How many times does it take for an average person to learn from their mistakes?
Several years ago the owner left the piers in the lake over the winter. As expected, when the Spring thaw came the ice crushed the piers, breaking them in pieces and pulling them out into the lake. After searching the shores around the lake and gathering up the pier sections the pier sections were re-constructed as best that they could.
For a couple of years after that incident the owner decided to try to pull the piers onto shore as much as possible to avoid making the same mistake. His attempts were successful in that the piers weren't broken into pieces or scattered around the lake.
Would you like to guess what happened this Spring? Yup, the owner in his ultimate wisdom (lazy, lack of attention, etc) left the piers out in the lake for the Winter! The same thing happened as several years prior! How many times do things have to happen to him before it sinks in?
Events like this are an everyday occurrence in Willowbend Resort. That's why it's a constant construction zone there. It's no wonder that the lot fees are sky high! That's the only way that these extra expenses can be paid for. Why are the tenants paying for one gaff after another?
RIDICULOUS!!!
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Willowbend Resort - Update
Well, it looks like the rent increase won't effect current residents. The owners in their ultimate wisdom thought that it would be good business to keep the $2640 lot fee for 2009 tenants that stayed in Willowbend BUT, any new tenants that came in the spring paid a minimum lot fee of $3000. Those tenants that got a larger lot or a more desirable lot location paid up to $4000. All tenants will be paying between $3000 and $4000 next season, assuming that the lot fees don't increase again for next year.
Last year 42 tenants out of approximately 150 lot sites (or 28%) vacated Willowbend Resort. It should be interesting when new tenants meet their neighbours around the campfire and find out that they are paying $360 or more than them for the same sized lot. Based on what I'm hearing I expect that there will be another exodus out of Willowbend this Fall.
There appears to be allot of vacancies right now for anyone that wants to pay a premium on a seasonal trailer lot so if your pockets are full of cash, you could easily get a lot. Don't expect to get premium service for the money that you fork over though. The money that you pay is for the lot and that is all that you get. In allot of instances the owners go out of their way to ensure that they don't go out of their way to provide you with the best service possible. For those of you that would pefer to wait until the fall before committing to a lease, you should have no problem getting a lot this Fall.
Remember, the best resorts are the hardest to get into and there is a reason that there are always vacancies at Willowbend Resort............WILLOWBEND RESORT REALLY DOES SUCK!!!
Last year 42 tenants out of approximately 150 lot sites (or 28%) vacated Willowbend Resort. It should be interesting when new tenants meet their neighbours around the campfire and find out that they are paying $360 or more than them for the same sized lot. Based on what I'm hearing I expect that there will be another exodus out of Willowbend this Fall.
There appears to be allot of vacancies right now for anyone that wants to pay a premium on a seasonal trailer lot so if your pockets are full of cash, you could easily get a lot. Don't expect to get premium service for the money that you fork over though. The money that you pay is for the lot and that is all that you get. In allot of instances the owners go out of their way to ensure that they don't go out of their way to provide you with the best service possible. For those of you that would pefer to wait until the fall before committing to a lease, you should have no problem getting a lot this Fall.
Remember, the best resorts are the hardest to get into and there is a reason that there are always vacancies at Willowbend Resort............WILLOWBEND RESORT REALLY DOES SUCK!!!
Friday, February 19, 2010
Willowbend Resort Really Does Suck!!!
If you are considering leasing a lot at Willowbend Resort save yourself allot of grief and read this blog, as well as all of the comments, first! The bottom line is that you will pay a premium in comparision to other resorts, receive sub-service and be squeezed out of every penny that they can get out of you until you are so frustrated and disappointed that you will leave there bitter and twisted.
There are two purposes for this blog. Firstly, it is to provide past and present tenants of Willowbend Resort, and believe me there are allot of us, the opportunity to vent our frustrations about our experiences as tenants at Willowbend Resort on Lac LaNonne. Secondly, I feel that it is important that anyone thinking about leasing a lot there know the facts about the resort and the opinions of past and present tenants before leasing a lot there.
