First Qatar Apartments on Pearl Rip Off

I'd be interested to know that as well.

i just need to check the prices after all that has been going on...

anyone selling?!?!

what to do?

pearls sucks!

where is it mentioned FQ lost millions of dollars? HAs there been any court case?

FQ general manager has single-handedly lost his company

tens of millions in sales due to their lack of transparency and outright manipulation and abuse of their existing clients. You think this has not affected them? think again. Anyone who has done even the slightest bit of research before buying will treat FQ like a plague. FQ will never fully recover from their perceived actions. Never. What is truly arrogant and a travesty is FQ management has not taken a single action to make amends or clear the air. Nothing. Not even raise a single finger. Only more BS.

They have been so harshly criticized due to their own actions of course the name FQ or First Qatar is now synonomous with mistrust, shady dealing, underhanded,

and trickery.

A word of advice for FQ - change your name and manager.

Take a half-page ad out in the Gulf-Times and apologize

for the grief you have caused your customers and explain

actions you will take to create trust and create and atmosphere of fairness.

If anyone from FQ is interested in hiring myself to do this for you (at this point my 8 year old daughter could do a better job than your present GM) please text me and I would be happy to take the job. i dont work cheap though.

All the original SPA's are the same for each developer so the Land would look at what FQ did to their home buyers & think yeah, why not, it worked for them, the newspapers won't publish anything bad, what do we have to lose... They don't care about losing their reputation, integrity, ethical standards, etc, it is all about squeezing every cent they can while there are no investor safeguards in place.

The next thing you will get from the Land is a contract amendment totally changing the original SPA just before handover. This new amendment basically forces you to agree to new conditions like agreeing to pay a 2.5% Pearl Premium Fee & uncapped UDC charges (currently QR72 sqm + building maintenance costs) on the basis of if you don't sign you have to take them to court to get your property. This is what FQ is doing now & what you can look forward too soon.

Dear Readers,

Get ready for the BIG news in couple of DAYS.....

First Qatar is a BIG LIAR and Cheating their costumer..... Don't ever trust First Qatar Staff like( ZIAD and RASHA ) they just tell you bullshit to shut your mouth ....

Don't ever buy the Apartment from First Qatar, if you did you will make a BIG mistake like mine.... they just lie and lie to their costumer....

I will tell you guys the full story and what happen in few days...., i struggle a lots from this people...

Good luck Guys,,,,

I bought a 2B apartment from the Land and after nearly 2 years delay I just received an "Handover letter" from their end.

This handover letter does not include any handover date (of course)but only a list of charges to be paid:

- Connection Charges to Utilities: 18000 QR

- Cooling services: 48000 QR (40 KQR for upfront fee)

- Kitchen appliances: 21000QR

First I am surprised about the cooling fees since from the various posts in this forum I was expecting "only" 18000 QR? Did they increase their fees as well to copy FQ?

Secondly they charged me for a Kitchen that I never asked for and which is not mentioned at all in the contract, weird...

They conclude the letter by "In the event that settlement is made within 2 weeks, there will be no further liability on you to pay any additional charges imposed by the Master developer to the developer on unity connection..this offer is valid until 09/05/2010"

What do u think about this? Look like a new way to get money from us without ever committed to a final handover date.

Any other owners from the Land who did receive this letter?

Any advice?

Most of the contractors who supplied labour have not been paid by Qafco who were the main contractor so there will be little sympathy for anyone. I supplied many labour to this project and since june i have had no payment as the developer ran out of money.So how come they got finished

hey pinelands. been a while since we spoke. wanted to send you a PM but it's not working and i forgot your e-mail address. do you still remember my e-mail. if yes, please send me a mail.

thanks, dune

kitecrazy, tintin, pinelands, hotandsticky and Eve, if you haven't signed the addendum yet and you're intrested in doing something about this, as a group, please send me an email: [email protected]

I'm not sure how much we can accomplish but we should at least try to get together and discuss the options.

We're not signing this either. FQ's name is on the original SPA and on this new amendment. If it goes to court it's not UDC who you sue it's FQ they are responsible.

I will not sign & I refuse to be blackmailed by them into signing. You cannot just change the contract whenever you like. I can't change it so why can they. I bought an apartment based on the original SPA terms and I'm not putting up with their BS.

Dear Mohito

We will not sign under any circumstances. As usual FQ blame UDC for everything however, if it is UDC's fault, why is FQ not fighting them on our behalf. They sold us the apartment with all the false information, therefore FQ is to blame in my opinion.

To answer your question, no, i don't know of anyone that has moved in yet...

Also, i've sent you an email in response to yours. Look fwd to getting everyone together and sort all this S*** out!

You're not alone, Dune.

We're not signing either. I'm going through all posts regarding FQ, just to find as many people as possible in the same situation. When there are enough of us, we should look at how to best fight this. I know that people, with other developers, have involved lawyers and that's probably what we should do as well.

Do you know if anyone has moved into La Riviera yet?

there is no way in hell that i'm signing this "new addendum" from FQ. i'm soooooooooooo fed up with all the bull s*** from FQ and UDC. they can all go and stick it where the sun doesn't shine. of course when i told FQ that i'm not signing the new addendum over my dead body, they said i'm the only one that is refusing to sign... i very much doubt that. i'm sure they are saying that to every client in the hope that they will sign...

all i can say is i refuse to. is there anyone else with FQ that is refusing to sign? it's time for us to get together and kick ass.

By the way there is a group on Facebook called "Living in the Zig Zag" which is open to anyone living in the Zig Zag towers for those who have any complaints or issues regarding the maintenance of the building.

Its a good way of getting introduced to new people within the building and to approach the managment if needed

First Qatar is just a con operation. How they can so flagrantly abuse and cheat their clients and think they can get away with it is unbelievable. First Qatar management really do not know their heads from their arses. What they should have done, if asked by UDC to amend their contracts with clients, is fought for their clients and be a voice against UDC injustices. What they have done is completely the opposite. This company has truely shown such a violation of what they say they are. So be it. Everything in their mission statement is such a joke. You can throw each and every sentence of it out the window. They have nailed their coffin and anyone who would purchase anything from this company deserves what they get. With their track record,you would have to be a complete imbisile to get involved in any type of relationship with First Qatar.

I have seen the original SPA contracts that the Land has and they are the same as FQ's. These contracts were originally supplied by UDC to the developer and they were required to use them for all sales so they are all the same.

This is just another scam. How can they make you sign a new contract that is different from the previous contract. FQ are already in breach of the contract on so many different levels so I guess they figure why not just re-write it and start again.

I agree about not needing to sign an addendum.

If we signed the original contracts, that means both parties agreed on the terms and conditions. If one party wants to change these terms (in this case 1st Qatar), then the 2nd party has the right to refuse to sign. Very simple.

Based on the current contracts with 1st Qatar, in the event they cannot deliver by February 28, they will notify the owners and the banks/lender so they do not start withdrawing money out starting March 2010 for mortgage payments.

