Two Illusions and a “Wanna-Be” (Part 2)
As stated the RDO announced/advertised that a “regulatory body” was to be created and the creation would be managed by “KwikChex Ltd”.
Neither the Timeshare Task Force (TTF) nor KwikChex in reality is a regulator or is acting on any lawful mandate to be a regulator. To avoid any doubt TTF nor KwikChex DO NOT regulate any part of any industry. Anyone working with them and under that impression ought to take matter up with the RDO.
If any person, company or entity who has paid any money to KwikChex for any service believing that KwikChex Ltd was running or managing a timeshare “regulatory body” then you have been “hustled”. You should claim your money back in full and with interest. If KwikChex do not pay your claim take them to court.
KwikChex have no industry mandate and are just a paid and profiteering contractor sponsored by a self anointed selective membership of an industry under the ridiculous concept of self regulation.
KwikChex cannot secure any form of compliance and has no authority in any matter.
In short, only a small part of the timeshare industry is led by the RDO. RDO resort memberships are reported as dwindling. However, many support services still exist including, trusts, solicitors, auditors and accountants who are members.
The member’s resorts in essence have a club and that club is the Resort Development Organisation (RDO). Collectively the RDO members hold a belief they are suffering vast reputational damage from the habitual bad publicity which bedevils Timeshare. The RDO therefore believed a need existed to improve timeshare’s reputation as a whole. That need, they believed, could not be fulfilled by its own enforcement team, its own resort members or the high flying “whizz kids” who fill the RDO halls.
The RDO belief
The resort members need to curb the losses incurred by this continual reputational damage and looked to the RDO to get the matter under control. The RDO members also believed it was disadvantageous to them to just to ignore this boomerang problem. Therefore having identified a need they satisfied that need by agreeing to employ someone to deliver an immediate and meaningful solution to the problems they identified.
What beggar’s belief is that they chose KwikChex Ltd over Mindtimeshare SL.
The “regulatory body” was and still is an utter façade for what could be a sinister mission. That said, no apology was made, no retraction published and no questions asked about why such reputational damage had occurred which brought about an advertised need for a regulator body in the first place.
Bad Reputations
Bad reputations generally result from past or present indiscretions and/or reckless behaviour. Equally, good reputations are created by fair and reasonable acts.
The timeshare industry is plagued with bad reputation and has been for 4 score and 4 years. The blight is now enshrined in many European holiday consumers’ minds. The governments and legislators are wholly aware of the problem and strive to update regulations, rules and laws in an effort to protect Consumers against the many villainous acts perpetrated by timeshare resorts, frankenstein freak shows and desperate cold callers.
The TCA believe the term “managing” the problem was in the mind of the RDO, not dealing with it. Managing is far from the right answer, as many meaningful acts of contrition are required.
Managing forward bad and invidious acts is immoral. For members of a so called industry organisation to dilute reality can and should carry stifling legal penalties.
If the Timeshare industry was aware its reputation was bad it knew that the bad and reprehensible morals needed to be identified and dealt with not managed. What screeches through this report is that the RDO knew historic badness occurred, that badness was happening now and was likely to continue on into the future? The clear choice was to grapple with the predicament or manage it. Evidently the RDO chose the latter and merely manage it.
Knowing evil existed and its existence was as a result of bad conduct, would it not serve a better purpose to eradicate those who have perpetrated the immorality? Exposing the ones who brought this reputation on the industry should be of paramount importance! If completed, a new start can be delivered. By proclaiming they were creating a “regulatory body” the natural thought processes were braided into the false belief a pledged regulatory body would deliver a yearned want.
Clearly the timeshare industry dumped the idea of delivering a needy good reputation in preference to managing the existing status. That being so, can the RDO ever be trusted; its promises reek of idle intent and wretched perceptions.
Clearly managing blight is not the right answer for the RDO; therefore the industry adventure started out as a falsehood then turned into a masking of the known blemishes.
Killing off the blight and exposing those who create it ought to be the focus (in the opinion of the TCA) as well as the Frankenstein critters the timeshare industry as a whole crafted. That said it appears they “stick the boot in” enterprises who are not their members.
