(31 Dec) Timeshare Consumers Association publish its forecast for Timeshare in Europe in 2000
(20 Dec) “The Final Curtain Plan” is a new promotion marketed by a US cemetery operator as a timeshare package. This lets a deceased customers spend a season in another cemetery. So, if you like the idea of moving around between Paris, London, Sydney, California etc. after your are dead, you know who to buy from!
(17 Dec) Barratt International Resorts Limited (BIRL) issue writ for defamation against five owners and past owners, claiming £50,000 in damages. The Five state that they will be robustly defending the allegations.
(3 Dec) Petition to wind up Hever Vacation Club (and six companies) now posponed to January 2000 as Club Members rally to resist the petition. See 5 Oct below.
(19 Nov) Spanish newspaper SUR exposes a new scheme for selling timeshare which circumvents the timeshare law in Spain – “Share Time” – which is the purchase of shares in the company that owns timeshare apartments. SUR claim that over 1,000 complaints about this scheme have been made to one of the Consumer Offices in the Costa del Sol.
(17 Nov) European Parliament report on the application of the Timeshare Directive by Member States includes the following statement: “The problems experienced by consumers in their relations with timeshare developers and vendors have not disappeared with the adoption of the Directive. In this regard the Commission departments responsible for consumer policy have received a large number of individual complaints (24% of all the complaints received by the Commission in 1998) as well as many letters from MEPs.”
(14 Nov) High Court rejects the DTI application for the winding up of four markting companies based in Exeter.
(11 Nov) UK timeshare resales double the level of US resale levels – UK resales now accounting for one quarter of all timeshare sales, while US resales are only 12% of all sales. According to Richard Ragatz, RCI Consulting, price is the driving force behind the growth in the US resale market.
(28 Oct) Complaints about timeshare to the Office of Fair Trading during the first quarter of 1999 showed a continuing increase, with timeshare complaints now representing 8% of all leisure complaints. Proportionally, there are five times as many complaints about timeshare as about package holidays.
(16 Oct) Office of Fair Trading reminds consumers that a purchase using a Credit Card makes the Credit Card company “jointly liable with suppliers if there is a problem with goods or services”. John Bridgeman, Director General, said “…… the law enables shoppers [consumers] to make a claim from a Credit Card issuer if a supplier goes out of business or otherwise fails to give satisfaction”,
(5 Oct) Hever Worldwide Properties plc (and six other related companies) controlled by brothers Ron & John Popely, are in the hands of the Official Receiver following an application by the DTI to have the companies wound up. Other resorts in the UK and abroad are involved.
(29 Sept) Barratt International Resorts Ltd (BIRL) is critisised by the Advertising Standards Authority for a misleading advertisement relating to their Forest Hills resort.
(21 Sept) The largest criminal trial in timeshare history began today in the Old Bailey as John Palmer (and six others) were charged with fraud. The trial is expected to last six months. Palmer, who controls a number of resorts in Tenerife, has been free on £1M bail since 1997
(20 Sept) Worldwide Vacation Club Ltd is closed down by the DTI on grounds of “public interest”. (see news dated 29 July, 18 and 20 Aug) A spokesman for the Official Receiver said that it was too early to say how the liquidation would affect members of Worldwide Vacation Club.
(20 Sept) The cash-back scheme promoted by Reclaim Limited is not what it claims – see scam alert
(5 Sept) Belgium consumer magazine, “Test-Achats”, wins the first round in its legal battle to recover lost timeshare deposits in Spain. Test-Achats are claiming that the Spanish State is responsible for repaying deposits of purchasers who cancelled a timeshare purchase between 30th April 1997 (the date when Spain should have introduced the EU Timeshare Directive) and 5th January 1999 (the date when it did). The case continues and may not be concluded until early 2000.
(4 Sept) Michael Rycroft, resort director of the Hunstman Club in Waterville, Co Kerry said that Ireland is the most requested timeshare location worldwide.
(20 Aug) Members of Worldwide Vacation Club view the “pledge” by the Club as unacceptable. The solicitor representing 35 members said “The terms of the offer lack certainty, so we could not advise anyone to rely on that offer”.
(18 Aug) Troubled holiday club Worldwide Vacation Club attempts to shore up its much critiscised image with pledges to customers to repay fees to dissatisfied members. See also 29 July.
(16 Aug) OTE (Organistion for Timeshare in Europe) warns consumers against getting involved in so called “holiday packs”
(4 Aug) US timeshare expert, Richard Ragatz, vice president of RCI Consulting said of the US timeshare market:- “The resale market has been driving down median income of timeshare owners by offering top-value properties at up to 70% savings over retail [developer] costs. The biggest complaint in the timeshare market, the high-pressure timeshare presentation, is by-passed by the resale market. Potential buyers can browse listings and make informed decisions ..”
