Setting The Record Straight

The author of the SOC newsletter who is ascribing all the virtues of RAM and what a great job they do is none other than Lee Rawcliffe.   He’s the President of RAM.

Does anyone see a conflict of interest here?  Does it sound like the Concerned Owners who brought this issue up are delusional?     By the way, at last year’s annual meeting there was a unanimous vote for one of our members (who is a highly esteemed member of the International Procurement Community), to run a very professional “Request for Proposal” process just as mentioned in the letter, but the Board and Lee Rawcliffe blocked every effort so that it could not be accomplished (or even started).   This issue has been very well documented and will be disclosed in court in case you are interested in further details.

It’s sad the author of the aforementioned article thinks owners aren’t smart enough to notice such obvious facts and abuse of power.  Also, all of us can see for ourselves the “quality” of work that RAM is doing and we can also read about it in the embarrassing TripAdvisor reviews – which continue to decline.

Per former Board Member Dan Hein: “Board member Howard Anderson asked me to get those bids (for property management).  Owners…ask each one of the Board members separately if they know about this.  They’re lying if they tell you they don’t.  I have documentation of the bids, and we could have realized a savings of OVER $1 million during the contract period.  I stand behind my statements, and I’ll be happy to answer questions from owners while in town for this year’s annual meeting.”

Insight into SOC Voting Control

Insight into SOC Voting Control

As we close in on the upcoming Sands Ocean Club Annual Meeting, we thought we’d take the time to shed some light on just who really has been controlling much of the decision-making and ultimate voting on our HOA Board.  And we’ll do it while referencing this month’s (September) Sands Ocean Club newsletter that’s written by Lee Rawcliffe.  This month’s edition actually made EXACTLY the point that all of us have been saying.  It seems that Rawcliffe may have agreed with us – albeit accidentally?

In essence, it says that the Sands HOA community makes decision from an independent and volunteer Board of Directors that is fairly elected by a consensus of homeowners, and tries its best to make the right decisions for the general populace.  Therefore, since this is AMERICA, then if you don’t like it, perhaps you might want to sell and leave as there are other options.

Our research leads us to believe that Lee Rawcliffe effectively controls about 40% of the voting rights via a collection of individually-owned units, commercial property, time-share units, and the Island Resorts rental program that transfer voting rights.  Based on the fact that a large number of folks don’t vote each year, Rawcliffe’s voting block has even greater influence on the outcome of each vote.  Consider the following:  At least three of the five SOC Board members either have commercial ownership interests in companies controlled by Rawcliffe or personal ties to Rawcliffe; or both. As an example, the President of our HOA actually served as a long-term employee of Rawcliffe.   The total of these Board members, when voting together, will always have a majority vote.  Based on these facts, it’s easy to see how a SINGLE PERSON could DICTATE how things get done and this is far from AMERICAN DEMOCRACY.

If that’s not enough, Rawcliffe regularly attends Board meetings and answers many questions on behalf of the Board as all of us who attended last year’s annual HOA meeting personally witnessed. He also attends the monthly “private sessions” that are supposed to be Board members only, and is even so brash as to often host the meetings in his own office.  Now, do you really think OUR Board is truly independent?  It should be noted that our HOA Board members are not really ‘volunteers’ as every one of them accepts a monthly stipend as conclusively evidenced in our monthly HOA bank statements. Such payments are supposed to be authorized by an HOA membership vote but evidence of such has not been found.

Do you think these Board members are doing their best for the community or are they instead beholden to Rawcliffe’s wishes???  This is a question that everyone should answer for themselves.  Remember, Rawcliffe has ties to several companies (including the property management company (RAM Resorts) and in-house rental company (Island Resort) that either accept HOA funded monies for services or otherwise have business ties to Sands Ocean Club.  Therefore, one could reasonably conclude that Rawcliffe’s business revenues and profit objectives may be in direct conflict with any individual owner’s desire to minimize HOA expenses.  The new rules ranging from Parking to Trash Removal to Door Locks to Approved Vendor List etc., favor the in-house management company run by Rawcliffe, and disfavor any and all 3rd party competition.

