Complaint Review: Pae Moana - Rarotonga Nationwide

Former family member here. My sympathies go out to the property owners here. For a decade I witnessed similar behavior from Brooke Harrington: Trying to wiggle out of contractual obligations by fabricating victim status. This often took the form of fabrication of criminality of some sort or another directed against her. Take my word for it: it's very typical MO for this person, who learned it from her mother. In this case, both she and her mother were involved. My blood runs cold.

Prof. Harrington has been at the center of much larger but similar scandals before. Go look at her CV: Cornell; Stanford; Harvard; Brown... then, Max Planck institute, and the Copenhagen Business School (what?) and no more collaboration with any of her US colleagues. Connect the dots. Ask around. She poisons every pond she swims in, sooner or later.

And notice how her story changed? How, when she wasn't taken seriously (what theif just leaves a stolen cell phone lying on the ground? The most re-saleable item on the planet? Oh, let's just leave it here, not even try to hide it for eventual retrieval) she went from, "didn't see the theif" to, "yes, i saw him" to "saw him and gave chase." Exactly the kind of doubling-down on confabulation I've witnessed. It is my opinion that the Professor created the circumstances to suggest a crime occurred against her as a way of exiting her contract with the property owners, with her deposit, in order to take up residence at a more preferable resort, without any of the financial consequences. Check to whence she decamped: I guarantee it was a plusher resort with more services. Why do I think this? Because I've seen her do it before, in other situations with much higher stakes, and she's gotten away with it. She's a very cunning operator. 

As for mother's claims of "connections to the white house"? This is typical puffery on her mother's part. Hollow bullying tactic, the type of which I've seen before from both of them.

Stand your ground and don't yield to the bully. 

[Safe Harbor Statement: these ares my opinions only. To be used only for guidance purposes.]

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I am the owner of Pae Moana and I was shocked to hear of the reported robbery that the Ms Harringtons family endured and know such crimes can make the victims feel terribly violated, it is distressing that such things can happen right here at Pae Moana.

Our family holiday home, Pae Moana was built 2 years ago and we’ve had numerous guests stay here.  And during this time, we've had no burglaries ever reported.  There is absolutely no proof that there was ever a burglary at our property as mentioned by this dis-gruntled guest (Americans) - no forced entry and spare key is accounted for. 

We consider that all extreme care and safety has been taken to ensure our guests have a safe and comfortable stay at Pae Moana.  We have security screens on all the windows, automatic outdoor security lights and lockable doors both internal & external.

Our standard key procedure is:-

Our Property Manager/Cleaner would drop off keys to a local transfer company– a reputable company on the Island.  Upon arrival at Pae Moana, their driver would help guests with their luggage and open up the house for them, leaving the keys with our guests.

On this occasion and due Ms Harringtons specific requirements i.e. early check in for their flight arrival of 7am (previous guests departure flight 8.30am).  My Property Manager’s extra cleaning helpers were already at Pae Moana cleaning and preparing for their arrival.  Our P.M. arrived not long after (from picking up rental car from airport from previous guests) to meet and greet and hand over the house keys to our Guests.

At no other time and with no exception is a key ever left at the property without the knowledge and consent of the Property Manager.

On the morning of the said burglary, Ms Harrington phoned our P.M at 4.30am and requested for her to come to Pae Moana because the Police hadn’t arrived.   Our P.M phoned the Police to check if they were on their way to Pae Moana. Our P.M arrived at Pae Moana at 5.00am and Police were already there taking a statement.  Ms Harringtons mother (Elizabeth) stood by the kitchen holding a knife demanding for their money back. 

Due to heightened emotions in that early hours of the morning of said burglary, our Property Manager questioned the key situation.  Upon reflection realises this was not a possibility.  Our P.M confirmed (by ringing the house at Pae Moana and spoke to both Ms Harrington and the Policewoman) when she got home around 6am that the spare key was still in her possession at home (I have a confirmed email statement from this policewoman to confirm key possession phone call from my P.M).  As the issue of a spare key is now not a possibility this leads me to believe the only plausible explanation for the break-in (if any) is that the door was inadvertently left unlocked.  

