Let me tell you how Noble House hospitality works. They will pamper you with false words of achievement and capability; sweep bad service under the rug; and go hot and heavy after those who do not close their eyes and share the truth with others.
As you may already have learned, Dr. Heinz Dinter (
HDinter@GrandLifestyle.com; 305-859-9695), a member of the Grove Isle Club since March 1998, has been given the following notice by Mr. Michael D. Allen, general manager of the Grove Isle Hotel & Spa and the Grove Isle Club, Coconut Grove (Miami), Florida:
Grove Isle hereby notifies Dinter that any privileges held by Dinter to use any facilities associated with Grove Isle Hotel & Spa or the Grove Isle Club, to the extent the same existed in any fashion, including as a member of the general public, a guest, or a guest of a guest of the Grove Isle Hotel & Spa, a member of the Grove Isle Club, or a guest of a member or a visitor of the Grove Isle Club, have been terminated. For clarity related to the foregoing sentence, Grove Isle notifies Dinter that he shall not use, nor attempt to use, any facilities associated with Grove Isle Hotel & Spa or the Grove Isle Club including without limitation the tennis courts, pro shops, pool, spa, and food and beverage outlets, but the foregoing shall not and is not meant to restrict Dinter from visiting or attending events at the Grove Isle condominium residences. In addition, Dinter and Grove Isle agree that Dinter previously has been notified that any attempt by Dinter to utilize the facilities of Grove Isle Hotel & Spa or the Grove Isle Club, shall be met with words to the following effect:You are hereby notified that this establishment no longer desires to entertain you as its guest, and you are requested to leave at once. To remain after receipt of this notice is a misdemeanor under the laws of this state.This notice and termination was delivered to Dinter and is reiterated here under the authority of Title XXXIII, Chapter 509, including without limitation, sections 509.092, 509.141 and 509.142 of Florida Statutes which concerns Lodging and Food Service Establishments and pursuant to the Rules and Regulations of the Grove Isle Club, including without limitation Article XIII, section E in regard to Termination of Guest and Visitor Privileges.What Mr. Allen failed to disclose, and thereby misapplied the Florida Statutes, is the language of the Florida Statute cited, to wit:
509.142 Conduct on premises; refusal of service.—The operator of a public lodging establishment or public food service establishment may refuse accommodations or service to any person whose conduct on the premises of the establishment displays intoxication, profanity, lewdness, or brawling; who indulges in language or conduct such as to disturb the peace or comfort of other guests; who engages in illegal or disorderly conduct; who illegally possesses or deal in controlled substances as defined in chapter 893; or whose conduct constitutes a nuisance. Such refusal may not be based upon race, creed, color, sex, physical disability, or national origin.Mr. Allen used the Florida Statutes as a vehicle for declaring Dr. Dinter an “undesirable guest” and threatens him with prosecution as a law breaker.
Why, we ask, did Dr. Dinter become persona non grata after so many years of dedicated service to and support of the Grove Isle Hotel, the Grove Isle Club, and the Baleen restaurant?
The attack upon Heinz began shortly after his July 25, 2005 email report to Mr. Allen describing the luncheon experience at the Palapa bar of the Baleen restaurant. Instead of receiving a “thank you” call or note for bringing the experience of the four club members to his attention, the Grove Isle general manager responded with the following email notice: “At this point your privileges of using The Grove Isle Hotel & Spa have been suspended.”
What is behind the persecution of Heinz Dinter? Has he committed unlawful acts that make him undesirable? Does publishing the truth constitute an unlawful act?Frankly, Noble House has something to hide — something big. The rest is, as they say, history.
The Issue of Obligatory Membershipin the Grove Isle ClubAs you know corporations as well as individuals own Grove Isle condo units and are required to pay the annual membership dues for membership in the Grove Isle Club. To deny an individual owner or officer of a corporation owning a Grove Isle condo unit membership in the Grove Isle Club will require the reimbursement of dues paid and the waiving of such dues in the future.
Dr. Dinter is prepared to accept appointment as an officer of corporations owning a Grove Isle condo unit. You can reach him at
HDinter@GrandLifestyle.com or 305-859-9695.