What I am trying to say is that the apartment was sold to us under a certain terms and conditions. Both parties accepted. Changing this agreement is not a simple process of forcing the owners to sign. At this point, we are the legal owners of the apartments and no one can force us to sign any addendum that changes the main home owners association conditions.

DO NOT MAKE A MISTAKE AND SIGN

Everybody who purchased apartments with First Qatar will receive a new contract, or what they call "addendum" to the contract, which has many new clauses. Guess what the clauses are?? ofcourse MORE OBLIGATIONS and MORE money to be paid ..

My advice is to ignore them. DO NOT SIGN OR BELIEVE A WORD THEY SAY !!

check this out

http://www.qatarliving.com/node/938800

Most of us made the investments when everything was sparking and shining. The project is nice, there is no question about it, but our problem is with the lack of transperancy, unprofessional way of dealing with clients and the lies.

Thank you for your kind wishes anyway.

Firstly , why would you buy an apartment in The Pearl ?!?! ....

Secondly , I would believe that if you are ready to spend 2M QAR , you will do some research before, know what you are investing in. So......there is really no reason to complain.

So, in the end, if you did a poor investment ,without double checking the contract and all other details, researching all the additional & hidden costs involved, sadly you have to leave with it and try to do your best to recover at least a part of your investment.

Hopefully the courts will help you out, but, if the contract is clear and abiding the law (as i understand it is) then, I fill sorry for you. Also , before going to the court, seek advice from different Law firms (not only one), check some Law consultants and see if there is anything you can do, if you have any chance to win. Otherwise you will just add extra charges on an already very high bill.

Good Luck my friend, you will certainly need it .....wish you the best....

Last December, after i visited the building, i was expecting that our apartments would be dileivered in March (next month). Now, i can't really tell when we will be moving in.. I am just so confuzed with all the lies we keep hearing from the agents, developers and the Master Developer "UDC". The number of new stories they make every month is just increadable !!

Hi aaa157

Anyone that owns a property on the Pearl will appreciate your new year wishes.

Thanks for the wishes, home owner or not!

We can all use some positive news this year after the hell we went through since buying our apartments.

I don't work for any agency. I am just another owner who is wishing a better year for all other owners after all what we've faced in the past.

If you have some time, visit First Qatar's tower "La Riviera" and you will see why i started to feel better about the project.

'I have a feeling that 2010 will have an incredible influx of people moving into their apartments.'

Delusion

Happy New Year Everyone ..

I hope that this year will be a better year for all of us, as apartment owners at the pearl..

I have a feeling that 2010 will have an incredible influx of people moving into their apartments.

group of Purchasers who have bought on The Pearl who are getting together to challenge these charges and the delays to the apartments?

There seem to quite a few threads on this forum about The Pearl. Is there anything that is centralised?

I just went to the building. The whole building is powered up, and personally i think people can move in pretty soon. If nothing goes wrong, I would say March the latest.

So, do guys accually know when is the acual hand over?

losangeles123,

I think it will be a waste of your time and money.

Unfortunately, this is not America!

Hello everyone. I am trying to fin out if anyone who is already suing First Qatar can share with me the name and number of their lawyer as I am in the process of pursuing legal case against them for issuing a qutation and then refusing to issue a final quptation after getting my preliminary approval from the bank. they are basically saying they have a better offer! Any other comment would be appreciated. If you have a contact information for the lawyer please email it to me directly at: [email protected]

Thanks

To what extent has prices of apartments in Qatar Pearl depreciated from thier initial book value? Is this a good time to buy?

I had dinner last night at Burj Alhamam restaurant at the Pearl. I have to say that i couldn't stop looking at the First Qatar Tower all night. I have an appointment tomorrow to go and look at my apartment.. Will give some updates when I get back tomorrow.

If you want to buy on the Pearl, buy a resale apartment from someone else who has already put up with the developers BS. You'll get a decent price & will not have to put up with the developer's lies.

It will be great when finished, but when will that be?

All are propaganda! Ha ha! And Dubai doesn't have a problem with too much debt and the earth is flat....

Forgot to ask why are you purchasing direct from the developer? That is the biggest mistake you could possibly make. Surely you can find a present unit owner who is willing to sell for realistic price.

Love that comment by LosAngeles 10 posts back.

"No one to trust from the First Qatar office".

Well what a surprise that was. Hope you were able to get a realistic price because one thing is for certain - you were not going to get anything close to realistic from their office. After their public fiasco I would not touch anything from that tower over 10,500 QR per square meter, and Im sure a few here would say that is too much.

Interested in what they quoted 18 - 20,000 squ/met?

53% increase in sales? From 2 apartments to 3? Good job

agent. Talk it up. Nobody falls for the hype anymore.

I guess you didn't understand my comment. a wash with cash means, lots of money, high liquidity, big moola, plenty of the folding stuff etc

If being called rich is an insult then the world has changed and I didn't notice.

Fubar, when did i say it is the smallest thing?

I don't think you read my comments. I just didn't like it when i hear someone saying this country is a "wash"

Except Dubai, is the census stating that there is 88,000 fewer people in this Country this year than last.

That's a big number.

What's more worrying is that the Airport, Losail, Sidra, the Pearl, Ras Gas and other are in FULL SWING.

What I am saying and this is backed up reports in the two English papers today is that Qatar's population has settled at 1.5 Million and will probably shrink further perhaps settling at around 1.4 until it's finished when a Million labourers will leave.

The estate agents say there is no NEW demand from people coming into the Country.

Which is a bit of a problem for the Pearl and other developments. Particularly Losail.

I think we have seen the end of the rapid population increases we have seen in the past.

Most of us know that's over except, it would seem some agents.

Rents are going to continue to dwindle down. Not good for your investment.

AAA157,

I dream of the day when I'm so rich that having an apartment delivered years and years behind schedule with a bill for hundreds of thousands of riyals to connect the air conditioning is 'the smallest thing'.

There are many people facing financial ruin because of the shoddy dealing at The Pearl and you think it's just 'the smallest thing'??

I can't even compare the pearl with Dubai's JBR ( Jumeirah Beach Residence), which is not in the top in terms of quality. Yet, the developer have provided tenants with all kind of services to each individual building(access to beach, pool,garden, day time nursery, pharmacy, Convenience store, gardens, laundry service, even a Virgin Mini-store and a 3 km string of cafes, restaurants & shops at the walk ) by the time the units was handed over. I agree with NIC as soon as tenants moves in, many complains will come out. Let's just hope it doesn't turn out to be exactly like EZDAN...

Thanks for your comments genesis on the al amir road faisco. I'm not at all familar with the contract and why it failed but contract over run is very common.... As for ashghal I'm amazed who long it takes them to build a road, it's a disgrace really.

As for aaa's comments I'm not here to bash Qatar. In fact I would say the pearl is a fantastic development, completed on time and good value for money, but if I said that it would be a lie. If I didn't like Qatar I wouldn't leave here but it doesn't mean it does not have it's challenges.

