John Hardie Responds to Web Postings

Ossipee – June 10, 2009 – In a posting on Ossipee Lake Alliance’s website, John Hardie, a manager of Westward Shores Marina and Campground, defended the business after a day-long online assault from customers who accused management of everything from deferred maintenance to high prices to poor communication.

Saying his integrity was at stake, Hardie said the current owners have made more than $2 million in infrastructure improvements since they purchased the business in 1999. He challenged campers with grievances to call him directly or meet with him in person, and he posted his cell phone number and campground location.

Among the improvements Hardie cited are a new septic system for $1.1 million, expansion of the gate house for $289,000 and new docks for $315,000. He also said all of the campground’s buildings will be painted this year.

Hardie said many of the negative comments being posted sounded like “sour grapes…from campers who don’t think they will be able to afford changes” or who “are just resistant to inevitable change.”

Addressing those hoping for a change in ownership, he said things could be worse. A group that has been eyeing the property for several years would evict the current campers, pave the roads and “make the campground look like a mobile home park” if they gain control, he wrote.

As for complaints about a lack of activities at the family-oriented camp, Hardie said the weekly number of campers has declined by 50%, “making planning for activities or hiring someone to run them almost impossible.”

The furor over the campground, which has been a fixture on the lake since the 1940s, was triggered by two Ossipee Lake News articles published on the Ossipee Lake Alliance website.

The first, on June 2, featured an interview with campground owner Charlie Smith, who discussed his plan to condominiumize the campsites at the business. Last week, the plan was approved by the Ossipee Planning Board, but it has not yet been approved by the State.

The second article, on June 8, reported on a Sunday Boston Globe auction advertisement that stated the campground would be sold in a foreclosure auction on July 10.

Reached by phone, Smith said the ad was in error and he was confident the foreclosure could be avoided. A spokesperson for the auction house handling the sale said only the attorney handling the foreclosure could comment on the sale. Phone calls from the Alliance to the attorney were not returned.

Response to the articles was overwhelming, according to the Alliance webmaster. Yesterday, June 9, the website was accessed more than 2,100 times, approximately five times the typical single-day volume, and more than 40 people posted comments, some of which had to be removed as inappropriate.

“We’ve obviously tapped into strong feelings on this issue,” an Alliance spokesman said.

[Editor’s Note: All comments are welcome on this website, but please remember the basic rules of online posting. Name-calling is inappropriate and using capital letters to indicate screaming or anger doesn’t strengthen the message, it weakens it. Feel free to speak your mind and say what you want, but be respectful as you do it].

38 Comments

  1. long time camper 15 years ago June 10, 2009

    John, It seems as though you are surprised by the outpooring of angry replies vented by many of the campers. If there was any communication within the campground you could sense that this was not the time to try to go condo. The average camper is a hard working family that struggles in this ecomony to come up with fee’s. The late list at the gatehouse on opening day should have been an indicator. The comments you made about sour grapes and people who can’t afford to by their site were offensive. I understand defending your integrity but your tone was combative. The campground is a place where people come to try and relax and relieve stress. Unfortunately, this is adding stress to many people’s lives. If you are right and you do retain ownership of WWS, I hope that your team can learn from the comments and concerns of the campers.

  2. Cheryl 15 years ago June 10, 2009

    Campground has gone down hill since Charlie bought it- John Picard was strict
    but his rules applied to all and he took pride in the appearance of the
    campgound. Charlie is just in it to take make as much money as possible and go
    on to his next business venture. Its a shame and a disgrace. Docks don’t get
    put in to July, you have to repair your own dock, raw sewage runs in the
    campground streets as he doesn’t pump out the cesspools, there are no public
    restrooms open, no activity director for the kids and the front gate house and
    the dump open whenever its convenient for him. A new owner would be a blessing
    or maybe it is time to move on to Danforth. Having a dock on the main lake is
    no longer worth all the grief that Charlie and WWS camping brings

  3. WOW 15 years ago June 10, 2009

    If you want to find out exactly how everyone feels then send this link to everyone’s email address. Rather than going back and forth and making asumptions about the above statements. The campground has all the emails on file.
    I am sure many campers at WWS don’t even know this website exists.

  4. Roger 15 years ago June 10, 2009

    If you are dissatisfied with westward shores campground, come and join us at province shores campground we would be glad to have you, for half the price that your paying now. P.S. We have boat slips available.