And lest we not forget the fact that Lee publishes the monthly HOA newsletters, and is the decision-maker on what Sands Ocean Club owner comments will or will not be posted publicly on the website.  One could imagine that even though a post may not be derogatory, it will likely not be posted if it goes against Rawcliffe’s own personal views. Thus, we urge you to apply your own judgment before assuming the newsletter is based on independent facts.

In Conclusion, the Sands Ocean Club Newsletter essentially stated that anyone who doesn’t like the HOA rules, which are enacted by an independent and volunteer Board, should pack-up and leave since AMERICA is a DEMOCRACY.  Hopefully, after reading this short summary, you now have a better understanding why concerned owners have filed a lawsuit in order to try and protect their basic rights and property values.  We believe decisions should be made to benefit the majority of the owners – NOT the majority of voting blocks – which can lead to a very small handful of individuals.

This folks is that fact of why there is a lawsuit.  All the other drivel and misinformation is nothing but nonsense.  Please attend the HOA meetings and vote as you see fit.  Also, consider joining the lawsuit and protecting your basic rights and freedoms as AMERICANS!

TripAdvisor.com Reviews – The Real Story!

TripAdvisor.com Reviews – The Real Story!
Over the past year, we have repeatedly been told of the importance of Trip Advisor reviews. We have been told that this is critical for rentals as well as property values. We have been told of the emphasis our management has placed on improving our ratings.  Yet our ranking continues to decline despite the expenditure of almost $1 million in borrowed funds, and the renewed emphasis on housekeeping, as explained in the September, 2015 Sands Ocean Club Newsletter.

Before digging further into the reviews themselves, it’s important that you understand how guest reviews are handled by staff at Sands Ocean Club.  We (our HOA Board??) have tapped a person known as “Sands R, Guest Relations Manager at Sands Ocean Club Resort” to respond to reviews posted on the site by guests.  There are some disturbing points about the way Sands Ocean Club formally responds to these posts…

  • This “Guest Relations Manager” not only replies to comments about stays in OUR building, Sands Ocean Club, but he/she additionally responds to posts about these resorts: Ocean Dunes, Ocean Forest Plaza, Sand Dunes, Ocean Forest Villas, and Sands Beach Club.
    1. Who pays this person’s salary?  Is it coming out of our HOA dues?  Are we possibly paying for someone to spend time handling reviews of properties that have absolutely nothing to do with us as owners of units at Sands Ocean Club?
    2. Why do we not have someone focusing on reviews for JUST OUR BUILDING?
  • If it’s apparent that a Sands Ocean Club guest review is of a unit other than an Island Resort-managed unit, this “Guest Relations Manager” requests to have the review removed from TripAdvisor.  Why?  Most vacationers see Sands Ocean Club as one complex and don’t understand that many units are individually managed.  As such, they shouldn’t be “shamed” for their review simply because they didn’t rent through the Island Resort program.  We should welcome ALL reviews, good and bad, as long they meet the TripAdvisor criteria for posting.

Let’s take a look at the reviews themselves. Below is a sampling of the most recent Trip Advisor reviews of our property (as of 9/14/16).  These are the last 20 reviews posted, with the most recent review appearing first.  They are linked so that you can read the detailed review.  Remember, negative reviews of units not on the Island Resort program are requested to be deleted from Trip Advisor by this “Guest Relations” person; so presumably these reviews are from units rented through the on-site property manager (Island Resort).   If you give a quick eyeball to these review summaries below, ask yourself, “does this sound like a place you’d want to stay or recommend your friends and family stay for vacation?”

Our rental incomes and property values are being adversely affected because many guests do not believe our resort is being maintained and managed at a level that guests should expect.  Yet, despite what’s being written by guests of our complex, we’re being told the opposite is the case if you read the newsletters written by Lee Rawcliffe…

August 2015 Lee Rawcliffe Property News  “Our overall ranking on Trip Advisor has improved and continues to move in the right direction. Complaints centered on housekeeping and maintenance deficiencies are now very rare.”

