RCI Suspended Eagle Village Tamiment

[194725RR]

Today is the last day to file a dispute with Blackwell Recovery. Has anyone done this yet? I am about to send this to them via email, want to see if anyone has feedback on this approach:

Hello,

I am writing to dispute all of the $945 that you are attempting to collect on behalf of EAGLE VILLAGE PROPERTY OWENRS ASSOCIATION, account number ##########.

EAGLE VILLAGE is attempting to collect maintenance fees, and I, along with many of the other owners, now feel that they have defaulted on their commitment to properly use these fees to maintain the property.

• They have lost their RCI affiliation, rendering our points useless
• They do not answer our emails, or phone calls
• There are numerous very negative reviews on Tripadvisor with photo evidence of the poor condition and clear lack of maintenance
• They have ignored a request for mediation with the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General

Please send me proof from EAGLE VILLAGE that I owe this debt, and further, what it’s intended use is. I am also requesting your point of contact with EAGLE VILLAGE, name, phone number, and email. I would welcome the opportunity to work with them directly to resolve this dispute.

Thank you.

When you say today is the last day to file a dispute with Blackwell Recovery, what action did they say would occur if you don't file a dispute? Have you seen any effect on your credit rating so far?

 

[slarney77]

I wonder if they get paid to collect maintenance fees when they send out the first bill or just a percentage

 

[WarHead]

When you say today is the last day to file a dispute with Blackwell Recovery, what action did they say would occur if you don't file a dispute? Have you seen any effect on your credit rating so far?

The letter I got said: "If you write us by 5/23/24, we must stop collection on any amount you dispute until we send you information that shows you owe the debt." It also said I can "Write to ask for the name and address of the original creditor..."

Nothing on my credit report so far. I got into collections with Blackwell during covid, and they never put anything on my credit report then. They actually waived the late fees back then. But, this year is different. I've never gone this far without paying.

I, too, would like to know if Blackwell has ever reported deliquency on maintenence fees to the credit agencies for any other EV owners...?

 

[WarHead]

I have they sent me a letter that said they would look into it

Interesting, can you share the details?

 

[slarney77]

Interesting, can you share the details?

The letter said they would look into my dispute and would get back to me it was very generic. I found blackwell very rude when I talked to them over the phone they refused to wave any late fees ,the person I talked to said ev wanted it this way . The person sounded very scripted I called ev the person at the desk took my payment and waved the late fees

 

[kevlev]

The letter said they would look into my dispute and would get back to me it was very generic. I found blackwell very rude when I talked to them over the phone they refused to wave any late fees ,the person I talked to said ev wanted it this way . The person sounded very scripted I called ev the person at the desk took my payment and waved the late fees

Was that person Nia. I talked to her several weeks ago. She said that they would waive the late fees if I called the payment center( not Blackwell). I haven't received been contacted by Blackwell yet.

 

[slarney77]

Was that person Nia. I talked to her several weeks ago. She said that they would waive the late fees if I called the payment center( not Blackwell). I haven't received been contacted by Blackwell yet.

The person was at ev reception it was Last year when I spoke with a person it sounded like I just happened to get lucky and they waved all late fees when I spoke with Blackwell they made me call the collection part of it I guess there's two sides of that company one side sends out the paper you know the bill and the other side is where they put you over into collections and the collection person was very rude they would not listen to anything I said other than this is what you owe you have to pay this Eagle Village wants us to collect a late fee which makes no sense because collection companies make money off the fees they get a percentage of whatever they collect so of course they're going to want to collect the most amount of money possible

 

[Sammy1234]

I found this online. I wonder why someone on here filed a complaint with AG, and while they seemed sympathetic to what was in the complaint, there was nothing they could do because EV did not respond.

 

[194725RR]

I found this online. I wonder why someone on here filed a complaint with AG, and while they seemed sympathetic to what was in the complaint, there was nothing they could do because EV did not respond.

I provided them with a link to this thread in my initial complaint. Thank you for sharing this article. The situations do seem very similar.