  5. Lets end this... 15 years ago June 10, 2009

    Any chance we can just end this string? I agree its sour grapes, as everyone on this string has had a choice on going or not going there. By going you agree to any rule or condition present. By not going, you disagree. If you bought a trailer that is a permanent structure its your risk alone, not the campgrounds. Now you can live with the result of that decision
    (as sad as it may seem).

    Charlie and John are in this for business reasons, not to keep everyone happy. If there was a business opportunity to make a lot of money, but have to act the same way, would you do it? Anyone that says no is either retired or lying.

    The opinions are clear. If Charlie and John choose to listen and change things, great. If not, its their decision, not anyone elses. By not listening campers will leave. Thats the result of their decisions. My time is ending there, so to all that stay: Remember the friends you’ve made, remember Saturday and Sunday morning fires, good coffee and too many laughs to count. Remember saying hello to every campsite you walk by and getting a hello back.
    Remember the drive up Friday nights and the feeling when you saw the street you stayed on was just starting to ramp up. Remember getting quiet every time Mark or Robert drove by then laughing at each other after. Remember everytime you tried to lift something heavy, and all of a sudden there would be 3-4 people show up giving you a hand without being asked.

    Remember the good times. Many are still there and a free all the time.

  6. a camper 15 years ago June 10, 2009

    Would all of us campers like to get together at some point real soon somewhere??
    if so, please let me see some responce by starting your comments with IM IN. I would like to get somekind of count..

    I will put it together

    Now.. If John states there is a 50% plus drop off in campers this year.. Now how will Charlie be able to keep up with the payments. DURR Think before you make comments like that.. The writing is on the wall with that comment. he is just biding his time, for what reasons i dont know. As for the painting. thats great.. BUTT lets spend some money on the other 50% of the campers who are still here with some summer fun.. what do you think…

    I do love my sight.

  7. r u kidding me 15 years ago June 10, 2009

    to lets end this……….sounds like u r a stooge for Charlie……choose ure friends wisely

  8. what the ? 15 years ago June 10, 2009

    end this , are you kidding me. that must be tuce the one with the car like golf cart that people call the mayor of wws. he is charlies secret agent. he will rat out anyone so beware of him when hes riding around in his street legal golf cart he’ll be watching you

  9. camper 15 years ago June 10, 2009

    John Hardie is Charlie’s personal shoe-tying assistant.

  10. more & more facts 15 years ago June 10, 2009

    Let me see if I have this right John. Charlie won’t sell the campground because he’s worried the new owners would restrict golf cart use and clear some vegetation? What kind of fools do you take us for, anyway??? It is no secret that Charlie took out a 7 million dollar loan several year’s ago using the campground as equity to bail out Sammie’s, the failed Mt. Whittier deal and a fiasco he’s involved with in Florida and who knows what else. The fact is the campground is no longer worth what he owes on the note and he’s run out of places to get cash, as the campground was what he used to keep everything else afloat. Yes, you may cobble together some scheme to delay foreclosure, but unless Charlie sells the campground at a tremendous loss the eventual foreclosure is only postponed to sometime later this year, or ealry next year. And when it happens all of us stuck here are really going to be screwed, regardless of who the new owners will be. So, thank you very much Charlie & John, you’ve really made my family’s summer. Forgive us if we don’t hold up all of our fingers when we wave as we pass the big ol’ black SUV or your site!

  11. mooseski 15 years ago June 10, 2009

    I have been a summer resident on the Lake for seven decades but I am unassociated with WWS. It sure seems to me that there are a whole lot of very unhappy campers, and that management of WWS needs to have some open forums for hearing, listening to, and taking action on their complaints. Nothing will get accomplished by a bunch of postings on the internet.

