We decided to put European Consumer Claims under the spotlight in today’s post to find out more in detail about their operation and the services they provide.
So who are European Consumer Claims Limited? Well, they are a Timeshare Claims Management Company; with offices in Southern Spain and the UK, who assist troubled timeshare owners pursuing financial compensation claims in Spain, UK and Malta. They also offer timeshare relinquishments.
We were pleased to have been able to have an in-depth conversation with Sharon Johnson the ECC Public Relations Manager, who shared both the good and the bad. These are our findings:
Background
European Consumer Claims Limited (formerly trading as European Claims Centre Limited) and also known as ECC, has been processing court claims against timeshare resorts since July 2016.
Services Offered by ECC
1: ECC Timeshare Relinquishments
European Consumer Claims boast to have assisted thousands of timeshare owners with timeshare relinquishments. Whilst this sounds like an exaggeration, having been privy to ECC´s internal audited reports, we can confirm that this statement is in fact true. ECC are one of the most successful, if not the leading timeshare contract relinquishment specialists in Europe, with the majority of their client’s relinquishments being actioned and finalised in a matter of weeks.
2: ECC Timeshare Claims
With over 300 successful judgements and nearly £6Million pounds in compensation claims to date, as well as close to another 1000 cases currently within the court process, ECC are certainly the specialists when it comes to Timeshare Litigation Claims. All of their achievements have been verified by TCA, but if anybody still has any doubts they can also check directly with M1 Legal; who are their associated lawyers and represent most of their claimants in respect of Spanish and Maltese cases, with their UK claims being handled by leading London law firm; Messrs Pinder Reaux Associates Ltd. The claim process timescales generally vary between 1 and 3 years, but the rewards are well worth the wait with an average pay-out being between £20,000 and £25,000.
European Consumer Claims Reviews & Performance
European Consumer Claims are very transparent about their performance, all of which is clearly displayed on their website homepage https://ecc-eu.com/. ECC also inform us that for every victory published, the representing law firm will be in possession of the court judgement, which can be viewed upon request. You can review their victory posts here: https://ecc-eu.com/latest-victories/
A Close-up Look at the Court Numbers
Sharon explained the numbers to us and quite frankly we were a bit taken aback. Obviously, we knew that the number of Spanish court claims was mounting, but as to the extent of the figures provided by ECC, it truly was a real eye-opener! Here we share their current figures:
- Total value of claims presented to the courts – £28.2m
- Total number of claims to date – 1,272
- Total awards paid to date – £5.7m
As mentioned earlier the Spanish court cases are handled by law firm M1 Legal, whose legal team is headed by Senior Lawyer Patricia Criado Navas. Their success is no doubt attributable to their expertise in this field and their tenacity to get the job done.
European Consumer Claims Customer Feedback
At TCA we feel really pleased when we receive testimonials praising our service and of course companies like ECC feel the same. Sharon was quick to point out that ECC receives their fair share of extremely positive customer feedback. Whilst due to space limitations all cannot be shown on the company website, a selection may be found here:
This is one ECC testimonial that we felt we had to publish, the reason for this will follow:
“We thank you for your explanatory letter regarding your current position in a world where so many timeshare companies are trying to ruin the reputation of your company. On behalf of my wife and myself, we just wanted you to know that we have always remained loyal and have received nothing but outstanding service from yourselves. We totally trust and have faith in your staff and continue to sing your praises. We believe that you will eventually get the best possible settlement for us against Silverpoint.
We thank you for your continued efforts on our behalf and want you to know that we will always support you against those who cast doubt on your ability. Yours, Mr & Mrs Cope”
This a glowing testament but the important point is that Mr & Mrs Cope researched ECC and found a degree of concerning bad press, so not wishing to pull punches we fired the direct question to Sharon “why the bad press?”
European Consumer Claims Negative Publicity
Two particular areas were highlighted by Sharon, the first of which is timescales, in response, Sharon offered this explanation:
“Timeshare claims being processed through the courts whether in Spain or elsewhere have to go through a lot of bureaucracy and red tape. The courts are backed up with civil, criminal and other cases as well as timeshare disputes. There needs to be an understanding that a fruitful outcome can take a long time, how long depends on many factors for example, if the resort appeals to a decision this can cause a considerable delay. “
At TCA we are only too aware of the Spanish court system, our research has concluded that realistically 18 months is the sort of timescale expected, especially if, as Sharon says, the resort or developer appeals a decision.