Thank you Genesis for explaining the truth, unlike others who are just looking for the smallest thing to start expressing their hate for Qatar

"a wash!!!"

Nothing is more relaxing than flying like an Eagle in Heaven !!

huh! i knew that from a long time! well?!? bravo. let them keep doin this and remind me what will be the situation next year in QATAR :) i hope that what am expecting will not happen..

That's what me & (maybe) other tenants are raising in our lawsuit against our developer, I can't give details now though. The developer have delayed the hand-over many times, Although the building looks ready. The installation services fees for my unit is nearly 144K, which in earlier correspondences the developer have promised to cover 60% of it.

I would like to see now how Qatar Cool will operate their factories with tenants not occupying the unit. As it's a known fact that little load will harm their system efficiency in the long run.

I think it's time that UDC steps in & take charge of this situation as it might damage their project reputation...

So I guess that means that the new owners shouldn't feel obliged to pay for work that is delivered late, or pay for any costs that weren't included in the original price quotation?

Apparently you're the one who has no idea about payment process of leading international companies as per their contracts & projects cash flow. Any international contracting company have & will maintain executing projects for government entities like QP, Qatar foundation, the private Engineering office or Kahramaa.

What happened to Billfinger is that they underestimated the cost for the given project & quoted low without evaluating the prices of local subcontracting companies . Off course they were paid as per the completed work. However, the work was never completed although the contract end date have reached. Which makes Ashgal entitled to applying penalties. I can't blame them alone though as they had to deal with Ashgal...

Fubar, UDC is the main developer & the only Qatari Firm. As far as i know, other developers like First Qatar & Sabban are none-Qatari contracting companies

aaa you obviously have no idea how contracting works and how companies get paid.

Qatar and Dubai are different. Qatar is hydrocarbon rich but if they do not pay their bills companies will not want to come here and do work... reputation is everything when it comes to multimillion dollar projects...

I guess that means that the local Qatari firms responsible for The Pearl being 2 years late won't get paid either?

Of course Billfinger won't get pai. Ashgal is not that stupid to pay him before them before they complete their project. Billfinger is more than 2 years late, why should Ashgal pay them???

I think you have forgotten that Qatar and Dubai and totally different. One is Hydrocarbon rich and the other is famous with realestate, tourism ..etc.

Most importantly, if this country is really a wash, you would have stayed here and made money. But I guess you are one of those haters..

Because the country is awash with cash due to hydrocarbon riches, but when the easy money runs out will these companies still get paid, (see Dubai again) and will they still invest here? Billfinger stopped getting paid by Ashgal and surprise, surprise lost the court case against Ashgal. So they have left the country.

Dubai World owes 29 billion to its creditors and Sheik Makhtom says all these foreigners know nothing. His finance minister says although the government owes 100% of the shares the government is not responsible for its debt and the people lending the money should accept some of the blame. (Correct on both accounts). However what damage will that do to investors confidence in Dubai from now on...

by exiledsaint: "The laws are written for citizens not fir foreigners "

WOW !!!

If that's true, then why are there many forign companies investing in Qatar? oh, and they have been here more than 30 years??

Well some people never learn. Maybe they have called the bottom of the Market,(see Dubai for further shocks) and you think it's a good ling term investment. However check out your legal rights first if something goes wrong. Oh you have very little not being a citizen of this country..... What a surprise ... The laws are written for citizens not fir foreigners and even then the government always wins.....

whoooowww..my..my..my..

whoooowww..my..my..my..

And still want to invest are you crazy.

Do U think this was the better investment you had to do in life...

Hello all. I am new from LA and have decided to settle here for few years. We saw an apartment in First Qatar tower. We are negotiating the price with FQ and to be honest I have no one to trust in the real estate office to guide me on the real selling price now. The apartment is a 3 bdroom on the 17th story (actual 23 level) with sea view. 3bdr plus a maid room. Any advice from you all on the price per square meters in this tower right now?

Hope all of you had a happy thanksgiving holiday!

Thanks!

GREAT NEWS..

I look forward to live in my new apartment too..

There are a few offers on the table from FQ that will reduce the fees down to zero which, lets face it, is what they should have been anyway.

I got a letter from the bank yesterday saying the place will be ready in Feb - which seems about right. FQ staff seemed to have lost the bad attitude they had 6 months ago and are now back in "try to please the customer" mode, although they are not talking about a handover date still- i think they are sick of missing the date and have given up.

The apartment looks nice, the location looks great and I'm back to looking forward to moving in again. The sea view and the location to the shops is brilliant. From my balcony I can watch the sun rise and then the rest of the time I'm in the shade so I can actually use my balcony without burning up from the sun.... I'm much more positive about the project - at the moment.

Thank you Camelme for sharing your experience with us. I am glad that things started to get better and the work is actually progressing. Just like everyone else, I am also hurt by what's going on in the Pearl, but i sometimes feel lucky that i am far away from what happened to owners of California tower for example..

One thing I would like to ask Camelme, did you get a waiver for all the connection fee charges? They told me by phone that we can get a waiver once we pay off all the remaining amount? Is this true?

Shaheka143, you said "The companies and PEOPLE here are not professionals. They are ALL cowards." and "Qatar doesn't have any professional behavior"

Your words hurt me more than anything I am facing at the Pearl. Thank you very much !!

Camelme,

Unfortunately this is the reality in Qatar and I am sure you have learned it in the hardest way.

Good luck and be patient, one day you'll get rid of the problem!

Nic I have no doubt that more issues are yet to come. There have been so many already that to think this is the last thing would be just totally naive.

After this Pearl experience I’m now the most cynical, untrusting person when it comes to the Pearl and all Qatar developers, real estate agents and banks.

What I am happy for now is that at the moment most of the pressing issues are gone. Given it is now a Thursday afternoon, this means I have an issue free weekend to rest up before the next wave of dramas occurs.

Camelme, welcome to Qatar. The land of the heritage. If you don't find something like this now then it will be a surprise.

Qatar doesn't have any professional behavior. Its the worst country i have ever come across. The companies and people here are not professionals. They are all cowards.

Go to a Lawyer and sue the company from where you bought the flat from.

Unfortunately more problems are yet to come, move in and you'll see.

I was in the building last week and I have to say our FQ apartment looks nice. Our apartment had lots of things for them to fix, but it was nice, great lighting and the sea view from every room was lovely. I would have thought they would have fixed the obvious things before they asked you to come in for snagging, but.....

It has 2 big service elevators and 4 normal elevators so access should be good - it has just taken loads of time and a whole load of issues with them to get this far (how many 4 letter colourful words have entered into the conversation when talking about them in the last 12mths. If I had a swear jar I would be loaded)

I'm told by FQ that it will be handed over in Dec/ Jan, but accounting for typical First Qatar BS and UDC mismangement I would say March. Looking around last week, there is quite a bit of internal work to do there, so Dec is no chance. Our bank manager went out there and he said he put out a message internally to give all owners payment holidays until end of Feb, which is when the bank thinks it might be ready.

