Members of Carefree Boat Club at several First Coast marinas in Florida have reportedly been left without access to boats, with empty slips and boats being pulled out of the water at multiple locations.
First Coast News reports that boats were lifted from marinas in Jacksonville, Jacksonville Beach, Fernandina Beach and St. Augustine last week, raising questions among members.
“We actually joined for my daughter’s birthday last June, and we had a blast,” says Carefree Boat Club Member Cynthia Wood, who tells the outlet they joined the club to enjoy access to a boat without the hassle of maintenance and storage.
“Everything sounded great with just showing up, getting on a boat, enjoying it, all the pros with owning a boat without the headache.”
She says that, at first, things were plain sailing. However, after a few months, things started to change.
“A few months in, we started getting overcharged for things, boats were broken,” says Wood. “Boats didn’t have tops, navigation didn’t work. It turned into a headache pretty quickly.”
Members said Carefree typically charged an initiation fee of a few thousand dollars upfront, followed by roughly $400 a month in dues for access to a mix of pontoon, fishing and speed boats and jet skis.
Vessels appeared to start disappearing
However, within the past week, Wood says vessels appeared to start disappearing from the two marinas she regularly visits.
“I, at least, had no idea it was as bad as it was. Then, people were showing up to get on the boats with their reservations and boats were out of the water. It’s been pretty wild.”
Members at all four marinas, from Ortega and St. Augustine to Fernandina Beach and Jacksonville Beach, shared pictures showing boats being lifted and empty slips in Carefree’s sections of the marinas.
A Fernandina Beach member received emails cancelling each of his next four reservations. One explained: “Closed due to Operational Difficulties. Working to improve at the moment.” One member’s reservation page lists the St. Augustine boats as “down.”
“I initially reached out because we wanted to get our money back at least,” said Wood. “We can’t get a response, so I did file a dispute with my credit card company to try to get that money back.”
A corporate message from Carefree, shared with members and the media, states that: “Carefree clubs each operate independently, and if a club isn’t operating, they’ve suspended network fees; however, it doesn’t affect membership dues.”
The message also says that some Florida clubs aren’t operating due to “issues not related to the Network.”
“It was pretty jarring and just sad, really,” says Wood.
The Carefree statement to licensees in full
To Our Licensees and Staff,
We are aware of questions and unverified reports concerning operations at certain Carefree-branded locations. This communication provides current information and guidance for responding consistently to member inquiries.
- The Network is stable.
Ownership of Carefree Boat Club Network, LLC (the “Network”) returned to its original founders in March and operates independently from the clubs. ResNet and the ordinary network services remain available, and there is no network-wide interruption to ordinary services or support for licensees. The Network is operating normally and independently from each club. ResNet and all Network services remain available, and there has been no network-wide interruption to ordinary services or support for licensees.
- What is actually happening.
Certain clubs in Florida not owned and operated by the Network are not currently operating or are operating on a limited basis due to issues unrelated to the Network. Those circumstances are specific to the affected locations. They do not extend to your club, to any other club Network-wide, or to the Network itself.
- Affected-member accounts.
For members associated with a club that is not currently operating, we have suspended Network billing until the situation is evaluated. Those member accounts remain active in ResNet. Subject to applicable member terms, availability and local-club requirements, those members can continue to book reservations wherever their club still has operating locations.
- If members of affected clubs contact you.
If members contact you regarding these circumstances, please use the following language and avoid expanding on it:
“The Carefree Boat Club Network is operating normally. Each Carefree club is independently owned and operated, and your membership agreement is with your local club and governed by its terms. For questions regarding your agreement, dues, or boat availability, contact your club directly. For general Network questions, please contact admin@carefreeboats.com.”
- Do not speculate or commit.
- Do not speculate about the financial condition, ownership, operations or future of another club, its owner or any third party —including in casual conversation, on social media, or in member group chats.
- Do not make commitments on behalf of the Network or another club, including anything concerning refunds, dues, transfers, reciprocity, membership status or boat availability.
- Do not independently agree to accommodate, or decline to accommodate, requests from a member associated with an affected club. Please refer those requests to admin@carefreeboats.com.
- Refer any inquiries from media, attorneys, or lenders to the Network. Do not respond directly.
- Escalation.
Route anything you are unsure about to admin@carefreeboats.com. When in doubt, escalate rather than improvise—we would much rather field the question than correct the answer later.
We will keep you updated as circumstances allow. Thank you for continuing to represent Carefree well.
Kevin Bonnema
President
Carefree Boat Club Network
The post ‘It’s been pretty wild’: Carefree Boat Club members’ boats disappear from Florida marinas appeared first on Marine Industry News.
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