The Timeshare Beat
July 8, 2002
(EDITOR'S NOTE: There are millions of stories in the naked industry: this is one of them. All personal and resort names have been changed, and certain circumstances have been very slightly altered. In all other respects this story is true, and it is representative of many stories throughout the industry. In other words, this 2-year-old story is depressingly common.)
My experience with XYZ Resort started in the beginning of the year 2000 when I was hired as a line sales rep by John Smith at an off-site location. I soon found out that the policies practiced at this location were not only unfair to the sales reps but also fractured many Florida Real Estate Commission rules.
For instance, several reps on the line were non-licensed, couldn't sell, and yet consistently went out on their tours before me. I had my license and had a very high closing average. When I inquired as to how this could happen, I was told that if I didn't like this situation, "There's the door".
Because this situation continued unabated, I went to Frank Darling, the on-site project director, with my concerns. He invited me to come to work on-site at XYZ Resort. John Smith and his brother, Jim Smith-- the trainer at the resort-- made such a stink about it that I was actually fired for following Frank's explicit directions. To top it all off, John froze all of my pay. When I went to Frank to ask if he could override John's decision, he told me that this was just politics and that's the way it was.
So I moved on to another resort.
As John Smith continued his overall wheeling and dealing at the off-site, its numbers went so far downhill that it was finally closed. Far from being let go for this apparent failure, John instead was transferred on-site to XYZ Resort and phoned me to come back to work for him there. I agreed-- with the stipulation that I receive the tours that I earned. He agreed.
I should have known better, but when I was selling such a beautiful resort, optimist that I am, I had a hope that things would change. I was wrong, of course; it was business as usual-- only on a grander scale.
I took my concerns up the chain of command all the way to one of the resort's owners and was assured that he would take care of it. Nothing changed. In spite of it all, I did fairly well for the month of August, 2000.
In September some changes were made. Frank's wife, Mary, was put in charge of payroll and the software for the department was changed. Warning bells!!!
My 'washout check' for the month of August (received at the end of September) was to be $6,500 after all deductions. The reconciliation page from payroll stated it correctly, but my check was for only $3,000. I brought this to the attention of my manager. I was told to fill out a request form in order to receive an accounting of my earnings. I did this each week for 2 ½ months and was denied every time. Each month my reconciliation statement said I was to receive the correct amount and each month they shorted me. When I finally received my report, by their own numbers they had shorted me $6,000. I made Mary aware of this and she informed me that it would be on my next washout check.
It was not.
When I again approached Mary, she called in her husband. When Frank came into the payroll office, he began to cuss me out. I asked him why it was that whenever anyone had a legitimate pay concern, they were cussed out. No answer was given.
To date I still have received neither this money nor the $2,500 in my reserve account.
All the while this was ensuing, efforts were made to shut me up about my pay. They knew firing me again would look fishy, so they tried another angle: They promised me a management position. It was repeatedly announced in morning meetings in front of the entire line.
In timeshare, if one ever has a question of timing, i.e. more tours, better quality tours, promotions, etc., the standard answer is "two weeks". Needless to say, my "two weeks" never arrived.
Any time a line rep leaves XYZ Resort, their earnings are frozen; not just the reserve account, ALL of the earnings. In Orlando, the "kiss of death" at a resort is to ask about your money or the rotation of the wheel. My tours were getting worse every time I filled out a request form. My averages were going way down. They were "starving me out" while promising management.
For instance: Bill (the alcoholic) was in charge of the line, and policy states that if your tour "bolts", you are placed at the bottom of the wheel. One day a manager let my tour go before I even received the paperwork for them. I approached Bill and asked not to be put at the bottom of the wheel, as the manager let them go before I even knew who they were. He said he would not. I was placed at the bottom. When I inquired to Bill why, he told me because that was policy. I reiterated that a manager let them go without my knowledge. He said "tough".
In January of 2001 about half the sales line, including the top sales reps, was let go. All of these reps were shown a zero balance on their pay upon leaving. Many believed this and just left, but I had worked in the accounting office at a bank and ran my own business for 16 years; I knew better. Now many are questioning this zero balance baloney. An investigation is under way to see where the money went, but what are the odds that any of it will ever return to the people who earned it?
