My statement said it was "possible." Which means I am keeping an open mind and not allowing inflammatory comments to cloud to my judgement. I simply stated that it was worth checking into before adding fuel to the fire. I fail to see how wanting more information is an indication of bias rather than a sincere desire to be well informed.
Like all good journalists, Mr. Hartnell has used words like "alleged" and "claim." He presents the information as given to him and does not make his own judgement but rather leaves a place for intelligent analysis and discussion. He makes no assertions as to what is true, but rather presents both sides.
Some owners are satisfied, some are not. The bottom line is that we are all in this investment together. We share common areas. Most importantly, we share a common reputation. Publicly slamming Tennerdale, Ron Francis, or even the Water company, does not bring positive attention to our investment or to the islands.
Clearly there are some problems or commentators and the owners that brought this to the Tribune's attention would not be as aggravated as they are. The real question now is what proactive and positive steps can we take from here?
I've been an owner at Palm Bay for many years now. We pay our fees. We don't make a profit on our villa but we cover enough of our costs to make it reasonable for us. For the record, we are not related to the Francis family since that seems to be a point of contention for some owners as a way to discredit a sincere comment.
We pay our monthly fees and our indenture every year. We do it in a timely manner because let's be honest if you tried to not pay your fees in the US, you'd be cut off without so much as a warning notice and they certainly would not turn your services back on until you had paid in full.
My husband tried very hard to work with other owners to come to a consensus for productive and genuine improvements. Sometimes the owners were cooperative and other times they were deadlocked. Often, they did not even bother to log into the virtual meetings. What we consistently found was that Ron Francis was always willing to discuss the situation, he provided budgets and a variety of programs designed to meet owners needs. We also consistently found that some owners enjoyed arguing much more than working together to find a solution.
We all bought into Palm Bay because we fell in love with the property, the villas, the ambiance, and the people of Exuma. Why own somewhere you don't want to be right? We spend weeks there every off season because we like to max out rental potential in the high season. Every time we've visited, the property has been neatly maintained and our villa is always ready to welcome us... along with a cool drink at the Splash bar made by Anita or Tiny. These things have not changed.
Our property value in the US bombed when the housing market crashed... but I didn't call up my developer or my realtor and call him a fraud. All investments are risky. Don't want to take a risk... put your money in a CD.
In addition, we don't just rely on Ron and his staff to get our villa rented. We network with friends. We post the villa on home rental sites. We've given it to extended family for their use. There is much more value in the villa than just rental fees. We've never had a guest return from Exuma that did not find courteous service, a lovely villa, and a well maintained resort.
I am sure Mr. Hartnell did his research and because he is a respected journalist, I appreciate that he took the time to interview 10 owners. However, Palm Bay has more than 70 villas and their respective owners and not all of them are unhappy or feeling conned.
I appreciate that the Tribune allows for comments and public discussion so that all interested parties have a chance to share their views. Given the venom in some of the responses by unhappy owners, I hope that the tone of this comment and the consideration I have taken to be fair will be treated with the same respect that I have given to the other comments. Please only respond with productive remarks.
Kelle28 says...
My statement said it was "possible." Which means I am keeping an open mind and not allowing inflammatory comments to cloud to my judgement. I simply stated that it was worth checking into before adding fuel to the fire. I fail to see how wanting more information is an indication of bias rather than a sincere desire to be well informed.
Like all good journalists, Mr. Hartnell has used words like "alleged" and "claim." He presents the information as given to him and does not make his own judgement but rather leaves a place for intelligent analysis and discussion. He makes no assertions as to what is true, but rather presents both sides.
Some owners are satisfied, some are not. The bottom line is that we are all in this investment together. We share common areas. Most importantly, we share a common reputation. Publicly slamming Tennerdale, Ron Francis, or even the Water company, does not bring positive attention to our investment or to the islands.
Clearly there are some problems or commentators and the owners that brought this to the Tribune's attention would not be as aggravated as they are. The real question now is what proactive and positive steps can we take from here?
On Water cut-off/fees battle tears apart resort project
Posted 18 April 2012, 2:20 p.m. Suggest removal
Kelle28 says...
We would be. Please post a link if you establish a bulletin board. Thanks.
On Water cut-off/fees battle tears apart resort project
Posted 18 April 2012, 1:11 p.m. Suggest removal
Kelle28 says...
This comment was removed by the site staff for violation of the usage agreement.
On Water cut-off/fees battle tears apart resort project
Posted 18 April 2012, 12:31 p.m.
Kelle28 says...
This comment was removed by the site staff for violation of the usage agreement.
On Water cut-off/fees battle tears apart resort project
Posted 18 April 2012, 12:01 p.m.
Kelle28 says...
I've been an owner at Palm Bay for many years now. We pay our fees. We don't make a profit on our villa but we cover enough of our costs to make it reasonable for us. For the record, we are not related to the Francis family since that seems to be a point of contention for some owners as a way to discredit a sincere comment.
We pay our monthly fees and our indenture every year. We do it in a timely manner because let's be honest if you tried to not pay your fees in the US, you'd be cut off without so much as a warning notice and they certainly would not turn your services back on until you had paid in full.
My husband tried very hard to work with other owners to come to a consensus for productive and genuine improvements. Sometimes the owners were cooperative and other times they were deadlocked. Often, they did not even bother to log into the virtual meetings. What we consistently found was that Ron Francis was always willing to discuss the situation, he provided budgets and a variety of programs designed to meet owners needs. We also consistently found that some owners enjoyed arguing much more than working together to find a solution.
We all bought into Palm Bay because we fell in love with the property, the villas, the ambiance, and the people of Exuma. Why own somewhere you don't want to be right? We spend weeks there every off season because we like to max out rental potential in the high season. Every time we've visited, the property has been neatly maintained and our villa is always ready to welcome us... along with a cool drink at the Splash bar made by Anita or Tiny. These things have not changed.
Our property value in the US bombed when the housing market crashed... but I didn't call up my developer or my realtor and call him a fraud. All investments are risky. Don't want to take a risk... put your money in a CD.
In addition, we don't just rely on Ron and his staff to get our villa rented. We network with friends. We post the villa on home rental sites. We've given it to extended family for their use. There is much more value in the villa than just rental fees. We've never had a guest return from Exuma that did not find courteous service, a lovely villa, and a well maintained resort.
I am sure Mr. Hartnell did his research and because he is a respected journalist, I appreciate that he took the time to interview 10 owners. However, Palm Bay has more than 70 villas and their respective owners and not all of them are unhappy or feeling conned.
I appreciate that the Tribune allows for comments and public discussion so that all interested parties have a chance to share their views. Given the venom in some of the responses by unhappy owners, I hope that the tone of this comment and the consideration I have taken to be fair will be treated with the same respect that I have given to the other comments. Please only respond with productive remarks.
On Water cut-off/fees battle tears apart resort project
Posted 18 April 2012, 9:27 a.m. Suggest removal