as the owners of this property, so who knows what leverage there is. Let's assume that they have sufficient capital and plan to go ahead with the project.
   
3. The most concerning this is the note from the neighbor in Conchas Chinas about the water and plumbing permits. That poses a major problem which it appears no amount of cash has been able to resolve thus far.

Honestly, I wondered how the neighbors might feel about this modern building in their midst overlooking exclusive estates. I also had a concern about the stability of the hillside and how the building might compromise it during a downpour or rain bomb.

And...while we took our tour we noticed a methane/sewage smell which I now realize was the tank of waste water described by the neighbor. Our salesman hastened us off the balcony when I noticed the smell.

Ideally, if there is no way forward for this project we would get our money back. However none of us was promised a date certain when the units would be available. Therefore, legally I think the owners, being an affluent mining company operating as a corporation in Mexico, are in control here. Let's hope they can work things out. I sent them an e-mail outlining my concerns. It would have been nice if we had heard from them before we heard from MDreams.

OTOH, when you make bets on unbelievable deals in a down economy, you take on extra risk. I hope our risk pays off and we can all share a margarita in the bar at Castles & Condos, with running water and working toilets nearby!

 

[Oleander]

poperty owner

"If so, maybe that is nastier, unless DNG bought up the M Dreams contracts, because DNG is the owner of the property, not M Dreams, and M Dreams is too closely tied to Daniel Mamann and M Hotels, perhaps moreso than DNG, and it is that M empire that seems to be in the bigger financial difficulty."

Joe, DNG Capital is the property owner, but I believe they have been co-owners all along. At least there was a mine owner co-owner. M Dreams is clearly out of the picture for whatever reason. One of the e-mail addresses for the developer is Minas Vallarta. Galena is no longer involved. But Minas Vallarta mined new veins of gold and silver in 2008. So they can't be hurting.

DNG is represented by Norma Rodriguez attorney in PV
http://usaincmexico.com/normarodriguez.aspx

As far as M Weeks applying to other resorts, we never bought into that anyway, nor into any sailing, golf or travel clubs. Interesting how thick the sales guys lay it all on, so that you can say "no" to almost everything and still buy the basic offering feeling like you drove a hard bargain. Never trust a resort salesman! Ever!

I still have hopes of at least being able to use the property on the promised terms, but honestly if they have to put a lot of expense into drainage and water, it is going to drive up the annual fee cost for sure.

 

[pittle]

Mine was written 11/19/2008. The statement you are looking for on the Residence Club Purchase and Segurity (not a typo) Agreement and it says:

“THIS AGREEMENT is dated as of the date noted above for the pre-sale or sale of lodging services by and between Castles & Condos de Vallarta S.A. de C.V., a Mexican entity with its domicile…………….(hereafter PROVIDER), and sales representative M Dreams Constructions……………”

I also have the packet that says Platinum Membership Purchase Agreement and it says for Lodging Rights and Services entered into by M Dreams Construction. This document is almost identical to the one with the fine print.

I just thought I would post this so others would be able to see if theirs matches mine, yours, or says something else.

 

[PapaBearAB]

Norma Rodriguez does not represent DNG

from post from July 3 from kscar, "... The only reference I found was for a lawyer, Norma Rodriguez. She is listed a legal advisor for Castles and Condos and DNG Capital Corp. I emailed her on Saturday. She answered today. She stated that she is no longer the legal advisor for either entity."

thus ignore reference to Norma Rodriguez in post from TUG post by Oleander on 23 July

 

[PapaBearAB]

water issue

as long as they can provide by daily water tanker 16 suites with running water and keep the pool fresh and provide other common areas with water every day, and pump the septic system as needed, then I can imagine still using the property if everything else is complete - but if they can't get occupancy permits until an alternative water and sewage solution is provided, then that is a concern (unless it was already resolved)

unless of course the septic system is next to some suites or common areas and has some air seal issues that might make staying there or in the common areas uncomfortable due to the smell!

 

[PapaBearAB]

the canadian partner connection

the Canadian Connection to owners / partners of Castles and Condos

Galena Capital, MV Canada, Minas Vallarta (Sylvia's email) are all connected, (I think from disecting my Google searches that Galena owns MV Canada, and MV Canada owns all the shares of Minas Vallarta, though the latter had at one time also done a reverse take over of Galena Capital - a reverse take-over puts a private company in a public shell to help it go public quickly)

and connected with them is Rob Anderson, who was a leading individual in the acquisition of financing for Galena Capital

Rob Anderson is listed as a partner in one version of the M Dreams final letter to C&C Members (but maybe not the version some of you saw, and not the one I received, till I posted a request at one of the Mamann Group web pages when it was still up, and was sent another version of the M Dreams C&C goodbye letter and Enchantment goodbye letter

but Rob Anderson is more than connected with just those three mining companies - I believe he is the same Rob Anderson that was until sometime recently with Canaccord Capital, and Rob is considered one of Canada's top venture brokers, and his name seemed to come up in all kinds of places in my Google searches (both under Rob or Robert) - he is a high-flyer and a pal of Mark Tompkins, an even higher flyer with a very interesting financial history

so perhaps there is some solid money available to the Castles and Condos project from Rob Anderson's connections, but whether they will use it in a way beneficial to the current Residence Club members is yet to be seen

had no luck finding anything on the other partner Frank Taggart also mentioned in the M Dreams goodbye letter