How they intended to manage the reputation of timeshare is quite attention-grabbing when matters are discussed below. It’s always worth considering what the RDO promoted and the natural action (required) to achieving that claim. How they binned off of the promised “regulatory body” in preference to a revised purpose “Reputational Management”.
We have a bad reputation we know that, so let’s manage it so new Consumers don’t find out?
The Timeshare industry believes it can fulfil its “reputational management” adventure by creating “code names” or “battle cries”, i.e. the Timeshare Task Force (TTF) or Business Check (BC) are examples.
These utterances tend to give the fantasy that something exists were as in reality they are a daydream and opposite to real substance. The enterprise behind the battle cries is KwikChex Ltd as they run, dance and manage the RDO’s battle cries.
Pre Contractual stage
The RDO and its board consist of many intellectual minds; they had an advertised desire to address what they believed to be a very important topic.
The running of the operation would clearly require a hardy, solvent, responsible entity that was professional, qualified and managerial. They advertised they would employ private investigators and professionals. The new operation they claimed would be entirely financed by the RDO on behalf of its members.
Would it be a wildly suggestive to hold a belief that the RDO would invite many companies to submit suggestions, costings, timetables and flow charts, so the RDO can monitor progress of the contracted services? Would it be too much to expect the RDO to check into the companies to see if they had the staff, expertise and funds so as to correctly ascertain if the bidder could deliver on the promises they made. Would it not be prudent to check if the “lead in” services promised, could be funded from the bidders’ own reserves. Would it not be normal to visit there offices and take reference as to how they had performed in the past contracts.
This pre contractual trails/due diligence would show that the RDO wanted the service and had a need for it to be successful. Indeed if you were a member of the RDO would you not expect your professional organisation to implement these checks before your organisation lavishes your donations or membership fees on others?
The RDO could not have interviewed anyone other than KwikChex Ltd as clearly in comparison to other “reputational manager” they chose a “bottom feeder”.
I use the term of a “bottom feeder” correctly as KwikChex is a tiny financial fish who should start at the bottom looking in the small contract ponds and taking on small value jobs so as to gain experience, build resources, connections, reserves and internal and external procedures.
Considering taking on the reputation management of and entire industry worth billions when you have such low reserves and a petty cash bank roll (equal to 1 month’s salary for 2 people) is in short barking up the loony tree. If you consider the reasonableness of the process the RDO took, I am sure you will agree it’s lacklustre at best and a created hallucination at worst.
In God we trust but in KwikChex lies the future reputation of the timeshare industry.
It does not take a cacophony of bi lateral algorithms to know that reputations and the damage of reputations are caused by unacceptable acts/actions. Occam’s razor says “all things being equal, the simplest explanation is generally the right answer”. Translated you have a bad reputation because badness exists!
If you eat with the consumers, who hold a believe they have been short changed or swindled by the industry they feed, an education might occur. Indirectly those consumers are paying all the industry’s wages and filling their money boots. Augment them, sort out their problems, gripes and whines, enhance they timeshare experience and alakazam your investments are preserved and protected.
Saying all this, the industry chose KwikChex and it’s this companies bars consumers dreams are jammed in.
Old time principles
Old fashioned principles come into play in this section, principles like “people in glass houses should not throw stones” or “clean your own mucky step before you mock others for having a stained stones” as well as “don’t bite the hand that feeds you”, “he who pays the piper calls the tune” and “if you don’t look, you’ll never find”.
The Directing mind of KwikChex Ltd is Mr. Emmins.
The company KwikChex (when awarded the contract) was not awash with wealth; it had little successful trading experience and affiliated to no legitimate or professional organisation. It had no advertised investigators, negotiators, accountants and/or training officers. It had little in the way of assets and in comparison to its advertised task. If that retained wealth was intended to provide and deliver services required, then the claim has to be impeachable. The KwikChex credibility to manage the entire timeshare industry’s reputations in Europe is therefore financially untenable and a potential catastrophic folly.
How KwikChex won the contract is beyond cognitive reason as any industry who wants to put in place a credible force to clean up a European wide industry would not have considered a two year old company with little reserves, no reputation and a petty cash bank balance fit for condiment aquisitions.
How KwikChex purported to have the power to clear out hundreds of scammers, eradicate thousands of bad practices and educate hundreds of thousands of people is beyond me. Anything less would like dropping a pebble into the ocean and expecting a galactic tidal wave.
