Thank you Lynn, and thank you for making it sound like a small readers complaint.
An owner called me and brought my attention to the fact that a belittle-ling article was published as a headliner and was worried about not renting his Casa Ybel unit when people read this.
If they have to ad another $350 as a deposit to stay there, why go there?
Fort Myers News-Press 10/19/10 had a 6 column wide headline on the front page of "Local & Business" (a 12 page section) continuing on page 2 with another two columns about Casa Ybel and the hardship it made on the owners family, with illness and income problems. AND HOSPITALITY WERE NOT ABLE TO CURE THE PROBLEMS.
Now the couple faces charges to their bank for overdrawing their credit card on necessities.
I find this a little heart-less. They did not owe anything to Hospitality when they arrived, and did not buy their services. Their parents owned the unit.

We are adding a lot of business to Hospitality that has no ownership in the Resorts many sections, all on the beach, 11 buildings at all. At a Hotel you have to secure payment of your room rentals, you do not own the Hotel.
We own our own units, why be concerned about payments to Hospitalities pushing for added income from restaurant, Beach chair rentals etc.?
We must as owners have some right to use our own units
without having Hospitality charging your card with things you might purchase.
I hope the board can have a sign or message saying:
"You can buy a Hospitality credit card with a $350 deposit from you're own credit card"

I will admit that I was some what belittled every time I checked in, having to sign my credit card over to them for staying in my own unit. You have to be careful these days, I have right now 2 charges on my credit card by signing the card over as deposit.
A parking fee for $87- in Miami and a $98- charge for a computer program I never downloaded!

Lynn. Please help us out to enjoy our stay without buying another credit card. Cruise Ships can do it, it makes it easier to enjoy all the facilities on board.
But we are not closed up for 7 days.

Every Hotel and every timeshare resort I stay at, whether I own there or not, asks for a credit card to swipe. No money is taken, but it is held as security for any expenditure on account, and you are only charged at the end of the stay with the actual amounts you have spent.

I cannot see why Casa 'Ybel should be any different.

Shame on the local paper for making such a big thing about it. Why have they singled out Casa 'Ybel as opposed to any other hotel or resort in the area, who, I am sure, operate in exactly the same way.

As long as this forum is open to the world, I will not identify myself by name, as everyone seems to want. I assure you, I am an owner since CY's inception. I, too, have issue with a $350.00 hold on a bank account when using a debit card. There might be a few of us left who do not have much money set aside to travel. If I arrived at CY and I was told that, and all I had in my account was enough to make the trip, eat, and rent a car, what would I do?? There would not be $350.00 to place "on hold". Many people today are on very tight budgets. I would not have anticipated this, either. In the past, I have used a credit card, which would not have been the case this year. Now, I use only a debit card. So, then what would have happened? I would not have been allowed to check in?? I thank Carl for providing this information for the majority who do not read the Ft. Myers papers. Lynne Perkins, for a board member, you are not responding very objectively to this forum but seem to always make some sarcastic comment usually directed toward Carl. I do not find that to be very professional. Carl speaks for more people than you can imagine and is willing to bring up tough issues that others may be thinking, but may not be bold enough to bring it to other's attention.

Good people, please understand that a Debit card is NOT a Credit. So far as I know, every bank has a policy of putting a hold on the account for a certain amount when a debit card is used to guarantee payment. As I stated before, it is the Bank, not Casa Ybel that makes this policy. The merchant receives noting unless actual charges are made. I agree that cases such as the one written up in the News-Press are sad, but the fact remains that you SHOOULD NOT USE A DEBIT CARD if the card is presented for security purposes. I can't say whether or not Casa Ybel has a warning posted, but almost every hotel/motel I have visited has a clearly visible sign at the check in desk warning people of the consequences of using a debit card.

You are correct that Carl furnishes information to a lot of people and people rely on him, BUT he has a duty to furnish correct information to people and in this case, he has mismiformed people by putting a spin on the story to blame Casa Ybel when it is the issuing bank's policy that caused the problem.

Lynn Perkins

Dear "Owner".

Your attack on Lynn Perkins is quite unwarranted. Lynn is a regular contributor to this forum, and is the first President of the association to actually provide answers to queries raised on this forum. I would actually like to thank Lynn for his participation in this forum.

Carl was quite right in drawing this matter to our attention, and Lynn was quite right in explaining how the system works.

I have also added my comments in my above entry on 20th October.

I can only suggest that members use a credit card for the security holding, even if you are not intending to pay with that card, as the "deposit" is not charged to your account, and you can use whatever payment method you wish when you check out.

People, get with the program. It's a $350 guarantee, not only should you use the services of hospitality, but also should you leave the unit in a poor condition when you leave.

This is also standard practice when a rental car is used...

If you don't like the $350 guarantee, get a credit card. Let it hold up the bank's money instead of your own!!

If people would take some responsibility for their own actions and decisions, and quit blaming others, we'd all be in alot better shape!

