Join complaints against Starwood

[DavidnRobin]

GeneNWendy - do not forget that in 2008 there was a doubling of the replacement reserve (within the MFs) that was suppose to be for limited refurbish - which was done because parts of our villa were refurbished before the Special assessment (that wasn't voted on).'

btw - to be clear - I voted 'YES' to the initial refurbish vote because our villa was in deep need of remodeling - the owner of week 23 at the time (now our week) and I even offered to buy a new couch for the villa out of our own pocket because the one we had was in such poor shape it was unusable (unless passed out from drinking too much rum - like my brother did... lol). Also, Robin wanted the kitchen redone - especialy since we tend to stay in more and cook at the villa. I am personally in favor of the remodel and glad they went forward with the refurbish. Other Owners that I spoke with (limited) were also in favor and voted 'yes'. What happened - due to poor management, database systems, etc on WSJ/SVO's part - is that not enough Owners voted and the they were stuck since bylaws required a minimum number of votes that was not attained. Then, from what I can tell, decided to go forth with it without proper approval for the good of the resort (at least that is what I believe their argumant is...). Am I in support of a lawsuit - even if it is over the illegal refurbish vote which we supported? Yes, but only to get the attention of WSJ HOA BOD and SVO Corporate about MF and transparency issues - and this appears to be the best path forward in getting their attention.

What I am not in favor of is the lack of transparency - and that our base MFs have skyrocketed due to mismanagement, and SVO's and WSJ's policies on how they deal with vacant villas due to deliquent owners (like throughout SVO) in their ability (or lack of) getting the HOAs reimbursed.

 

[GeneNWendy]

Taking action against Starwood for outrageous maintenance fees

As many of you know, the owners at the Westin St. John are planning a class-action suit against Starwood for breaking many laws and using the owners of it's Virgin Grand Villas as ATM machines. We are also planning to launch a negative PR campaign against Starwood. The last thing they want is for their reputation to be tarnished, especially with the FTC and SEC watching over them in these post Bernie Madoff days. I suggest that people with rising fees at all Starwood resorts look at the string we created in Yahoo Finance. See below how to access it. Propective buyers of Starwood stock will read this. This can only hurt them. Maybe enough of this will get them to change their ways with respect to their timeshare owners.


I posted the string in yahoofinance.com. It would be helpful to let the folks know on the website that they can go to www.yahoofinance.com. Get a stock quote for HOT(Starwood's exchange acronym), which will bring up the Starwood trade history and message board on the left side. Click on that and look for the string "possible legal against starwood" and post a comment.

 

[GeneNWendy]

New website for owners of WSJ Virgin Grand Villas

Check out the following links for information on action being taken by owners at Westin St. John. For a general discussion and posting of ideas amongst member, check out the Forum below. For articles giving general information about various issues, check out the Blog. For lawsuit info, check out the main site.




http://www.stjohnvirgingrandvillaowners.com/Forum/
http://www.stjohnvirgingrandvillaowners.com/Blog/
http://www.stjohnvirgingrandvillaowners.com

 

[TimW1]

http://www.bbb.org/us/

Hello, everyone! I am fairly new to TUG. I have been reading and learning for the past 9 months. My wife and I own timeshare week 19 WSJ. Thank you to everyone who have voiced their frustration and opinion. To those who have shared their good experiences as well I thank you greatly too. We duly appreciate everything.

I filed a complaint. I don't know if it will come to anything, but I thought I would give out some info to save some time for those searching for the info themselves for the BBB.


http://www.bbb.org/us/



Here is some info that you will need to fill out the online form:


http://www.starwoodvacationownership.com/contactus/index.jsp
Association Management
800.729.8246
email: boardrelations00svo@starwoodvo.com

you can put the company's name and city and state and it does not recognize it, so the website tells you to manually enter the information by clicking next. (I hope this makes sense)


For those who read this before I edited this, please forgive me. Another pop up screen is supposed to come up, but I have a blocker. And it sends you to the Florida BBB to fill out their form. You need to have spoken with a couple of people and have names and addresses ready so be prepared or you will have to look it up. It is a bit of monkey business and took me some time to find all of the persons and then find addresses for where I spoke with them. Very time consuming. I don't know how this is going to work out. I may end up calling next week and speak with someone on the phone. I think it would have been easier????

The site that will handle the complaint will be:

BBB of Central Florida
(Longwood, FL)
1600 S. Grant St.
Longwood, FL 32750
Phone: (407)621-3300
Fax: (407)786-2625
Email: info@centralflorida.bbb.org
Web: http://www.orlando.bbb.org


I hope I helped.

