In the light of the COVID19 outbreak it is understood that Club La Costa are in the process of releasing most personnel and closing their sales operations at their Mijas Costa, Spain resort. Staff will be placed on a temporary ERTE which is a system in Spain that allows them to suspend jobs “until normality is re-established”. As a consequence of the suspension, employees will be paid 70% of their monthly salary by the government thus relieving CLC of the liability.
On 19th March 2020, CLC World published the following on their company website:
“In order to adhere with global and regional guidelines and legislation, ultimately designed to keep our guests and staff safe, all CLC World resorts will need to temporarily close from Saturday 21stMarch 2020 until Thursday 30thApril 2020. All accommodation reservations into our resorts during this period are therefore cancelled or postponed.”
But let’s look at the bigger picture, CLC World Resorts & Hotels rakes in tens of millions of pounds in annual maintenance fees, achieves hundreds of thousands in daily sales and it boasts 31 stunning resorts which are spread across six magnificent international locations – from Spain’s Costa del Sol to the Aegean coast of Turkey, and from the exotic Canary Island of Tenerife off the west coast of Africa to sunny Orlando, Florida in the USA. Surely the COVID19 outbreak has not had such a drastic effect on their operations already?
Could it be because they also have other underlying issues and should their owners be worried?
For example there is the ongoing investigation into the suspicious drowning of 3 British nationals in one of their swimming pools at their Mijas Costa resort in December 2019.
They are also on the receiving end of numerous compensation claims being awarded to CLC owners by the Spanish courts, having systematically flaunted Spanish legislation in order to sell their dream.
In October 2016 they were featured on the BBC´s Rip-off Britain program in relation to the bullying tactics that the timeshare resorts still use to this day.
Despite the above, please rest assured that their back office team are still functioning as normal and despite the fact that their owners occupancy for this year has been or may well be cancelled, their annual maintenance will still be payable. At the time we’ve had no confirmation that CLC World is planning on delaying or even refunding this years’ maintenance.
For those consumers who are in the process of, or are looking to seek legal action against CLC World or any other Spanish timeshare company, take action sooner rather than later. Covid 19 has had an impact in Spain and the government has imposed a mandatory shutdown of certain businesses as well as restrictions on the movement of citizens.
The good news for those seeking legal compensation claims for misrepresented timeshare, is that whilst the Spanish courts remain closed due to the shutdown, the information we have is that they are anticipating a large number of new timeshare claims to be submitted again once the courts reopen.
Whilst most specialist law firms have closed their premises, the process continues. Our investigation has shown that contingency plans are firmly in place with most expert lawyers continuing to compile cases whilst working from home thus ensuring justice for their claimants.
Please appreciate that following the recent demise of one of the industry’s largest players; Silverpoint, and the financial issues Anfi Resorts are currently experiencing, should your resort collapse during this global crisis and you have not yet taken the appropriate steps to start a compensation claim, then your chances of achieving the any recompense will considerably diminish. Consequently, the word is act now before you are unable to do so.
Drawn from our white list, The Timeshare Consumers Association will be happy to recommend suitable companies that will assist you and steer you in the right direction. Despite Covid 19, we are fully operational. Call us, engage in live chat or email us, we are here to help.
Speed is a great asset; but it’s greater when combined with quickness – and there’s a big difference.
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