What role in the timesharing industry does Mr Alberto Garcia play?
We have all read with great intrigue over the years, his impartial blog on his web site Mindtimeshare.com with his claims of being (a Spanish consumer body) famous for hunting down small holiday operating companies and resale companies (who he deems to have committed illegal practises in the holiday ownership market)
But he has never investigated claims made against the bigger timeshare players like Resort Properties/Silverpoint…WHY?
Mr Alberto Garcia was given the full paperwork of a case against Resort Properties (now operating as Silverpoint) that involved 200 families suing Resort Properties and 21 members of its current and ex staff including the Sales Director and current CEO of Silverpoint Leisure, Mr Mark Cushway, in the Arona criminal court (nr.3) in Tenerife, under the charges of fraud.
Mr Garcia was also provided with full documentation in regards to a separate case involving 250 families, suing Barclay’s partner finance in the UK, for providing credit to fund timeshare deals where the client’s claim they were grossly misrepresented at the point of sale and abusive sale techniques were used to sell investments. There investments were sold with a guarantee of a 15% per annum return, plus all investments returned after an agreed time frame. Again these investments were sold by the then Resort Properties, now Silverpoint.
It is worth noting none of these people saw a return on their investment.
Mr Garcia from Mindtimeshare.com had been asked many times over from the Resort Properties victims to publish this as a warning, so why was it that he never once mentioned it in his Blog?
Maybe this is because Mr Garcia was receiving a salary from the RDO former OTE, a timeshare lobbying body, working as “Head of Enforcement”, with a sole purpose to close down anybody/company that could hurt the timeshare industry. Or is it that the current and former CEO from Resort Properties/Silverpoint, Mr Mark Cushway, just so happened to be on the board of Directors of the Resorts Development Organisation (RDO) at the time?
Mr Alberto Garcia chose to not take any action on the above mentioned cases in his regular Blog. Hmmm, curious no?
Mr Garcia from Mindtimeshare.com is an ex-police inspector with the Polica National Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, so would have access to public information just like anybody else. Maybe with his connections he would even be privy to more information regarding civil and criminal actions being taken in the ever so small community that is the Canary Islands? Even if he wasn’t privy to this there is no doubting he would have heard the rumors and then the Spanish news reports.
Mr Garcia quoted;
“Mindtimeshare is registered as a Spanish Association – reg number: G-98401524. Mindtimeshare provides assistance to timeshare owners who have been defrauded by holiday clubs and bogus resale companies. The Mindtimeshare project was launched in February 2011. After dealing with timeshare members over several years who had been defrauded by numerous bogus companies and for large amounts of money, I considered launching an Organisation to help timeshare owners that have been targeted by bogus companies. On this blog you can find information about the different active scam companies and their “modus operandi” and also place comments, ask questions and see comments from other consumers who have the same doubts or have been through the same experience. Mindtimeshare has resulted in a huge success and has received the back up from not only timeshare consumers but also from the professionals in the timeshare Industry. Mindtimeshare helps timeshare owners who have been scammed by bogus Discount Holiday Clubs; bogus cash back companies; fraudulent timeshare resale companies; bogus class action companies and false lawyers and notaries. We offer professional answers and advice to Timeshare users.”
Even though the hundreds of criminal and civil cases against Resort properties were public knowledge, he never once mentioned this fraud case on his website? Do we need to doubt his previous skills as a police detective or is there a more sinister reason to the “blind eye?”
You will notice that he only refers to “holiday clubs and bogus resale companies” By his own admission his “Consumer Association” is a selective one and he has stated publicly that he will not comment on the activities of timeshare companies as he said that this is not his responsibility but that of the RDO?
Would they take action against possibly their biggest financial contributors and a member of the board? Will they ever?
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