Complaint Review: Turltle Cove Suites - Poipu Hawaii

Stay away!  Our Honeymoon was ruined.  If you want to be sure to have a great vacation, stay at one of many other rentals available in Poipu Beach. 

Our unit was vandalized our first full day at Turtle Cove Suites. We were the only tenants there.  I complained about the lack of WiFi and Joseph Sylvester, the owner, came over with an Oceanic tech to replace the modem in the unit.  Joseph Sylvester was the last person in the unit.  He apparently left the front door and/or the door connecting our unit to the adjacent unit unlocked. 

We came back from a day at the beach to find that about $6000 of personal property was missing.  There was not sign of forced entry into our unit.  We called the police and Joseph Sylvester.  Joseph Sylvester stated that he was the last one in the unit, our personal property was there when he left.  

The criminals has easy access as a result of two probable scenarios:

1. Joseph Sylvester being the last person  in the unit failed to lock the front door.

2. There was evidence that the unit next door was broken into.  There is a door connecting our unit with the vandalized unit.  That door was hidden behind a wall divider in our unit.  After the break-n my wife discovered the door was unlocked.  We had no way to secure that door in any case.  She told Joseph Sylvester about unlocked door.  He said that's how they got in.  As the owner of the property expecting Honeymooners why didn't he make sure the door was locked?

I approached Joseph Sylvester about compensating us for the loss by filing a claim with his insurance company.  He must have insurance right?  Turtle Cove Suites is a business.  Besides nowhere does it state on his site that the guest is responsible for owner negligence and poor security.  He told me Id have to file a claim with my insurance company.  But the loss of my goods was a result of him leaving the door open.  I feel that he is negligent. 

To be fair, even if hed locked the doors; this is one of the most vulnerable places Ive ever stayed.  The locks are feeble and old.  There are signs requesting that the doors be left unlocked.  There is no alarm and there is no safe or other means to secure valuables. 

Besides that, it seems that Poipu Beach is a target for burglary as the unemployment rate is really high and as a result there is a meth epidemic. 

After the break-in occurred he took two measures to ensure our safety:

1. He locked the door, which was unlocked when we moved in, connecting our unit to the adjacent unit through which the burglars found easy access to my unit and my property. If we had a means to lock the door, we would have but youre the only one who could lock the door. Why wasnt that door secured with a bolt on both sides?

2. He gave us two bungee cords with which to secure the front door. This was the Turlte Cove security upgrade. Not new locks. Not an alarm.bungee cords. 

Joseph Sylvester avoided me after I requested some kind of a make good.  He said he would be off the island.  But when a government agency called his home he answered.  I began to suspect he is a man wholl lie when its convenient.  When I continued to press for compensation he sent an email stating that his insurance company wouldnt cover the loss and that he would no longer communicate with me.  He told me to talk to his lawyer. 

I believe that he , his wife F Lee Morey, and Turtle Cove Suites did not act professionally by failing to provide my wife and me with a secure unit.  To reiterate Joseph Sylvester left the door connecting our unit with the unit that was broken into unlocked or he left the front door unlocked.  He did not give us a way to secure the door.  He failed to provide us with a safe and secure environment!  

In addition, along with the costs of the lost items which included our HD Camcorder and my laptop, we have to factor in the degradation of our vacation experience: the emotional costs, the time invested changing about 40 passwords, buying and setting up new equipment, and the fact that I was not able to conduct business as planned while here because I do not have the data or spreadsheets that I needed to do my job while here. 

I felt confident that we could settle amicably between us but Joseph Sylvester, and by proxy, F Lee Morey, his wife, told me talk to their attorney.  His stated and implied commitment is to provide a great experience.  It was a terrible experience for us.  I believe that it would be morally right for Joe and F Lee Morey to compensate us and then try to recoup from their insurance company.

Ive been victimized by the people who stole our vacation dreams and our material goods and I feel victimized by Joseph Sylvester and F Lee Morey.  What if my wife or spouse was alone in the unit at the time of a break in? 

Finally, Poipu Beach is gorgeous and Turtle Cove Suityes is located on a lagoon.  The location is beautiful.  However, the unit we stayed in, and building itself, have seen better days.  There are loose tiles, the pool is dirty, the towels are old, bad imitation Van Goghs on the wall. 

In addition when we stayed there, a large building was being built and the noise is irritating, and as I already said, Turtle Cove Suite is a sitting target for meth heads and other types of criminals. 

In closing, Joseph Sylvester, his wife, F Lee Morey, Turtle Cove Suites, and /or Turtle Cove Realty had a chance to generate good will by taking responsibility for their negligence, and by making amends. 

We didnt even receive an apology!

PS The police report number is #2009-30840.