I hope we can come to some conclusion about the need for owners to put up $350 for the week, (just to stay at our own Resort,) and ask Hospitality to issue their own cards to be sold as prepayment of extra services they provide not really needed to occupy your unit for a vacation, if the guests like to do that.

Will they check you in if you refuse to place $350 at their disposal?

Hotel Rooms and Rental Cars always end up being paid by that same card! That is why I find that OK. It provides for easy check out or bill pay for the car.

Our units are already paid for, we do not need to pay up when we check out of our own units?

If we purchase charges from Hospitality, it should be an account directly with Hospitality and paid up at check out time also.
The two processes do not match up.

Sell cards good for use at Casa Ybel for payment of extra services like gift cards for department stores or restaurants.

On cruise ships the charge cards issued by the ships are excellent and necessary as you are shut out from the rest of the world and need cards to enjoy yourself with. "No cash" policy is needed on a ship or they loose control of their own business with thousands of servers..

I always felt funny to have to lock my debit card up for others to charge to without my own control.

My final question: Are we still forced to give a debit card for use by the front desk? (or any employee at the Resort?
Does Hilton agree with this policy? We did not use to have that before during Mariner.

I wished someone from Hospitality and Hilton could give us their answers.

Carl,

You have lost your mind.

Dave, so you are back again, with not much to say, sorry about that. But trust me, it is really a very simple matter.
But that is OK, we are all different. Please read this short paragraph, which I can't trim back any further:

Now listen:

"When you rent a car you need collateral, such as a credit card, and when you pay for the rental, why not use the same card for quick check-out.
When you rent a room at a Hotel you need collateral with available funds before you can enter the room, and you can pay with the same card, again for a quick check-out.

But why do Casa Ybel owners have to produce collateral when they check into their own unit? They have collateral: A time share unit or 2 they have paid for years ago (in many cases). You can chase them down from the Casa Ybel secret list in your office if they leave a mess.

You should not need a credit card to walk into your own home? Just give them the keys! and perhaps a bottle of Champagne. Have a nice evening!
Casa Ybel should be a home away from home. You could check the drivers license if they seem strange to you.
Owners should be welcomed home and not required to submit a credit card. That is what Casa Ybel sold to be, a vacation home away from home.

I will stop here, let me know if this sinks in.
I am running out of ways to explain the core of the subject. I feel it is very basic."
Thank you David.

PS! Today, arrange for a nice "welcome home" party for each Casa Ybel family returning home today, it is Friday. Give them a bottle of Champagne, tell them you have missed them, and wish them a pleasant evening and then give them the keys with a hand shake.
Let them know you will send someone to their unit to help carry up the luggage, and at last tell them you might not have a parking space available till the Restaurant empties out, but give your car to the valet, he will find a space somewhere near the beach.

It is even more simple than that. Although users of the units are mainly owners, the card swipe is in respect of expenditure incured at the resort - eg meals at Thistle Lodge, drinks at the bar, etc, and the resort wants to know that the bill will be paid prior to people leaving. It is a standard procedure at all hotels and resorts.

I am off tomorrow to stay at one of our timeshare units in England, and I will have to swipe my card when I check in.

As the opportunity to spend money at Casa y'bel is limited, though, perhaps a smaller reserve might be more appropriate.

With regard to David Taulbee's highly intelligent contribution, it is not worth responding until he says something sensible.

I cannot say enough, this entire posting is so stupid!!

I am happy to guarantee the $350 against my CREDIT card (not debit). I carry a credit card for this very reason, as it allows me to be in control and not someone else.

If the people using debit cards can't understand this, they are probably the same people that have caused our country to be over-run by the "what can you do for me" attitude. Let's try taking responsibility for our own actions and we'd all be much better off.

Get over it. Get a credit card. If this is something worth getting stuck on, how do the complainers of this get by in their every day lives? This is standard practice with a debit card!

Thank you,

David

So - following on the last few posts, if you want to rent beach chairs, why can't you pay for them at the time they are rented, using a debit card for that amount. If you eat at Thistle Lodge, or order a drink at the pool, why can't you pay the bill at the time, like you would at any restaurant or bar, again using your debit (or credit) card. "Walk-ins" to Thistle Lodge use a card to pay the bill at the end of their meal. So why do owners have to have a "running" tab?? That makes no sense to me. I agree with Carl completely. Maybe a choice would be nice - to pay as you go, or to run a tab at the end. It angers me to hear that $350.00 will be on hold in my account for an entire week for services that I have no intention or desire to use. I have always signed the bill at the end of the week, and it never totalled even near $350.00. However, I had no clue that a $350.00 hold had been placed on my funds at the time. And now with the new credit card laws, what if hospitality swipes that card, and you don't have the $350.00 available to your credit line -I guess the same could be true for a debit card - if you don't have the funds - will the bank refuse the transaction?? --are you going to be refused the keys to the unit that you have already paid for in maintenance fees months before?? Very interesting issue. I am sure that Paul, coming all the way from England, or most others who come a long distance for their week(s) would not like to anticipate the possiblity of being refused accomodations. Many of us, even while still owning a beautiful timeshare week, are on very limited budgets and struggle to find ways to come to Sanibel. And for some, that will not allow for funds to be placed on "hold". $350.00 is a lot of money to be made not available during a vacation week, because of the current check-in regulation.

