The Grievance Letter Process
Recap: Primary Case Manager, Plus a Team of Experts
A single “dedicated” contact sounds appealing, and you have one. But a dedicated contact without a team behind them creates a single point of failure.
Our case management model gives you both: a primary Case Manager who knows you, backed by a full staff that knows your case.
Your primary Case Manager is the person who learns your file, answers your calls and emails, and keeps you posted as your case develops.
Your case lives in a customer relationship management application (CRM) that the whole Case Management and legal team can see. This is vastly different than a workflow that hinges on one single person.
If your Case Manager is ever unavailable, anyone on the team can open your complete file and help you on the spot.
We do this to address the single biggest risk in case management: a time-sensitive or high-stakes case update that stalls because only one person could access the case details.
With that in mind, let’s learn about the very first part of our service…
The First Phase Of Stonegate's Service
Step 1: Enrollment
This is where it begins. You decide to move forward, and your case is formally opened. From this point on, your matter is being tracked by the team, not sitting on a to-do list.
Step 2: Onboarding
Your case is set up properly inside our system. Your file is organized, your Case Manager is assigned, and the details of your matter are entered so the whole team can work from the same accurate picture.
You will be receiving a “welcome call” from your primary Case Manager. This call is to confirm the details of your case, answer any outstanding questions, and to make sure you understand the next steps.
You will be asked to complete a long questionnaire. It is important that you complete this quickly, because it is the basis for for the next several steps.
Step 3: Document collection
Next, we gather the paperwork your case needs: your contract, statements, correspondence from the resort, and anything else relevant to your situation.
Strong cases are built on complete records, so this step sets the foundation for everything that follows.
Step 4: Grievance Letter
Now this is where the substantive work begins. Using your documents and the details of your case (collected verbally and via the questionnaire, we prepare a grievance letter that lays out your concerns to the resort.
This is the formal step that puts the resort on notice.
The grievance letter gives your resort one final chance to address your matter directly with you.
Resorts will often clutch their pearls and say, “We would have helped Mr./Mrs. Smith if they told us they were having problems with their timeshare!”
The grievance letter provides a chance for your resort to do the right thing.
Step 5: Resort Response Window
Once the letter is submitted, the resort is entitled to time to review it under its own procedures.
As a standard part of our process, we generally allow up to 90 days for the resort to investigate the concerns raised and issue a formal response.
This is the stage that tends to surprise people, but it’s necessary to set the foundation for things to come.
During this period it might feel as though nothing is happening, but that’s not the case. This time is used to gather evidence, discuss and plan future strategy, and more.
Your file stays fully active the entire time and the team keeps watching for any response or development from the resort.
Giving the resort time to review your grievances is a required step before any further advocacy can move forward.
What Comes Next?
Now things begin to get interesting. Once we get through the grievance process, the following is accomplished:
- Your grievances are formally on the record with your resort.
- Your resort has made a conscience decision to either grant your demands or to continue to ignore them. In either case, you’re getting closer to a clean exit.
What comes next is a bespoke strategy that will likely involve multiple paralegals, plus attorneys from Stonegate Law.
Need Help?
Our Client Service team is here to help.
- Phone: +1 (888) 965-2637
- Contact your Case Manager (click here)