Upon confirmation of our guests vacating the property that very morning (without giving us the opportunity to change the locks), I re-listed Pae Moana’s accommodation for availability on 6 websites including our own.  We had all the locks replaced with an additional bolt system.  I also put out a post on the local Facebook page for Rarotonga Buy/Sell informing the locals to look out for her stolen Samsung 4 phone.  Fortunately, a staff member from Telecom saw my posts and also alerted his work colleagues.  The guests phone was found later the same day of the burglary by a Telecom staff member, discarded on an empty site near Pae Moana.  Fortunately, the phone was still on, unlocked but without a sim card.  This is really odd for an opportunist wanting to steal her phone and only wanting the sim card (the phone was worth more than the sim card and card can be traceable).  What was also odd is that, Ms Harringtons handbag was not taken during the said burglary with her wallet, cash, credit cards inside.  Her handbag was left in the very first bedroom (master-bedroom) unoccupied – closer to the entry door than any of the other 2 bedrooms.  Also, if the intruder had a spare key, why would he/she break in knowing there are guests staying in the house (car parked in driveway)? Why not wait for  a better opportunity?

Ms Harrington was contacted by Telecom about the finding and she then uplifted her phone from their office.  Telecom Cook Islands also went the extra mile and transferred her remaining credits of $500 from old sim to her new free sim card.  I contacted our P.M, to tell her that the phone was found.  Our P.M then phoned the Police to inform them – much to her surprise, Ms Harrington failed to contact the Police of her phone being found, giving the Police a chance to take finger prints.  Our P.M insisted to Police that they send someone to the guest (new accommodation – a Resort they dined at the night before???) to get the phone for finger prints. 

I received an email letter from Ms Harringtons Rarotongan Solicitor – with Ms Harrinton claiming that the intruder ‘entered her bedroom, which woke her up, she yelled out and gave chase’.  This statement is false – I have a copy of the Police report stating that there was no chase.  This event in her solicitors letter would appear to be fictional and I question her creditability.  Her Solicitor also pointed out in her email letter to me, that Ms Harrington is an 'Associate Professor of a reputable University in the United States and is conducting research on our shores and she has an esteemed academic background having graduated from Harvard University and Standford University.  Also pointing out that 'the funds Ms Harrington expended on accommodation at Pae Moana was paid out of a research grant awarded to her to enable her to carry out research in Cook Islands.'  

As per our cancellation policy - nil refund for any cancellations 14 days and less and any refund is subject to nights resold - (no nights resold).  It is irrelevant whether the guest stayed for 1, 2 or more nights (in this case for 1 night), they have accepted all terms and conditions for the property by staying here.  We have also incurred expenses over $1700 for this booking ie: airport transfers, complimentary supplies (fruit bowl/juice/milk, tea & coffee), extra cleaning staff for Ms Harringtons early check-in of 7am, Property Manager’s chargeable hours for - attending to picking up supplies that this guests had requested prior to their arrival, attending to them during their burglary, dropping the guests off to their new accommodation after her business appointment in the afternoon (she still had in her possession our free rental car), numerous cellphone calls from New Zealand to Rarotonga getting locksmith in to change all the locks, maintenance man to install internal bolt system.  Also petrol top-up for our rental car during their stay – conditions were to top-up when departing which they hadn’t. 

Furthermore, I did not appreciate the tone of the Ms Harringtons mother ringing me up and verbally abusing me, threatening to take legal action against my family because they have contacts within ‘The White House’ in America.  Also, threatening me that we will never have another guests stay at my property if they did not receive their full refund back.

After this phone call – do you really think that anyone in their right mind will give you a cent back? I don’t think so….. We will not bullied by people like you!

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