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In March of this year, the ASA investigated an email advertisement which was sent by the company Timeshare Relief UK after it received a complaint that the claims within it were unsubstantiated and misleading. Timeshare Relief is a relinquishment company, run by Jeff Warren, with its registered offices at Suite 6, King Charles Court, Vine Street, Evesham, Worcestershire, WR11 4RF.

The complaint arose due to the following content of the email;
“10th ANNIVERSARY NEWS SPECIAL. FINALLY – A BREAK FOR TIMESHARE VICTIMS. New Rules aim to end decades of pressure-selling and release thousands of people from costly and unfair contracts. Thousands of Britons trapped in onerous timeshare or ‘holiday club’ arrangements … could be given an escape route as their contracts are effectively ‘null and void’ … Soon to be implemented Europe-wide rules are expected to back the decision … What has changed? A Norwegian woman was awarded more than £28,000 by the Spanish Supreme Court in March, giving fresh hope to Britons locked in similar arrangements”.

Further content stated;
“Jeffery Warren owner of the UK’s leading Timeshare disposal company … Mr Warren and his legal partners … have saved their clients over £40,000,000 million pounds [sic] in fees …”

The complaints challenged whether Timeshare Relief UK could substantiate the claims made in the above text, the three main points confronted were;

  1. “the UK’s leading Timeshare disposal company”;
  2. Mr Warren and his … partners … have saved their clients over £40,000,000 million pounds [sic] in fees …”.
  3. “New Rules aim to end decades of pressure-selling and release thousands of people from costly and unfair contracts”, “Soon to be implemented Europe-wide rules are expected to back the decision” and “A Norwegian woman was awarded more than £28,000 by the Spanish Supreme Court in March, giving fresh hope to Britons locked in similar arrangements”.

Timeshare Relief’s response to substantiate each claim, respectively, was as follows;
“The claim was based on their experience within the industry” and “calculated on the basis that the average contract for a timeshare property was 50 years. With an example cost of £1,000 a year in management fees, they said they would save that owner £50,000. With that in mind, they said if they had helped 1,000 people in the last ten years save £50,000, it amounted to saving their having said those 1,000 people £50m in fees collectively,” and “in their experience, rulings issued in one European country tended to be followed at some point by other European countries.”

But, on all three issues the ASA ruled that Timeshare Relief UK’s claims within this advertisement breached CAP Code (Edition 12) rules 3.1 (Misleading advertising) and 3.7 (Substantiation).

The ASA asked that the ad must not appear again in its current form and told Timeshare Relief UK to remove the following claims: “the UK’s leading Timeshare disposal company”; “Mr Warren and his … partners … have saved their clients over £40,000,000 million pounds [sic] in fees”; “New Rules aim to end decades of pressure-selling and release thousands of people from costly and unfair contracts”; “Soon to be implemented Europe-wide rules are expected to back the decision”; and “A Norwegian woman was awarded more than £28,000 by the Spanish Supreme Court in March, giving fresh hope to Britons locked in similar arrangements”.

Read the full ASA investigation and ruling against Timeshare Relief UK.

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