  12. Friend of a Camper 15 years ago June 10, 2009

    Can I just say one additional point here. As the webmaster pointed out about, the Alliance site has received 5 times the average amount of single hits in a day, and that many people were not even aware of this website’s existence. Not to take credit, but it was me who forwarded the initial article from this website on Monday to my friend who is a camper at WWS, who then forwarded it to the WWS email list. I’ve been a frequent visitor and supporter of the Alliance and the work they do for many years. As the note above also points out, name-calling, negative slurs against current ownership, etc., does not help the situation. And no, I am in no way a Charlie/John supporter or secret spy. I am an outsider who has looked in for many years, and while I am reading an awful lot of complaints on this board in the last two days, I think it would only be fair to say that for all the bad everyone has to say, you have to to have just as much good to say or you wouldn’t continue to return to WWS year-after-year. There are many privileges and amenities that the campground offers that you will not find on any other lake in New Hampshire, never mind Lake Ossipee. Totem Pole has no docks for their owners, moorings only, Indian Mound condo association has very limited dock space, and those who aren’t lucky enough to have a dock must pull their boat every day, The Deer Cove Condos have no boat slips, only moorings with a wait list, the Bluffs association has no boat slips, again, just moorings again with a wait list. Even the new condo conversion at the girl scout camp just past Indian Mound has had to fight for minimum dock space for houses that are selling for $550,000 each. Most houses on the lake don’t have the convenience of a store just a few feet away for that can of bug spray they just ran out of, or the 6-pack of beer their guest forgot to bring…most folks need to drive a good mile or more for that privilege. Most folks on the lake don’t have the advantage of having a gas station right beside their boat. Yes, there are lots of things that could be improved at WWS, but sometimes the devil you know is better than the devil that lies ahead. Be careful what you wish for. And again, all I can say is that I wish nothing but the best to everyone for a positive outcome as I would hate to see my very good friends, old and new, be pushed out of their vacation havens over something that is unnecessary. Best to all of you.

  13. unhappycamper 15 years ago June 10, 2009

    INTEGRITY, John and Charlie wouldn’t know integrity if they were standing next to it. You think charging 15 % to sell your trailer [most of the time you have to sell it on your own] is integrity, I call it EXTORTION. You call a botched condo plan that would have bailed you out of a financial crisis INTEGRITY. You cut out most of, if not all of the activities over the the last ten years. In that same time you have doubled the rates [$1400/1996…$3200/2009] you call that INTEGRITY.How about fixing up and paving the lagoon road? You didn’t do that because you wanted too. Was there any integrity there? I think not. Don’t worry about protecting your integrity, because you don’t have any. Any body that associates with Charlie shouldn’t be concerned with INTEGRITY!!!!!!!

  14. more & more facts 15 years ago June 10, 2009

    Friend of a Camper, you raise some vert good points. However, there a many (like me) that have tens of thousands of dollars invested in our site and because of the condition of the park, the poor management and negativirty of the owner we simply cannot sell to get out. We have been on the list for a second year now, along with more than several dozen others. You would have to walk a mile in our shoes to feel our rage, particularly after being lied to by the owner during this condo conversion scheme. Those that will have to leave this year, one way or another, are standing to lose thousands and thousands of dolloars because of one man’s greed. However, I have been contacted and there is a move afoot to boycott the camp store and gas pumps, and those that are left by fall to refuse to make September’s payment. There are those that will force this issue one way or another. What do we have to lose? Either we are not going to but into Charlie’s condo scheme and be forced out, or according to Hardie the place goes belly up and the new owners throw us out. Either way most of us are out, so why would we give WWS anymore money???

  15. DG 15 years ago June 10, 2009

    Has anybody mentioned the toxic waste that is probably in the ground as a result of the burning of the old docks three winters ago. The old pressure treated wood was full of arsenic and not supposed to be burned as it leaves its presence in the ground. The fire was pretty big that night.

  16. re-john hardie 15 years ago June 10, 2009

    John first of all you have no integrity, charlie pulls the strings and your just a puppet. The challenge to talk to you directly will just end bad for that person. We all know you always carry a gun, why is that do you have something to be affraid of ? Have you pissed alot of people off or do you just carry charlies cash to the bank ?