I think the big issue is now when are the roads going to open, TV and internet services being connected, etc. Road access to that part of the island was not good, but UDC are opening tower 31 shortly (Dec or Jan) and as that is UDC's own tower and access is directly past FQ's tower, we should get better access shortly - hopefully.

They're also a decent way into building what will be called Medina Central - where the supermarkets, schools and clinic will be. This is directly across the road from FQ's property. This will be great for the residents, but not for another 18mths.

but the big question is, when is the hand over date? anybody has been in the building lately?

I think what matters is the fact that they are willing to drop those connection fee charges from us.

Sounds like First Qatar is really desperate for cash. Does anyone know who is propping them up? As for suing them, that sounds like a non-starter. If they have no cash now even if you win what will you get? Nothing, maybe drive them to the wall and then an uncompleted apartment that you cannot sell.....

Rents are still falling. I've just sorted my mate out a 2 bed apartment on the zig zag for 9000 QR fully furnished. He had to pay a year up front to the Qatari landlord but people are desperate to get some sort of return now.

Anybody did the snagging?

I expect the 1 beds to average about 9K after a year and more towers are available. 2 beds at 12K 3 beds at 14-16K

I expect 3 beds to be hard to rent as they are going to be rented for Villa money and frankly a Villa is always going to be better than a flat.

Thanks for the info on those abandoned flats, who has brought in those towers ? I am presuming there will be NO refunds for them. I can't see UDC shelling out for another companies financial cock up.

Aviduser, I just found out that the same person rented another one bedroom apartment (a little bigger than the first one) for 11,500 QR/month

Aviduser, the abandoned towers you are talking about (the two towers on the right side once you enter Porto Arabia) used to be for a Kuwaiti investor/developer from the "Al-Bahbahani" family. For those who do not know, Al-Bahbahani is a well known "business" family in Kuwait, just like Alfardan here in Qatar. Anyway, I know for sure UDC took over the building from this Kuwaiti developer and will finish it. They are in the process of changing the contracts with the owners right now, and from what I heard they should continue working on the building in a couple of months once they finish the logistics.

However, if you see First Qatar Tower from outside, you would think its complete, because it does look finished actually. So, I don't think they will abandon the project at this stage. I haven't been inside the building since last May. I would like to hear from other owners if they have been there lately or have done the snagging process yet???

Let me know if you are going as a group effort to the developer the more the merrier

I don't those who brought at the right time will make decent returns.

I think 10K is fair for a 1 bed. Rents on the Pearl can only really go one way as more towers come on line.

Prices for the Zig Zag have continued to fall, I know it's a bit like comparing apples with oranges but the reason, I think they have fallen is BOTH tower are ready and that's at least 800 flats.

Once more towers in the Pearl come online the "exclusivity" will fall and like everything in life prices will fall to a place where it meets demand.

I know people have claimed that some towers will be left empty until prices go back up but that in it's self can't force rents up.

As for giving First Qatar more money, what guarantee do you have that it will be finished in 78 months or worse they take more money and abandon the project in the second half of the year.

I want to know what is happening to the 2 towers that seem to be abandoned are they the first qatar towers ?

First Qatar is in a very need for the cash, otherwise they wouldn't waive the connection fee charges for those who are willing to pay off their apartments this month without handing over the apartment.

I personally think it is a good deal to pay off now and start pay the interest instead of paying 120,000 for connection fee charges. Yes, its true that I will be paying interest for God knows how long and First Qatar still hasn't given us the new handover date, but i don't think it will be more than 7 months from now. That's why I would like to hear from other owners when they expect to get their apartments.

By the way, my best friend rented out his one bedroom apartment in tower 4 (starting from last September) for 10,500 QR per month. I personally do think that he should have waited a little longer to find a better deal. I can't remember how big his apartment is but i know he paid 1.49 million QR. I think 8.4% is a very good "tax free" return.

If you cannot afford the insurance, you can’t afford the car.

Well hers keeping up with the Jones, I thought you have to be a drug runner to buy here…

Rules are a guideline for intelligent people, but they must be adhered to by idiots.

All the owners need to group and sue the developers, it will be easier and hopefully less expensive if its a group effort, its really criminal, lets just hope the courts here will acknowledge this based on the players involved, I wonder if their was any wording in the contract aobut the use of your apt. as it cannot be used as an abode without services.

With all this. I think the comments that First Qatar needs money are spot on.

Remember most of these so called developers never actually had enough money to actually fully build and finish their towers. They were always relying on the staged payments from purchasers to do the works.

In the good times it was fine as money poured in, but now people are not buying off plan (and never will in the GCC again EVER) the companies are now faced with HUGE shortfalls in cash flow.

There are 2 towers that are abandoned in phase one of Porto Arabia. That is a prime example of a developer running out of cash.

Anyway I would like to know what the current situation is. Also has ANYONE except abocayenne actually rented their properties out yet ?

WOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOO,,,,,

I just talked to First Qatar and they told me if i can get my mortgage and pay off my apartment, they will waive all the connection fee charges from me. For my apartment, the connection fee charge is about 120,000 QR. It seems that QF is finally listening to its customers. The only thing is I will be paying all the remaining amount but not sure when my apartment will be hannded over to me !!

Has anyone gotten this deal?

After I see what you're facing guys, I feel it's better that my apartment is not finished...here's another example of what we buyers at Pearl Project suffering ?!??

http://www.qatarliving.com/node/781151#comment-1173483

if you think FQ is a rip off, wait till you meet with (ERA GULF REALESTATE)...at least your building is kinda finished...

And I really need to say this...if it happened that you're an investor and checking out on Qatarliving if buying an apartment in the Pearl is a good investment...DON'TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT....I say it again...DON'TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT....I already warned you...take it now and thank me later...

Don't know where all this going ? but definitely we're going to hell...

This sounds like a sad story already told. It’s called Dubai. Pay in full now and have lower charges when you move in. Some people I know are still waiting since 2007 delivery date!

I am not sure what you mean by skyrockets !

the drainage connection cost is a one time deal. We won't be paying anything for drainage after this.

I am just tired of waiting. the problem is not only first qatar is late, all other developers have finished construction costs (Sabban, The Land ...etc) but nobody knows when the handover date is !!!!

I find the drainage costs in the letters to be low.

In the future those will skyrocket as the ocean starts reclaiming what belongs to it, especially since it is rising... Drainage will have to be increased dramatically.

Right now these costs are a bargain.

Has anyone received a new letter from First Qatar??

It seems that they are willing to pay half the connection costs (50%) only if we agree to pay off the whole apartment cost in November without handing over the keys.

They are really striving for cash !! They really want the remaining amount as soon as possible, otherwise why would they drop 50% of the connection costs???

For those of you who bought apartments from FQ, are you going to trust them and pay all the remaining amount today even though the new handover date is unknown??

Stealth - "Once the last apartment is sold" ! ?

Do you really think First Qatar has or will sell

ANYTHING since they have single-handedly trashed their reputation in Qatar?

Who would be fool enough to buy in this tower now?