Thanks!

Tim

 

[GeneNWendy]

Adding to TimW's suggestion in prior posting

Hello everyone,

I agree completely with TimW that everyone should file a complaint against Starwood with the Better Business Bureau using the information he provided in the prior posting. However, I believe that everyone should also file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). You may contact them a number of ways:

Telephone 1-877-382-4357

E-Mail https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov

Mailing Address:

Federal Trade Commission
600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20580

When filing your complaint, you can use the same company info provided in Tim's posting. It is important to note that it does not matter which Starwood resort you own at. Starwood is a publicly traded company on the U.S. Stock Exchange and as such is subject to strict regulations by the FTC and SEC. If the FTC gets the feeling that there is wrongdoing on the part of Starwood, they will be thoroughly investigated. Look what happened to Enron and Bernie Madoff.

It's important to know that the FTC will not investigate on just a handful of complaints. I'm sure if they get several hundred, they will do so.

GeneNWendy

 

[jarta]

I went to the Orlando BBB link and secrched for Starwood. Here's what came up:

"Reported on Monday, March 8, 2010 1:28 PM

BBB Accreditation
BBB Rating
Business Contact and Profile
Alternate Business Names
Products and Services
Additional Locations and Phone Numbers
Licensing
Customer Complaint History
Government Actions
Advertising Review
Additional Information
BBB AccreditationBack To Top BBB has determined that this business meets BBB accreditation standards, which include a commitment to make a good faith effort to resolve any consumer complaints. BBB Accredited Businesses pay a fee for accreditation review/monitoring and for support of BBB services to the public.

BBB accreditation does not mean that the business' products or services have been evaluated or endorsed by BBB, or that BBB has made a determination as to the business' product quality or competency in performing services.
BBB RatingBack To Top Based on BBB files, this business has a BBB Rating of A+
Click here for an explanation of BBB Ratings.
Business Contact and ProfileBack To Top Name: Starwood Vacation Ownership Phone: (407) 903-4312
Address: 9002 San Marco Court, Orlando, FL 32819
Google map Mapquest map Yahoo map
Business Category: Vacation Time Share, Real Estate Developers, Resorts, Travel Clubs
eMail: consumeraffairs@starwoodvo.com
Web Address: www.starwoodvo.com
BBB file opened: July 12, 1983
Business started: July 1980
Primary Contact: Mr. Joseph Hernandez (Consumer Affairs)
Complaint Contact: Mr. Joseph Hernandez (Consumer Affairs)
Other Contacts: Ms. Laura Garrity
Ms. Tabitha Rogers
Ms. Carla Smith"

Maybe you can get BBB to change that rating. But, I would think you need specific reasons before BBB will do that. ... eom

 

[jarta]

SBP has its own accreditation:

"Find out more about this business:
BBB Accreditation
BBB Rating
Business Contact and Profile
Business Management
Additional Locations and Phone Numbers
Licensing
Customer Complaint History
Government Actions
Advertising Review
Industry Tips
BBB Copyright and Reporting Policy



Back to top
BBB Accreditation
This company has been a BBB Accredited business since January 1998. This means it supports BBB's services to the public and meets our BBB Accreditation standards.


Back to top
BBB Rating
Based on BBB files, this business has a BBB Rating of B+ on a scale from A+ to F.
Reasons for this rating include:
9 complaints filed against business
Click here for an explanation of BBB Ratings



Back to top
Business Contact and Profile
Name: Sheraton Broadway Plantation
Phone: (843) 913-3562
Fax: (843) 913-3540
Address: 3301 Robert Grissom Pkwy

Myrtle Beach, SC 29577-6402
Google Map
Original Business Start Date: January 1980
Local Start Date: May 1997
New Owner Date: January 2001
Principal: Paul Larkin, Document Administration Manager
Customer Contact: Mr. Don James, DOS - (843) 913-3555 or Don.James@Starwoodvo.com
Employees: 200
Type of Business: Timeshare Companies, Resorts-Vacation Time Share, Vacation Time Share
BBB Accreditation: This organization is a BBB Accredited business.
Additional DBA Names: Starwood Vacation Ownership
Broadway Plantation Horizontal Property
Vistana MB

 

[GeneNWendy]

Class-action against all Starwood timeshare resorts?

