Manhattan Club Lawsuit

I am so disgusted wit the Manhattan Club. When you try to get a room they say no rooms. Then you go to hotels and you can rent a room with a sight but you have to take a tour and listen to a deal. What gets me is they don't have a room for you but they're still selling time shares. How can that be legal. I want out of this mess. Donna Salvadore

TMC does not care for the rooms availability for the owners. They want our payments and mortgages to multiply the MC loans. Looking closely, the MC is a bank for loans on the first place, the hotel on the second, the Condo on the third, and the TMC on the fourth. Whatever left goes to the TMC.

A Manhattan Club rep called yesterday offering $150 for 20 people to contact as referrals to become "owners".

Irene Smalls

Hi Davidm1795, We sold our studio for $200. I also spoke to Lynn O'Donnell. This was done in 2013. I found it worth it to not have to pay any more exhorbitant fees.

robertm1536 wrote:

Davidm1795, I just sent in papers to MHC to sell back my penthouse. This was after talking with Lin O'Donnell several times over the past few years. During those prior discussions, she always told me the MHC has no buy-back program. However, if I was interested in selling back the property, she could facilitate it. She would then ask how much I was willing to take for it. This bartering would continue until she would give me a ridiculously low figure and ask me if I would accept it. The first time we had this discussion, the figure was the highest, but still very low. In subsequent calls, the figure got even lower. When I made this last call to her, she initially told me they were not interested in "other" units, but since I owned the penthouse, they would give me $100 it I sold back. I would be very interested in seeing what this MHC rep tells you. I hope you will take notes, names, etc. and share it with the rest of us. Fraud is probably one of the most difficult things to prove. Proving intent I think is the real sticking point. However, I sincerely believe that MHC has done a very masterful job of getting away with fraud...so far. I hope the ongoing lawsuit will prove fruitful. However, I also wonder what remuneration can be expected, even if the lawsuit is won?

This is our first phase! We need documentation to prove the Manhattan Club is scam.

We are assembling information related to ownership, prices, unit numbers and model, and purchase dates. A maintenance fee history is also important. Also, did you pay for your unit in full? Did you receive documents attesting you paid in full? This information is helpful for the lawyer. Additionally, we are amassing structured information about difficulties in making reservations, difficulty in selling, anything else you think of that would help us fight this scam, etc. (If someone sells their unit for a hundred dollars or one dollar or some other outrageous price, they disappear from the field of battle since they're no longer interested - nonetheless, we shouldn't lose track of them. They may be of interest in the future as 'past owners'. And we should have them in the database.)

Please send me this information. It will be put in database and shared with the group and the attorney.

We are currently working on a database of every single New York State legislator, city councilor, New York and Company member, the governor, the mayor, the district attorney, and office of consumers affairs to ease sending out emails and documentation on this scam.

Regards, Irene Smalls

You have on record our letter from 12/9/2013--5 months ago.

We've waited...we've gotten some correspondence back from the Attorney General in NY State...but it was just putting us "on hold". We've heard nothing from you, except what I had forwarded to me today from my son..We are exhausted...and done with this whole mess. The month of March saw another two of our units up for maintenance fees. We have used up all our resources...and held back from paying the dues that were due. Then we got the threatening letter... about sending us to collection..we buckled again, and paid the fees. Maintenance fees that started at $638...in 2002 were now $3007.62...fees that were $535.00 were now $2,628.64. This is how the letter read: "If payment of Timeshare Charges is not received within the next fourteen days, we may assign your account to our collection agency, Continental Central Credit, Inc. to start collection procedures. The collection fees Continental Central Credit, Inc. charges are an additional 33 1/3% of the total account balance owed. This can have an effect upon your credit rating and ultimate loss of your Manhattan Club ownership. Please understand, that even if your ownership is lost due to default, we still have the right to collect on any outstanding fees." " To avoid addtional fees and negative credit reporting, call our Financial Services Department today at 1-800-532-4566 option #6. " (letter dated April 3, 2014)

We are so "done with this". We are actually at the point that we are going to turn our units back in. For ZERO dollars..."They will pay the closing fees." But now that we were forced into paying the fees for March---now we can get rid of two of our units.

I would say...you are too late. What can I do? I sent another letter off to the Attorney General last week...but I can't go on waiting...and hearing nothing. From what you seem to be doing...you are going out months and months. We can't hang on any longer. Our credit is at risk...we have no where else to turn...so this week or next, we will be letting go of two of our units. These two units cost us $26,444.00 and $17,236.00 respectively. We bought them outright back on March 20, 2002. We have titles...they are deeded properties. And now I guess we are going to turn them back in...for nothing.

What advise or suggestions do you have to offer? How long are you suggesting that we drag this on? This agony and tragedy? Alene Reed

If they take it back for nothing, you cut your losses. It may take awhile for the to process the transaction. The attorney general's office does not care. I sold mine back last year for $100. Glad to be out.

