Beach Blue Properties Reviews (%countItem)
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Beach Blue Properties Rating
Address: 9300 Baytowne Wharf Blvd, Suite A, Miramar Beach, Florida, United States, 32550
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Rented a home that came with a golf cart to use within the property. Golf cart was not is proper working order.
I rented a vacation home that included the use of a golf cart that was to be used throughout the entire Sandestin resort. We stayed at *** Beachwalk Dr from 3/31/18 through 4/7/18. Upon our arrival we found the golf carts lights not working and discovered on our first ride that it was not holding a charge and that the battery would drain after 20 minutes of use. This severely limited our use throughout our stay. I had purposely rented a property that came with the use of the golf cart.
On 4/1/18 I made my first call to Beach Blue. I spoke with Elise and she said someone would be out to look at the golf cart. No one came that day. 4/2/18 was Easter and I wasn't able to reach anyone at Beach Blue. On 4/3/18 Dixie Electric Car came out to check the cart. The service tech stated to us that he had been out to service the cart in the past and he recommended that he take the cart in for testing. He acknowledged their was an issue. He emailed Elise in front of us and told her this. He said someone else would come to pick up the cart. While he was there the next door neighbor came out and confirmed that past renters had also had problems with the cart. He was able to get the lights working. I then called Elise to confirm this information. Elise blatantly lied and told us that Dixie Car had said that the cart was working fine and didn't need to be serviced. The service tech drove the cart for 10 seconds. She said they would not be servicing the cart or providing us with a different cart. We later saw the service tech at another home in the resort and he confirmed this lie stating he had gotten in trouble with his boss for his honesty with us. Beach Blue rents this unit with a golf cart included knowing that it doesn't work properly.
On 4/10/18 I spoke with "Michelle" at Beach Blue and explained the situation and requested a refund of $300 since I was not able to drive the golf cart around the resort as it wouldn't hold the charge. We were forced to use our car. Rentals without use of the golf cart rent for less. She told me that she would have to discuss the issue with "Carla" who is the owner and she said I would hear back from someone that day. I never heard from anyone again.
I would like Beach Blue to credit us $300 for the 8 nights we were not able to use the golf cart as advertised.
I would like to apologize for any inconvenience that the guest experienced during their stay due to a faulty golf cart. We manage about 60 properties that come with a cart in Sandestin Resort, and all of the carts require constant maintenance. We do everything we can to ensure that golf carts are in good working order upon a guests arrival.
It is very likely that the cart at *** Beachwalk required service on more than one occasion over the last year. The salty air corrodes the connections for the lights and batteries. These are constant issues on all carts. Batteries require water on a regular basis. The chargers burn up because guests leave them in the rain. The GFI outlets trip due to the chargers overloading the breaker. This can make the cart seem as if it is not holding a charge. The list goes on and on when it comes to the possible issues that come from golf carts. We have the same type issues with brand new golf carts. This does not mean that Beach Blue is knowingly renting a cart to a guest that is defective. These carts are heavily used and require maintenance before, during and after a guests stay.
The fact is, the cart was checked by Dixie Electric Cart Company, and no problems were found with the cart. Dixie Electric is a very reputable EZGO dealer with the expertise and tools to determine the condition of a golf cart. Since this guest departed, we have had two guests in 5190 Beachwalk, and someone is in the unit now. We have not had any complaints about the cart at all.
It is important to note that Sandestin does not allow a fee to be associated with the use of a cart. They do not allow anyone to rent a cart at all. The cart must be offered to a guest without charge. Sandestin monitors advertisements and has requested "dummy" reservation quotes in the past to see if golf cart fees are being charged to guests for the use of a cart. If an owner is caught renting a golf cart, that owner can lose the right to have a cart in the resort.