(3 Aug) Timeshare scams exposed; perpetrators named is the claim of a new website Crimeshare Europe !
(1 Aug) Forest Hills owner applies for a legal injunction against Barratt International Resorts Ltd.
(29 July) Two timeshare crooks, Simon Clarke and Laurence Werner, were sentenced to five and four years jail respectively. The prosecution proved that they had been involved in multi-million pound frauds possibly involving over 20,000 timeshare owners.
(29 July) Kim Howells, Consumer Minister, pledged that his department would do everything possible to protect the public from firms like Worldwide Vacation Club. WVC have been the centre of a flood of complaints from purchasers who did not get a 14 day cooling-off period when they bought from WVC
(28 July) Office of Fair Trading (OFT) report – to December 1998 – shows that not only are timeshare complaints increasing faster than other leisure industries – including package holidays – but timeshare complaints are now proportionally three times greater than those about package holidays.
(27 July) TCA issue a caution about the risk of innacurate information being sent to Rating Valuation Officers resulting in possibly incorrect rating assessments on owners.
(23 July) Cendant Corp (the US parent of RCI) reports a 13% increase from “timeshare subscription and exchange revenues” for the second quarter of 1999.
(22 July) Department of Trade & Industry (DTI) announces new measures to streamline measures to take rogue traders to court. This includes timeshare resellers who cheat owners. And also plans for the Office of Fair Trading to “hallmark” acceptable Codes of Conduct by industry bodies.
(21 July) Six Britons have been charged with attempted murder in Tenerife in a feud between Timeshare Gangs. The Britons, aged between 26 and 40, are claimed to have attacked two others in Playa de Las Americas in early June. [Source: Scottish Daily Record]
(18 July) Sunday Express warns consumers about buying timeshare in Spain. Their advice is to wait until you return home and then deal with a reputable reseller.
(8 July) The Scotsman newspaper warns that timeshare buyers could be paying up to four times more for their week by purchasing from a developer rather than an existing owner.
(4 July) Home & Life magazine provides valuable advice to timeshare buyers – “Chose with care and timeshare can realise the dream of owning your own place in the sun”
(3 July) Officers of the Lanzarote Beach Club Members Association are suspended from LBC and cannot now make use of their ownership. All as a result of their activities on behalf of the owners at LBC
(29 June) ARDA (American Resort Development Association) reports that “Europe has more than 1,300 resorts and 742,000 owners ..” making Europe second in size to the US and the two combined representing 60% of worldwide owners.
(19 June) At a ceremony in Wiesbaden, Germany, the first 7 receipients of a “European Timeshare Consumer Award” were honoured. This annual award goes to any timeshare trader who acts in the interest of fair play and good consumer conduct. In this first year of the award only German, Austrian and Spanish companies received awards – the organisers, the German Timeshare Consumers organisation, expect a strong response from other European countries, including the UK, next year.
(18 June) GVC Members vote at their AGM to lose the right to sell their points on the open market. The vote, by apparantly less than 10% of the total membership, came as a surprise to those at the AGM who thought that the feeling of the meeting was firmly against the Resolution.
(11 June) Macdonald Hotels plc does well out of timeshare with a recorded profit of £970,000 from its half share in Barratt International Resorts Ltd
(30 May) Elmers Court owners win a reprieve from a threatened increase in Leisure Club charges following their sustained campaign. Details on the Barratt Owners Group News page.
(25 May) Interval International (‘II’) and Grand Vacation Club (‘GVC’) – controlled by Sunterra Corp – forge closer links. Now GVC members will have automatic membership of II and can deposit their points directly into the II “spacebank” without first having to book a week through GVC.
(21 May) Members of Grand Vacation Club (‘GVC’) resist proposals which could restrict their choice of how to sell their points – GVC Members Group.
(20 May) International Resale Marketing Ltd – a reseller specialising in registration fees – goes into Administration. Less than nine months after starting up in Stockport. Anyone who believes they are owned money should Contact Us
(13 May) A liquidator has been appointed.to Timeshare Options Ltd, Blackpool.(see 22 March). Anyone who believes that they are owed money by the company should Contact us .
