The Royal Oasis timeshare situation remains a sore point for time-share owners who are still in the dark and at their wits end.
They were hoping to hear something from the timeshare resort by now, but their calls, e-mails and letters are still being unanswered.
Donald Archer, resort senior vice president, told The Freeport News yesterday that there is no one to field any phone calls or questions from the time-share owners.
When questioned about what, if any, recourse the time-share owners have, he would only say, “I was directed to refer them to our office in Jupiter.”
But with no one manning the phones and no communication with the time-share owners to that effect, there is no way for them to receive such a referral.
Mr. Archer also said he had no information on the status of the property.
The property, which houses a country club, towers and casino, shut down after Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne, 16 months ago.
Back in November the then Resort Manager Rudy Meadows said he was unable to comment. The Freeport News has learned that Mr. Meadows has since been reassigned.
It is becoming a ‘royal pain’ for some who are seriously pondering joining those who are considering a class action lawsuit.
Still, e-mails are trailing into The Freeport News newsdesk from desperate time-share owners who want to know what will become of their investment.
One owner had only purchased his time-share five months before the resort closed and had began making payments since May 2004, he even paid the $500 maintenance fee in January of this year.
Between April 2004 and January 2005, the timeshare owner had paid nearly $7,000 to the resort and simply wants to know how to get the money back.
Time-share owners explain that they have continued with monthly payments and maintenance fees for fear of losing their time-share package altogether.
Some have even purchased time-share for up to 30 years.
The closure of the resort has also had an adverse affect on the 1,300-plus employees who were initially told by Driftwood Freeport Limited, owners of the Crowne Plaza Golf Resort and Casino at Royal Oasis, that it was only temporary to make the necessary repairs.
In May, government paid out severance packages amounting to $6.1 million to hundreds of displaced workers as a means of bringing relief to their steadily declining living and financial conditions.
The move was called an unprecedented one.
According to government, the 1,300 workers were owed a total of $8.3 million in redundancy pay, but the Financial Administration Audit Act limited the government to $5 million.
Workers with payout packages of $11,000 or less were paid in full and those entitled to more than $11,000 received 50 per-cent.
The displaced workers were required to sign a deed of assignment which gives government the legal right to recover the funds from Driftwood.
At last report, several Royal Oasis workers had yet to accept their severance package and only had until the end of June to consider their options.
The payout put the displaced workers in a difficult position as some who disagreed with the figures did not want to settle for half their worth.
The resort is the second largest on the island and played a major role in the economic wealth of the International Bazaar.
The Country Club property is still being used by some of the victims who were displaced by Hurricane Wilma back in October.
Article by: LEDEDRA MARCHE, Senior Freeport News Reporter