 

[Sammy1234]

Also, waiting to hear back from the township ev is in. I'll call tuesday. If that doesn't work out maybe we should file complaints to the Pennsylvania Insurance department. They oversee timeshare licencing for timeshares. There is an online complaint form on the pa insurance department website
I think we have valid reasons for the to look into them losing their licence.

 

[Sammy1234]

I provided them with a link to this thread in my initial complaint. Thank you for sharing this article. The situations do seem very similar.

I wonder if they need more people filing complaints for them to take them to court?

 

[nellevad]

I found this online. I wonder why someone on here filed a complaint with AG, and while they seemed sympathetic to what was in the complaint, there was nothing they could do because EV did not respond.

That article refers to the management company named Bel Air. They are a company that is contracted by resorts to manage them. They are subject to AG. We don't have a management company. We just have Stephanie Mills. She is not subject to AG rules because she is not a company, just an employee of EV with a job title. That is why the AG couldn't do anything.

 

[nellevad]

Actually, she is our employee. If that helps at all? EV is private. So calling the AG on EV is like calling the police during a family argument about who left the dirty dishes, and who didn't mow the lawn. The police will visit, but even if the house is atrocious, they can't do anything. No law broken. It's a family matter. That's how the AG views it.

 

[194725RR]

Actually, she is our employee. If that helps at all? EV is private. So calling the AG on EV is like calling the police during a family argument about who left the dirty dishes, and who didn't mow the lawn. The police will visit, but even if the house is atrocious, they can't do anything. No law broken. It's a family matter. That's how the AG views it.

Thanks for sharing your perspective on this. In this analogy, if a mother neglected her children causing the children to suffer or put their lives at risk of death, there are laws that would protect them and the mother would receive consequences under the law. Our government has a system of checks and balances. No one is above the law. Dirty dishes aren't the same as allowing paying innocent citizens to be misled by pictures and statements portraying a location in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and essentially being tricked when they arrive finding water coming from the ceiling, bugs, filth, black mold, NEGLECTED DUTIES that the entity is using the law to force payments for, and potentially exposing said paying citizens to conditions unfit for humans or domesticated animals. There are people who have weakened immune systems who could be fatally harmed by rodent bites and black mold. I respect all the helpful information contributed toward a resolution and in no way want to offend anyone or debate anyone's honest perspective. This is just another view of the situation.

 

[Sammy1234]

Thanks for sharing your perspective on this. In this analogy, if a mother neglected her children causing the children to suffer or put their lives at risk of death, there are laws that would protect them and the mother would receive consequences under the law. Our government has a system of checks and balances. No one is above the law. Dirty dishes aren't the same as allowing paying innocent citizens to be misled by pictures and statements portraying a location in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and essentially being tricked when they arrive finding water coming from the ceiling, bugs, filth, black mold, NEGLECTED DUTIES that the entity is using the law to force payments for, and potentially exposing said paying citizens to conditions unfit for humans or domesticated animals. There are people who have weakened immune systems who could be fatally harmed by rodent bites and black mold. I respect all the helpful information contributed toward a resolution and in no way want to offend anyone or debate anyone's honest perspective. This is just another view of the situation.

I think we should all respect any helpful information contributed toward finding a resolution. We have to keep brainstorming until we come up with something. I am hoping but not sure if the township zoning officer can do anything. He was checking with someone this past Thursday to see what if anything they can do. I was hoping to hear from him Thursday or Friday, but they might have been closed on Friday for the holiday. I will call Tuesday afternoon if I do not hear from him.
If they can't do anything, I think we should start filing online complaints with the Pennsylvania Insurance Commission. They oversee timeshares in Pa and also license them. I think we have enough information that they would be interested. If that doesn't work, what about if we file a complaint with the Department of Health? They look into landlord tenant complaints and HOA complaints.

Then today I was thinking, I wonder why they just don't file for bankruptcy?

 

[Sammy1234]

I found Stephanie Mills on Linkedin . maybe worth a try messaging her through Linkedin.

 

[Sammy1234]

Has anyone tried contacting any of these other employees listed?