You will not incur any expenses and all of your rights, including that of ownership, will be protected.
What are the Benefitsof Grove Isle Club Membership?
Accounting for Profit: ■ Annual membership fees (the overwhelming majority are mandatory): short of $2 million in round numbers.
■ Annual operating costs (the overwhelming majority is tennis): $500,000 in round numbers (that's generous).
■ Profit (skimping on upkeep and services): You do the arithmetic.
■ That's a windfall of in excess of $22 million over the past 15 years.
Membership Benefits: ■ Members receive a 25% discount at the Baleen restaurant and the bars — partially negated by the obligatory 18% gratuity computed on the before-discount prices, resulting in an effective gratuity of 24% (that, for one, “justifies” paying lower wages to the serving staff assumed to be legal and thusly protected by our labor laws).
■ There's one other significant membership benefit: About twice a year the club throws a party for the members where the flimsiest hors d'oeuvres are served in limited quantities and the house wine seems to be rationed.
■ They also have free use of the tennis courts, except for the fee that must be paid for refreshments when a tennis round robin is scheduled.
■ Apropos Baleen, few members visit the restaurant because the service is oftentimes miserable and the prices are steep, especially in comparison with the quality of service.
■ In all fairness, however, the on-island members enjoy the benefit of not having to be bused from the nearby Mercy Hospital parking garage when large dinner parties in evening attire or business groups cannot be accommodated in the limited number of parking spaces on the island even though Baleen chains off condo parking spaces.
■ Apropos Spa Terre, few members use the spa services because the prices are too steep.
■ Apropos the tennis courts, they are in miserable condition, even dangerous, because, when it comes to upkeep, only the basics are paid for. By the way, only a small percentage of the condo unit owners are tennis players.
■ Aren’t you puzzled? How did Grove Isle Club manage to raise membership dues over the years? Did the majority of the condo association members vote in favor of raising membership dues?
Many more details have been published about how Noble House “serves” the members of the Grove Isle Club, even breaks the law, and how Michael Allen, whose word is not his bond, manages by deception, and why the Grove Isle Hotel & Spa, and Baleen restaurant will continue to be the target of shunning.
What Happenened?A Chronology in the Words of Heinz Dinter, the Excommunicated Grove Isle Club Member
(As previously published) I am sharing with you my experiences because you have a right to know and should know what has happened to me — and more importantly — how the Noble House management of the Grove Isle Club in Coconut Grove (Miami), Florida could have a most significant impact on you.
● March 18, 1998: I apply and become a member of Grove Isle Club in Coconut Grove (Miami), Florida.
● April 2000: I offer to publish newsletters and prepare flyers for the Club and the Grove Isle Hotel intent on promoting their business. The offer is accepted and the premiere issues of Grove Isle Enchantment (this is the newsletter serving the hotel, Baleen restaurant and the club) and FORTY LOVE (this is the newsletter serving the tennis community) are published.
● February 2003: I announce in the February FORTY LOVE issue the termination of my newsletter publishing services. It is economically not justifiable to continue the newsletters. The announcement prompts a petition drive by club members whereupon general manager Ron Burleson invites me to meet with him.
● March 6, 2003: We reach an agreement for the continuation of the newsletter and payment for my services.
● April 2003: FORTY LOVE resumes publication.
● June 27, 2005: I create a flyer promoting Grove Isle Hotel’s Independence Day Barbecue, leave copies for posting and distribution at the tennis pro shop, and distribute the flyer via email.
● June 28, 2005: Denyse Hall, Director of Membership, telephones me and instructs me to remove the general manager’s name from my email list. Of course, I decline; email protocol does not allow such demands from third parties. The Independence Day flyer that riled the GM is posted at the FORTY LOVE site. The GM, Michael D. Allen, just a few days earlier, had assumed his duties at the Grove Isle Hotel & Spa.
Not having had any of my calls to the membership office returned in nearly a year to straighten out the accounting mess (I'm not the only member who's haunted by accounting turmoil), I grab the opportunity to insist on a face-to-face meeting with Ms. Hall.