Most experienced rv'ers know how difficult it is to get into a really good resort. The main reason is because once people get into one they like it so much that they never want to leave. I know of one resort that generations of families have been going to. It has been a place of fond childhood memories, and what will be their children's fondest memories. Unfortunately, there were no lots available and the waiting list was about 150 people long so I couldn't get in there.
Instead I went to Willowbend Resort because of the availability of a lot. There are always a significant number of lots available there and they are always advertising to find new tenants for the simple reason that they can't get anyone to stay! They have about 150 sites now and I would estimate that over the past 5 years they have had close to a 100% turnover.
And do the owners care? Absolutely not! Their attitude is, "if you don't like it, there's the gate, leave. I don't need this place to make a living and I'll lock the gate after the last trailer is out." The reason that I put those comments in quotation marks is because I, like numerous other people, have heard this statement more than once. Their arrogance is unbelievable! They feel that they have an unlimited supply of rv'ers to replace anyone that leaves and that they can say and do anything that they want. They simply don't care about their tenants.
One of the problems that I found with having such a large turnover of tenants at the resort is that when they try to fill the resort back up, after the annual exodus out the gate in the Fall, I think that they will take anyone that can afford a lot. The end result is allot of non-desirable tenants roaming the resort at all hours of the night raising havoc. Two years ago in a one night crime spree there were two trailers with the windows smashed out, booze stolen from people's trailers and the store was broken into and robbed. Not necessarily in that order. People were afraid to leave their possessions anywhere but under lock and key, and, even then. What were the owner's reaction and remedy to the problem? Hold a meeting with the tenants to say that they were depending on us to provide the security for the resort. What? Are you kidding me? I'm paying all of this money and you want ME to provide my own security???
There are so many things that happened at Willowbend that I feel are just plain wrong that I don't know where to begin. It's just one thing after another and the owners cease to amaze me.
Here is what I think is a good example of the owners arrogance. When we leased a lot there the Willowbend website stated that there was a pool and a hot tub. The pool was there but then they took the hot tub out of the pool area and moved it to the side of their house for their own personal use and enjoyment. No tenants allowed. Wait a minute, that's two slaps in the face at once! I don't get to use what I paid for in my lease but I get to watch you enjoy what I'm paying for? I signed my lease under the understanding that I would have access to a hot tub as advertised! That's just not right and anyone should know that. Yet the owners couldn't care less and there's absolutely nothing that you can do about it.
The last straw for me was their recent rate increase, in February! Every other resort that I know of announces any major change or rate increase prior to the end of the camping season in August so their tenants can re-sign their leases or move their trailers to a different location for the following year. This to me seems to be a reasonable way to conduct business. Willowbend Resort increased their rates this week, significantly I might add, by posting their new rates quietly on their website and without any notification to their tenants. I asked one of the owners at the end of last season if there would be a rate increase and I was told "No", because I definitely would have left if there was. We were definitely borderline staying as it was.
But it gets even worse. Last year one tenant was transfered by the company that he worked for so he was forced to leave in in the Spring. He told me that the owners of Willowbend Resort charged him a whopping $150.00 a month for storage of his trailer during the winter months.
So, that's what I, and everyone else that decides to leave, have to look forward to. I'm at the end of my rope and I definitely will be pulling my trailer out of there as soon as the snow melts enough that I can do so. I do expect to get hit with a 150.00 a month bill for my trailer being there from October until March (?) because that is how these people operate. Once I leave they will find another person to fleece and so goes the circle.
If after reading this blog you feel that the only reason that I wrote it is because I have an axe to grind, you've got that partly right! And, in my opinion, rightfully so. The other reason is to warn other people to learn from my mistake.