 

[nellevad]

Thanks for sharing your perspective on this. In this analogy, if a mother neglected her children causing the children to suffer or put their lives at risk of death, there are laws that would protect them and the mother would receive consequences under the law. Our government has a system of checks and balances. No one is above the law. Dirty dishes aren't the same as allowing paying innocent citizens to be misled by pictures and statements portraying a location in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and essentially being tricked when they arrive finding water coming from the ceiling, bugs, filth, black mold, NEGLECTED DUTIES that the entity is using the law to force payments for, and potentially exposing said paying citizens to conditions unfit for humans or domesticated animals. There are people who have weakened immune systems who could be fatally harmed by rodent bites and black mold. I respect all the helpful information contributed toward a resolution and in no way want to offend anyone or debate anyone's honest perspective. This is just another view of the situation.

All I was trying to point out is that the AG doesn't have authority over timeshares. That is why people got that response.

 

[194725RR]

All I was trying to point out is that the AG doesn't have authority over timeshares. That is why people got that response.

Thank you, as always, for your input on helping us solve this situation. We definitely can agree to disagree on this point.

 

[nellevad]

From the Uniformed Planned Communithy Act:

§ 5322. Complaints filed with Bureau of Consumer Protection.

Title 68
(a) General rule.--A unit owner in good standing may file a complaint with the Bureau of Consumer Protection in the Office of the Attorney General in the event of a violation by the declarant or the association of sections 5308 (relating to meetings), 5309 (relating to quorums) and 5310 (relating to voting; proxies).


The AG does not deal with bad maintenance issues. I am not disagreeing that the board is at fault. I am simply saying the AG was never a solution.

 

[natalia]

FYI: I recently attended an Estate Planning Meeting.
The attorney responded to a question concerning timeshares.
He stated that when owners either do not pay or walk away from their maintenance contract that the following usually occurs.
1. Owners will continue to receive phone calls,emails,mailed statements from the organization and or the collection agency.
Some correspondence will be strongly worded.
2. Very rarely will this result in any further collection proceedings.
3.While this attorney did not recommend to stop making payments many people were relieved to hear his observations on this issue.
Just “food for thought”.

 

[194725RR]

FYI: I recently attended an Estate Planning Meeting.
The attorney responded to a question concerning timeshares.
He stated that when owners either do not pay or walk away from their maintenance contract that the following usually occurs.
1. Owners will continue to receive phone calls,emails,mailed statements from the organization and or the collection agency.
Some correspondence will be strongly worded.
2. Very rarely will this result in any further collection proceedings.
3.While this attorney did not recommend to stop making payments many people were relieved to hear his observations on this issue.
Just “food for thought”.

Thanks. For owners who don't pay the maintenance fee, when does their timeshare ownership end and collection efforts stop? Is a formal letter sent showing ownership was surrendered?

 

[slarney77]

Anyone else get this email I guess quality issues is not maintenance and upkeep
Dear Eagle Village Owner,

We have been receiving many complaints from our RCI Points owners stating that RCI is telling them we have a maintenance block on the usage of points. This is simply not true. You should have received a letter/email from RCI in October of 2023 letting you know that RCI had suspended Eagle Village Owners from trading/using your points with RCI. Your Board of Directors is working hard to get Eagle Village reinstated. You should have received a letter from Eagle Village/Concord advising you of the situation and inviting you to the owners meeting that was held in February. We had many owners show to get an understanding of the current situation. As stated above your Board of Directors is working hard to get your membership reinstated. Attached is all correspondence that was sent. We will update our website as more information becomes available to us.

Thank you for your patience in this matter.

 

[194725RR]

Slightly good news. Our efforts have definitely been helpful in getting the board's attention. Our tone of urgency is conveyed in an email that was sent to owners from Eagle Village today. It essentially states they are working on getting reinstated by RCI. Many of the points in the email are restatements from the annual letter. No minutes from the annual meeting we're included for those who couldn't attend.