This company is running on borrowed funds and certainly is not relying on cash flow from sales of its own property. If we are waiting until the last apartment is sold, which will never happen as long as FQ is in the mix , then handover date is looooong time coming.

Our contract handover date was Nov. 1, 2008 and we are drifting to close to 12mths beyond this so pay no attention to what the handover date says in the contract or the terms relating to pulling out and getting your money back.

You will find that even if you wanted to get out of the contract, you will not get back your money without a lengthy, and costly, legal battle. The terms of the contract are not respected or honoured.

Where is our notice that the building will be handed over, or extended as per the contract terms and with the official handover due in days.... no where to be seen.

i think once the last apartment is sold then only the final date will be announced. thats is wat it looks like.

My contract states that handover will be in November 2009. However, I talked to a few people who signed in late 2007 and they said their contracts state that handover was supposed to be in May 2009. Does this mean FQ only has 7 months left (meaning they HAVE to handover before May 2010, otherwise people can cancel their contracts and get their money back??)

I haven't seen those old contracts but it seems that people were given diffeent dates based on when they purchased their apartments.

I agree yet I find it strange that they cannot give u a clear picture of their own project

FQ are questionable at best. According to the contract they need to give us 30 days written notice of handover and this has not come.

I doubt UDC will allow them to hand over the apartments as the roads to and from those units appear to be still full of construction materials and blocked off. If you look at the Pearl, there are loads of places that are finished up to where the canal is in the middle and they are not yet occupied nor are you able to drive a car to them and then after the canal FQ's building is the only one that looks remotely finished among all the continued construction. I doubt UDC will let them had over in that state or even if UDC are ready to hand over.

The problem is with FQ they fabricate the truth so often it is really hard to believe anything they say anymore. Nothing is their fault and the truth is always a murcky shade of black. I've lost faith in them totally.

Yeah the definetly will not deliver next month. Everything FQ does ans say is questionable the told me the will know middle of month when they will handover???I shiver to imagine this company still exist.however if they don't deliver our apartments soon they will go bust

Has anyone seen the building lately? Are we still going to receive the keys to our apartments next month?

I really don't think so, but the problem is they don't even know when they are going to deliver the apartments. I went to their office on D-Ring road, and guess what??they blame UDC for not scheduling an appointment to look at the building to decide if its done or not. Come on!! construction is not done yet. What are they talking about??!!

To think that Qatar Cool just won an award....abit of a joke, no?

http://www.qatarliving.com/node/703442

*Bunga*

Contractors are mulling legal action against district cooling developer Tabreed for non-payment as the Dubai-listed firm grapples with liquidity issues due to the construction slowdown.

Tabreed, in which Abu Dhabi's state-run investment firm Mubadala has a stake, has withheld payments to some of its leading contractors, seeking discounts for some completed projects.

Some leading contractors working for Tabreed said that the firm has not paid them since the financial crisis began and has even written to them that future payments will be contingent on reaching agreements on the discounts.

"They are looking for backdated discounts on projects built and handed over. This is unprecedented," said an executive of an Abu Dhabi-based contracting firm asking not to be named due to confidentiality reasons.

"We are ready to renegotiate pricing on ongoing or future projects but Tabreed is not supportive. It is going to a dead end and the solution now is legal recourse," he said, adding the firm is owed over 100 million dirhams.

Tabreed, the largest district cooling firm in the Middle East and which is also called National Central Cooling Co., is currently undergoing restructuring after it replaced its senior management.

A senior manager of another contracting firm said he was willing to offer discounts subject to a clear payment plan. "But Tabreed is non-committal and their approach seems threatening," he said, adding the discounts sought range from 10 to over 50 million dirhams.

Tabreed's CEO Sujit Parhar says that the company faced liquidity issues and weaker than expected profitability in the current economic climate and is working towards a solution.

"With 17 plants under construction, we are constantly in discussions with our contractors with regards to changes in the market conditions pertaining to construction and equipment costs," he said in a statement to news agency Reuters.

"While we cannot comment on the terms of individual contractor relationships, I can assure you that Tabreed is paying and will continue to pay its contractors," he said.

Tabreed, the largest district cooling firm in the Middle East has 34 plants across the UAE with total capacity of 440,000 tonnes of refrigeration and plans to commission 16 plants by end of this year, Parhar said in July.

Tabreed secured about 1.1 billion dirhams bank financing this year despite tight credit markets.

Tabreed had planned capacity expansion last year before the crisis as the construction boom saw several mega projects including the Dubai metro taking shape in the UAE.

But with the financial downturn, construction projects were stalled or delayed and commodity prices fell forcing Tabreed to rework payments.

"It seems they are readjusting contracting prices because of falling commodity prices," said an Abu Dhabi-based analyst that tracks Tabreed.

"Given the current market situation, contractors have lost their negotiating powers and definitely are under pressure. The choice is to renegotiate or take legal action," he said.

Last month, Standard and Poor's lowered its long-term corporate credit rating on Tabreed to `BB-` from `BB' due to liquidity concerns.

http://business.maktoob.com/20090000373938/Contractors_to_sue_Tabreed_over_non_payments/Article.htm

If i were managing First Qatar, I would seriously consider selling all holdings to another developer and get out of town. Looks to be their best financial option. They have another FQ project at Viva Bahriya and Abraj quarter. Anyone seriously considering real estate investment here knows full well these scamming practices now.

camelme & hotandsticky,

I spoke with my bank 2 days ago and they were shocked what FQ have done to their costumer.The Land and Estico didn't charge their costumer that much.

We suffer but 1st Qatar will suffer more from their finacial crisis and the 2nd batch of their project will not succesful, let us spread the news around the world... to let people know what FQ have done to us :))

Hot and Sticky you are so right. Do a search in google for First Qatar and already look at the negative results.

The fact is that FQ own several more parcels of land on the Pearl and I wonder how they ever hope to do business again in Qatar with the reputation they have nurtured and the ethics they have displayed.

What FQ do not seem to grasp is that the next time people research First Qatar when they are about to buy an off-the-plan home, they will see this negativity and move onto the next developer. Why risk it when so many of us who bought into their first project have been burned.....

With all the obvious manipulation of its clients, First Qatar has dug themselves in a hole that clearly will hurt them financially for a long time to come and quite possibly as long as their business exists in Qatar.

Reputation is the key to successful business in Qatar and the reputation of FirstQatar is now in the abyss of a dumpster.

One fact they cannot explain away is that customers were

mislead, misinformed and not informed of what exactly the connection charges would be. Everyone assumed charges would be a reasonable figure and not the extortionate amounts now demanded. With that FirstQatar has thrown its credibility and trust out the window.

What is most amazing is the inability and sheer ignorance of First Qatar management to recognize this and

just pass it off as something that will fade away with time. How can anyone deal with a company that takes this

selfish and unprofessional approach? I truly believe this episode has now cost them more in lost sales, lost trust, loss of credibility for the future of its projects than they will gain from these exhorbitant fees wanted now. Incredibly stupid and short-sighted.