September 2015 Lee Rawcliffe Property News  “Sands Resorts has made a concerted effort to improve housekeeping reviews…Trip Advisor,the impact of their reviews is a significant factor in our ability to attract new business and also has an impact on the resale of condominiums at our resort.”

December 9-2015 Lee Rawcliffe Property News  “Trip Advisor reviews have begun to improve and we are excited to see the response”

January 2016 Lee Rawcliffe Property News  “As some of you have already noticed, our Trip Advisor rating are really moving up even while we are under construction.”

March 2016 Lee Rawcliffe Property News  “As a result of many positive reviews, our Trip Advisor ratings have continued to improve for the seventh strait month.”

Fellow owners, we’re being played!  The Sands Ocean Club October, 2015 Trip Advisor rank was 110 out of the 217 properties ranked in Myrtle Beach.  That just barely placed us in the top half of all properties.  Here we are a year later, and our ranking continues to fall.  Our September, 2016 Trip Advisor rank places us 137th out of 217 properties ranked in Myrtle Beach.

There are many, many reviews complaining of a lack of cleanliness, roaches and unfriendly staff. These problems are easily fixed by  proactive management spending our funds prudently.  It’s time for a new approach.  Owners deserve better management of our property that will result in a return to the top tier of Myrtle Beach Resorts.  A ranking in the 40th percentile is absolutely not acceptable!

 

 

TO KEY OR NOT TO KEY. THAT IS THE QUESTION…

TO KEY OR NOT TO KEY.  THAT IS THE QUESTION…

In the August, 2016 Sands Ocean Club Newsletter from “Lee Rawcliffe”, yet another twist to our door locks has been thrown out to us owners. The August newsletter states that several owners have expressed a desire to have such a hard key to access their unit in addition to the RFID card keys.  OF COURSE THERE IS A CATCH!  The owner will be “CHARGED” the manufacturers price for the key and lock tumbler in addition to an installation fee, not yet determined. WAIT! IT GETS EVEN BETTER!  In addition, the owner MUST sign a liability release stating their agreement & agreement that the use of the hard key does not provide the same security benefits as the RFID cards. September 1st is when this will all become available.  How convenient.  Right when the busy rental season is ending.

But hang on.  Mr. Rawcliffe could be posting yet another change any minute now.  Let’s go back through time and unravel some of the twisted, inconsistent information we’ve been told about entry to our own condos.  We’ll reference each and every “newsletter item” in the event you’d like to read more for yourself, but focus on the highlights relating specifically to access to our units…

August, 2015 Newsletter: New entry doors and locks.“All locks are controlled by an RFID key. These locks also contain a functioning Standard Key lock for owners who may live at the property or rent privately.  All Locks will be owned and maintained by the HOA.”

September, 2015 Newsletter: “They can also operate with a conventional key. Keys for the new locks will be issued to ALL owners and their guests.”

October, 2015 Newsletter: “New door locks have been ordered for all units from Saflok. The locks can also be accessed via a standard metal key.  All entries using a metal key will also be recorded in the lock.”

December 4, 2015 “New Entry Doors and Locks” Statement: “Every owner will receive a letter a few days before their door and lock are changed.”

Quick question.  How many of you ever received this letter??  Let’s continue…

“YOU WILL BE GIVEN THE OPTION OF ORDERING A HARD KEY/METAL KEY AND TUMBLER MECHANISM THAT FITS YOUR LOCK EXCLUSIVELY.” “YOU MAY ALSO ORDER ADDITIONAL HARD KEYS.”

December 9, 2015 “Message From Board President” Statement: “Our new RFID locks have arrived.  Everyone will be notified via email or USPA several day prior to their door being installed.”

Quick question.  Were you notified by email or postal service that your door was being installed?

January 20, 2016 “IMPORTANT Renovation Project Update” Statement: “We now have a price for those wishing to have a ‘hard metal key’. The price is $35 installed and includes 2 keys. Metal keys can be DUPLICATED at hardware stores and other outlets.”