This is a copy of section 6 of the Beach Blue rental agreement between Beach Blue Properties, LLC and ***. Mrs. initialed and signed electronically right next to section 6. It clearly states the following under section 6 of the rental agreement between Beach Blue Properties, LLC and and any guest that stays in one of our units:
6. RENT DISCOUNTS - Some of our rentals include the use of a golf cart at no additional charge. On rare occasions, a golf cart may not be in working order or may need repair while the guest is vacationing. There will be
no discount given for unavoidable non-use of a golf cart in the event the golf cart stops working. However, every
effort will be made to repair the cart in a timely manner.
Guest's Initials: ((Int_es
Signature:
D.*** (Oct 17, 2017)
D.***
There are many things that can happen during a guests stay that warrant a refund, such as a faulty air conditioner, housekeeping issues, etc., but any issues related to a golf cart do not qualify for a refund of any kind because of the reasons listed above.
BeachBlue has charged me for services not rendered
I signed a contract with BeachBlue to manage my vacation rental property in Jan 2017. At the time of signing, BeachBlue projected rental revenues of $48K-$52K for the 2017 calendar year. Since BeachBlue achieved only $31K in rental revenues in 2017, I terminated the contract in Feb 2018. At the end of Jan 2017, BeachBlue charged me $1390 for photographs of the units and the annual listing fee in VRBO (this is per their contract document). The VRBO listing fee is $499 per unit per 12 months (see https://help.vrbo.com/***/How-much-does-an-***). Since my 3 bedroom unit is marketed as 2 units (one a 2 bedroom unit and the second as a studio unit), the maximum VRBO fees for the 12 months starting Feb 2018 is $499 X 2 = $998. The rest ($1390 - $998 = $392) is for photographs. BUT per BeachBlue's own admission (email from the owner Ralph *** on Mar 20 2018), no photographs were taken. I should not be charged $392 for services not rendered and would like to request immediate refund of this amount. I requested a refund and the request was denied.
An immediate refund of $392
Contact Name and Title: Ralph ***, Owner
Contact Phone: XXXXXXXXXX
Contact Email: ***@beachblueproperties.com
The rental projection that was given to Mr. when he decided to join our rental program was a projection of what his units should produce if they were renovated. He agreed to renovate the units prior to signing the management agreements. After executing the agreements he changed his mind about renovating, which left Beach Blue with two units that would be very difficult to rent regardless of the price.
After deciding not to renovate the units, Mr. continuously demanded that we raise the rates of his units, as if they had been renovated to be in line with other units that were fully renovated and to meet the projection of a fully renovated unit. This was a constant issue throughout the year. It is almost impossible to rent a unit that is in need of renovation for the same price as a fully renovated unit, but he expected Beach Blue to do that for him. In the end, his units generated less money than they would have generated if he would have allowed Beach Blue to offer the units at a price that their condition supported. He then terminated his agreements with Beach Blue as a result of his own demands which led to lower revenues.
The staff of Beach Blue also plead with Mr. to add a second bed to his studio unit in order to maximize rental potential. There is plenty of room in his studio for two beds, but he adamantly refused any and all suggestions from our staff. They both are still in dire need of renovation, and Beach Blue would have never agreed to manage the units unless he agreed to renovate.
The annual advertising fee that is charged for each unit covers all forms of advertising. This includes web advertising on sites such as VRBO, Homeaway, Vacationrentals.com, etc.. It also includes other forms of advertising such as the cost of mass email programs, brochures, magazine ads, web site maintenance, etc. The advertising fee is exactly what it says it is. It is an advertising fee to help cover the costs of advertising the units on the Beach Blue rental program. It is not limited to the one fee that VRBO charges annually.
The advertising fee also includes the cost of having professional photos taken of the interior and exterior of each unit, and Beach Blue had those photos taken of Mr. units. It is impossible to list a unit through our online advertising channels without photos, and they were listed for over a year. His claim simply is false.
We had no idea that Mr. was planning to terminate his agreement with Beach Blue. If we had known that he planned to terminate, we never would have renewed his ads on VRBO, Homeaway, etc.. Those charges are non refundable. Mr. did not believe me when I told him that, so I requested with VRBO that the fees be refunded. VRBO denied the request, and I forwarded Mr. the denial email.