    let’s go over your list shall we.
    1. Campers were not upset with the old owners John Picard did not want the campground anymore, John Picard is still in the area if anyone wants to talk to him
    2. The septic did not cost 1.1 million , try around $ 300.000.00 . this came right from charlie when it was done
    3. The gate house expansion cost $ 289.000.00 . are we to believe you spent that much on an addition for storage. do you think people are that stupid . but you did cut down trees to make the parking lot bigger and then build a mountain with a junk yard next to it. i think doing all that work made the parking lot smaller? the cost of that addition should not have been more than $30,000.00
    4. as for the store your right.
    5. I don’t think you payed that much for the gas cause if you did you would of fixed the sign and hired a kid to pump gas all day long to make your money back . Now you wait until the store ladies are finished making a sub and then collect the money for the sub before they come out and pump gas . its not rocket sience, but wws does not want to pay for help.
    6. now you guys are stupping so low as to use the death of a child to say you thought the docks were inadequate so out of the goodness of your heart you put in all new docks. you scumbags , those docks have been there a long time with many kids walking on them but you take 1 unfortunate accident and try to use it for your advantage.
    7. the deal with propane is good for the campers
    8. you moved the dump so the campers could take care of there own trash not wws
    9. painting is just part of the maintance on the camp ground
    so lets recap, 90% of the crap coming out of your mouth is a lie. you raised the rates and take away trash and leave pick up. 50% of the campers left because of the owners not putting money back into the camp ground for the campers. people leave so that means no activities for the remaining kids , lets face you have not spent a $1000.00 for activities for the kid in the past 10 years. John you just drive around with the puppet master anyway why don’t you do the activities for the kids
    as for that survey let me have it so i can wipe my a** with it , then it will show the real results.

    the o’charlie stimulas package is all we see it reads, don’t spend money on the campers of wws unless charlie makes money from it

  17. sad 15 years ago June 10, 2009

    Being a camper for a long time and the seeing many changes over the years, some for the good some for the bad with both owners, all of this saddens me. Every year families go to camp to relax and try to forget about the real world wherever they may be from. The kids, with or with out activites are in a large group and are able to be kids. The run around and actually play! All the adults get to sit around and just relax, sometimes with friends, sometimes its an early night. It never matters what you do, you always are welcome anywhere if you would like to attend. This year has been probably the sadest summer yet and it is just begining. This is all anyone can talk about and has put a heavy cloud on every weekend. We have been lied to, avoided, and some have actually been yelled at for given an opinion. This is not what camping is all about. Unfortunalty or fortunatly, whichever way you look at it, my time has come to an end at WWS and I will still miss it terribly. I just wish the owners or managers would realize that because the campers do not have any formal information, just what we read, this is where the anger and disappoitments come from. Communication is the key in any upsetting situation!

  18. charlie's skeem 15 years ago June 10, 2009

    We all know Charlies out for himself and no one else. He could never pull the things he does in any other town except Ossipee. Let’s face it that’s why he was pushed out of Wolfeboro in the mid 90’s. He will probably file or bankrupcy like he did after his first wife to try and hold on to the campground. The best part is that he’ll eventually loose everything beacuse he thinks he knows everything. The people that are responding are campers but alot of the readers aren’t and we are laughing because we also know of his ways. I hope he is left with nothing in the end. Charlie hasn’t fooled any of us. I hope you end up in jail for all the illegal things you’ve done. To John and Charlie watch what you may say about your integrity because with all this talk you might have some ghost come out of the closet.

  19. hardie-har-har 15 years ago June 10, 2009

    think about this…..does anyone believe any company /person would pay millions for wws and the kick everyone out and spend millions more to hot top roads and clear cut all the tress and vegetation…IN A FREAKIN FLOOD ZONE…..within 2-3 years all those roads would be undermined and/or washed out fromm flood waters……and they are going to do this with no income………THEY MUST REALLY THINK WE ARE STUPID………..in regards to Touse dont forget to be careful around the guy that brings all the meat for charlie and friends and feeds them and also has charlies personal phone numbers on speed dial on his cell phone….a direct pipeline to charlie

  20. long time camper 15 years ago June 10, 2009

    I applaud everything re-john hardie said above. They are absolutely correct. As for friend of a camper, everything we love about the campground was there before Charlie took over. We love the lake, the beach, the woods, the freedom our kids have to play and the sanity it used to give us to light a fire and sit around with friends to talk and laugh. Charlie did not provide any of that. The activities we did have pre-Charlie were all run by campers who did it because it was fun and to the best of my knowledge did not require a paycheck for doing so. They were able to talk to the owners and run things as a team. Gee, I remember when Charlie’s crowd tried to continue candy bar bingo for the kids. You had to bring your own candy bar to win!!!!!!!! We used to be able to advertise our trailers for sale on the camp channel for free. Now we are charged ( is it $150.00? ) to fill out a “for sale form” and Charlie gets 15% of your sale. I mean come on. Now moving on to communication. That’s a joke to. In the 10 years Charlie has been at wws we have never had a camper meeting to discuss issues of any kind in the campground. You would think they would want to know how we feel. Anyway, this is just ridiculous and I take great offense to the postings which suggest if we didn’t like the way things were run then we should have just left.

