Maintenance Fees
contact corspeak77@yahoo.com &/or alexcrystal2@gmail.com for info re attorneys for the MC class action lawsuit and procedure to be a part of the suit. it's taking a lot of time for this suit to move along to litigation. your having an attorney might help.
also we need to hit the MC owners/management in the pocketbook...NO REFERRALS, speaking to prospective buyers there at the club, especially on the 2nd floor NOT TO BUY INTO THIS SCAM OPERATION...these actions might slow or even stop further sales; then they might consider giving owners what we paid for and are continuing to pay for through the outrageous amount of our maintenance fees.
also tips to the media about this alleged fraudulent scam operation could possible open some doors for us. THIS OPERATION NEEDS TO BE AIRED IN A PUBLIC ARENA, eg., newspapers, tv news shows...THE MEDIA AT LARGE. the entire timeshare industry which has and has had much unfavorable press can certainly do without more of the same.
Chris V.
damn, it sounds like you're capitulating to the manhattan club, just what they want you to do. i understand you total frustration with this apparent scam WE owners got ourselves into, but if we PERSEVERE and WORFK on these unscrupulous issues, maybe we can continue to enjoy this otherwise great place on an equitable level...WITHOUT "GIVING UP THE SHIP."
send tips to the various new york media: daily news, ny times, crains ny business (which wrote a scathing article in july, 2011 about bruce eichner...i think owner or developer of the MC), investors' business daily, barron's.....about owners' complaints about the MC.
ALSO, NO REFERRALS TO THE SALES DEPT., AND IF AND WHEN YOU'RE AT THE MC, TRY SPEAKING WITH PROSPECTIVE PURCHASERS ABOUT ALL THE NEGATIVES OWNERS ARE BEING PUT THROUGH.
it's nice of you to think of giving it to charity, but then the recipient is going to experience just what you are currently. think about it...PERSEVERE AND WORK!
Chris V.
i 've had several contacts with amanda fung, real estate reporter for CRAINS NEW YORK BUSINESS. she finally got the go-ahead from her editor to do a follow-up story to one she wrote in july, 2011...google it...about bruce eichner being accused of real estate fraud. give her all the information you've experienced at THE MANHATTAN CLUB. she needs all the information she can get to write a complete and accurate story of what REALLY GOES ON HERE at this otherwise fabulous timeshare. be all-inclusive...send it to her email at CRAINS or phone her. i don't have the accurate contact info at the moment, but it's easy to get from google or crains.
chris cfox863@gmail.com
Chris V.
The MC will occasionally buy back your week. You must be current in your fees and you will not get to use your week. If you have a full one bedroom and 2 bath, you have a much better chance than the studios units.
If you are persistent, they will put you on a list and take it back from you.
Sarah C.
Last edited by sarah206 on Oct 12, 2012 10:13 AM
lucy, both issues: maint fees, reservations, have been ongoing for the last 5 or 6 years (maybe more.) mc has owners over a barrel, and many owners seem to have capitulated in disgust. we need to take action now by flooding the NY STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE with our common complaints, and any and all other creative actions owners can think of. a powerful idea is to have owners take over the board, however that can be done.
chris
lucy109 wrote:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/manhattanclubowners/?tab=syunfang1 wrote:How do I join the Manhattan club frustrated owners' list or facebook group? I have trouble booking the nights and the maintenance fee is outrageous.
Chris V.
Many owners wondered what happened with MC lawsuite. Below is the article published in Crain's. Post your comment, support disgranted MC owners community. * * * Time runs out for owners of midtown time-shares
Overbooking brings Manhattan Club stakes down as owners scramble for exits. Late last year, Jimmy Cottone took drastic action. He dumped his share in the Manhattan Club, a ritzy midtown Manhattan time-share condominium, for a mere $1. That's $16,999 less than he paid for it nearly a decade earlier, but one buck more than what he figured was its actual value.
"The time-share is completely worthless," said Mr. Cottone, a Long Islander who has not only seen his annual maintenance fee quintuple to $2,000, but found he was unable to book time to use his share no matter how far in advance he called to make reservations, owing to overbooking.