● June 29, 2005: At the meeting, I present detailed documentation of my claim to Ms. Hall and she promises to resolve this matter without any further delay.
● July 14, 2005: In response to my inquiry re the progress of resolving the issue, Ms. Hall replies, “I have yet to meet with the general manager.”
● July 25, 2005: In an email to the GM and the Director of Food & Beverage Operations, I detail the horrific experience triggered by pathetic service three other club members and I suffered visiting the Palapa bar of Baleen restaurant for lunch. It was a unanimous decision: We decided to do so for the specific purpose of assisting Grove Isle’s management in their long-running efforts to improve services.
● July 27, 2005: One month passes and, upon my inquiry, I am informed by Ms. Hall she had not yet been able to confer with the general manager. Therefore, I submit another set of the 18-page documentation to the general manager accompanied by the following letter:
Dear Mr. Allen:
Four weeks ago, on June 29, 2005, I furnished Ms. Denyse Hall, Director of Membership, documentation reflecting the agreement between Grove Isle Club and me, and the account ledger I maintain containing a recapitulation that identifies discrepancies and errors which continue to be reflected in Grove Isle’s account ledger though I communicated these discrepancies on more than one occasion to the club’s staff and offered to cooperate in efforts to set the record straight.
Please find attached the 17-page documentation including the cover letter to Ms. Hall dated June 29, 2005; four pages of subsequent communications; and a copy of the July newsletter.
My last such effort to communicate with the club’s staff took place on December 8, 2004: I telephoned the membership office and left word. My call was not returned.
At my face-to-face meeting with Ms. Hall on June 29 I also shared with her documentation relating to my services rendered to the Grove Isle Club: copies of newsletters and flyers I prepared and disseminated during the past six-plus years.
I was elated to learn that Ms. Hall is taking vigorous steps to bring all accounting up to date and assure commensurable services from all departments. Though we have been eagerly awaiting positive action for some time, I looked forward to her resolving all matters without further delay, continued to offer my cooperation, and promised to promptly answer any questions regarding my account and my services to the club.
I have been very patient and understanding during my tenure as a member since March 1998 and having dealt with seven general managers.
Despite the poor communication, I continued rendering my services though in March of 2004 I suffered the most embarrassing slap at the hands of the Baleen staff when I was denied the privilege of charging to my account because, I was advised, my charging privileges were suspended (again!) and I would have to see the membership director (this happened on a Friday evening!). That, Mr. Allen, broke the camel’s back — it prompted me to shun Baleen, continue to maintain detailed records, and hoped a general manager would arrive who deals with business matters in a professional manner.
Please, Mr. Allen, let us honor our agreement.
If you wish to terminate our agreement, please let me know. I will even be amenable to waiving the 60-days notice in the spirit of an amicable relationship.
However, I cannot continue rendering my services and continue facing mute club responses coupled with being denied commensurate consideration, and facing embarrassment at the hands of the Grove Isle staff. That simply is neither fair nor equitable.
Mr. Allen, I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Sincerely yours, Heinz Dinter, PhD
● August 16, 2005: I send both an email and letter to Michael Allen.
Dear Mr. Allen:
Having been patient for so long, permit me to bring to your attention the following, focusing solely on the most recent efforts:
1. On June 29, 2005, I met with Ms. Denyse Hall, Director of Membership of The Grove Isle Hotel & Spa, and was promised a resolution of the long-outstanding matter of my relationship with the club (please see my letter of the same date with attachments).
2. On July 13, I emailed Ms. Hall and requested a response and resolution of this matter.
3. On July 14, Ms. Hall responded via email and advised me this matter will be attended to.
4. On July 27, I addressed a letter to you requesting a response to my previous communications.
Please, Mr. Allen, let us resolve this matter by your advising me that my account ledger (please see attached) correctly reflects my account balance and you will instruct the Director of Membership accordingly, or by bringing any inaccuracies to my attention without further delay.
Please understand, I must forthwith curtail my services to the club until this matter is resolved.
Perhaps you would be interested in engaging me to assist bringing this 7-plus-year management effort to a laudable and successful pinnacle once the outstanding issues have been resolved. I would gladly accept management assistance assignments, including dealing with turn-around situations. You will find a short bio and my curriculum vitae at
http://www.grandlifestyle.com/.