I was wondering if anyone on here has thought about trying to start a class-action suit against all Starwood Timeshare Resorts collectively? As an owner at the Westin St. John, I can tell you that Starwood has broken the law by authorizing upgrades without the 2/3 ownership requirement stipulated in their own by-laws. They've also acted in bad faith in multiple ways.

However, I seem to be reading that we're not alone in St. John. There seem to be problems with ridiculously high maintenance fees at all of the Starwood Timeshare Resorts. I believe I read somewhere on Tug that their annual increases are roughly 10%-15% vs. an industry average of 3%-5%.

We've been running into an uphill battle trying to get a class-action suit going in St. John partly because of it's location. No law firm in the mainland is going to take on a case there without collecting fees upfront. However, if owners at the other resorts (particularly in the mainland U.S. and Hawaii) have issues, perhaps a law firm would consider taking on Starwood as a whole.

 

[mwoody5569]

I would gladly join a class action suit

My maintenance fees in 2 years have gone up over $1000 a yr. in Hawaii. Where is the rental money going?
I pay more in maintenace fees on my 2 weeks here than I do on my condo on an annual basis.
They lie at the sale and there is no disclosure on the expenditure of funds and owners say in how they are spent.
I am a platinum member here and have been for years- but I consider leaving them everyday for ripping me off.
-Woody

 

[ginja]

Perhaps another way to make Starwood wake up and listen

We are all preaching to the choir here. The people on this forum already own a Starwood TS and are talking to other owners who are frustrated and angry about how Starwood is treating them, but it is a closed circuit. There is an article / video about Virgin America airline on CNN today that everyone here should see. http://www.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/03/17/virgin.america.flight/index.html?hpt=C1 Basically a guy captured his bad experience with Virgin on his phone with pictures and videos, he posted them on social media and the CEO of Virgin ended up calling him and together the discuseed what should be done/how the customers should be compensated. The only reason the CEO reacted was because the complaint was made public and their brand was being tarnished. Bottom line is Starwood doesn't care about us, they've already got our money, but if you start messing with their future potential revenue *new customers* then you will see them start to listen and hopefully react. "You can't just write in a complaint or call customer service anymore... social media, it's the only weapon," Get your cell phone and video ready and warm up your Facebook accounts...

 

[jerseygirl]

I agree Ginga ... we need to new weapons.

Nodge -- how's that youtube video coming along? Didn't we put you in charge of that a few months ago?

 

[GeneNWendy]

Regarding to Forum

Ginja,

Are you referring to the Forum we set up for WSJ owners? If you are, you're missing the point. That Forum was set up as a means for WSJ owners to communicate with one another about various issues instead of constantly sending mass e-mails back and forth between hundreds of people at a time. We are implementing some of the things you suggested below and more.

Not only are we discouraging sales of the new WSJ timeshares called Bay Vista, but we are notifying the FTC and SEC about what we believe to be unlawful practices on the part of Starwood. Starwood is a publicly traded company and the smallest possibility that they are breaking the law or not acting in good faith could tarnish their image.

Furthermore, we are asking our owners to write to our Congressman and complain. Even if most Congressman don't have constituents at the Westin St. John, they probably have some at other Starwood timeshare locations. It appears that there are problems at all of them. Any pressure put on Starwood by Congress and these regulatory agencies will make our job easier in the long run. In the end, we are looking to file a class-action lawsuit if everything else fails. We're really hoping it doesn't come to that, but we will go t hat route if necessary.

We are all preaching to the choir here. The people on this forum already own a Starwood TS and are talking to other owners who are frustrated and angry about how Starwood is treating them, but it is a closed circuit. There is an article / video about Virgin America airline on CNN today that everyone here should see. http://www.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/03/17/virgin.america.flight/index.html?hpt=C1 Basically a guy captured his bad experience with Virgin on his phone with pictures and videos, he posted them on social media and the CEO of Virgin ended up calling him and together the discuseed what should be done/how the customers should be compensated. The only reason the CEO reacted was because the complaint was made public and their brand was being tarnished. Bottom line is Starwood doesn't care about us, they've already got our money, but if you start messing with their future potential revenue *new customers* then you will see them start to listen and hopefully react. "You can't just write in a complaint or call customer service anymore... social media, it's the only weapon," Get your cell phone and video ready and warm up your Facebook accounts...

 

[NerdAlert]

Class action = useless, 99% of time

Same old story. Class members get coupons, lawyers running the case get millions. What's the sense?