There are two purposes for this blog. Firstly, it is to provide past and present tenants of Willowbend Resort, and believe me there are allot of us, the opportunity to vent our frustrations about our experiences as tenants at Willowbend Resort on Lac LaNonne. Secondly, I feel that it is important that anyone thinking about leasing a lot there know the facts about the resort and the opinions of past and present tenants before leasing a lot there.
Most experienced rv'ers know how difficult it is to get into a really good resort. The main reason is because once people get into one they like it so much that they never want to leave. I know of one resort that generations of families have been going to. It has been a place of fond childhood memories, and what will be their children's fondest memories. Unfortunately, there were no lots available and the waiting list was about 150 people long so I couldn't get in there.
Instead I went to Willowbend Resort because of the availability of a lot. There are always a significant number of lots available there and they are always advertising to find new tenants for the simple reason that they can't get anyone to stay! They have about 150 sites now and I would estimate that over the past 5 years they have had close to a 100% turnover.
And do the owners care? Absolutely not! Their attitude is, "if you don't like it, there's the gate, leave. I don't need this place to make a living and I'll lock the gate after the last trailer is out." The reason that I put those comments in quotation marks is because I, like numerous other people, have heard this statement more than once. Their arrogance is unbelievable! They feel that they have an unlimited supply of rv'ers to replace anyone that leaves and that they can say and do anything that they want. They simply don't care about their tenants.
One of the problems that I found with having such a large turnover of tenants at the resort is that when they try to fill the resort back up, after the annual exodus out the gate in the Fall, I think that they will take anyone that can afford a lot. The end result is allot of non-desirable tenants roaming the resort at all hours of the night raising havoc. Two years ago in a one night crime spree there were two trailers with the windows smashed out, booze stolen from people's trailers and the store was broken into and robbed. Not necessarily in that order. People were afraid to leave their possessions anywhere but under lock and key, and, even then. What were the owner's reaction and remedy to the problem? Hold a meeting with the tenants to say that they were depending on us to provide the security for the resort. What? Are you kidding me? I'm paying all of this money and you want ME to provide my own security???
There are so many things that happened at Willowbend that I feel are just plain wrong that I don't know where to begin. It's just one thing after another and the owners cease to amaze me.
Here is what I think is a good example of the owners arrogance. When we leased a lot there the Willowbend website stated that there was a pool and a hot tub. The pool was there but then they took the hot tub out of the pool area and moved it to the side of their house for their own personal use and enjoyment. No tenants allowed. Wait a minute, that's two slaps in the face at once! I don't get to use what I paid for in my lease but I get to watch you enjoy what I'm paying for? I signed my lease under the understanding that I would have access to a hot tub as advertised! That's just not right and anyone should know that. Yet the owners couldn't care less and there's absolutely nothing that you can do about it.
The last straw for me was their recent rate increase, in February! Every other resort that I know of announces any major change or rate increase prior to the end of the camping season in August so their tenants can re-sign their leases or move their trailers to a different location for the following year. This to me seems to be a reasonable way to conduct business. Willowbend Resort increased their rates this week, significantly I might add, by posting their new rates quietly on their website and without any notification to their tenants. I asked one of the owners at the end of last season if there would be a rate increase and I was told "No", because I definitely would have left if there was. We were definitely borderline staying as it was.
But it gets even worse. Last year one tenant was transfered by the company that he worked for so he was forced to leave in in the Spring. He told me that the owners of Willowbend Resort charged him a whopping $150.00 a month for storage of his trailer during the winter months.
So, that's what I, and everyone else that decides to leave, have to look forward to. I'm at the end of my rope and I definitely will be pulling my trailer out of there as soon as the snow melts enough that I can do so. I do expect to get hit with a 150.00 a month bill for my trailer being there from October until March (?) because that is how these people operate. Once I leave they will find another person to fleece and so goes the circle.
If after reading this blog you feel that the only reason that I wrote it is because I have an axe to grind, you've got that partly right! And, in my opinion, rightfully so. The other reason is to warn other people to learn from my mistake.
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