Who is in the worng Bluegreen or me?

[snowbirdnw]

I went on a 14 month waiting list and got 6 resevation for July 4th and got all my request. One was for the seaglass tower for OCEAN FRONT I was mailed the 6 resevations and I looked them over and all the dates were ok. I rented out the seaglass tower oceanfront and when my (renter) got there they we told NO OCEAN FRONT!!! it's a city view looking at a parking lot and the street below. So I called Bluegreen and was told that on the waiting list if the request that I ask for is not there they will fill it with another type of room and it is up to me to call and see if it is the OCEAN FRONT that I requested. So Bluegreen says it is my fauilt.....

NOW.... If the reservation letter came to me stating that it was a CITY VIEW I would have cancled it immediately!!!! No one wants to look at a parking lot, When they paid to stay OCEAN FRONT they want to see the ...OCEAN.

PLEASE!! Reply back to me Who is in the worng?

Bluegreen- for not calling/mail me to inform me that its City View.
ME - for not knowing that it was not Ocean Front and calling to check on the location of the room which should have been Ocean Front.

The renters are saying that their (Birthday-July 4th vacaation ) is ruined due to the parking lot and street view, they are threatening to take me to court. Does any one have any suggestions how I should handle this? (I know that taking me to court would cost more than the room cost and I took payments in order for them to be able to pay for it.) I just want to do whats right for them. This was not fair to them either.

Thanks for any reply

[dougp26364]

After 11 years of timesharing, I've learned to ALWAYS confirm the view if it's important to me. I don't care what resort system you're in, it's always best to confirm the view if it's an important part of the reservation. Many of the systems will list the view on the confirmation but not all.

Now I don't know Bluegreen's rules so I'm not saying it's your fault. I'm only saying that best practice is to confirm what you believe you have unless you already have it in writting. Even then I'll call about a week or two before we travel to be certain the resort has the same view I have on the written confirmation. This gives me time to fax my written confirmation to them and straighten out any problem before our arrival.

[BocaBum99]

Bluegreen actually doesn't provide unit information when they book reservations. If you ask for the unit number, which you can, they will tell you that the unit is subject to change and they can't guarantee it.

The only time you can guarantee a unit view is when there is a specific unit type that designates a view (e.g. oceanfront). In the case of SeaGlass Tower, there are no such designations. If you chose Shore Crest I, there is a designation of Oceanfront 2 bedroom. If you book one of those, you are guaranteed to get one. That said, 99 times out of 100 the unit you are assigned is the unit you get. I would make sure you put this disclaimer in your rental agreement.

[BocaBum99]

I just reread your message. You said that you booked an oceanfront unit at SeaGlass Tower. Who gave you the impression that it was oceanfront? Did it say that on the confirmation letter?

[snowbirdnw]

The reservation said only said

Unit type 1 BD DLX SUN

When the letter was mail to me ,I thought I got OCEAN FRONT as I requested. I did not now at that time they gave me a CITY VIEW.

[BocaBum99]

Originally Posted by snowbirdnw

The reservation said only said

Unit type 1 BD DLX SUN

When the letter was mail to me ,I thought I got OCEAN FRONT as I requested. I did not now at that time they gave me a CITY VIEW.

What gave you the impression that you got oceanfront? Did a Bluegreen employee tell you that verbally?

Or, did you put in a request for an oceanfront unit and since they booked a unit, you assumed it was oceanfront?

[BoardGirl]

First thing, credit the renter something back. While my vacation would not be "ruined", you have a customer to satisfy. I would make a token gesture that said I Am Sorry, and here's for your trouble. Flowers + gift card? Do something for them NOW.

Now, who is wrong or right is a matter that does not concern your renter. I think you were wrong.

bookings from waitlist should always prompt a call in to make sure of what you have. if your confirmation letter did not specifically say Oceanfront and/or there is a disclaimer that says unit type not guaranteed, you should have called.

Before you rented it to someone else relying on oceanfront, regardless of whether the reservation was from waitlist or not, you should have confirmed unit view, or relayed uncertainty, such as, "you can request oceanview when you check in, it's not guaranteed".

I'm sorry. That's the way I see it. But definitely pacify those renters at your soonest. You need a happy outcome but there is nothing you can do about unit assignment at this point. If the resort will sell them an upgrade, you should pay for it.

[snowbirdnw]

Please let me try to explain what I am saying. I got on a waiting list for ocean front and when I got my reservation letter I assme it was ocean front as I requested. I did not know to call and verify that the room was a ocean front because that is what I ask for and now I got some renters very upset and not sure what to do at this point?

[BocaBum99]

Originally Posted by snowbirdnw

Please let me try to explain what I am saying. I got on a waiting list for ocean front and when I got my reservation letter I assme it was ocean front as I requested. I did not know to call and verify that the room was a ocean front because that is what I ask for and now I got some renters very upset and not sure what to do at this point?

Okay, based on the information provided, I believe that you are at fault for assuming you got an oceanfront unit and not double checking to see whether or not you got one.

There is no designation for oceanfront unit at SeaGlass Tower. So, Bluegreen is under no obligation to provide you one based on their reservation rules and unit assignment guidelines. The person taking your waitlist request is not the person booking it. So, there is really not a good way for them to convey what you wanted. Their only alternative would be to not book something for you when a unit was available.

What I would do is provide a $100 refund to your renter and apologize for the reservation error. Or, give them a discount for next year with a guarantee for an oceanfront unit.

[vacation_family99]

I was looking to book there online and they have "oceanview" not "oceanfront" units.

At Shorecrest I, oceanfront view directly faces the ocean. Oceanview is at the side of the building and your view of the ocean might be slightly obstructed.