There seems to be some confusion/misunderstanding regarding the Vendor Access Program that is administered here at Sun City Shadow Hills.
I would like to explain the program in simple fashion so that the program is more easily understood by everyone. There are three main reasons for the program:
1. Providing vendors with a transponder allows them to access the property via the transponder lanes. This frees up the guest lanes at the attended gates from unnecessary vendor traffic and makes it easier and quicker for guests and homeowners to gain access to the property.
2. A vendor with a transponder can now enter the property from any one of six gates allowing him to gain entry closest to his client rather than having to drive his equipment through the entire property to get to where he is going. This takes unnecessary heavy
traffic off large portions of our streets, and it greatly reduces wear and tear on our roadways.
3. Finally, by having every vendor register with our Vendor Access Program, we gain greater visibility about who is on our property at any given time and provide greater accountability on the part of the vendor.
We have structured the fees and requirements to be as simple and inexpensive as possible while, at the same time, making sure we get the necessary information from each vendor. Those fees and requirements are: • All vendors that enter our property more than four times per month are required to register their business with us. That entails a $50 one-time fee per vehicle, which includes the first quarter payment of $20, and providing us with the current registration/ vehicle insurance for each vehicle as well as a current CA driver’s license for every driver. At only
Vendor Access Program $20/quarter, we are the least expensive property in the Valley that has such a program. It amounts to less than $7/month! •
Additionally, we require a list of the properties they service; a current contact name, phone number, and email address for the business; and a magnetic sign or a professionally painted sign on the vehicle that displays the business name and current phone number. • For non-program vendors who come in four times or less per month, there is no fee involved but they still must register with the same information as program vendors and operate under the same requirements. They are granted entry via a service pass. All fees collected for the program go to cover the costs of the transponders and the administration of the program. Any remaining fees go to the Association’s General Operating Fund. We give every vendor who comes through the guest lane of either the main gate or the north gate a program or non-program packet that must be filled out with the aforementioned information. Vendors are given a deadline to get that information back to us. While we give the vendors every opportunity to comply with the program requirements, there is a point at which we may have to suspend a vendor’s permission to enter the property until he brings his profile up to date with both fees and/or information. Those vendors are put on a weekly Vendor Non Compliance list. (Before you ask a service provider in, it may be prudent to check with the gate to see if the vendor in question is on that list.)
Over 2.5 million vehicles come through our gates each year. That doesn’t include the more than 170,000 passes issued each year for guests and service providers.
Prior to the vendor program, during season, guests routinely waited for up to an hour to gain entry through the gates. It’s rare that anyone waits more than 5 or 10 minutes since the implementation of the program. Two benefits of the vendor program to our residents are:
1. Once listed in the program, vendors are directly responsible for any and all damages and/or fines they cause or incur, not the homeowner who may have called them in.
2. Once a vendor is listed in the program, all the homeowner needs to do is contact the vendor directly for service. There’s no need to call them in at the gate as they have a transponder.
In the case of a registered non program vendor, the resident can add them via the vendor tab on their guest entry module of Dwelling Live. In the event a resident is not computer savvy, a quick call to the gate, as with any other guest, is all that’s required. I hope this has been helpful. As with any such program special circumstances will, from time to time, present themselves. We will deal with them on a case-by-case basis with the best interests of our residents in mind.
Should you have any questions feel free to give me a call at (760) 342-2850, extension 202.
David