Sincerely yours, Heinz Dinter, PhD
● August 18, 2005: Denyse Hall resigns giving one-day notice. [During the month of August, Mr. Allen’s second month on the job as general manager, three more key managers resigned: Baleen’s chef, the sous-chef, and the spa’s director.]
● August 20, 2005: In an email, the GM, votary of good hospitality management, apologizes for the extensive delay and states, “I was under the impression that my membership director Denyse Hall was working with you on this matter and giving you updates on the resolution.” He promises positive action and resolution within five days. He also adds, “We want to resolve this issue as quickly as possible.”
● August 31, 2005 Wednesday 12:32 pm: I send an email to Michael Allen.
Good afternoon, Michael.
I am disappointed and truly sorry Grove Isle Club apparently continues in its trodden path.
For years I have pitched in trying to make Grove Isle tennis and other club activities a success. And for so long a time I have been patient for Grove Isle to honor its end of the deal. I rendered valuable services and will not permit Grove Isle to dodge its payment obligation.
Are we experiencing the permanence to the evanescent thought that commitments and promises will not be fulfilled and payment obligations for services rendered will not be honored?
Please, Michael, let us bring our accounting up-to-date according to my email of August 27 to you; I do not wish to do now that which is long overdue.
On August 20 you advised me that "I was under the impression that my membership director Denyse Hall was working with you on this matter and giving you updates on the resolution." What updates? Denyse's message of July 14 advised, "I have yet to meet with the general manager …" Shall I render a fact-confirming interpretation?
I want to be on the side of my friends who seek solace on Fair Isle and enjoyment from Grove Isle's promised five-star service at "this world-renown retreat" surrounded by the waters of Biscayne Bay. Where will we go from here? You are at the helm as the new general manager. I know of no one who won't support genuine management focus. Go forward and we will be behind you.
Let me quote and stand by Harry Truman's words: "The buck stops here." I hasten to add, it's not personal, not aimed at you personally. It's simply an expression of my being tired of being jerked around by Grove Isle's management. Basta!
Michael, I do wish my message could be less focused on problem resolution and more positive on extolling the virtues of club life.
Sincerely, Heinz
● August 31, 2005 Wednesday 2:30 pm: I receive an email from Michael Allen.
Dear Mr. Dinter,
Please be advised that at this point we have passed your information over to our Senior Attorney with Noble House Hotels & Resorts. Mr. Scott Vokey will be reviewing your information and working with me on a resolution. Should you have an attorney or other party besides yourself we need to contact, please email me that information.
At this point your privileges of using The Grove Isle Hotel & Spa have been suspended.
Kindly, Michael D. Allen
[Mr. Allen, what happened to your apology and promise of August 20 stating “… will call you by Thursday of this week. We want to resolve this issue as quickly as possible.” (That Thursday was August 25.) Instead, you resort to the tactic of hinting legal action, contrary to your demeanor in previous communications. Do I smell a bush-whack? I welcome your taking legal action because discovery proceedings under the umbrella of the court’s authority will shed a clearer light on the truth.
If your management style calls for bullying your subordinates, that's your privilege. If you think scaring me with a lawsuit makes me quiver, you will only achieve one thing — revelation of the truth as to what those Noble House calls on for supplies and services can expect.
One more point: Grove Isle is indebted to me. If your action is driven by malice and forethought and designed to cheat me — shame on you. I shall seek to protect and affirm my rights in the appropriate jurisdiction.]
● August 31, 2005 Wednesday 5:04 pm: I send an email to my subscriber list.
I just wanted to let you know that the FORTY LOVE™ newsletter I have been publishing for the past several years will no longer reach the members and friends of Grove Isle Club.
A Blog focusing on relevant issues will provide you with more details and will give you the opportunity to share your thoughts and information. I will let you know as soon as the Blog is available on the Internet.
In the meantime, if you wish to contact me with questions, thoughts and information, please call me at 305-859-9695, email
hdinter@grandlifestyle.com, or fax 305-859-9695.