However, due to the life and prosperity threatening seriousness of this matter that owners have clearly conveyed in this thread and in our multifaced ways of trying to achieve justice in this situation, there should be an update as to what specifically has been done thus far and specifically what they are still working on to resolve the safety issues that have caused the suspension. The statement "Attached is all correspondence that was sent." is referencing the annual letter (attached) and the RCI letter regarding suspension (pasted below).

The email sent this morning is pasted below.

"Dear Eagle Village Owner,

We have been receiving many complaints from our RCI Points owners stating that RCI is telling them we have a maintenance block on the usage of points. This is simply not true. You should have received a letter/email from RCI in October of 2023 letting you know that RCI had suspended Eagle Village Owners from trading/using your points with RCI. Your Board of Directors is working hard to get Eagle Village reinstated. You should have received a letter from Eagle Village/Concord advising you of the situation and inviting you to the owners meeting that was held in February. We had many owners show to get an understanding of the current situation. As stated above your Board of Directors is working hard to get your membership reinstated. Attached is all correspondence that was sent. We will update our website as more information becomes available to us.

Thank you for your patience in this matter."

RCI Suspension letter:

"Re: Suspension of the RCI Points Exchange Program – Eagle Village Resort

Dear RCI Member:

We are writing to you regarding your Vacation Ownership at Eagle Village Resort #5092 (the “Resort”) in Tamiment, Pennsylvania. This letter is to inform you that, effective September 27, 2023, the Resort has been placed into a suspension status due to quality issues, which temporarily prohibits the Resort from participating in the RCI Exchange Programs. Accordingly, as of September 27, 2023, RCI will no longer accept additional inventory from the Resort until further notice.

Please note that any unused RCI Points associated with a 2022 Use Year, or prior that have been, or will be, allocated to your RCI account are unaffected by this suspension. However, RCI will no longer allocate RCI Points from the Resort with a 2023 Use Year and beyond until further notice. Effective immediately, future-date Vacation Time which has not already been used by you will be returned to the Resort, and any unused RCI Points for 2023 and beyond which may have been allocated to you for such returned Vacation Time will be removed from your RCI account and will no longer be available for your use. Please contact the Resort for further information regarding such returned Vacation Time. If, however, previously allocated RCI Points from 2023 and beyond have already been used by you to reserve an upcoming RCI vacation, you may retain that vacation provided that your RCI membership is current and you remain in compliance with the Terms and Conditions of RCI Points Subscribing Membership through the start date of the vacation.

Please know that if you participate in an RCI Exchange Program through your Vacation Ownership at other RCI Affiliated Resorts, such participation will not be affected by the Suspension of the Resort provided that your RCI subscription in that Exchange Program remains active and you remain a Member in good standing.

Please be assured that we are working with Eagle Village Resort and hope that your exchange privileges may be restored as soon as possible. Should you have any questions regarding your RCI membership, please contact an RCI Guide at (877) 968-7476. Should you have specific questions regarding the Resort or the suspension of the Resort, please contact the Resort directly at ###-###-####.

We hope to have the opportunity to continue offering you the best leisure travel services available.

Sincerely,


Shelia Flatt
Director of Affiliate Services – RCI Exchanges

Ref. #934886"

 

[194725RR]

In an effort to take screenshots of the EV website as a record of what is being promoted about the condition of the property, I found an email address and a statement about RCI. I'm not sure when it was posted.

The EV Timeshare Owners News webpage (https://www.eaglevillagepoa.net/timeshare-owners-news) has the following statement:

"We understand the frustration you may be feeling. The overwhelming need for answers has made it impossible to get back to everyone. We have now dedicated an email that will be monitored daily to help alleviate some of your concerns. Please email eaglevillagepoa17@gmail.com.

We are aware of the trading issue with RCI that some owners may be experiencing. We are working diligently to rectify this situation. This process has taken longer than expected but your Board of Directors always keeping your investment top priority is working vigorously to have Eagle Village POA reinstated with RCI. Please continue to look at this website as updates will be added as they become available. Thank you for your time and continued patience in this matter."

If anyone received a response to an email sent to the provided email address with an answer or specific information about specific actions being taken to resolve the RCI suspension, please let us know in this thread.