  21. a camper 15 years ago June 10, 2009

    This is useless. This is going to get us no where. Charlie and John you know what us campers need.. Are you going to do anything for us!!! OR should we be looking some place else??

    The campers

  22. wws hopeful camper 15 years ago June 10, 2009

    Read the truth between the lines,Charlie and John can do nothing, they can say all they want but the bank and the lawyers are the ones in control on this one. Until that changes, we can only wait and see, if the auction is canceled how much longer until this happens again?

  23. Nora 15 years ago June 10, 2009

    I can not believe what I am reading. I have never been witness to so many low class people in my life. Cowards, every stinking one of you. You dont have the guts to say this to Charlie and John faces. You disgust me. Look at you all whining like children who need their diapers changed. Not one of you could put yourself in Charlie’s shoes and come out any better then he has. The campground is well maintained. The roads are graded. The building are painted and the rest rooms are clean. You have the largest and most beautiful campsites in the Lakes Region. You pay less for that beauty then I do in property taxes. Last year Charlie got many compliments for the fact that he didnt raise his gas prices. He was a dollar per gallon lower then the other gas pumps on the lake. He was lower then the gas prices on the street. People were saying that they wanted to bring their cars down to the dock and fill up there. Not everyone can afford the luxury of staying on the lake for the Summer. Many people have lost their jobs. Many people are losing their homes. Many people are going without. All you can do is complain. How does it make you feel to kick someone when they are down? Each and everyone of you would do well to have friends like Charlie and his family. People are always asking to borrow something or asking them for favors. He does a lot for the community. As far as Dave Mason goes…anyone that listens to him is a fool. Everyone knows why he is upset. I wonder how those flying lessons he took were paid for? I wonder how he bought that Mustang? He needs to grow up and stand on his own two feet for once in his life.

    John Hardie is a good man. He will do anything for anyone and there is nothing wrong with him being a friend to Charlie. Friends will do anything for another friend. That is nothing to be ashamed of. I will tie my friends shoes if they need me to. You people just dont get it. You are shallow and jealous and you are taking joy in the fact that times are hard and difficult business decisions have to be made. Who are you to judge Charlie and John? You all make me sick. You think the cost of running that campground comes out of thin air. The property taxes alone would knock you on your butts. You are clueless. Our property taxes in Ossipee went up about 25% last year. Did your lot rent go up 25% ? No it didnt. Do you know how much it would cost to buy a piece of property on the lake and then have to pay for all the upkeep? Do you know how much that will be in 10 years? Buying a site locks you in to a price just like it does when you buy a home. What is wrong with that? The value will increase. You will have equity. I dont get it. I just dont get it.

  24. Mailbox 251 15 years ago June 10, 2009

    Of course you don’t get it. Let me clue you in. You ARE NOT buying a site, you are buying 1/251 of Condo #6, in other words a “mailbox”. There is no equity in a mailbox. There is no bank in its right mind that will lend tens of thousands of dollars to buy one of Charlie’s mailboxes. Oh, and because Charlie will maintain complete control of five of the six proposed condo units he has five votes and all 251 potential mailbox owners TOGETHER only share a single vote. Hmm, who does that favor? Anyone else know of any other condo associations run this way? Who else out there in condo land lives in the mailbox?
    Sick? Try some Dramamine…but better get it quick because I hear that Chaz is upping the price to five bucks a dose at the camp store. Guess he figures he can pocket quite a profit with all the sick campers that will be moping around the campsite this weekend!

    Ah, it doesn’t matter. The bank is going to own this place sooner rather than later…I just want to be there when Chaz has to hand HIS gate card over! LOL

  25. Nora 15 years ago June 10, 2009

    You dont need to clue me in on anything. You need to get the facts straight before you run your big mouth. Gossip and rumors are assumptions. You thrive on that BS. It is pretty clear that you dont have any idea of what is really going on. You are creating turmoil and disruption and I am willing to bet you are one of those campers who are troublesome. Box 251, you are not using your head. You are using someone else’s head and they filled yours with complete garbage. You wouldnt know anything about business or finances. I imagine you bang nails for a living. I dont think you could do much else.

