The Timeshare Council, what an impressive trustworthy name but unfortunately, not only is it a fake but is also pretending to be the real Timeshare Council. Their website looks pretty impressive but fails to identify either their address or any form of company registration, which of course is a legal requirement. Upon a domain search the site was registered in 2016 with an IP address in Lincoln. The look up data also quotes the name of a Matthew Russell. The site domain is due to renew on 28th March 2021, this would indicate that someone is still paying the domain fee.
The last update of the domain information occurred on 20th October 2019 however the content of the site would indicate that it has not been any real update since 2016. There is a link to a Daily Telegraph article from 2015, but more annoyingly all the other news items, whilst well out of date, are a cut and paste from the TCA website. Naturally we have never offered permission to re-publish our articles.
The Real Timeshare Council
This scam outfit are using the same name as a real company called “Timeshare Council”. The real company is listed on the UK Companies House register. Apparently during cold calls the fake Timeshare Council tries to pass itself off as the real company, even quoting their official registration number.
The Timeshare Council was the first manifestation of the now Resort Development Organisation (RDO) in between this change they were also known as the Organisation of Timeshare in Europe or OTE for short.
The company was registered in 1990 and according to Companies has, in its history, had 50 officers with 47 resignations. The two current Directors are Philip Watson, who is also a Director of Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket Ltd which appears to be a timeshare resale company. The other Director is David Clarke who is also a current Director of Clowance Owners Club.
In terms of past Directors one significant name pops up, being Paul Frederick Francis Gardner- Bougaard whose current tenure is that of Chief Executive Officer of the RDO, this would seem to confirm that the Timeshare Council was the original incarnation of the RDO but although still an active company it appears to be dormant, for now.
Be Aware
Despite not knowing what the real Timeshare Council do and why they exist, what we do know is that the fake Timeshare Council should not be trusted. Any organisation that cold calls, does not have a legitimate registration and fails to give contact address should be treated with a high degree of caution. Failure to carry out your own investigations and due diligence could end up with costing you thousands with no end result.
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