Next we are told this little gem about supposed “cheating” in March of this year…

March 15, 2016 “Parking Fees” Statement:  Quoting from section of the statement regarding “cheating”:  “Several of the owners are now requesting ‘hard keys’ before their doors are installed. We believe this is to allow them to bring in renters and staff without paying, without receiving Rules & Reg and with showing proof of their right to occupy.”

July, 2016 Newsletter:   The section to pay attention to here is titled “UNIT KEYS”.  We’re going to post that section here…

“We have experienced some confusion with owner keys on off-site rental units. When an owner requests a new key or keys to replace a “lost” key, the new keys receive a new code to prevent anyone finding the old key and using it to enter that unit. The first time you use one of the new keys, the old keys automatically become useless. The will not work.

Entry keys for rental agents and cleaning staff are available at the HOA office on-site. When obtaining such keys, please make certain you give authorization to your agent and Do Not request replacement owner keys, as this will void your existing keys. Reliability of the new system has been fantastic. In the past we often had to deal with card-key locks not working, third party rentals getting locked-out with no way to re-enter, and an inability to always know who had entered a unit and when. That has all been solved and guest inconveniences due to such matters are nearly non-existent. Many thanks for a good choice by our Board of Directors and Management staff.”

…. This is their way of saying (or his way of saying since ALL NEWSLETTERS are written and issued by LEE RAWCLIFFE), that our keys are being deactivated.  Numerous owners have indicated they’ve had instances where it would appear their owner rfid cards were INTENTIONALLY disabled, as none of what’s highlighted in Rawcliffe’s newsletter above occurred to cause the key to go bad.

If you’ll note in the above timeline, before these new locks were installed without our permission, we were given an option of a “hard key” and we could make copies of those keys. If you note in the 10/9/15 newsletter, the new door locks were ordered. In the 12/14/15 statement, they were received. When those locks were ordered by a very special someone, ALL of the tumblers or hard key cylinders were also ordered at the same time. Those cylinders are in your door locks at this very moment.  They have been installed.  However, there’s just one thing.  ALL of those “tumblers” for a hard key entry were ordered for every single door lock WITH ONLY ONE MASTER KEY AT THE TIME OF ORDERING!!!  THEY WERE NEVER ORDERED PROPERLY IN THE FIRST PLACE.  THIS IS A FACT!  SO NOW THEY/HE WANT TO CHARGE US FOR THIS HARD KEY TUMBLER that’s already in your door lock!  They have to be re-keyed or replaced at our cost, but yet we’ve already paid for them!

At our recent July 21st HOA Board meeting, our HOA BOD passed a motion to allow us to have hard keys. How can they pass a motion on something that we were to get in the first place?!?  Again, is our HOA BOD working in the best interest for us?  How and why did our HOA BOD allow this to happen in the first place??!!

You should not have to pay or sign anything to obtain a hard key for your own lock!

Understanding Who’s Who

Understanding Who’s Who

It’s extremely important to have a solid understanding of the three key entities charged with oversight of the various aspects of Sands Ocean Club.  If you hadn’t paid much attention or understood the following (below), don’t feel bad.  You’re not alone.  It would not be surprising to find that most SOC condo owners, even long-time owners, have no idea about who’s responsible for what.  We believe that some important decisions affecting you and I as owners are being made taking advantage of that fact.  You’ll see why once you have a better understanding of “who’s who”….

Sands Ocean Club Homeowners Association

Let’s start with the SOC homeowners association.  Our HOA Board of Directors consists of five members.  WE elect those members.  Each member has a two-year term, and are elected at the Annual Board Meeting which is generally held in October of each year. All actions taken by our HOA Board are governed by our Master Deed, its By-Laws, and Federal, State, and local laws, including ordinances, zoning, and codes.  It’s the responsibility of our HOA Board to represent and support ALL members of our homeowners association. They should always keep our best interest at top of mind when making decisions.

