11/27/07

By Betty Vedrine, Senior Guardian Reporter

The Royal Oasis may have thought that it was out of the woods when it decided to honor the agreements that 3,000 time share owners had with the previous owner. It appears, however, that another group of timeshare owners is now looking to have its own concerns addressed. According to letters of complaint mailed to the Guardian last month, timeshare owners at the neighboring Freeport Resort and Club argue that the Royal Oasis must respect their right to access its golf course, beach and a pathway cutting across that property and leading to the International Bazaar. Owners say they have enjoyed these amenities for a number of years and are appealing to the government to intervene.

In a letter-writing campaign aimed at finding solutions to their grievances, these timeshare owners argue that they have been unjustly treated. According to Rolland and Beverly McElhaney of Onsted, Michigan, timeshare owners are battling three main issues. ""We understand the Driftwood Property in Grand Bahama (formerly Princess) is in the process of being sold and sincerely hope the grievances with Freeport Resort and Club (adjoining property) will be addressed and corrected. The three grievances are: A) The shortcut path which we used for 25 years has been closed since Sunrise Hwy. was diverted by Driftwood; B) After 25 years of golf at 'privileged rates' at the Ruby & Emerald courses, it was denied after Driftwood took over and C) The Bahamia Beach Club should be rebuilt."

It's a similar story for another fractional unit owner.

"My wife and I have been timeshare owners at Freeport Resort and Club on Grand Bahama for some seven years. We have enjoyed vacationing in The Bahamas and until recently never regretted the decision to invest our vacation dollars in Grand Bahama," wrote James Garvey, a timeshare owner from New York.

"I am outraged that the Driftwood Companies have taken these privileges away. These amenities, some of which have been enjoyed for over 25 years, were promised to us, they are binding, and it is unconstitutional for them to be denied," wrote Loretta MacNeil from Boston Massachusetts.

Readers may recall that earlier this year, Harcourt Developments agreed to honor agreements made with existing owners of timeshares when they took over that property, however, timeshare owners at Freeport Resort and Club, the vast majority of which hail from the United States and Canada, and many of whom have been owners for over twenty years, say that they feel that their rights have been violated. They are hoping that just as Harcourt Development honored existing contracts, they will do the same in their case.

"We have made overtures to Harcourt during our preliminary meetings with them and we've gotten a pretty good vibe from them," said Jack Grobowsky, President of Freeport Resort and Club. "At present, we are optimistic that we will get a reasonable ... but we haven't heard anything yet. We plan to contact them in less than ten days to find a remedy to these issues.".

Guardian Business was unable to make contact with officials at Harcourt Development up to press time.