Sincerely, Heinz
[The newsletters Grove Isle Enchantment and Tennis FORTY LOVE, created and published by me, premiered in April 2000.]
Is it not hilarious, tragic and typical of Noble House business practice? In an email to Michael Allen, I remind him of his promise and point out inconsistencies in the representations made by Ms. Hall on July 14 and by him on August 20. He responds less than two hours later, threatens me with legal action and summarily kicks me out of the club without ever communicating with me to resolve the issues at hand. The GM never asked me a single question about my claim in order to give him an understanding about what happened during the tenure of the six general managers preceding him during the past seven years. He applies his hospitality management power as agent of Noble House and spontaneously makes a business decision devoid of any justification, let alone justification based on facts. At this moment, he had no facts in hand. Therefore, I shared my experience with others by publishing it.
■■■■■ He who steals my purse steals trash …but he that filches from me my good name,robs me of that which makes me poor indeed.William Shakespeare (1564-1616)English dramatist and poet — Othello, Act III, Scene 3■■■■■ ● August 31, 2005: The final issue of FORTY LOVE featuring tennis at the Grove Isle Club is published with the following farewell message.
Adieu, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen
'Twas five-plus years ago when Gary King and the Dream entertained at Grove Isle and Mariette Fisher gave her stunning commentary and video highlights of Swan Lake, the world's best-loved ballet. I helped with the flyers. And many more announcements followed letting you know what was happening at Grove Isle, including the first-Tuesday-of-the-month mixed doubles round robins spiced with “bring a dish — share tasty tidbits with your friends.”
You will recall the tasty “Indonesian Delights” prepared by Hetty van de Kreeke, “La Comida Cubana Deliciosa” served by Grace Korse, and the many sumptuous dishes volunteered by so many members who came to enjoy tennis and camaraderie. We also filled the house with an invitation to taste Wagga Wagga Witchetty Grub and Kulnura Kangaroo from Down Under.
Much information and news to be shared gave birth to this newsletter. Grove Isle Enchantment and FORTY LOVE made their debut in April 2000.
Within its pages — in print and on the Internet — we kept you informed about tennis events, helped organize memorable tournaments (the Royal Palm Tennis Club visit comes to mind), and reported with words and loads of photos the many tennis activities at Grove Isle Club.
Grove Isle management manages differently. Therefore, the time has come to bid adieu, farewell, and say auf Wiedersehen. Adios, amigos.
Thank you for having been gracious readers and supportive tennis friends.
● September 3, 2005: I receive an email from Scott R. Vokey, Vice President & General Counsel of Noble House Hotels & Resorts (svokey@noblehousehotels.com; 425-827-8737) inviting me to meet with him and Mr. Allen. I accepted and the meeting was scheduled for September 20 at Grove Isle.
Not having heard from either with hurricane Rita aiming for Miami, I emailed at 3:19 pm on September 19 requesting to be informed of their intention. It was not until 6:15 pm in the evening of September 19 when Mr. Allen's email advised me Mr. Vokey had returned to Seattle because of hurricane Rita. I responded by suggesting a telephone conference on September 26. That was accepted and the conference took place.
● September 26, 2005: The telephone conference with Messrs. Vokey and Allen.
What a surprise! After all the work of putting together the records documenting my case in detail, correcting the club's accounting, and giving copies to the membership director (I did so in the presence of Norm Schellenger, the tennis director) and, when the membership director left, giving a duplicate copy to Michael Allen (Norm delivered it to him), Allen denied having received anything; he also denied having found anything in the membership director's office. Isn't it doubtful that a departing employee would abscond with all of the employer's records or commit all records to the shredder?
I also hand-delivered a box filled with many copies of the work I have carried out for the club during the past 5½ years, clearly addressed to Scott Vokey and Michael Allen with a cover letter stating I delivered only one set and, hence, for Mr. Allen to also pass it on to Mr. Vokey. Mr. Allen stated he did not look at the contents of the box claiming it was not addressed to him. Lo and behold, I also had sent the contents of the cover letter via email to the two Noble House executives; therefore, Mr. Allen knew who this box was for and what it contained. ["Liar, liar, pants on fire," as Judge Judy would exclaim.]