One of the more important tasks of our HOA Board is the selection of the property manager for the complex.  Our current property manager is Resort Association Management.  The contract we have with RAM will expire next year (2017).  Let’s learn more about RAM…

Resort Association Management (RAM) – Current SOC Property Manager

In a nutshell, our property manager is essentially responsible for managing and overseeing the basic functions of our property as a whole (not individual owner units).  Our HOA Board will approve a budget, and it’s up to the property manager to perform within that budget.  Decisions made by the property manager are limited in scope to those outlined in the contract established with our Board.

Lee Rawcliffe is the President of Resort Association Management (per a phone call to RAM Friday, July 15th and numerous business resource websites).  However, Aaron Harrison is listed as President per the SOC HOA website.  Either way, Mr. Rawcliffe is intricately involved with RAM.

Island Resort Company (IRC)/Sands Resorts – Current SOC In-House Rental Co.

Island Resort Company (IRC)* aka Sands Resorts aka Rawcliffe Resorts, is the outfit that currently oversees the “in-house” rental program.  *It should be noted that the acronyms IRC and IROC represent the same entity.  For some reason (to further confuse?), Island Resort Co. is given the IROC acronym on the socowners website.   IRC additionally owns Ocean Annie’s, Sandals Lounge, Windows Restaurant, the fitness room, and the front desk.  These are considered commercial condos and must be run in accordance with our HOA rules and regulations.  Lee Rawcliffe is the CEO of Island Resort Co/Sands Resorts/Rawcliffe Resorts.  Robert (Eddie) Williams is the President/COO of the company.

As a condo owner, you can decide whether or not you want to participate in the IRC in-house rental program.  However, if you purchased a condo from a prior owner that was using IRC to manage your condo rentals, you may be “locked-in” with that program until the contract you inherited with your purchase expires.  Regardless, you as an owner have the right to determine whether or not you want to rent your unit; use other agencies to oversee rental of your unit; or to oversee any rentals of your unit yourself.

Now let’s dig further into some connections among the various entities described above.   Hang on, this is eye-opening.  At least three of our five HOA Board members appear to have close ties with Mr. Rawcliffe’s companies:

Howard Anderson (SOC HOA Board President):  Per Mr. Anderson’s Linked-In page, he currently holds the following title: Director Of Engineering at Rawcliffe Resorts DBA Sands Resorts, DBA Island Resort Co. (IRC).  He’s had that position since 2008.  Whether or not he actually still holds that position is unclear, but he did, at least up until relatively recently.  He’s also a partner with that firm.

Jamie Hills (SOC HOA Board Vice President): Interestingly, Jamie Hills is not a Sands Ocean Club condo owner.  However, you can become a member of our HOA board simply by having a personal or business affiliation (see page 7 of that link).  Mr. Hills is an officer of Island Resort Co.

Walter Marsden (SOC HOA Board Secretary): Mr. Marsden is a partial owner of Island Resort Co. (IRC).

 

They say a picture is worth a thousand words.  Boy does this one speak volumes.  (If the image is difficult to see, click the link for full-page view).  We didn’t create this graphic.  It’s sourced directly from the website “CorporationWiki.com“.

soc-leerawcliffe-heirarchy
All Connections Appear to Run Through Lee!

We should additionally mention a few other points.

  • Lee Rawcliffe privately owns approximately 75 individual condos at Sands Ocean Club (dba Island Investments of Myrtle Beach).  Those units are managed by his own rental management company, IRC.  Yes, the same company that also runs the in-house rental program at our complex, and the same company that he runs.
  • Lee Rawcliffe is apparently the editor of the monthly newsletters posted on the formal socowners.com website, and manages the commentary as he sees fit.

In recent years, our HOA Board has made decisions that are not necessarily in the best interest of its members, but instead a select-few.  For instance…

  • $20 parking fees (now waived after complaints) for owners .  Yet free parking for Ocean Annie’s and Sandals guests – many who may not even be staying at our complex!
  • Contracts for projects aren’t necessarily being properly bid.  There appear to be instances of work being farmed to companies/individuals with ties to RAM/IRC/SOC Board members.
  • Owners and their guests penalized for not using IRC – the in-house rental program.
  • Resort Association Management (RAM) equipment is allowed to clutter OUR garage and take up numerous parking spaces without repercussion.
  • The SOC HOA Board of Directors compensate themselves for attending meetings (compensation will total just under $15,000 for 2016).  There’s nothing necessarily wrong with that, but just who decides how much is appropriate and who approves this?