Not only do the RDO make massive and ridiculous claims – so do KwikChex. They claim to be “worldwide” and “world famous”.
The Candidate the RDO chose;
Mr. Emmins yields a lot of supremacy in his enterprise; equally he had a lot of power in 22 other enterprises he was involved in. Remarkably each one of those 22 enterprises floundered. In truth Mr. Emmins has a 100% track record of unsuccessful or scrapped enterprises. Some of the killed off companies have lost creditors in excess of £500,000.00.
Prior to being engaged by the RDO, Mr. Emmins on behalf of KwikChex advised on a legal case. That case was litigated by his client who wanted it placed before the USA courts!
Sadly, the USA courts did not view the KwikChex report with kind eyes. The result was the client’s case was catapulted out without the need for a trial. In truth the case was dismissed by way of a summary judgement application.
In a nutshell the directing mind of the reputational manager of timeshare is somewhat tarnished by the volume of the dissolved and insolvent companies who left many creditors in the wake of past big plans.
Mr. Emmins and KwikChex was the RDO choice and successful candidate.
Despite its chequered past, KwikChex Ltd claims to be based in Bournemouth.
Firstly on the internet it says it’s based is St Stephens Court, Bournemouth, however on its website it claims a different location. You could mute this error as an administration mistake however the address story gets more perplexing.
Mr. Emmins has probably never operated the KwickChex Company from Bournemouth or indeed England. The 1st address given was:
St Stephens Court
15-17 St Stephen’s Rd
Bournemouth
BH2 6LA.
This if advertised is a false head office address as the address was occupied by ‘Amuzo’ who have clients such as “Lego”.
“Amuzo” are a successful company and moved out of the building to exploit new offices in August this year; those new offices were located at:
2nd Floor
Parkway House
26 Avenue Road
Bournemouth
BH2 5SL
Equally, and at exactly the same time so did KwikChex Ltd. http://www.amuzo.com/
So it appears KwikChex was rightfully coy with everyone about their head office being at St Stephens Court, Bournemouth and they are equally misleading everyone again about their head office being now located at 2nd Floor, Parkway House 26 Avenue Rd Bournemouth.
By way of explanation the 2nd Floor, Parkway House, 26 Avenue Road, Bournemouth
is KwikChex’s official registered office, as was its original registered office in London.
Now its registered office and head office are legally quite different. One you are registered at for legal reasons and the other you trade from. KwikChex do not operated their head or trading office from 2nd Floor, Parkway House 26 Avenue Rd Bournemouth or St Stephens Court, Bournemouth.
Did the RDO not know this? Did the RDO not check out KwikChex’s offices when they were awarded the contract? Clearly not! Would a reasonable person check this out if they were about to contract them to reputationally manage an entire industry?
Mr. Emmings Company follows ‘Amuzo’ around the city like a panting lapdog, planting its office wherever ‘Amuzo’ are based. This is done for a reason which is beyond any reasonable businesslike comprehension.
The law states KwikChex are required to put up a sign at their registered office which clearly identifies them as being there. Not to do so breaches sections 1200-1208 of the Companies Act 2006. No such signage exists; therefore they are unlawfully operating in contravention of the 2006 Act.
The Head Office is classified as the main office of an organization or company, or where the people work. Again there is no signage, no employees present, no staff, no on site directors. In real terms which are tangible and understood by many of us-
“they do not exist where they say they do” .
It’s all another timeshare illusion or a cheapskate education in clumsiness.
Below is KwikChex self styled code of ethics. These simple and self doctored ethics are used by KwikChex to judge others they purport to investigate.
It’s therefore only just that they conform to their own reputational ethical standards model.
KwikChex
Code of Ethics and Good Business Practice
All members agree to abide by the KwikChex Code of Ethics and Good Business Practice. Honesty
TCA says: – They have not been honest about their trading office or where they work from.
This is at the heart of all the KwikChex principles.
Members must demonstrate at all times that their ethos is founded on honesty, including how they represent their organisation, its products and services.
