Manhattan Club Lawsuit

Debraa,

You should write the New York Attorney about your experience with the Manhattan Club. Here is their contact email:

serwat.farooq@ag.ny.gov

Irene Smalls

you've done your homework quite well. i need to know where owners can get verification of the real estate taxes that we're required to pay per week of ownership in TMC. is there a website that we can get to for obtaining this information. for all we know, eichner may be padding the tax amount and skimming some of it off the top for to further his financial benefit. worth a look-see, don't you think?

chris

lc121 wrote:

I've done the TAX math also. You have to figure into the equation ALL of the common spaces & all of the workers & office spaces too. The real estate tax is figured on total square foot spaces used by TMC in the whole building. Plus, it's category probably isn't the same as plain residential and is likely figured at a higher % value. There is no real way for us to know how they got the exact figures, but if you guess at the entire spaces, it may not be as extreme as it seems to be..........The Maintenance fees are another matter entirely! I'm sure TMC CAN show how this exuberant amount is spent. To my understanding; our so-called, "Not-for-profit time-share", TMC keeps spending many very large chunks of monies in very questionable ways? This includes things updated exercise rooms & underused lounge areas. It is very easy for them to do this, as owners don't have control of the board and thus, no control of optional spending choices, etc. Simultaneously, small (but important to owners), amenities keep downsizing! Example; the room coffee is downgraded and the lounge cookies lessen. ... Meanwhile, ON PAPER, the "Maintenance costs" get justified.

Regarding what portion of your maintenance is RE tax, you can ask the MC to email the tax portion to you. I have done this and they send me the $ amount for each of the two units I own.

Irene, do you know ifany of the 28 units are penthouses? When I called TMC to discuss the lawsuit they told me that the penthouses are NEVER rented out to transient people. Do you know if this is true?

Each year, when they email me my bill, the tax amount is broken out on the bill. They specify what portion are maintenance fees and what portion are taxes.

The 28 units purchased by Bluegreen from what I was told are mainly on the second floor.

Irene Smalls

Did anyone see Eric Schneiderman on the news last night? commenting on Trump U?

I saw the AG on Good Morning America today. All I was thinking about what about the TMC lawsuit that has gone on for far too long. He sent in undercover agents who heard the deceptive sales pitches. He should have done something to resolve this. We should flood his Twitter and Facebook with comments.

When I was working there we would rent out the penthouse suits to transients and sales department would upgrade transients that purchased to penthouses.

On "With All Due Respect" last night, Schneiderman pointed out that he's been working on the Trump U. case since 2012 and entered the suit in 2013. It is just getting publicity now because Trump is Republican presidential candidate. Bottom line is that these things take time. Trump U. is NOT moving faster than his lawsuit on TMC.

hi tonya,

what else can you add to the scheming and shady dealings used by the principals, headed by ian bruce eichner, at your former employer, THE MANHATTAN CLUB? your (even anonymous) input would be worthwhile in assisting nysag schneiderman's winning the case against THE MANHATTAN CLUB. we look forward to seeing more of your firsthand information presented here.

chris

YES, these things take time, esp. if you have lots of money and "good" lawyers which both Eichner and Trump have.

I AM GLAD THAT YOU HAVE SPOKEN UP. THIS IS WHAT WE NEED. PEOPLE WHO HAVE INSIDE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE THINGS THAT HAPPENED WHEN WE AS OWNERS TRIED TO SECURE RESERVATIONS. WE NEED MORE PEOPLE LIKE YOURSELF TO MAKE IT KNOWN. ALL THE HELP WE CAN GET, AND WE NEED IT NOW. THIS LAWSUIT WILL NEVER SUCCEED UNLESS MORE PEOPLE ARE MADE AWARE OF IT, SPEAK UP, AND START TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. AGAIN, THANKS FOR YOUR INPUT

Thank you for posting these excellent directions - it all went smoothly the first time I tried it. Everyone should do this because, as Irene said, it will then become obvious that many people have an interest in this case.