We could go on.  And we WILL.  The list is lengthy.    We’ll provide further research and analysis on some of the above bulleted items in future articles.  But you get the point.

Think about this for a minute.  The commercial entities own approximately 3% of space in the Sands Ocean Club complex, and we as individual condo owners own the remaining 97%.  Yet what groups/individuals seem to be getting the most attention?  Do you see why much of this might be cause for concern?  At least on the surface, it would appear that a very incestuous relationship exists with decision-makers on our (Sands Ocean Club) HOA Board, and our property manager (RAM), and the in-house property manager (IRC).

 

 

 

 

Parking is at a premium…Really?

We’ve been told by our HOA Board that parking spaces in our two garages are limited, and that’s actually true.  We have slightly fewer spaces than we do units in the complex.  But seeing that that’s the case, why is it that the following is occurring?

Many owners and guests of OUR condos have been charged $20 parking fees, despite the fact that we ALL pay HOA dues and assessments for the upkeep and use of OUR garages.  As if that’s not bad enough, our HOA is making OUR guests practically jump through hoops to prove they’re allowed to stay in the very condos you and I own.  Point is, our HOA Board isn’t allowed to do this!  But it gets even worse.  Read on…

If our parking spaces are limited and are at such a premium, then answer me this…Why is it that folks that aren’t even necessarily staying at Sands Ocean Club are obtaining FREE passes for parking?  That’s right.  ANYBODY can get access to the parking garages that you and I own, and they can do so without even staying in our units.  Don’t believe me?  Watch the clip below….

All you have to do is simply walk right up to the front desk at Sands Ocean Club, state that you are there for the Sandals Lounge or Ocean Annie’s, and they’ll provide you with a parking permit and garage gate key FREE of charge!

Actually, you don’t even have to go up to the front desk.  Why not just ask one of the bell hops?  Well, we tried that too, on two different occasions.  In the instance below, we pulled up to a “parking assistant” that was set up at the overflow parking garage.  He was assisting wedding party guests with parking in that garage.  Listen to what he tells us…

We next walked up to a bell hop at the entry way of Sands Ocean Club.  Here’s how that went…

This is not fair to us as owners, nor is it fair to the guests that are actually staying on the premises.  The fix is easy.  Owners and guests of owners shouldn’t be charged to park.  Visitors to Ocean Annie’s and/or Sandals are the one’s that should be charged for using OUR garages.

But that’s not the end of it.  Let’s take a look at the what’s going on at our parking garage across the street (see slide show images below)…

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Do we really want our guests and/or relatives to see this when they stay at Sands Ocean Club?  The first floor of our overflow parking garage looks more like a storage house than a parking garage.  Numerous parking spaces are being taken up by debris, supplies, equipment, and Resort Association Management vehicles.  Not only is this unsightly, but it’s also taking up quite a number of our precious available parking spots.  THIS folks, is but one of the MANY reasons we are extremely upset with what’s going on.

UPDATE: JULY 12, 2016

Why looky here!  Our Board called a special meeting to deal with the illegal $20 parking fee.  Take a minute and give this thing a read.  Our HOA is going to waive the $20 fee!  So tell us Sands Ocean Club HOA, what are you going to do with the folks that were illegally charged those fees?  How about the folks that paid that fee, yet still could not park in the very garages for which you charged them fees?

And look at this gem of a statement about their “findings”…

“It appears some owners were finding ways to avoid the fee for their rental guests. This often created problems and considerable work for the staff during a time of the year when they are most busy.”

They have the gall to lay blame on owners who they claim were supposedly finding ways to avoid paying the fee, instead of tackling the real problem…the fact that OUR parking spaces, the one’s WE pay to maintain and upkeep, are being given away to folks that aren’t necessarily even staying on the premises.