Placing short-term gain over trust, credibility and reputation is undoubtedly a recipe for failure and the fault of none other than the powers that be who manage First Qatar.

Anyone that does their homework will steer so far away not only from dealing with First Qatar, but the project as a whole for fear of future manipulation. So they have not only taken themselves down, but the entire group of unit owners as well. My condolences to unit owners who are now forced to reckon with this marriage to FQ. Good Luck.

with these mess, no way you guys would be able to re-sell your flat.

My sympathies with all of u caught up in this terrible mess but i feel u really made a bad investment choice in the first place....and these developers are now rubbing salt into ur wounds somehow the bad media attention this would generate would force some governmental intervention...hopefully this is what u should be tryin to accomplish and a message that such bad tactics do not portray a good image of such projects to the outside world.

my best wishes to you all.

Dune, camelme, pinelands and all FQ Costumer :))

I meet my friends last night who bough 1 bed room apartment around 120 m2 with UDC and they moved in 2 months ago and they paid for the connection fees only 12.000 Qat. i told them about FQ story and they were surprise and they said something wrong with FQ, they told me how come we pay only 12.000 Qat to UDC for connection fees and FQ charge more?

and i asked them to send to my e-mail the papers for connection fees, i hope they will send ASAP.

Guys, let us go together to FQ office ...

HUH.. what a life...

I'm with you camelme :))

Hey guys, i have an appartment with FQ too. call me for the meeting. tintin i PM my number.

Guys time is running out let's meet lets say tomorrow night. Camelme and Dune I left my phone nbrs on your PM call me asap so we can do something about that mess all other PM me your contact number or to any other.

As a organised group it will be better, before too many people pay...

camelme i send you pm.

Readers don't take our word for it, read the contract section 9 that FQ refer to yourself and compare with FQ's statement. It's very short (3 pages only and half English and half Arabic) and it's online for all to view.

http://www.thepearlcommunity.com/docs/FQsection9.pdf

Please compare this official contract with what FQ are saying about us having to pay for connections to the "whole building under section 9".

FQ are talking about the owners paying fees for the "whole building" as per section 9, but the words "building" and "whole building" are not used anywhere in this section. There is nothing either about FQ paying these fees and then us paying them back.

I want to be honest and open, even if FQ are not. Please read it for yourself and form your own opinion based on facts.

The section 9.5 says that fees are payable "for the unit from the completion date". Given that you need to connect essential services to the building before the unit can be deemed as completed, this cost would occur "before the completion date" and thus it is not our problem. We do not pay fees that incur before our apartments are handed over, this is the responsibility of the developer.

FQ please stop changing the contract terms to suit yourselves. Legally you cannot do this, but I guess it is yet another sign of your business ethics and principles.

I'm with you Pinelands

Lets organise a group of us to go to their offices and talk as a group of concerend owners, not one on one.

I think we could organise a decent amount of people to attend.

Dune and Camelme check your PM

Camelme I agree with you 100%. We as owners all need to get together go down to FQ as a group and demand the facts, figures etc...as they are clearly trying to dupe us.

This is what they posted on another forum.

First Qatar Doha Qatar's picture

First Qatar Doh... said Reply to all comments from First Qatar, Qatar office ...

Dear concerned customers,

In response to all of the concerns and comments regarding the connection fees of La Riviera tower on the Pearl Qatar, we hereby inform the following:

Estimated Connection Fees

 Electrical power cost QR 52.88 per m2

 Cooling system cost QR 318.86 per m2

 Telecommunications cost QR 89.49 per m2

 Water supply cost QR 64.92 per m2

 Drainage system cost QR 51.93 per m2

 Solid waste treatment system cost QR 9.95 per m2

Note, all customers will be informed of these charges via email and registered mail regarding the connection fees of their apartment, as mentioned above, during the first week of September 2009.

As per the Sale and Purchase Agreement clause no. 9: The Purchaser shall be responsible for and pay for Utilities' connection and consumption charges, and any property or local authority taxes levied, if at all, on the Unit from the Completion Date, meaning that: The client should pay the connection fees for all the utilities, the fees to be paid by First Qatar on behalf of all clients (End Users) for the whole building, to be collected from the end users as per the distributed area wise. The amount of the charges is not stated in the SPA and therefore, First Qatar did not breach its contractual obligations stated in the Sale and Purchase Agreement that was signed by both the client and the developer (First Qatar).

We would also like to publically announce that despite the current financial status, First Qatar will be paying ALL the connection fees for the amenities and common areas which include the following: recreational area, main entrance lobby, internal corridors, elevators, parking area, mezzanine floor.

Please visit the Qatar Cool website www.qatarcool.com to see the breakdown of the cooling costs. Should any First Qatar client have any doubts regarding the billing of the connections of their unit, please feel free to visit our office, and we will gladly present the proper documentations.

We believe that this post has addressed all the comments left on this link. Should you have any other questions or concerns, we welcome you to contact us on +974 4666247 or email us at crm/-a-t-/first-qatar.com.

We've discussed about whether FQ have a cash flow issue, but I came across their financial statements on the internet the other day which sheds some light on this. As a Kuwaiti company they have posted an investors report for shareholders on the web.

http://www.globalinv.net/pdfs/funds/SM/FirstQatarRealEstateQ109.pdf

This was the result for FQ for the first 3mths of this year Jan 2009 - Mar 2009.

Total revenue = KD-1,742,418 or -QR22,000,000)

Total Net Profit = KD -2,359,910 or -QR29,891,000)

Highlights in the review point out that FQ lost out significantly on the stock market and had to get a loan to finish the "Porto" project. Not much of a highlight.

It also notes that there is little hope for income outside of rental income for 2009, which obviously they would have been getting in the first 3 mths of the year which saw them haemorrhaging money. Given we're now in the third quarter if they did nothing to address this they could have by now lost between KD-6Mn (QR76,000,000) to 7Mn (QR88,700,000).

I'm taking a punt, but I would say that their total assets would equate to the land that they have on the Pearl, which they will not be able to liquidate for cash, and a few other investments.

They obviously have a cash flow crisis as they leveraged the money from this development to finance other things and they lost. This is where the customers come in.

I'd love to get my money back come Nov. 1 when the building is not finished, but how would they pay me?

Apparently all the contracts that the developers use were written by UDC and under the developer/UDC contracts they must use them. If this is the case why are some people's developers charging way less than others on the same Island with the same contracts? UDC wrote the contracts, what is their view of us paying these exorbitant fees under this contract and what was the original intent?

The cost difference seems to be QR20,000 vs QR129,000. A few thousand out and no worries - a hundred thousand out and there are concerns.

Conversations and correspondence I've had with FQ have led me to think that FQ are may try and petition the banks to release the final payment on Nov. 1 whether the apartment is handed over or not. I checked with my bank about the procedure for handing over the final payment to the developer and it is handed over when the developer says the unit is completed. I repeat, when the developer says so, not the customer or the customer and the developer.