TCA Says:-
Honesty comes into play again. Ethos means: – the distinguishing character, sentiment, moral nature, or guiding beliefs of a person, group, or institution. When you consider the directing mind has a 100% success at dissolving companies, misleads Companies House, and avoided detection his ethos is questionable in respect to morals. You might also reflect that his company only seriously investigates those operating outside the RDO and TATOC therefore is selective in whom he investigates and protects. KwikChex represents that they now have entered the legal profession yet are not based in the UK have not authority with the courts and no qualifications which would persuade any judge that they have audience. I could go on and on..!
Clarity
Members must ensure that aspects such as terms and conditions, offers, information and all elements that are likely to affect a customer’s decision to buy are presented in a manner that makes them easy to find and easy to understand.
TCA Says:-
KwikChex say they are acting as an expert yet are not. They offer to assist for money, however, that assistance is not unfettered and the benefits which flow are at best shady. They do not advertise membership of any professional organisation, are a timeshare industry connected party and are paid by the very organisation which consumers contest. They do not operate in the UK and disguise their true location. They do not operate at an arm’s length and with regards impartiality that is very questionable and disclosed.
Transparency
Members must openly identify the nature of their business or website and provide clear information on ownership, location of the business and the details of how management or owners can be contacted.
TCA Say: – This is not a gag! This is what KwikChex expects of others. Do I need to say any more on this matter!
Guarantees
Members should strive to provide robust and fair guarantees, encompassing products and services – and must abide by those guarantees.
TCA Says: – They do not provide any guarantees other than if you pay them you can put on your website pretty pixels of their logo.
Customer Service & Responsiveness
Member’s code of conduct and ethos must encompass an undertaking of providing excellent service, including prompt responses to queries and complaints.
TCA Says:-
We have complained about TATOC and they have never investigated or returned any verdict as to what they have checked into, investigated or concluded.
Privacy
Members must protect all customer data by agreed and effective practices, safeguarding customers and persons registered on their databases from intrusions, unwanted contacts and fraud. For instance they have never shared it with independents like us.
Members must also verify that they are complying with the data protection laws of their country or countries of operation, including registering with the relevant authorities.
TCA Says:- If KwikChex cannot be honest with regards were they operate from what chances have the authorities got. What is more worrying is that KwikChex has been intrusively asking for and receiving confidential documents from legal firms and re-sellers and now announces they provide legal services. Scurrilous at best!
If you have dealt with KwikChex you have a right to be treated fairly honestly and ethically. If you doubt it you are entitled to pursue KwikChex for damages through the courts.
Advertising & Promotional Activities
Members must conform to ethical and honest practices, with no intent to deceive or mislead; they must comply with all the relevant laws of their country or countries of operation. Website Along with the general practices.
TCA says:- To appoint KwikChex as the regulator or even a reputational manager of timeshare lead others into believing that KwikChex are something they are not. To peddle professional services charging professional fees could be dishonest having regard to the mis- advertising, slants and lack of being a member of advertised professional associations.
Members’ Websites
Must not in any way be damaging to customers and visitors. They must also disclose their policy and practices regarding privacy related aspects such as the use of cookies and similar, web user tracking software and devices.
The TCA Says:- need we say any more!
In Addition
In addition, higher tiers of membership and reputation may be achieved by members by compliance with relevant trade association conduct and rules – and by the attainment of official accreditation that verifies your principles, ethics and practices. Please enquire for further information.
The TCA says:-
KwikChex are not members of any such reputational management industry associations, are not regulated, have no advertised qualifications and operate outside the place of registration. They are in subjection to the timeshare resorts and industry representatives. What is interesting is that you can be verified by KwikChex, however you can get a higher tear reputational membership by being members with the relevant trade associations. That in short means if you pay dues to TATOC and RDO your get automatic higher membership with KwikChex.
What utter rubbish to get an elevation of reputation because you sponsor the industry who pays the reputational manager. Clearly if the candidates sponsored a consumer association who investigated and monitored their practices, they might warrant a higher grading if tested and were compliant. All in all, the service, the business model, the operation of the entire KwikChex system is flawed and shambolic.
To think that KwikChex wants paying for it!
Buffoonery at its best
Where do KwikChex administer their purported worldwide reputation management company from, if they are not in Bournemouth? The connection between the 3 addresses in part 2 is the home of a games company.
KwikChex has no signage at the property and is operationally in breach of the Company Act. So, determined to find out where KwikChex are based we decided to commission a private investigator.
SEE Part 3
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