Sharon then pointed out the other area being bad press, which unfortunately is industry-generated. TCA has long been in the gunsights of the Resort Development Organisation (RDO) as have many other companies that stand up to help and protect consumers. The RDO does exactly what it says on the tin, it helps resorts develop. With this in mind, any company or individual that goes against the RDO mantra is subject to slander and ridicule. TCA has published plenty of articles about the antics of the RDO and here we share some of our most recent stories:
ECC are no exception. Using the figures above, a company that is likely to drain the timeshare industry of over £16m within the coming months is hardly likely to be on the RDO Christmas card list.
The RDO has also created a number of critical websites that purport to offer consumer assistance, but unfortunately, none of them do. In fact, upon closer inspection of these sites, one would realise that it is not about what they do say but more about what they don´t.
Sharon went on to explain that websites that create the most problems for ECC in respect of bad press include:
- Kwikchex.com
- Timesharetaskforce.org
- Timesharebusinesscheck.org
The internet is a wonderful source of information but it is also a hotbed of misinformation and like TCA, ECC get their unfair share.
Whilst it is important to consider all information when looking to form an opinion of a person or company it is also important to consider the source of the information provided and the publisher’s motive for reporting that news.
The aforementioned websites all claim to provide information to “HELP” timeshare consumers and have even gone to the lengths of becoming Trading Standards Approved, but behind the façade is their primary goal – to sway any consumer NOT to pursue a claim in court – TRUE FACT.
Why?
The Resort Development Organisation (RDO) fund the Timeshare Task Force operated by Kwikchex- to protect their interests i.e. keeping as many timeshare owners away from the idea of pursuing a timeshare claim in court.
The RDO confirm this arrangement on their website – here’s a screenshot:
ECC have published their own more in-depth infographic to better explain the connection which can be viewed by clicking the following link:
https://www.ecc-eu.com/the-truth-about-kwikchex/kwikchex-infographic.jpg
European Consumer Claims ECC – In Summary
- ECC has been around since 2016 and is registered in the UK.
- Proven customer success and positive feedback.
- Thousands of verified timeshare contract relinquishments.
- Hundreds of successful court claims.
- New court victories every week.
- Offices both in Spain and the UK.
TCA have always and will always bring you the truth. If we spot rogue companies we will be the first to point them out, equally if we find the good guys we will again point them out. ECC have a proven track record and the numbers above would seem to justify that. From a simple relinquishment of your timeshare ownership to a complex but rewarding court case, we believe you can put your trust in the ECC team. Of course, they charge for their services but what professional company doesn’t?
All in all, they appear to get the results and that’s exactly what you pay for.
Apologies to ECC and M1 legal, but we stole a few photos and text from your websites as what we like to think will put the final full stop on the sentence.
Mr & Mrs Shankley v Airtours
In April 2019, The Scottish couple won €20,684 in the Spanish courts in the latest victory against their timeshare resort Anfinpan S.L. (more commonly known as Airtours) for mis-sold timeshare.
Mr & Mrs Shankley – both in their 60s said they were overcome with joy after the victory and were full of praise at their success by M1 Legal.
Mr & Mrs Bradshaw v Club la Costa World
In December 2019, Mr&Mrs Bradshaw received a welcome Christmas present in the shape of €16,000. The couple paid more than £8,000 for their fractional ownership. They had also previously paid £19,000 for other Club La Costa World-related schemes. As if this wasn´t enough, the couple were also forced to pay more than £5,000 in maintenance fees.
“We saw it as an investment, to enjoy quality holidays – and we were advised that we would be able to sell our fractional ownership back to Club La Costa World after 19 years but this was not the case,” Mr. Bradshaw informed us.“When we found out what they had told us was not true, we felt trapped having discovered the fractional ownership was unsalable with no resale market,” added Mrs. Bradshaw.
Despite Mr & Mrs Bradshaw stating that they saw it as an investment, to enjoy quality holidays and that the ownership would be repurchased by Club la Costa, the latter is not the case. Also as a final point, the EU Timeshare Directive 2008 makes it clear that no reference to investment must be made when retailing timeshare and all related long-term holiday products.
The couple urged others in the same predicament to contact European Consumer Claims (ECC) to find out their options.
If you have any comments or questions regarding this article, please reach out to us here:
Email: info@TimeshareConsumerAssociation.org.uk
Telephone: 01908 881058
Alternatively, go to our website https://timeshareconsumerassociation.org.uk/ and use our friendly live chat.
NEW: why not try our new Maintenance Fee Calculator and see how much you could save here: https://timeshareconsumerassociation.org.uk/maintenance-fee-calculator/
Best wishes,
Disclaimer
This article references European Consumer Claims (ECC) who for a brief period of several days were owners of the domain www.timeshareconsumerassociation.org.uk (although at no point did they own the registered company itself.) For more information about the ownership history of the TCA please click here.
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