As per the contract I have not received a 60 days notice letter from FQ saying they will be seeking another building completion extension (none of the others came on time either), but I highly doubt this building will be ready on Nov. 1. I urge you all to contact your banks and check what the procedure is for final payment to FQ. They should not get the final payment from the bank until the building is handed over in a livable state.

Additionally FQ need to give us 30 days minimum notice in writing – not email- of the completion date or the completion date is not binding. 30 days will be the end of this month if they are to make the Nov 1, 2009 deadline.

FQ are trying to pick off the owners one by one and lie and manipulate us one by one. What we need to do is go into their office together as a large group.

I'm sick of getting treated like crap by these people. I'm sick of them making excuses for not being open about these fees and I'm sick of them just changing the contract terms and meanings to suit whatever they like.

I want honest answers to our questions from them and I want to hear them say it to us in a group - the bigger the better.

This is enough to end all thoughts I had of buying! Ouch!

-----

A wise young crackpot knows no fear - Ian Dury.

Hi Dune, I have also purchased a one bedroom and I currently reside in Dubai, please advise if you are going to hire a lawyer as I would like to join the group that does.

My email is

[email protected]

Thanks

Shocking, truly shocking. What an advertisment to invest in Qatar.....

mmyke, we have already been consulting with the best lawyers in town. Let's see what the outcome is.

Delphy, as mentioned, loads of us in your shoes mate, so we know exactly how you feel.

Get those fees from your friends ASAP. If anyone else has proof of fees in writing form their developers that is not FQ, please do let us know.

(@)Dune, did any one go to court yet? i cannot affort to pay more for this Dev. they abuse us.. :(( if i know the trouble comes i will not spend even a single panny for this Dv, better for me to invest in my home country, what the hell is going on with this FQ???? f**** them all...

and all of you guys should get together and hire the best lawyer in Arabia,,,go to Egypt and get the best!

Dune, Sure, I will ask them maybe in this week, they are still on holiday. i though am gonna pay only 20.000 something but now i have to pay 3x more.

Oh god Dune, i feel sorry for my self, never imagine that will happen to us...

Delphy

Can you please ask your friend if he has the fees he paid with Sabban in writing? We can really use this information to show FQ that they are being insane with the fees.

Also, game not over yet, we are not paying a sent untill they can justify why they are charging double of other developers. UDC owners only had to pay 15 000.00. For my apartment it will be alomost 150 000.00. You can't even begin to compare!!

Well, finally we have to pay!!!, one of my friend who bough 1 bed room apartment from sabban tower they just paid around 20.000 somethig... for connection fees, why do we have to pay more,,?

Hi Delphy

Just to let you know you are not alone. We are all in shock and extremely worried. None of us were ever told about these fees and none of us have the money to pay FQ so i'm not sure how they think we will be paying these insane charges.

Delphy you don't have to pay a send until handover

I've got one too today...!!!

Oh god, what can we do!!

choke on that Pearl!

perhaps??

It does not sound very good.

I received the charges letter only today ...via e-mail. Here is a snake in the grass as what FQ is stating is not in the contract, what they are not realising is that they just making it easier for their customers to cancel the contract.

WHERE IN THE CONTRACT DOES IT STATE THAT WE HAVE TO PAY ANY OF THESE CHARGES BEFORE HANDOVER?

Dear Unit Owner,

"Further to our previous correspondence dated [March 22nd, 2009], regarding the delivery status relating to First Qatar tower, La Riviera, The Pearl-Qatar, we hereby

invite you for the snagging phase of your unit prior to the delivery date anticipated November 2009.

Kindly note that, in the event that the Master Developer, the United Development Company, issues a Completion Certificate prior to, during, or following the revised

Anticipated Completion Date, we will contact you to arrange the handover of your property.

In addition, we refer to article 9.3 of the Single Sale and Purchase Agreement (SPA) and would like to inform you of the service charges: maximum of QR 150 Qatari

Riyals) per square metre of floor area of the Unit per annum.

Moreover, we refer to article 9.5 of the Single Sale and Purchase Agreement (SPA) and would like to notify you that you shall be responsible for paying the utilities

connection charges as illustrated below:

With reference to the connection fees of your apartment unit at “La Riviera Tower” The Pearl Qatar, the end user will pay a onetime fee in the beginning before the delivery

of the unit. The estimated connection costs are as shown below:

· Electrical power cost QR 52.88 per m2

· Cooling system cost QR 318.86 per m2

· Telecommunications cost QR 89.49 per m2

· Water supply cost QR 64.92 per m2

· Drainage system cost QR 51.93 per m2

· Solid waste treatment system cost QR 9.95 per m2

The total estimated cost of the connection fees, per square meter, is QR 588.03 only. Please note that this is a onetime payment. Any variation of the estimated fees will be

adjusted on a later stage.

Furthermore, should you have a concern in respect of payments to be made to First Qatar in anticipation of the payment due to be paid on Anticipated Completion

Date, Connection Fees, or Service Charges; we welcome you to visit our office during the upcoming 30 days from today to settle your payments accordingly to

further enhance the delivery process.

Please do not hesitate in contacting us should you have any questions."

Quick question. Has anyone purchased with Sabban Towers? If yes, have you been told yet in writing what your connection fees will be?

I urgently need this info please if anyone can help i will truly appreciate it!!

Thanks,

Dune

Eaglemmanuel - - I'm sure that FQ did not set out to do this in the beginning, but the fact is that they are doing it now and it is wrong.

The unit owners should not have to pay for their inexperience or miscalculations. If they misbudgeted that is not the issue of the customer. At apartments costing from QR1.8M - up to QR3Mn you should not be paying for their mistakes. We bought apartments that were connected to essential services, not empty shells.

FQ have about 200 apartments in their building.

200 apartments at QR126,000 each in additional fees = QR25,200,000. A nice tidy sum.

I can only assume that FQ are under some financial trouble, they don't have access to money as lending from the banks has dried up and so they are turning to the owners to finance the project's completion.

Enigma - buying a apartment where essential services are not included in the cost of the unit is like buying a car for one price and then the dealer coming back to you and saying "by the way it does not come with wheels, they are extra, the steering wheel is extra as well and we did not charge for the seats or lights, those are extra as well."

This is the same as the dealer saying "yes we sold you the car, but only the outside shell of the car and the windows. The engine and everything else that makes it work are extra."

You buy a Mercedes or a Corolla and you do not pay extra to have a fuel tank installed. Everything you need for that car to work is included the purchase price and when it is delivered to you, you expect to be able to drive it away. This is no different.

Ok, I've been trying to edit my post above for the past 7 tries but apparently, maybe the mods think I should be banned.

"1 purchaser paying extra QR100k or more multiplied by how many purchasers - does (instead of "doesn't" in the above post) that sound fair to you?

****************************************

The Cookie Monster said it.

Enigma, there is a distinction between paying for the utilities and the connection to the apartment. A big difference.