I can quite understand "owner's" problem in his circumstances. Can I suggest that you call Hospitality before you go to Casa Y'bel and discuss the problem with them to see if you can come to some arrangement.

I am sure that they can work something out with you.

Well, I’m in the very uncomfortable position of agreeing with the gist of what the diplomatic Mr. Taulbee is saying here. But, of course, he cannot explain his position without being a complete jerk.

I don’t have a debit card and don’t understand the allure of them, but that’s me. A solution, as the tactful Mr. Taulbee has suggested buried in his invective, is to have a credit card which is used essentially exclusively for this purpose. Nothing will be charged, and no funds are held hostage, but the swipe will satisfy the requirements of the resorts. An occasional (e.g. quarterly) charge might be necessary to keep the card current. I do understand the fear of running up charges on a credit card.

I agtree with David CARL HAS LOST HIS MIND! But then if you have followed his postings over the years as I have, it should be apparent that he was alwaya limited in his ability tothink straight and not try to put hospitality in a bad light. Why I have never understood. The same with Jackson always putting him down and doing a carachter assination. And yes Lynn you are an optimist if you think Carl will ever change or get the facts or understand the facts when he gets them. If other owners doubt this just read his posts on this subject.

I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that spelling, grammer, and communications, in general, are not your long suit.

That's grammar George. (wink) But I agree that it's not his forte. And I'm just poking you a bit, George. I make my share of typos too.

This has been a long interesting ride and I hope we can get to a conclusion about the $350 charge demand before getting our keys.

Summa Sumarum:
A young disabled gentleman (Chronic pulmonary disease) with wife and 10 year old son was given an oppurtunity to relax and have fun at an island "swanky" resort. His wife's dad is an owner at Casa Ybel.
They packed all the food the family would need and planned on a low key fun vacation at the beach.
They did splurge with a fun meal on Sanibel with the son and discovered later their credit card was overdrawn, which they had to pay for dearly in high bank charges.
The $350 spending money on their card was eaten up in the Casa Ybel front office when they signed in to get the key. They had no plans of spending a costly dinner in Thistle Lodge, It was to be a bare-bones vacation at a fine resort!
They have been at Casa Ybel 3 years in a row, and this was the first time they were asked for $350- collateral.
They later found out it was a seven day "daily $50 demand deposit" by Casa Ybel that emptied their available cash and with $10 in their pocket they decided to return home with a $180 overdraft fee due to their bank. Will they be back?
Again, our Hilton management company was not in the picture, but quoting from News-Press Ms Amy Speckman, Director of Casa Ybel Operatins was in charge and does not find anything wrong at Casa Ybel.

When will we find our Hilton management company back in charge taking care of our owners?

I'm Confused. Carl on the 19th of October you started this chain by stating $350.00 was taken off their Debit Card. Now it appears to me you are stating the $350.00 was somehow taken off their Credit Card? Are there any other cards Casa Ybel took off $350.00??

What gives?

Debit and credit cards seem to run together, I am sure they are equally both good for collateral, if you have a balance?
In any case their card had no available balance left to enjoy a little trip to Periwinkle. So they went home!
Is this the time to take a little collection for them to use next year?
We have to appreciate the little we have.
On "Face the Nation" today it was quoted that $80 out of each $100 earned in the USA (since 2000)goes to 1% of the population, the $20 goes to the other 99%, I wish someone could tell me that is not true. We need more owners from that 1% pool. END OF POLITICS!

What's a debit card? I think I'll just write a check next year!

I read the article in the news-press, the moral of the story was -do not present debit cards unless you intend to use them then and there-. Use credit cards instead. The author of the article found no fault with Casa Ybel as it is a common practice everywhere. Banks place holds on your checking account if you use debit cards. In Casa Ybel's case it is $50 per day based on what they describe as a historical average, which seems reasonable to me. Casa Ybel does not receive any money until we approve upon departure.

When on vacation, I enjoy a libation or an ice cream for my grandchild from the bar without having to carry cash or having to climb the stairs to procure payment. That's what the credit card on arrival is for.

I love my family and I'm sure we all send "relatives" to use our weeks but I don't want to be held responsible for their charges or their damages should something go wrong.

I enjoy my time at Casa Ybel, I feel it's well kept. I think the credit policy is a good system; in my opinion this is a sad story of an extreme case scenario not cause for alarming concern.

...moral of the story, if you use a debit card your bank, any bank, will put a hold on your checking account for a designated amount for a period of time depending on how long your stay is. Using a credit card at check-in holds the banks money. I usually use a credit card at check-in and pay for essentials with my debit card....signage should be set up at check-in reminding people who use our resort, owners/renters alike about the hold when using a debit card for check-in. This is where the confusion was created. It is just good customer service to notify our guests/owners of the problem when using a debit card.