05-10-2006, 11:46 AM
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Moderator
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Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 174
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Bad Times at Celebrity Resorts in Brigantine Beach, New Jersey
This is a letter we received from a Mr. Orlando Smith regarding his recent stay at Celebrity Resorts in Brigantine Beach. It is being posted here, unaltered, at his request. These resorts should know that one bad experience can spread like a bad cold.
Quote:
I am writing in regards to our stay at your Celebrity Resorts location in Brigantine Beach, New Jersey. My wife and I stayed there for two nights during our weekend getaway from May 5, 2006 through May 7, 2006. "It was the most horrible experience we have encountered on a getaway or vacation". As members of RCI and II we have come to know quality resorts as well as the quality in which the Celebrity brand offers. Unfortunately this was not the case when we checked in to your Brigantine Beach, NJ property.
We arrived at the resort about 7pm. Upon entering the resort we walked to the front desk to check in. We identified ourselves to the front desk clerk whose name was Kisha. She asked for our reservation paperwork, she sat the paperwork down and left us waiting at the desk for approximately five minutes while she stood there and input data into the computer. So finally another desk clerk came to the front desk and asked us if she could help us. So of course again we informed the clerk we were checking in. She asked for our paperwork at which time we had to ask the desk clerk named Kisha for our paperwork back and passed it to the clerk who decided to check us in finally after waiting and being ignored for five minutes or so. When we were checking in we noticed the resort is an RCI affiliate so we inquired about available tours of the resort to see if would like to purchase being that we are timeshare owners. The clerk serving us replied we could take the brochures off the wall, but the tours are only reserved for the resort owners.
We found it very strange that a resort offering timeshares would not like to take on interested customers for a potential sale and only tour owners who have already purchased. After receiving our check-in packet we proceeded to the elevator.
As we approached the elevator we noticed a sign on the elevator, which stated dial "0" on the house phone for the elevator. So we had to go back to the front desk again and request an elevator instead of the clerk informing us during check-in of the elevator situation and calling for us as we checked in. We discovered from the elevator attendant the elevators have been out of service for some time now and the resort refused to pay the money to fix them so instead they will continue to run the elevators manually. Finally, after making it to our room the experience worsened.
The first room we were assigned to was room 401. When we entered the room we discovered a scene, which was beyond belief.
1) The room was very dingy in appearance, filthy and ranked with a horrible smell.
2) The kitchenette area consisted of a rusted refrigerator and rusted stove.
3) The carpet throughout the one bedroom unit was raised and creased in several places approx. 2 inches high, which creates a very dangerous safety hazard. Which could cause people to trip and fall.
4) The sofa was heavily soiled and stained, and had a hole inside the lower right arm of the sofa and the seat cushions did not match.
5) The television was 15", which is too small for the living room with the TV sitting 15' feet away. The power and channel buttons were missing.
6) The heating and cooling unit in the living room was inoperative. The vents were damaged to the point of being smashed closed therefore no air would circulate out of the vent.
7) The windows throughout the unit were filthy and covered with a layer of film so thick it clouded the windows and obstructed the view from the inside.
8) We found the bedroom in the same disarray also. The television was similar to the one in the living room.
9) The conditions of the ceiling and walls throughout the room was stained from water damage, paint peeling, walls were cracked, and not to mention the curtains on the windows were torn and faded. Overall, the room was in less than a very poor condition.
We asked for another room at which point we were moved to room 205, which was much smaller. The front desk clerk's (Kisha) form of punishment for complaining, and we found room 205 just as unsatisfactory.
1) The refrigerator consistently made loud clunking noises. It was filthy and unclean. Ice was left over from the last guest who stayed in the room, there was no dishwashing detergent for the dishwasher, and the vent fan over the stove was bent down at a 45-degree angle.
2) The bedroom dresser was used in the living room as a TV stand, the windows were just a filthy as room 401, water damage on the walls and ceiling was visible.
3) There was a huge crack on the wall next to the window in the living room, which ran from the ceiling to the floor, and there was a huge indention next to the crack to where it had been punched or kicked in. The curtains were torn and faded also.
4) The left side of the sofa sunk in lower than the right side of the sofa, which made sitting very uncomfortable.
5) The coffee table in front of the sofa was a beige color, but you could clearly see large black dirt stains on top of the coffee table.
6) The bedroom was over crowded. There was about 1' of walking space on each side of the bed, no bedroom dresser, ceiling paint on the wall with a full size bed and a TV stand, which should have been in the living room instead of the bedroom. Not to mention the fact the TV cabled was not secured to the wall and laid in the walkway around the bed creating a hazardous walking environment for my wife and I.
7) The bathroom was terribly small, barely enough room to turn around in. The towel rack was directly over the toilet to begin with not to mention it was hanging off the wall. Luckily, I had my power screwdriver and screwed it back into the wall. The towels were overused, which resulted in them having holes in. The tub base inside and around the tub was covered with mildew and filthy. The shower curtain was covered with mildew also and would not close because of a wall that's in between of the tub and toilet, plus the shower had no water pressure.
Finally, resolving issues and tending to customer complaints does not seem to be a real concern for Celebrity resort management. During check out my wife spoke with Patrick the front desk manager who reacted rudely to my wife after expressing her concerns about our stay, and refused to provide her with a comment card or contact information for us to make our concerns known to upper management. I can clearly see this rude approach is practiced throughout the Celebrity management with dealing with unsatisfied customers. The reservation agency attempted to contact the resort about our complaints and was told we did not make any complaints to the resort concerning our stay. How many complaints need to be made to Celebrity resorts before we are heard? Upon contacting corporate head quarters (407-996-3000) in Orlando, FL to obtain upper management contact information I was told by Wendy Ward (supervisor of member services) the president or vice president would never see my letter and refused to transfer me to either of their receptionists in order for me to file my complaint. In a final thought what more could be expected from a resort who sets off their fire alarms 1 hour prior to check out. While waiting in the lobby and speaking with other guests who have stayed at the resort in the past we found such actions seem to be a practice of the resort on check out days to get the guests checked out of the resort.
Orlando J. Smith Lakisha A. Smith
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Happy Trails,
-GateKeeper
...Have you seen our new Timeshare Auctions section? Place a fixed price ad or allow bidding, it's the owner's choice!
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