How should one classify Michael Allen's management acumen: puerile or sinister?
Obviously, the Noble House executives claiming they had not seen any of the records I produced, rendered the 56-minute telephone session completely unproductive — what a waste of time. I was being stone-walled. Welcome to the world of Noble House business ethics. How noble!
After the meeting I faxed the 19-page documentation to Mr. Vokey who would then pass it on to Mr. Allen (Mr. Vokey receives faxes in the form of a PDF file).
These two seasoned businessmen even had the audacity to inform me that I have benefited from club membership valued at $4,500 per year. Do they think I'm a nincompoop?
Mr. Vokey promised that this entire matter would be resolved not later than Friday, September 30. As the clock struck midnight on that day, I had not heard from anyone. In an abundance of caution, I conclude again to have been the victim of the Noble House scheme of dealing so nobly with customers and suppliers. Are these noble people trying to cheat me too?
Then follow rapid-fire exchanges of numerous emails in which “stalling” is the major theme and jerking me around ad infinitum is their strategy to subdue me. "NUTS!" as Brigadier General Anthony C. McAuliffe responded when called upon to surrender. Let me concentrate on the last four that preoccupied Mr. Vokey on a sunny Sunday. Indeed, it's a vivid and revealing example of what one who has dealings, business or otherwise, with Noble House can expect.
● October 2, 2005, Sunday, 9:25 am: My email to Messrs. Vokey and Allen.
Sorry, extending the "deadline" is now out of the question; I have seen so many deadlines come and go. Count the number of deadliness alone during Michael's short tenure.
The records I submitted to Grove Isle — though that should not have been necessary; Grove Isle Club has filing cabinets too — could have been scrutinized three (!) months ago.
In an abundance of caution, I have concluded that I have been and continue to be the target of bad-faith dealings. It began with Michael Allen's reprehensible actions on August 31.
As to information exchange, the discovery stage [in a lawsuit] is specifically earmarked for that.
As to my journalism, I suggest you compare with Miami New Times, The Miami Herald, Miami Today, The Business Journal, Hospitality Technology, The Wall Street Journal — to name a few. [In a previous email, Mr. Vokey questioned my “journalism.”]
N.B.: Yet another deadline is out of the question and is now categorically rejected.
I have rendered services to Noble House and presented my accounting again three months ago which as of today stands as follows: I am owed $8,378.77 for services rendered and my Grove Isle Club membership is paid in full through January 31, 2006 and is in good standing.
Please call me at 305-859-9695 if you wish. I am available even after-hours.
● October 2, 2005, Sunday, 10:27 am: Mr. Vokey's email.
He shares his thoughts re my publishing endeavors: "It is not remotely journalism, nor remotely intellectually honest."
Legal beagle Scott R. Vokey then goes on listing what I face: "... you may not have local and state business permits and licenses"; "... you may not have paid local, state and federal taxes"; and also adds "homeland security/INS" to the list of agencies. Am I now a terrorist or, as a minimum, an illegal alien who must be deported?
● October 2, 2005, Sunday, 1:03 pm. Mr. Vokey’s email.
You are not a target of bad faith.
Hereafter, since you have made a claim against Grove Isle, you are instructed to have no further contact with anyone associated with Grove Isle Hotel & Spa, including the club, except me. If you retain legal counsel, have them contact me directly and no one else. I hope this instruction is clear.
You are also reminded you are no longer a member of the club, those privileges having been revoked previously.
Further, because you are no longer a member of the club and have made a claim against the hotel/club and for other reasons, you are no longer welcome at Grove Isle Hotel & Spa and you may no longer use any facilities associated with the same, including tennis courts, the spa, the restaurant, bars, lounges and pool.
● October 2, 2005, Sunday, 8:11 pm: My email to Messrs. Vokey and Allen.In response to your email of October 2, 2005 at 1:03 pm, in which I am "instructed to have no further contact with anyone associated with Grove Isle Hotel & Spa, including the club, except me," I hereby respond as follows.