It's like saying just because people can afford to buy million riyal properties, they can afford to fork out additional sums just like that. 1 purchaser paying extra QR100k or more multiplied by how many purchasers - doesn't that sound fair to you?

*****************************************

The Cookie Monster said it.

if you affort to bought then you can affort also for all utilities & maintenance cost...no body tobe blamed.

fubar said MD is right. This is a wholesome Islamic country. Companies don't set out to deceive their customers and steal money through crafty contract loopholes.

As if the government of an Islamic country would allow companies like First Qatar to fleece customers. After all, this is a country that has fixed the price of rice for Ramadan, and is committed to protecting human rights."

Tongue in cheek but you and MD are correct in the sense that in fact, it's unlikely that these companies set out purposely to deceive their customers. They just didn't think further in the first place, ie they lacked foresight and now possibly implementing new conditions as an afterthought.

Normally, the purchase of any property includes the surrounding infrastructure - basics to the building like access roads, water, sewage, etc - the COMMON areas or access to your property - all should have been built in to the price.

My apartments in KL - the connection for all the utilities are included in the purchase price, but purchasers pay monthly charges for the utilities and other services like the solid waste treatment system

IMHO, the intention of the owners / shareholders of the FQ are genuine and not out to cheat but these costly errors are due to their inexperience and perhaps they have not been adequately advised.

/Btw, I'm not naive. I simply choose to see the positive side, unless proven otherwise.

*****************************************

The Cookie Monster said it.

I hope not a single person with First Qatar gives in to what is clearly abuse and extortion by the developer. Seriously who would ever expect essential services not to be included in the purchase price? The true colors of First Qatar are now shown and they are only hurting themselves. They can contuinue to be stubborn on this issue but if they do continue on this path, it will only lead to their own demise. Does not say much for the mentality and credibility of their management to freeze up on the very people who trusted them. This issue has surely already cost them a fortune in lost business. How can a customer work with any company who has committed such a gross disgrace and negligence towards its customers? FQ management a lesson in ignorance. Sorry to the customers who have been now forced to reckon with this marriage to a shady developer. They are shady not only for what they are doing, but also they way they are managing this crisis for their customers. Any reputable company would have done much more in communicating with clientele. Organized a meeting for all investors where two sides can voice themsleves with the GM present. It would not be a stretch that FQ has taken the approach of basically ignoring their customers. Please everyone directly involved, keep this thread and the other threads updated with developments as they occur.

would be an additional cost. so who should pay for that?

===================================== http://www.qatarliving.com/node/58409

I wish the pearl would update some of the sign boards.

Some of them are so old and faded that it makes the project look a bit dodgy. The one at sports roundabout is particularly awful.

good luck guys trying to tidying up with all these mess. I personally think that The Pearl over advertise in marketing their property ... we nearly bought one but we decided to buy one in the UK.

this is insane.When did you receive the mail camelme i have not received anything yet.

Pearl

The best way would be to to pay all the outstanding and rent it out to 15-16 Bachelors (you will need place for 8 double-bunk beds or 5 triple-bunk beds)

The bachelors would love to pay Qr1,000 to 1,500 to stay in such lovely place....and...you get your QR 15,000 to 24,000 per month.

But still it could take about 10 - 16 yrs to make profit.

After that ...it will be only profit....

Not so bad after all...

So You in?

It should be no surprise that a combination of unscrupulous developers, greedy expats who thought Doha would be the next Dubai in terms of real estate profits, and real estate laws which have not been in place long enough to remove all the loopholes gives the opportunity for developers to exploit the unsuspecting and the naïve.

Mac, ZigZag tower (Lagoon Plaza) is next, qatar cool is also the chilled water provider...

If the contract dosen't state this, you can for sure go to court..take the help of a good a powerful lawyer but make sure the lawyer dosen't end up charging you more than what you have to pay the firm. :)

all the best.

~noms~

-----------------------------------------

"Before God we are all equally wise ' and equally foolish" - Albert Einstein

I hope Zig-Zag tower developer will not do that as well

=====

easy come easy go...

Terrible....guys, please fight for your rights. Sounds like the developer is trying to flee the project themselves, with all these charges put forward to the owners. Be united and do not pay a cent until this is sorted out. This sound like the perfect purchase made in hell to me.

*Bunga*

you're from UK, why did you buy an apartment in this shit hole......if I was a millinonaiere, I would prefer living in thailand, singapore, malaysia, and other beautiful warm countries but not in the GCC....

now your life has started to be like hell....goodluck

IF you could sell your apartment, i would only be worth 40% of what you paid for it,,,,and its rental price would be less than 10,000 QR now,,,,

RUN!

for electricity & water, i suggest you go to Kahramaa (Customer services Department-at the mall roundabout) and inquire about your developer claims. As far as i know it's a direct connection & you'll be paying your monthly bills to Kahramma( not to the developer nor UDC).like any other resident in Doha

KH, actually it is 6,3%, not more than 10..:):)

*********************

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are small compared to what lies within us."

Oliver Wendell Holmes

You would certainly hope they would not cheat and steal, but I got the same letter as this and the fees and text are a direct copy and paste from the email they sent out. You be the judge.

If anyone knows what government department I need to see I'll gladly see them. Please let me know.

This is very upsetting.

MD is right.

This is a wholesome Islamic country. Companies don't set out to deceive their customers and steal money through crafty contract loopholes.

As if the government of an Islamic country would allow companies like First Qatar to fleece customers. After all, this is a country that has fixed the price of rice for Ramadan, and is committed to protecting human rights.

Ha.

The fees add up quickly

1. First Qatar extortion for building connection = 125.000

2. Actual connection of unit to services (aircon is the most) = 30,000 (approx with deposits)

3. Property registration 1.5% = 36,000

4. Maintence and fees per year = 32,000

5. Maintence deposit of 1yr fees = 32,000

Total = QR255,000 just to move in.

Items 2 to 5 are high but to be expected somewhat. It is item 1 that gets me.

That's more than 10% of the appartment cost. But what about the monthly charges?

===================================== http://www.qatarliving.com/node/58409

According to First Qatar a +QR2Mn apartment gets you a unit in a building that is not connected to any essential services. If you would like your building to be connected to water, that is extra, power, extra, would you like drainage as well, hmm extra, sewage - extra,

What a joke. I'd be laughing except that I also have an apartment there and it is not a joke, its the reality.

wow what a mess but can only wish u best of luck.....would u mind telling me what is the current market value of ur flat.

MD is right, deceitful conduct should be avoided.

For those that partake in gharar, may their soul forever burn in hell.

Don't worry. This is an Islamic country. People cannot be as bad as you describe them. It's "haram". Or??

There is nothing in the contract about these fees. I've had 2 legal firms look at this contract and they both say it is not in the contract. The developer is not listening to anything from their home owners. When asking First Qatar to point to the exact section that refers to these fees in the contract they are unable to do so. It seems the only option now is to go through the courts.

Does in your contract it mentions all those costs will be paid by them?If No, you will have to pay that.Those are hidden charges.You should have been careful while signing the contract.