Mr. signed a management agreement with Beach Blue which only charged one annual recurring fee, the advertising fee. It is the only recurring fee that we have. We did not overcharge him, nor did we undercharge him, but we are not going to refund him when we have fulfilled our end of the agreement completely. When Mr. decided not to renovate his units we should have terminated our agreement with him, but we didn't.
I can assure anyone reading this message that the staff of Beach Blue Properties, LLC went above and beyond with Mr.. Every staff member had extensive dealings with him at different times throughout the year he was with us. In an attempt to justify the unreasonable nightly rates he was requiring for his units, Mr. made multiple demands throughout the year for additional data research, teleconferences, personal meetings, unit comparisons and reports that took many many unbillable staff hours to compile. It is extremely unusual to have as much correspondence with the owner of a property as Beach Blue had with Mr..
Beach Blue Properties has managed vacation rentals from Destin to 30a for over 10 years and currently manages well over 100 properties in that area. We have never had this type of experience with a property owner.
We wish Mr. luck in the future.
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
There are two points of dispute here. First the underperformance of rental revenues by BeachBlue and second the charges for professional photographs when none were taken.
On jan 10, 2017, Michelle *** of BeachBlue emailed me an estimate of annual rental revenues. Her email says (copy available) "The gross rental income, if we rent the units as two separate units, based on historical income which should be accurate provided the economy and weather remain stable, th unit is available for rental throughout most f the season and the condo is well-appointed and appealing to guests should be $56,000 to $63,000. To attain this income we need to make some improvements to your unit. I can show you pictures of units in this range. If we make a few minor improvements ie bedding, lamps, art, area rug in the living area and some accessories, as 2 separate units we should gross $48,000 to $54,000 providing economy remains stable and it is available for most of the season."
2017 economy was fine, the units were available ALL season, and we had refurbished the entire unit in 2015/6...new paint throughout, new tiled floors, new bedding, new artwork. Michelle was suggesting changes in art and lamps we did not agree with. There was no mention by BeachBlue of adding beds in the studio.
So against this factbase, BeachBlue projected $48K-$54K and delivered only $34K...a $20K shortfall ...which is a major fail!
As any owner would monitor, I monitored rental revenues all summer and when I noticed that the actuals were far below projections, I raised the issue with BeachBlue in July 2017. It took many emails, phone calls and text to organize a call with BeachBlue to review performance. Excuses ranged from 'busy summer time' to 'we are working on reviewing your numbers'. We did finally speak towards end of July and agreed on the need to rent more nights and slightly higher rates. To help bookings, I transferred my VRBO account reviews to the new VRBO account managed by BeachBlue (which has 0 reviews!). A July 31, 2017 email from Michelle summarizing our discussion says "*** had asked that I review your rentals and see if we are on par with our projections. To date, your units have booked $31,486 in rental revenue(March 2017 forward). I had projected $44,000 to $50,000 annually, providing you made the recommended updates to your units. You made some of the improvements we discussed, but what has set you apart from our other 3 bedroom units, is renting your units out separately. We are comfortable that over the next 7 months, we should be able to book another $10,000+ to meet our initial projections." 2017 ended with $33,894 in gross rental revenues...again a major shortfall. They delivered only $2000 of the incremental $10,000 promised. Again, all emails, documents and notes are available if needed.
BeachBlue has consistently overpromised rental revenues and underdelivered leading to a loss of $20,000 for me. It is only fair that they compensate me for at least half of their underperformance. I ask that BeachBlue compensate me $10,000 for lost revenues.
Lets move to the second point ...charging me for professional photographs when none were taken. When I inquired about $1390 annual charges to my account...I was told that per contract it is for advertising fees and photographs. The truth is that there were no professional photographs taken in Jan/Feb 2018. None were used on the VRBO site. None were shared with me. So no such professional photographs exist...BUT the charges do exist! Again, BeachBlue has knowingly charged for services not delivered. I would like BeachBlue to refund $392 which by my estimate is the cost of photography (see details in the original complaint).