  26. David Mason 15 years ago June 10, 2009

    Charlie the only fool is you. You had your chance at a very good life the only thing that got in the way was your greed. The fact is you don’t know everything it is quite evident, your people skills need a little help. I guess it takes a big man to admit when they are wrong and that’s something that you will never do, So keep believing the stories you make up to help yourself sleep at night. The only person sitting home alone on Christmas is you! As far as the mustang and school goes maybe that’s just something you do for a son did your parents enjoy telling you all they did for you or did they just do it because they loved you. How they must feel now.

    I give my opinion because of the calls I get telling me how Charlie is screwing them now. The only answer I have is for you all to stick together; he can’t afford to throw you all out. Spending your summer in a mailbox doesn’t sound like fun to me, not to mention legal once again the legal mind of Charlie Smith. And I’m sure you all will enjoy the endless condo fees that would that would be sure to come, it takes a lot to maintain a mailbox. In the end you all need to realize that the campground is a business and you all have a choice. I would choose to never let Charlie ruin my summer ever again, that’s what I did

    It is so sad to see such a great place in the hands of such an awful person. If I were you I would hold on to your trees that the first thing that goes when Charlie needs money Sammys. Expo, Ryefield Barn.

    Goodluck

    DAVID

    (Nora I mean Charlie can’t even use your real name)

  27. Mailbox 251 15 years ago June 10, 2009

    Question for you Nora, since you seem to have the inside scoop.
    Is the campground paying the appropriate fees to broadcast those satellite and HBO channels throughout the campground? Not to worry, I’ve fired off an email already to the appropiate companies to see if the necessary fees are being paid. Tell Chaz to pick up the phone, its probably the satellite legal rep calling, and we know how much they like to get their fees!

  28. Nora 15 years ago June 10, 2009

    David,

    Charlie is a friend of mine. Dont be paranoid. You said it yourself. Charlie was like a father to you. He treated you well. You lived there for nothing. He paid for everything. I guess that wasnt enough. Is this how you repay him for his kindness? Everyone has bad feelings when families break up but not everyone posts on message boards dissing the person that helped them for many years. You stole from Charlie and now you are trying to persuade people to leave the campground. That is wrong on so many levels. I hope you are proud of yourself. I am not Charlie and there are plenty of people that know me. So stop your paranoid delusions and stop taking pleasure in all of this. Your life was a lot better when you could suck the life out of Charlie. Now you cant and that is why you are causing such a scene. You are showing that he made a good choice by getting you out of his life.

  29. Nora 15 years ago June 10, 2009

    Box 251, again I will tell you that you are making assumptions and now false allegations.

  30. 2nd year camper 15 years ago June 10, 2009

    This is my second year at WWS.
    I love camping here. I camp at many places, as I am retired and go south in the winter. This campground offers more than most campgrounds I have stayed in. I really do not understand the attitude here.
    Do you think you are intitled to anything. If you are upset about paying a % when you sell your camper, haul it out of the park and sell it on the street. No % would be taken. OH NO! You wouldn’t get the thousands of dollars over book value that you would get by selling in the park. Go cry to someone who cares.
    You complain and cry how unhappy you are. WHY ARE YOU STILL HERE?
    There are no locks on the gates. Please leave if you are unhappy. I am here to enjoy myself and I will do so a lot easier without campers complaining that they are not getting something. What I am not sure.
    This is a business. The owners are in it to make money.
    From what I read everyone is afraid to leave their name because they will get thrown out of the camp. It seems to me that with all you complaining you should be lining up to leave on your own accord. This is nothing more than a mud slinging fest and most of you are too cowardly to step up and take responsibility.

  31. Mailbox 251 15 years ago June 10, 2009

    Nope. no allegations Nora, just a friendly inquiry to the satellite network to make sure everything is squared away. Oh, and second year camper, are you familiar with the WWS website, in particular the “for sale” section? Here you will find that people have already beat you to your own advice and are selling their units in droves. And by Mr. Hardie’s own admission, revenues are down by 50 %, much more when people skip the September payment if, and only if, Chaz still has the place by then.
    Methinks that by the time the leaves change colors this fall, Chaz will be but an unpleasant memory at WWS!

