This is Why I Signed

Desties · 09-10-2008, 08:24 PM

I finally turned in my paperwork today. PE Legacy here I come.

It wasn't an easy choice.

A month ago, I had posted my intention to go with PE Legacy. The go forward UE plans did not appeal to me, but PE Legacy did, new warts and all. However, I held back on sending in the paperwork once others began chiming in on their disenchantment over the available choices.

It wasn't the displeasure that held me back. I dealt with that on my own terms and it still passed my personal sniff test. No, the reason I held back was because my faith in UE-UR-PE was rattled when I saw what seemed like a complete disregard to tackling the hard questions publicly and clearing up the tempest that was taking place in this very forum.

If you come to toilet paper my house, I'll stop you at the second roll. It was, quite frankly, a shock to see my club take a passive approach when so many members were clearly venting here with conspiracy theories swirling about given the horrendously vague communication. Where was the official voice to nip this in the bud?

In short, I was very close to NOT signing on. The past few months have not been fun. A merger is supposed to bring about cost savings, which a club can pass on to its members, but our perks were slashed. A big ticket decision point should trigger a lot of hand holding, and this became Lord of the Flies.

It was like I was walking in the middle of a fun house and then someone turns off the power. Do I feel my way and go backward in the dark? It's familiar, but defeating. I decided to move ahead, even in darkness, because I know that as long as the power is off that the barrel at the end won't be spinning.

I have had too many great vacations, with many more planned, to walk away. I know that some of my fellow members have had enough and won't sign. I can't blame them but I won't join them. If the club is a mess, it'll collapse on all of us, including those huddled by the exit. Why contribute to that?

The new PE Legacy plan works for me. If it was the plan offered when I had signed up early last year, I would have probably still signed. That's what made my decision easier. Instead of letting it eat away at me, knowing that I had it better, I became a realist. The product rocks. I have more doubts about management today than I did several months ago, but I can give them a few months -- or legally, 18 months -- to get it right.

And they will, because there is too much at stake. I don't know Jim at all, but if the worst case scenario is that Jim is just trying to scale UE quickly to either go public or cash out, he's going to have to make more right decisions in the future than wrong ones.

Am I worried about the 7 year reset clause? Yes, but my bigger concern has always been churn in 4-6 years when the Tanner & Haley members can get money back by resigning. Am I worried about the annual increase rates being higher? Yes, but it's not massive gobs of new money in the near-term, and I can always pull the ripcord if it does get out of hand. Things like the lack of housekeeping (which isn't a big deal to me), plans to increase occupancy (which may be a big deal to me), scaling back on many of the freely stocks items (sniff sniff, bottle of red, bottle of white), etc. are money-saving moves which will ultimately create a financially sturdier club. In the end, that may be the best reason to stick around. It's tough love on many fronts, but it is what will make this club financially sutainable in the future.

The end result of this long rant, is that it wasn't an easy decision to make, but I have thought it through enough to feel confident in my choice.

Don't let me down, UE. Oh, and don't you dare turn the power back on while I'm walking through the spinning tunnel.

DC4MS · 09-11-2008, 01:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Desties

If you come to toilet paper my house, I'll stop you at the second roll. It was, quite frankly, a shock to see my club take a passive approach when so many members were clearly venting here with conspiracy theories swirling about given the horrendously vague communication. Where was the official voice to nip this in the bud?

Congrats on your decision and I am happy you are sharing your reasons in such an open way.

I know UE/UR/PE reads these forums every day and they are more than welcome to post on any forum as an "official response".

I have really been very hands off (as far as my opinion) on the UR-PE merger and have really let the members do all the posting.

Sandman · 09-14-2008, 09:59 PM

Great post Desties. I hope for all of our sakes you made the right choice!

09-10-2008, 08:24 PM	#1
Desties Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 263 Club: Ultimate Escapes Signature	This is Why I Signed I finally turned in my paperwork today. PE Legacy here I come. It wasn't an easy choice. A month ago, I had posted my intention to go with PE Legacy. The go forward UE plans did not appeal to me, but PE Legacy did, new warts and all. However, I held back on sending in the paperwork once others began chiming in on their disenchantment over the available choices. It wasn't the displeasure that held me back. I dealt with that on my own terms and it still passed my personal sniff test. No, the reason I held back was because my faith in UE-UR-PE was rattled when I saw what seemed like a complete disregard to tackling the hard questions publicly and clearing up the tempest that was taking place in this very forum. If you come to toilet paper my house, I'll stop you at the second roll. It was, quite frankly, a shock to see my club take a passive approach when so many members were clearly venting here with conspiracy theories swirling about given the horrendously vague communication. Where was the official voice to nip this in the bud? In short, I was very close to NOT signing on. The past few months have not been fun. A merger is supposed to bring about cost savings, which a club can pass on to its members, but our perks were slashed. A big ticket decision point should trigger a lot of hand holding, and this became Lord of the Flies. It was like I was walking in the middle of a fun house and then someone turns off the power. Do I feel my way and go backward in the dark? It's familiar, but defeating. I decided to move ahead, even in darkness, because I know that as long as the power is off that the barrel at the end won't be spinning. I have had too many great vacations, with many more planned, to walk away. I know that some of my fellow members have had enough and won't sign. I can't blame them but I won't join them. If the club is a mess, it'll collapse on all of us, including those huddled by the exit. Why contribute to that? The new PE Legacy plan works for me. If it was the plan offered when I had signed up early last year, I would have probably still signed. That's what made my decision easier. Instead of letting it eat away at me, knowing that I had it better, I became a realist. The product rocks. I have more doubts about management today than I did several months ago, but I can give them a few months -- or legally, 18 months -- to get it right. And they will, because there is too much at stake. I don't know Jim at all, but if the worst case scenario is that Jim is just trying to scale UE quickly to either go public or cash out, he's going to have to make more right decisions in the future than wrong ones. Am I worried about the 7 year reset clause? Yes, but my bigger concern has always been churn in 4-6 years when the Tanner & Haley members can get money back by resigning. Am I worried about the annual increase rates being higher? Yes, but it's not massive gobs of new money in the near-term, and I can always pull the ripcord if it does get out of hand. Things like the lack of housekeeping (which isn't a big deal to me), plans to increase occupancy (which may be a big deal to me), scaling back on many of the freely stocks items (sniff sniff, bottle of red, bottle of white), etc. are money-saving moves which will ultimately create a financially sturdier club. In the end, that may be the best reason to stick around. It's tough love on many fronts, but it is what will make this club financially sutainable in the future. The end result of this long rant, is that it wasn't an easy decision to make, but I have thought it through enough to feel confident in my choice. Don't let me down, UE. Oh, and don't you dare turn the power back on while I'm walking through the spinning tunnel.

09-14-2008, 09:59 PM	#3
Sandman Member Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 64 Club: Ultimate Escapes	Re: This is Why I Signed Great post Desties. I hope for all of our sakes you made the right choice!

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