(11 May) TimeSharing Today – the US based printed and web magazine for timeshare owners – starts a promotion to expand into Europe. Visit their websit at www.tstoday.com
(8 May) SFX – the San Francisco exchange company linked with UKRE – is developing a points type system for valuing conventional timeshare weeks for exchange. Owners banking their weeks will then know exactly what week is available to them for exchange
(4 May) New regulations come into force today which allow UK consumers to stop unwanted direct marketing telephone calls.
Now, if you want to stop being pestered by timeshare sharks, just after your money, call 0845 070 0707 and register your name – free of charge
(26 April) RCI have had a major purge of UK resorts from their Gold Crown and Resort of International Distinction grades with eleven resorts losing a grade and only four moving up. Losers include Barnsdale; Barratt Elmers Court; Barratt Dalfaber; Barratt Forest Hills; Barratt Plas Talgarth; Stratford Court and Whitbarrow Village. The wiiners include Canaltime at Peartree Bridge, and Tresco.
(13 April) Roger Farr [see 5 June 1998] appears in the Old Bailey on fraud charges and failure to provide information to the liquadators of his company, Advanced Leisure. The trial continues.
(11 April) Only two timeshare leaders got into the “Sunday Times Rich List 1999” – Jack Petchey (Club Praia da Oura) with £87M and John Palmer (with a number of resorts on Tenerife) with £300M.
(3 April) Melfort Village, controlled and run by the owners, is the first timeshare in the UK to be granted the coveted “Investors in People” award
(1 April) Changes at the top of the Timeshare Trade.
Nelson Hitchcock takes over as group managing director of RCI Europe (from Ron Haylock, who has retired) and Peter van der Mark takes over as Director of the Timeshare Council – London (from Neil Cooper who moves to Primeshare International Ltd as managing director).
(27 Mar) Dutch Travel Magazine publishes in English an interview on timeshare with Dr. Eric Schuitt.
(22 Mar) Timeshare Options/Options 2000 Blackpool telephone numbers are not being answered – does this mean that they have closed down!
(13 Mar) TCA publish the results of their Club Democracy Survey
(3 Mar) Dutch timesharer – Eric Schuit – publishes a website (English & Dutch) of interest to all European owners.
(1 Mar) Which magazine publish a story about a consumer having difficulties getting a promised “Free Holiday” used to entice them to a timeshare presentation.
(27 Feb) TCA issues warning about a big increase in crooked resale companies now operating in Spain and the Canaries.
These crooks are taking large registration fees from owners wanting to sell – with little or no prospect of being able to sell on behalf of the owner.
(26 Feb) Barratt International Resorts Ltd. launch an advertising campaign to sell resale timeshares – with prices starting under £2,000.
(25 Feb) The Kenmore Club propose to start a legal action against LSI, who manage their resort.
(20 Feb) GVC Members Mailing List joins the growing number of Owners groups with their own website.
(19 Feb) The German Timeshare Consumers Organisation announce the “European Timeshare Consumer Award”
The award, to be given annually, is for the resort or timeshare company doing the most to promote consumer interests and the good reputation of Timeshare throughout Europe. The TCA support this award and are the UK contact for any nominations – which close in mid-March.
(14 Feb) Telephone lines to timeshare reseller International Resale Marketing Ltd. of Stockport no longer work.
(12 Feb) An interim intedict (equivalent to an injunction in England and Wales) served on a representative of Barratt Internatonial Resorts Limited by a solicitor acting for an owner at a Barratt resort..
(2 Feb) Department of Trade and Industry clarify the circumstances in which a reseller must comply with the Timeshare Act.
(15 Jan) Coincident with a surge in consumer complaints, Timeshare Options Ltd (of Blackpool) change their name to Options 2000 Ltd
(14 Jan) Resort Parks International Ltd looks like being the name of the new RCI venture into caravan exchange – using a points system.
(12 Jan) “In Touch”, a magazine for owners at Palm Beach voices concern that some owners (weeks 16 to 26 in 1999) will have great difficulty exchanging this year because the resort is undergoing a major “refurbishment”.
(5 Jan) Dr Kim Howells (Consumer Minister) welcomes the introduction of the new Spanish Law which will safeguard consumers buying timeshare on Spanish soil. Saying:
“Over half of all timeshares owned by British people are in Spain, mostly in the Canary Islands and the Balearics, where this law will apply. The new law will give consumers protections against pressure selling”.
“Nonetheless, I urge people to to take care …. if you are not sure, it is far better not to commit yourself, than sign and then cancel”.
(1 Jan) Sunterra (US parent of LSI) introduce a points system in the US.
For more information regarding this article or assistance in any other timeshare related issues please contact the TCA on 01908 881058 or email: info@TimeshareConsumerAssociation.org.uk