Bottom line: Our HOA does not have the right to charge owners and their guests a parking fee, while at the same time allow free parking for those using the commercial spaces (River City, Ocean Annie’s, etc.).

How about we do this.  Let’s form a working group of owners and sit down together and formulate a couple of good solid parking plans that we can present to our HOA.  Plans that are fair to the owners, yet take into account those that may be on-site to visit one of the area business establishments.  Please contact us if you’d be interested in participating.

Lawsuit Against SOC Board

Hello all fellow concerned Sands Ocean Club Owners,

As we have assembled and began sharing common concerns in this forum, it has become very obvious that the BoD is not acting on behalf of the best interests of the owners. It is now more than apparent that new resolutions ranging from the Door Locks to Trash Removal to the Innkeepers Act to the Parking Deck are all part of a scheme for a few self-important people to unfairly and unreasonably profit at the expense of those of us who just want to peaceably enjoy our vacation home. Our rights are being trampled and this will only get worse until/unless we have a “Call-to-Action”.

None of us want to resort to legal action as it can be expensive and the results are uncertain as there are many variables. However, all attempts to resolve our issues in any other manner have been fully exhausted. The level of atrocity foisted upon us only continues to grow. Its important to note that the EXACT same persons responsible for our issues tried EXACTLY the same tactics with our neighboring complex at Sand Dunes. In that instance, owners banded together and filed and won a lawsuit reversing clearly illegal tactics such as changing the doors and locks. This group of owners stood up too and beat the SAME people that we are now facing…. IT CAN BE DONE !!

The suggestion would be to get at least 50+ owners together who are willing to invest $1000/ea in protecting their individual and our collective rights. We would also use same attorney that represented Sand Dunes as some of the initial research is exactly the same and already completed. Its unknown how much the lawsuit may eventually cost but the idea would be to divide the expense equally among the owners who elect to join the team. Obviously, individual costs will vary based on the number of people that join and contribute as the total cost of this litigation is essentially the same irrespective of the number of plaintiffs. Our hope would be that we win the case and with a large number of participants, then re-distribute whatever funds are left-over. At some point, this matter will be settled or adjudicated and all homeowner benefits and any damages awarded will be made available only to those that joined our cause and contributed to the lawsuit and will not pass to other owners who chose not to join and instead remained silent.

Our initial filing would focus on:
========================
1) Doors and Locks
2) Parking Fees
3) Approved Vendor List
4) Trash Removal
5) InnKeeper’s Act

The idea would be to be sufficiently broad but not introduce so many topics as to unnecessarily inflate legal costs and possibly dilute focus on items of greatest common concern and/or simplest legal resolution. As time passes, our course would be dictated by what the majority of team members suggest.

In order to increase efficiency and avoid burdening the attorney with administrative tasks etc, we have established that Tony Blevins and Chris & Stephanie Thomas will act as coordinators to answer questions and collect info etc.

If you have had enough with the current injustices and are ready to stand-up for your rights, then we urge you to JOIN THIS GROUP. The 1st step will be to remit $1000 directly to the attorney as follows but also let either Tony or Stephanie/Chris know so that we can ensure funds are properly credited. Our goal is to file a motion within 2 weeks and successfully petition for a temporary injunction by the 1st week of July.

Pls provide:
=========
Name:
Unit #:
Date Purchased:

In addition, checks need to be made out and mailed too:
===========================================
Thomas & Brittain, P.A.
Memo line should reference “Blevins vs Sands Ocean Club File 42125”

Mailing Address:
==============
Thomas & Brittain, P.A
c/o Charles Jordan
1314 Professional Drive
Myrtle Beach, S.C. 29578

You may contact:
Tony Blevins: fun_tonyb@hotmail.com (underscore between fun and tony))
Stephanie Thomas at 443-340-7782 sstephlynn3@aol.com
Chris Thomas at 443-340-6746 taneytownprinter@aol.com

We hope that you consider joining us as there is clearly power in numbers !!! Its time that we stop complaining and start taking some action to protect our rights.

Regards,

Tony Blevins
Chris Thomas
Stephanie Thomas
Dan Hein
Bill Brackner