Timeshare purchases are often sold on emotion. The thoughts of great family holidays to come or passing the ownership down to children who will have their own young families to enjoy it with. They are also a highly impulsive purchase, usually when individuals are more relaxed and vulnerable in a foreign country, on holiday and worn down by hours and hours of objection handling and tough sales pitches by professionals.
Many people have fallen victim to this and we at the TCA help to advise on whether they have cause to dispute their agreements and could even be entitled to compensation and the best course of action to take.
We generally hear the same scenarios;
- No return as promised from a timeshare/s sold as an investment.
- Upfront fees taken to sell or rent a timeshare.
- Attending a presentation to sell a timeshare and being forced into buying more timeshare weeks or upgrading to a “Platinum” product.
From the majority of the same culprits;
- Diamond Resorts
- Resort Properties (Now Silverpoint)
- Shakespeare Classic Lines Limited
- Anfi
- Macdonald Resorts
- Club La Costa
- Regency Palace
- Azure Resorts / Island Residence Club
- Pueblo Evita
- Aroma
It is well known that there are many, many more sellers of timeshare than buyers, this is why this particular enquiry to the TCA from a few weeks ago has stuck out in our minds as it is a rarity to hear of someone wanting and trying to buy a timeshare.
A man called up to inform us of a recent scam he has had first-hand experience of. He was newly married and had been given £1,250 as a wedding present, specifically to buy a week at the prestigious Monti Anfi resort in Gran Canaria.
He found a Monti Anfi week advertised with The Timeshare Mart and proceeded to purchase this week from them.
After 15-weeks there was still nothing happening, no deeds of ownership, no update, so he requested his money back.
He did not receive his money back so took the matter further and lodged a county court complaint, the judge ruled in his favour as the defendant, Mr Tony Cole, owner of The Timeshare Mart, did not attend the hearing.
Bailiffs were sent to the residence of Mr Tony Cole to recover this debt. Mr Cole was able to block the judgement on the grounds his post gets lost and he was unaware of the hearing.
The case was referred to Telford Court in November 2015 and once again Mr Cole did not appear to defend himself. The ruling was found in favour of the plaintiff in the region of £3,000 as it now included legal costs. Bailiffs went to recover the debt once more and this time were told by the cleaners that they had not operated from there in over 6-months.
Mr Tony Cole has ceased trading as The Timeshare Mart and has now set up a new company called Exclusive Timeshare Ltd.
The plaintiff is now trying to get the judgement changed against Mr Tony Cole personally.
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