I think you would get a lot of attention to the Manhattan Club issue if all the owners would notify their Congressman or Congresswoman of their State for their assistance I did, and he forwarded the copies of the publicity surrounding the unhappy owners complaints to the Attorney General of my State. The assistant to the AG of my State sent a letter to the Manhattan Club and requested an answer to these grievances. When and if I receive a response to this action of mine. I will publish it in the Forum. I would also remind all TMC owners that this is an election year. This is the time to ask your elected officials for their help.

TMC's financial department will easily give you, the individual yearly amount you are paying toward real estate taxes. PLUS each year, when they form the next budget, there's a chart generated showing the next year maintenance fee & real estate fee, for each size unit, with the increase percentages. You should (maybe) be able to get this emailed to you, as they do email it as part of the yearly budget. Lastly, you can find out what they are actually suppose to be paying in total taxes, as assessed property taxes are public records. This might take a little research via the NYC assessors office.

Lots of folks are complaining about TMC demanding early payment of maintenance in order to book dates.

Check your contract anniversary date. That's the date your next maintenance payment is due. Your annual maintenance is PREPAID. Once your current year's payment is made you are ENTITLED to use your days/weeks for the coming 12 months, until your anniversary date, when the next maintenance payment is due. Requiring an owner to pre pay NEXT YEAR'S maintenance in order to reserve this year's usage days is outright thievery. What's next? You can't use days unless you prepay 2 years maintenance!

Demanding that owners make payments before they are due is just one other example of how we are all being screwed by TMC.

ITS TIME FOR EVERYONE TO STOP PAYING THEIR MAINTENANCE.

If you keep paying, you are funding TMC's fight against us and the AG.

Bob Biello

The problem is that if an owner wishes to bank his week with Interval International or RCI, the Manhattan Club will not give the "booking" info. until the maintenance fees are paid in advance. So, they are going to make sure they get hold of your money.

Hi Bob Biello -- I just this morning received a text message from my Amex credit card company that TMC is making a merchant charge of $2,289.86. I called Amex and told them I contest the charge because, although I recognize the merchant, I have no receipt or breakdown of what the charge is for. I can GUESS that it's maintenance fees and property taxes for 2017-2018 (I have a 2-year, split week Metro that I can use every year -- 3 nights in even years, 4 nights in odd years). The last time I paid this high a total bill was in April, 2014 in the amount of $2,151 (RE taxes were $100). In 2014, Accounting's description was for "2015 Maintenance Fees in Mass Bill". RE taxes I have to pay every year, and it varies because of the 3-4 usage -- RE taxes are based on the number of days I'm entitled to every year. As for why I am being billed now, in June 2016 and not on my purchase date (March of 2011) is a mystery to me. I plan to have Amex contest the charge. Amex said they will ask TMC for proof that I owe the charge. Meanwhile, because I notified Amex as soon as I received the text notification, Amex will hold up TMC's receipt of payment. This could tie TMC up for 6-8 weeks to get their money. My questions to you are: 1) should I contact Accounting and ask for the breakdown/explanation, and if I'm satisfied I understand what I'm paying for, I should pay the $2,289.86 charge? or 2) NOT pay anything more until all the legal investigations are resolved. My only issues with TMC have been this poor accounting and erratic billing, plus escalating maintenance fees. Your thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks.

robertb1802 wrote:

Lots of folks are complaining about TMC demanding early payment of maintenance in order to book dates.

Check your contract anniversary date. That's the date your next maintenance payment is due. Your annual maintenance is PREPAID. Once your current year's payment is made you are ENTITLED to use your days/weeks for the coming 12 months, until your anniversary date, when the next maintenance payment is due. Requiring an owner to pre pay NEXT YEAR'S maintenance in order to reserve this year's usage days is outright thievery. What's next? You can't use days unless you prepay 2 years maintenance!

Demanding that owners make payments before they are due is just one other example of how we are all being screwed by TMC.

ITS TIME FOR EVERYONE TO STOP PAYING THEIR MAINTENANCE.

If you keep paying, you are funding TMC's fight against us and the AG.

Bob Biello

Hi Jills 465, My advice to you is to inform AMEX that you are cancelling the automatic permission you gave the MC to pay for the maintenance fees. This way when your fees are due tmcy will send you an itemize notice. Keeping the automatic permission will guarantee your fees are going to be charged MONTHS before your anniversary.