In the end, after finding no takers for his stake on eBay, Craigslist and other online sites, Mr. Cottone handed it over to the Manhattan Club's owner-operator, Ian Bruce Eichner, chairman of Continuum Co., and other firms, for a dollar.
Mr. Cottone has loads of company in a once-glistening project that has drawn a growing army of detractors over the course of nearly five years. A Yahoo online group where owners voice their complaints has drawn 493 members since it was created in 2007. Three years later, a website called the Disgruntled Manhattan Club New York Timeshare Owners, which chronicles the owners' plight, went up. More recently, a similar site appeared on Facebook, and TimeSharing Today published an article by a former owner titled "My Manhattan Club Experience: A Tale of Frustration."
It's all a far cry from the situation in 1997, when the club opened. At the time, it was billed as the first major time-share condominium in New York, where visitors could have a high time in the city at a relatively low cost. The property at 200 W. 56th St. was a bankrupt hotel that Mr. Eichner bought and converted into two properties, the 286-suite Manhattan Club and the Park Central Hotel. The cost of work on the club alone came to $141 million, according to Continuum's website. Initially, shares were marketed at prices starting at $10,000, depending on the size of the unit. Today, they start at $35,000.
Back in 1996, Mr. Eichner, who declined to be interviewed for this article, told The New York Times that if all the time-shares were sold, 18,000 customers a year would buy seven-day stays or the flex-time equivalent. As of 2010, exactly 14,872 had been sold. Since then, there has been a growing number of resales—including owners turning their shares back to Mr. Eichner, who rose to prominence as a developer 30 years ago but lost several properties in the real estate collapse of the 1990s and three years ago surrendered his $3.9 billion Las Vegas casino resort to a bank.
While time-shares are relatively rare in Manhattan, some have been quite successful. Shares in 78 units at the New York Hilton that were set aside for time-shares in 2001 sold out in about four years, according to Kim Kreiger, senior vice president of Club and Resorts at Hilton Grand Vacations. That led to the ground-up construction of Hilton's second time-share, West 57th Street by Hilton Club, with 161 units. That launched in 2009 and is 90% sold. Washing their hands
At this point, many Manhattan Club owners simply want to wash their hands of the whole experience.
"I am trying to get out of it, and it is almost impossible," said Zenon Hac, a teacher in New Jersey, who paid $20,000 for his time-share in 2002 and wants to give back his share for $1.
Other angry owners like Mr. Hac say they, too, would love giving shares back to the sponsor, but they say the developer is only compiling a waiting list and is not buying any shares back. In retaliation, Mr. Hac and others have recently stopped paying their annual maintenance fees, ranging from $1,800 to $2,500 a year, in protest of how the club is being run.
"I refuse to pay," said Tony Caliguire, a firefighter in Albany, who attempted to sell his $20,000 time-share online for $10,000 last year, but got no bidders. "My credit is at risk, but why should I pay for something I can't use?" All too widely available Others are going to court. Last year, five owners sued Mr. Eichner and related entities, accusing them of fraud and other misconduct. They accused the manager of "intentionally overselling the occupancy capacity of the 286 time-share units by renting them throughout the year to the general public through Expedia, Hotels.com and other travel websites."
"This has been going on for a long time, and people are getting ripped off," said Steven Blau of law firm Blau Brown & Leonard, which represents the plaintiffs. "I can get a room faster by using an online travel site, while owners are paying taxes and maintenance fees during the year."
Two months ago, however, a federal judge dismissed the suit. Now, with a different time-share owner as a client, Mr. Blau has filed a suit in state court alleging "deceptive business practices."
"I think we have a very good chance; otherwise, I would not be wasting my time," said Mr. Blau, who has been contacted by about 200 Manhattan Club time-share owners since filing the first lawsuit. "I think justice will be served."
http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20120722/REAL_ESTATE02/307229976
Fibo N.