In an abundance of caution, I suggest you consult the documents of the Grove Isle Condominium Association, Inc., including but not necessarily limited to the "Declaration of Condominium of the Grove Isle Condominium Association."
I may not necessarily wish to patronize the Baleen restaurant or Spa Terre as Grove Isle Club members, their families, and their guests are entitled to. However, please be advised that I shall plan to play tennis at the club, join friends at the bar afterwards for refreshments, and would not want to cause your staff to be placed in an embarrassing situation should they attempt to deny me access to the facilities and service, or worse, cause a legal confrontation with major consequences for Grove Isle Club and Noble House.
As a courtesy respecting your wishes, I will gladly limit my personal contact at the club with you if you will be "on property" to render the appropriate services Grove Isle Club is required and expected to render club members, their families, and guests.
I would like to avoid having to call the police and, armed with a police report and the necessary documentation, seek the appropriate order from a judge.
PS: I will call on you for a towel and, if there's no water on the court, I'll ask you. Also, I like my martini stirred, not shaken, should I order one at the Palapa bar after tennis.
What are my options now? One is to "Sue the Bastards" as the sign on a lawyer friend's desk proclaims. First and foremost, let us document the facts of the case — and let the truth be told.
■■■■■ Laws are like cobwebs which may catch small flies,but let wasps and hornets break through. Jonathan Swift (1667-1745)
Irish author and journalist ■■■■■ ● October 12, 2005: A letter signed by the general manager and the general counsel of Noble House states as follows: “As you know, you have a claim against Grove Isle Club for payment of monies for services you provided to the Grove Isle Club, principally production of newsletters, flyers and similar communication pieces. As we have indicated to you, we have researched your claim and have gone back to former employees as well as records to unearth the facts of your business relationship with Grove Isle.”
Thereupon they finally agreed to pay the full amount of what I am still being owed for the services I rendered during the period August 2003 through July 2005.
However, they add demands and conditions to the payment.
Noble House demands I remove from my website and blog all materials documenting my experience as a member of Grove Isle Club and particularly the truth of what has been happening since June 2005 and demands that I agree not to publish any more about Noble House’s business and their employees, officers, directors, etc.
When I lived under the clutches of a totalitarian regime (communist East Germany), those holding absolute power didn’t bother forcing their subjects to sign an agreement to submit to their dictatorial ruthlessness. You submitted or else (they had Gulags, you know). Does that make the difference between brutal dictatorship and us who respect the First Amendment to the United States Constitution? Perhaps the rulers of Grove Isle consider the island autonomous territory with the unalienable might to drive profit margins upward at the expense of those who suffer from the lack of service.
Noble House demands that I agree not to set foot on any of their properties at any time as a member of the general public, a guest, or a guest of a guest of the Grove Isle Hotel & Spa, a member of the Grove Isle Club, or a guest of a member or a visitor of the Grove Isle Club.
● October 17, 2005: At long last, we reach an agreement:
Noble House agrees to pay me all monies owed, but in installments over a period of 2½ months.
I agree to remove from my website and blog any postings “making reference to or using the intellectual property” of Noble House, etc., and not post and publish more pertaining to Noble House, etc. for three years. All my publishing regarding FORTY LOVE is exempted.
I “shall not contact and shall not request comment or response from Grove Isle, Noble House, their officers, owners, employees or members in regard to the operation of Grove Isle or any other facility owned or operated by Noble House” for a period of 3 years.
My expulsion from the Grove Isle Club by Noble House stands.
I am cited the Florida Statutes: “You are hereby notified that this establishment no longer desires to entertain you as its guest, and you are requested to leave at once. To remain after receipt of this notice is a misdemeanor under the laws of this state.”
Unfortunately (for Noble House), this notice is cited out of context because it applies to “any guest of the establishment who, while on the premises of the establishment, illegally possesses or deals in controlled substances as defined in chapter 893 or is intoxicated, profane, lewd, or brawling; who indulges in any language or conduct which disturbs the peace and comfort of other guests or which injures the reputation, dignity, or standing of the establishment.”
I wonder if the Florida Statutes Annotated give evidence of the above being upheld in a court of law, i.e., there are cases where a judge(s) upheld the statute as it is written and being applied by Noble House.
