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This letter from David Siegel was apparently sent to The Timeshare Beat either in response to The Shadow Knows newsletter of August 11, 2003, in which The Shadow addressed June Kleier's court victory against Westgate Resorts/CFI or in response to our publishing of the following link to an article about the case in the Orlando Business Journal: Fired manager wins $500K in contract suit . Regardless, Mr. Siegel requested that we print his letter and we have willingly complied.

TO:		The Timeshare Beat

FROM:	David Siegel

DATE:	8/13/03

There you go again. Just when you finally started to act like responsible journalists, you revert back into the gutter. Can't you find enough good news in an industry that has grown 15% a year since 9/11when almost all other industries have dropped? I don't deny your right to print a story. Just be fair and print both sides or do you think there is only one side to every story - the one that always takes the employee or the customer side and never the company's side.

Take for example, the June Kleier case. You didn't report that she was acting as an independent training department, not part of our company training department. That we consolidated both departments into one and attempted to bring her pay in line with other employees, which we were allowed to do under her contract and that, she refused and quit. That she was a trained actress that could cry on cue to a sympathetic jury that disregarded the law that says you have to mitigate your damages by getting another job. June did not work for the next five years. That the appeals court probably never read the case and just affirmed it, leaving us no opportunity to take it to the Supreme Court. That every employee that quits or is fired in today's atmosphere thinks they can go to court for an easy payday thanks in part to your encouragement.

Why don't you report about some of the good things we do like the Westgate Foundation that will raise over a million dollars this year for local charities or the David Dollars Foundation that is a safety net for all of our 7,000 employees and their families when they are in financial need due to sickness or accident or unforeseen circumstances. About our company medical clinics, cafeterias, childcare, etc., etc., etc. Why don't you ever report anything about Disney, Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, Four Seasons, TrendWest, Fairfield and the other major timeshares. Don't they ever have disgruntled employees or unhappy customers or are they in your pocket unlike Westgate who would never pay tribute.

Even the worst of the worst rags only print the same story once. Why do you keep reprinting it over and over again if not to simply harass us? We deserve better. Our industry deserves better. I dare you to print this letter.

David Siegel
President
Westgate Resorts