Florida Woman Banned From World Cruise After WhatsApp Chat Leaked
What would you give to get on a world cruise? $30,000? Your house? Your career? How about everything?It seems like a steep price to see the world, but not for Jenny Phenix. Phenix sold everything to live on Villa Vie Odyssey. So you can understand her devastation when she was banned from it. What’s even crazier is the reason why. This Florida woman was banned from the world cruise after her WhatsApp Chat was leaked.
Villa Vie Odyssey
The Villa Vie Odyssey is a residential cruise ship that allows people to live aboard while traveling the world. Originally known as the Fred Olsen Braemar, the ship has been repurposed to serve as a long-term living option at sea. Operated by Villa Vie Residences, the project is designed for those seeking a more adventurous lifestyle, offering the chance to visit 425 destinations across 147 countries. The Villa Vie Ownership Program presents an “affordable” opportunity starting at $119,999.
Jenny Phenix, a Florida resident, had invested heavily in the project after she lost $30,000 to a different cruise venture, Life At Sea, which went bankrupt. The 68-year-old retiree had been living out of a suitcase for over a year, awaiting the cruise’s departure. So Phenix expressed her frustration to fellow passengers about a four-month delay in the ship’s departure. The delay meant the cruise would no longer stop in Miami, where Jenny had planned to retrieve her belongings for her three-year journey. On top of that, she was assigned a temporary cabin because the one she had booked was still being used by the crew. So Phenix went to the one place she thought she could vent, WhatsApp. However, she would soon find out that was a huge mistake.
According to AOL, After voicing her complaints about the cruise, Jenny was informed by the cruise’s management that her contract had been terminated due to her “behavior impacting community morale.” Villa Vie Residences’ Chief Operating Officer, Kathy Villalba, reportedly told Jenny that they had received numerous complaints from other passengers regarding her negativity. Seeing as Phenix did not share these messages on social media or with anyone, it is believed that the complaints stemmed from her WhatsApp messages, which could mean trouble.
Under the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), sharing private conversations from messaging apps without permission is illegal. Violations of this regulation can lead to hefty fines. Villa Vie Residences CEO, Mike Petterson, issued a statement saying Jenny had violated several terms and conditions of her contract, which included a non-disclosure agreement. He also noted that the cruise line had compensated residents’ living expenses for four months while awaiting the ship’s departure. Despite the delays, passengers were asked to book their own accommodations, with promises of onboard credit to cover their costs.
I’m not sure what will happen with Phenix next, but something tells me there is another cruise in her future.
Source: AOL