Do I match the criteria for expulsion from the Noble House premises as Noble House management attempts to make all believe? It is hospitality management at its very best, is it not?
Was I the subject of a unique and ingenuous quest by a receiver of goods and services to dodge paying for goods and services received? Low inventories in the pro shop could be a sign of such hospitality management practices. Is this the type of management practices being taught in hospitality management courses at duly accredited schools of hospitality management?
Or was I punished and kicked out because I published the truth?
● October 18, 2005: Epilogue. The courier arrives shortly past 1:00 pm with the agreement and partial payment. Attached to the envelope is a Post-it note stating: IN BLUE "original your signature" Return to Michael Allen. Lo and behold, the agreement copy delivered to me does not hold the GM's signature in blue; I'm handed an agreement produced on a copying machine. I signed in blue using the pen the courier brought along. That's the second time I signed the agreement in blue. Earlier in the morning, I was instructed to entrust Uncle Sam's Postal Service with the agreement that bears my signature in blue. Immediately following the non-compliant, one-sided agreement exchange, I sent an email to the GM: Michael, the agreement you delivered today does not bear your original signature. Please sign a copy in blue and mail it to me. I did so for you. Thank you. Heinz. I'm still waiting.
Here’s the bottom line: Noble House attempted feverishly, using ingenuous techniques, to dodge paying what they owe.
Noble House kicked me out of the club as one way to deny me what I am owed. (Please recall, my banishment was executed before I reached for the pen.)
I fought back and exposed their modus operandi by publishing details of their business practices.
Noble House finally agreed to pay their debt. Will they keep their word? The final payment owed me for services rendered during the period August 2003 through July 2005 to come my way is on or before December 31, 2005.
Putting it mildly, Noble House’s way of doing business is aberrant. In an abundance of caution I wonder, is it classical hospitality management in action?
■■■■■ He who loses wealth loses much; he who loses a friend loses more;but he who loses his courage loses all. Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616)
Spanish novelist, playwright and poet ■■■■■ The First Amendmentto the United States Constitution: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion,or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech,or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble,and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Postscript to the Saga of Grove Isle Club Membership Here’s yet another twist so typical of member services at the Grove Isle Club.
The excommunicated Grove Isle Club member, Heinz Dinter, found another account statement in his mailbox; it is dated November 1, 2005 and postmarket November 5 (Happy Birthday, Heinz!). It still shows the incorrect charges though — following the nasty battle resulting in his banishment from Grove Isle — the account was settled and General Manager Michael D. Allen certified in writing on October 17, 2005 that the account is settled and payment was made to the once loyal and dedicated club member for what Grove Isle Club owed the former club member who dared to challenge the nonfeasance, malfeasance and misfeasance of Noble House and Grove Isle management. The act of excommunication was carried out by Mr. Allen on August 31, 2005.
P.S.: The bottom of the statement proclaims A NOBLE HOUSE HIDEAWAY. Indeed, they are into hiding as a business practice.
P.P.S.: Frustrated Grove Isle Club members call themselves Gross Isle Club members. That’s how bad it is. And Heinz paid the ultimate price for speaking up and not toeing the party line
■■■■■ Time's glory is to calm contending kings,To unmask falsehoods, and bring truth to light. William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
English dramatist and poet ■■■■■
Do you remember the letter dated March 24, 2004 addressed to The General Manager of the Grove Isle Club and Resort? The editor of the FORTY LOVE newsletter, Heinz Dinter, received a copy, presumably with the letter writer's hope the blunt but truthful letter would be published in the tennis newsletter. Heinz published it — heavily edited out of courtesy and compassion for Tennis Director Norman Schellenger and Pro Shop Manager Carol Griffin. The edited copy of the letter was published under the headline "When Frustration Boils Over: True Feelings of a Club Member." We then posted it here in the nobletruths blog on November 6, 2005 (you find it by clicking on November 2005 in the Archives).
THE FOLLOWING HAS BEEN MOVED HERE FROM THE COMMENTS SECTION (THE COMMENT WAS POSTED ON DECEMBER 28):