  32. previous and thankful camper 15 years ago June 10, 2009

    Nora,
    It seems like your the only person sticking up for a poor Charlie. LOL. It seems by the blogs that it isn’t just one person that have issues with Charlie. I see from the blogs that Nora or Charlie is channeling some anger. The truth is that he doesn’t know what the truth is. He’s told me all about his previous families, yes families and they all have done something to him. I always wondered what you had to do to make your 2 sons never speak to you again. The funny thing is the more I got to know him,I figured out it wasn’t the other people he talked about it but himself. I also know a few things about Mr.Smith and his business decissions and he should really take a look at the people he cheats and steals from. As for David and his family I prayed they’d leave Charlie and move on. The blogs show the truth no one but Nora has a nice thing to say. I wonder why that is? Also when is Charlie going to blog or set things right? The only thing I know is I’m glad myself and my family got out and we are able to enjoy our time on the lake.

    Nora do you have a site at the campground??

  33. John Hardie 15 years ago June 10, 2009

    OK. You found me out. I carry a firearm 24/7. Not because I am afraid of the campers at Westwood Shores, but because of my previous background. I have been in 10 firefights and obviously not lost 1 yet. If you are planning a drive-by shooting be forewarned there is a phalanx gun platform on the roof of the motorhome. It is radar and laser directed. It is a 30 mm gattling gun capable of 6,000 rounds per minute. It would pulverize a golf cart or PU truck in 2 seconds.
    Seriously, I issued a challenge to all of the unhappy campers to come and sit down to talk about their issues. The only feedback has been negative, mud slinging, half truths, lies, and speculation.
    Let’s end the BS and sit down as Ladies & Gentlemen and talk about the issues.
    I issued a challenge because I was angry with all of the comments. I should have said I offer an open dialog to anyone who wants to talk with me.
    The only people that have shown real integrity have been David Mason and his family, bitter as they are, at least they were not afraid to sign their name. Please step up to the plate, and contact me. I told you integrity is important to me and I would look like a fool if you came forth to talk to me and you were thrown out. Besides everyone seems to be determined to leave anyway. What do you have to lose.

    John Hardie

  34. 2nd year camper 15 years ago June 10, 2009

    Mailbox 251,

  35. Nora 15 years ago June 10, 2009

    >>>Box 251: Nope. no allegations Nora, just a friendly inquiry to the satellite network to make sure everything is squared away. Oh, and second year camper, are you familiar with the WWS website, in particular the “for sale” section? Here you will find that people have already beat you to your own advice and are selling their units in droves. And by Mr. Hardie’s own admission, revenues are down by 50 %, much more when people skip the September payment if, and only if, Chaz still has the place by then.
    Methinks that by the time the leaves change colors this fall, Chaz will be but an unpleasant memory at WWS!<<<

    You really dont understand that the economy accross the board up here is down 50%. It isnt just the campground. Last year it rained almost the entire Summer and gas prices were over 4 dollars a gallon. No one was coming up during the week. Many places have closed. Many jobs are gone. Are you living in a bubble somewhere? Stop being a coward. I have published my first name and people at the campground know me. Who are you ? Do you have the guts to back up that big mouth of yours?

  36. 2nd year camper 15 years ago June 10, 2009

    Mailbox 251, If you put your camper up for sale on the camp website Mr Smith gets a commission right? My advise is to take your camper down to route 16 and put a for sale sign on it. You will not get anywhere near book value let alone what you will get in the park. All of these negative comments and controversy only serve to devalue your camping unit if you are trying to leave. People who are angry often abandon common sense.
    Please think before you spew your negative remarks.

  37. Nora 15 years ago June 10, 2009

    Dear Second Year Camper,

    You hit the nail on the head. I would personally like to go down there and haul their crappy trailers out of there and all those additions be put in a big pile and have a big weenie roast.

  38. Nora 15 years ago June 10, 2009

    >>>John Hardie said: If you are planning a drive-by shooting be forewarned there is a phalanx gun platform on the roof of the motorhome. It is radar and laser directed. It is a 30 mm gattling gun capable of 6,000 rounds per minute. It would pulverize a golf cart or PU truck in 2 seconds.<<<

    Bwahahahahahaha! John this is why I love you. You crack me up.