How can I register for the second law I registered my complaints for the first one but did not think that was the right approach. Deceptive practices I think is the way most owners were fooled ionto buying. Is there a website to join?? Help me out of this nightmare. Thanks
Kathleen B.
dear owners, we're all a bunch of moaners....our contribution of ideas to halt eichner's treatment of owners is admirable; however IDEAS are one thing............ACTING ON THEM IS ANOTHER. IF WE DON'T ACT AS A PROACTIVE COHESIVE BODY, THEN WE DESERVE ALL THAT EICHNER AND COMPANY HAS TO SHOVE DOWN OUR THROATS. SO FELLOW OWNERS, EITHER ACCEPT THAT PREMISE OR LET'S GET IN MOTION AND DO SOMETHING RATHER THAN MOANING ABOUT THE SINKING BOAT WE'RE IN.
kathleenb204 wrote:How can I register for the second law I registered my complaints for the first one but did not think that was the right approach. Deceptive practices I think is the way most owners were fooled ionto buying. Is there a website to join?? Help me out of this nightmare. Thanks
Chris V.
Last edited by phyl21 on May 04, 2013 11:51 PM
when you donate, you don't receive any money. In fact, you have to pay them to take it off your hands. you also won't get the full write off on your taxes that they tell you. I wouldn't count on anyone paying you 28% of what you paid. It's not worth anything. Sorry to be there bearer of bad news but owners have limited options. Get on the MC club list of buy backs and pray they call you. Good luck
Sarah C.
The fees continue to increase, Manhattan Club continues to try to sell more units and asks owners for referrals, and rooms are still not available when you call. If anything the situation on all counts has deteriorated.
Has anything recent happened with this?
Shari D.
sharid18 The fees continue to increase, Manhattan Club continues to try to sell more units and asks owners for referrals, and rooms are still not available when you call. If anything the situation on all counts has deteriorated.
Has anything recent happened with this? PLEASE DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT making sales referrals: you'll be minus many relatives, friends and colleagues should you consider referring any of them to buy at the MC. it's a great place, but there's scam and fraud that's running rampant there.
Chris V.
THE MANHATTAN CLUB IN A NUTSHELL: A BEAUTIFUL VENUE! NO DENYING THAT. FROM THERE ON IT'S ALL CRAP: EXORBITANTLY HIGH MAINTENANCE FEES (MANY OWNERS ARE DESPERATE TO SELL OR OUTRIGHT GIVE AWAY THEIR SHARES BECAUSE OF THIS!) MAKING DESIRABLE RESERVATIONS IS A TOTAL JOKE, UNLESS YOU'RE WILLING TO MAKE THEM AT LEAST 1-2 YEARS IN ADVANCE: JOKE........YOU MAY NOT BE AROUND TO USE THE RESERVATIONS YOU MADE 2 YEARS AGO. BOTTOM LINE:
DO NOT, EMPHASIS ON "NOT," BUY AT THE MANHATTAN CLUB. IT'S A TOTAL RIPOFF. NEED I SAY MORE: CHECK IT OUT FOR YOURSELF; JUST GO TO THE SALES OFFICE WITH MANY QUESTIONS REFERRING TO WHAT I WROTE IN THIS RESPONSE AND/OR CHECK FURTHER WITH ME FOR HONEST AND RELIABLE ANSWERS (WHICH YOU WON'T GET FROM THE MANHATTAN CLUB'S SALES REPRESENTATIVES.
Chris V.
you can TRY donating your MC TIMESHARE (A FRAUDULENT SHAM IN MY OPINION!) but i doubt you'll get any charitable organization to take it because of the expenses involved...maintenance, taxes. plus, MC has total control concerning how owners' shares are bought and sold (IF YOU CAN SELL IT!)
THE MANHATTAN CLUB (ALBEIT A GREAT PLACE TO STAY) IS A LOSE/LOSE SITUATION BETWEEN EXORBITANT MAINTENANCE FEES AND ABILITY TO SECURE DESIRED RESERVATIONS.
Chris V.