A month ago a Man with HIV wrongly fired from Manhattan hotel job awarded more than $500G. Wondering if those $500G will be paid off of our maintenance fees? Link for the article: http://nedhqcl.wordpress.com/2014/03/18/man-with-hiv-wrongly-fired-from-manhattan-hotel-job-awarded-more-than-500g/

If you first heard about the Manhattan Club via US Mail file a fraud complaint with the USPS.

https://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/investigations/MailFraud/fraudschemes/financialfraud/LandFraud.aspx

The Federal Law Enforcement and Security Arm of the US Postal Service US Postal Inspection Service

" If a land developer or promoter has materially misrepresented what he has sold you, you may take legal action to get your money back. If the U.S. Mail was used to promote the land or obtain your money in a purchase or lease transaction, report your experience to your local postmaster or nearest Postal Inspector. "

File a Complaint Report these issues to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service online: Mail fraud (may include scams or deceptive ads via the mail, or postage fraud)

1-877-876-2455 CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS SERVICE CENTER ATTN: MAIL FRAUD 433 W HARRISON STREET ROOM 3255 CHICAGO IL 60699-3255

Regards, Irene Smalls

They are selling their timeshares on the street…as if they were not oversold

TMC is marketing the stay a night, get free tickets, etc. at a booth in an outdoor market located at the corner of 48th and 8th or thereabouts.

The judge in the Manhattan Club timeshare scam is allowing the case to go forward. Atty. Blau can now get documents from TMC to gauge the extent of the TMC timeshare scam.

Manhattan Club class action lawsuit in discovery phase, where each side releases documents to others so both can investigate claims of plaintiffs and defendants. Most of key documents in this case belong to the Manhattan Club, so benefit of this goes to owners seeking reliable information about what actually happened at the club while their availability diminished and maintenance fees skyrocketed. Next court date mid-June, while defendant developers continue to appeal trial court judge's decision to NOT dismiss the NY Supreme Court case. This case, regardless of legal maneuvers, has never been tried on the merits, which pit frustrated owners on one side against seemingly intransigent developers/managers on the other who continue to claim that the owners, shut out from their timeshares, have no legitimate basis to protest. All of the activities that are occurring in the interim are stopgap measures by the Manhattan Club to blunt the impact of the litigation on their sales model, which appears to be insatiable, based upon what owners are telling redweek.com. Read the full story.

send me the survey. What they are doing is criminal

Hi Sheila,

I agree. What the Manhattan Club is doing is criminal. For anyone who wants to be added to the listserv of Manhattan Club owners organizing to take action against the Manhattan Club. Contact me, Irene Smalls

My email is ismalls107@aol.com

Hi, We diodn't have a meeting but we had a call from Lynn O'Donnell. They gave us $200 to get out.

davidm1795 wrote:

All: I have a one-on-one meeting set up next week with a Manhattan Club rep who's supposed to listen to my complaints and also discuss buy-back options. Anyone else already have such a meeting? TMC is taking this approach with all individual owners to help avoid lawsuit ramifications.

Also, since I live in MD, would it be helpful to submit a complant to the NY AG even though the lawsuit is only for NY'rs?

davidm 1795 wrote: "All: I have a one-on-one meeting set up next week with a Manhattan Club rep who's supposed to listen to my complaints and also discuss buy-back options. Anyone else already have such a meeting? TMC is taking this approach with all individual owners to help avoid lawsuit ramifications."

We did meet with the representative from The Manhattan Club last week who was supposed to tell us about upcoming changes and our options ... the meeting lasted about 90 minutes and was basically a low key, low pressure sales pitch to convert our week to points for $5-$8K ... we declined ...

sunildajs wrote:

Hi, We diodn't have a meeting but we had a call from Lynn O'Donnell. They gave us $200 to get out.

We were told The Manhattan Club is no longer taking units back ... we were told that they were for some short period of time and got around 1300 units back (if memory serves) so now they do not want any more at this time

I sent notes to Governor, Attorney General and new Mayor of New York city today. I am fed up.

sheilap101 wrote:

I sent notes to Governor, Attorney General and new Mayor of New York city today. I am fed up.

I am afraid it is going to take more than letters to government officials to get a fair resolution of this matter ... unfortunately ... John

We would like to be involved in this lawsuit as well. Please send the information needed. Have owned for well over 10 years and the word to describe it is "stuck" in a bad situation for owners. MC should buy back our deeds at "their" prices to make up for their illegal mess! thanks

This is my first posting on the site.. I share everyones concerns and cant believe any owner is satisfied with the man. club. Have 2 nights remaining for this yr and all is booked.. Im sure there are many in my situation. obviously had to over sell and to think i can easily purchase a night much cheaper in the open mkt is unbelievable.