 

[DavidnRobin]

Same old story. Class members get coupons, lawyers running the case get millions. What's the sense?

Not sure what you mean here? What class action suit? You mean someone brought up the subject - and now it is fact? What is your intent here?

 

[NerdAlert]

Over the years we have been involved in various class action suits from airlines, computers, consumer products to RCI...Same old story. People in the class get squat (or a coupon for squat with your next purchase) and the law firms running the suit get millions of dollars...Nothing implied specific to Starwood.

 

[Ken555]

Over the years we have been involved in various class action suits from airlines, computers, consumer products to RCI...Same old story. People in the class get squat (or a coupon for squat with your next purchase) and the law firms running the suit get millions of dollars...Nothing implied specific to Starwood.

I believe that the Starwood owners on this forum are discussing a class action lawsuit as a means to force change upon SVN, not for monetary benefits.

 

[jarta]

Ken, ... As an attorney, I can tell you that filing a suit without a threat that money will be awarded is usually fruitless.

And, as NerdAlert says, most class actions end with coupons to the plaintiffs and millions to the attorneys for the class. The attorneys for the class end up selling out their clients. ... eom

 

[Ken555]

Ken, ... As an attorney, I can tell you that filing a suit without a threat that money will be awarded is usually fruitless.

And, as NerdAlert says, most class actions end with coupons to the plaintiffs and millions to the attorneys for the class. The attorneys for the class end up selling out their clients. ... eom

Err... my point was not that monetary penalties should be applied, but that the expectation of those behind the suit were not those of purely monetary. They want change. Wasn't that obvious from my post? ...

 

[jarta]

Ken, ... "Err... my point was not that monetary penalties should be applied, but that the expectation of those behind the suit were not those of purely monetary."

Actually, what you said is this: "I believe that the Starwood owners on this forum are discussing a class action lawsuit as a means to force change upon SVN, not for monetary benefits."

Not for monetary benefits means not for monetary benefits.

And my point was that asking for change without asking for money is usually fruitless. ... eom

 

[Ken555]

Ken, ... "Err... my point was not that monetary penalties should be applied, but that the expectation of those behind the suit were not those of purely monetary."

Actually, what you said is this: "I believe that the Starwood owners on this forum are discussing a class action lawsuit as a means to force change upon SVN, not for monetary benefits."

Not for monetary benefits means not for monetary benefits.

And my point was that asking for change without asking for money is usually fruitless. ... eom

Only a lawyer would have confusion over my earlier post.

 

[DavidnRobin]

Only a lawyer would have confusion over my earlier post.

ignore function = improved TUG experience

 

[dspring]

I like the idea of using social media to expand the reach. It would be nice to create some sort of registration of SVO owners by location and then campaign to get owners to register - via these blogs, e-mails/calls to friends who are owners, handing out cards to owners when we are staying at our resorts to try to get them to register. With a higher % of owners that can be contacted, we would have a better chance of voicing our concerns - SVO Annual Fees, Maui Property Tax, St John expenses, etc. and also voting in boards who will look out for the best interest of owners. If we can somehow take votes on certain issues with a % turnout, we can get mgt to listen. I am a 5* Elite and have loved the resorts and the program, but the fees are crazy and it is frustrating to get so little info from the the boards and not really having a voice to ask for change. Anyone have any ideas on how we can get signed up under one place? Don

 

[timeos2]

Maybe Yahoo Groups would work bv

I like the idea of using social media to expand the reach. It would be nice to create some sort of registration of SVO owners by location and then campaign to get owners to register - via these blogs, e-mails/calls to friends who are owners, handing out cards to owners when we are staying at our resorts to try to get them to register. With a higher % of owners that can be contacted, we would have a better chance of voicing our concerns - SVO Annual Fees, Maui Property Tax, St John expenses, etc. and also voting in boards who will look out for the best interest of owners. If we can somehow take votes on certain issues with a % turnout, we can get mgt to listen. I am a 5* Elite and have loved the resorts and the program, but the fees are crazy and it is frustrating to get so little info from the the boards and not really having a voice to ask for change. Anyone have any ideas on how we can get signed up under one place? Don

Back when we were fighting our then developer/management for resort control we set up an owners group on Yahoo. Today it has about 600 members & a strong "community" feel. It helped do the job of garnering owner support back when it was desperately needed and since has gone on to be a sounding board for suggestions, complaints and kudos to the Board and Management. Free & easy to set up. Then you just have to get the word out (the toughest part). Good luck!