Unlicensed reps replaced those who were fired. The unlicensed went out before the licensed reps (like myself) that were left and some of the unlicensed would sell every day. For second wave tours, a rotation wheel was completely disregarded. Licensed reps received the unqualified tours (unemployed welfare recipients, nationalities that were unable to spend money outside of their own countries, religions that were unable to own property, etc.). BUT the unlicensed reps continued to get the qualified tours. One manager named Harry shared his strategy: he split his commissions under the table with his unlicensed reps and they both got a raise! And how do the unlicensed received spiffs, bonuses and contest prizes right in front of everyone?
Then there is Dick, who approached Stella Dora. Stella gave him the sex he wanted and she became a manager, however she had no idea how to manage. As she became comfortable with the relationship, she gained some weight. But now she was too much like a wife, so Dick approached Donna and the cycle continues. Stella is now with Harry.
Jim Smith, occupying the trainer position and boasting of his relationship with Jesus (all the while stacking the rotation wheel) approached a new female line rep for a little sex on the side (is it still considered sex after Clinton?) but the poor girl had morals and turned him down. Can she survive on the two totally unqualified tours she receives each WEEK?
When I finally left XYZ Resort, only two weeks before it was temporarily shut down, the policy was that if I wanted to transfer to a sister resort I had to get permission from my broker. I approached Frank and asked to be transferred to ABC Resort. He told me I could not. I asked why. Frank responded, "You might hurt my reputation." I informed him that his reputation had preceded him and I had nothing to do with it. However, since Frank was not my broker I proceeded to ask the person who was my broker, and was given permission. Frank was livid that I went over his head.
Now then, for a little down and dirty. I don't have pictures or other documentation, but it's true nonetheless. Brad, one of the resort's owners, has quite a bad coke habit. After the last Christmas party he was found upstairs at the Pretty Hotel with four employees, all naked, all passed out on coke. There were many deals other than real estate going down on the resort!
Wife swapping was a sport. Brad ran off with a line rep's wife. (The line rep was teaching Brad how to play golf. Some thank you.) The line rep is now divorcing his wife of two years, thanks to Brad. I saw this line rep shortly after and he was devastated.
Brad and Frank were in competition for how much money they could get away with, but Frank had the upper hand because his his wife was head of payroll. Frank boasted of spending $94,000 on his new home kitchen cabinets, and $55,000 on one jewelry purchase for his wife, plus a new Mercedes. Brad found out about Frank's spending and the battle ensued. Eventually the CEO of the company, and co-owner of the resort, got wind of this and stated that of all of his resorts, this was the first time that he had such large sums of money missing. He shut down XYZ Resort.
So XYZ Resort brought their sales line to ABC Resort, where once again they were affecting my income by playing with the wheel, etc. They have been there for almost a month. The word I have received is that when they do go back to XYZ, house cleaning will begin. Where have I heard that before? This situation reminds me of an old dead carp. The longer it remains, the more it stinks.
The CEO reportedly offered to buy out Brad, who wanted a certain amount for his share. The CEO is said to have offered him considerably less to leave without pressing criminal charges, as it would be very bad press if it all became public.
It's too bad that a few dishonest people at the top can affect so many lives and that the bad ones actually get paid to leave. The rest of us get our pay frozen for six months and by the time the six months are up our money is nowhere to be found. I have left over $40,000 in commissions earned in six years, never to be seen again. How much more has been lost when they play with the wheel?
If you multiply what I have left behind in commissions and reserves by the number of sales reps in the industry at large, what kind of dollar figure do you think you would come up with? How many millions are in the pockets of those who did not earn it, from the developers on down?
A MESSAGE TO THE OWNER OF THIS RESORT COMPANY
If you are really concerned about your resort and want to clean house, please finish the job. You have a trainer that can't train; managers that won't manage, as they are not qualified; and a project director whose only interest is to see how fat his pockets can get. Too bad these appalling people can change so many lives by making whores of the women, drug dealers and thieves of men, and paupers out of those who refuse to cheat.
This is a wonderful industry and it can easily be sold CLEANLY, by people who care about it and who won't try to cheat either the developer or the people who work for them. Make it so.