Timeshare Consumers Association

Timeshare News Headlines - 2010

(20 August) Link Financial (as assignees of GE Money) lose their claim in the Manchester County Court in respect of a purchase made into Club la Costa. Full story
(28 July) Garry Leigh, boss of Incentive Leisure Group and many other dodgy businesses, is killed in a motoring accident. Details. and here
(16 July) European Consumer Centres warn tourists to Spain to avoid "fractional ownership" scams. More
(13 July) Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (“BIS”) issue a consultation paper on the implementation of the Timeshare Directive. Details
(24 June) The Daily Mirror criticizes Jennie Bond involvement with Club la Costa. Details
(14 June) County Court claims are sent to owners in Clube Praia da Oura (Petchey Leisure) who have refused to pay their annual fees. Details.
(13 June) A Spanish Court rules that Anfi Sales, Gran Canaria, must refund double any deposit taken illegally during the cooling off period. The ruling applies to purchases made since 1996.
(4 June) London solicitors, Edwin Coe LLP. launch a claim against RCI Europe on behalf of timeshare owners who allege that RCI has denied its members the opportunity to get fair exchanges.
(1 June) Pennsylvania authorities require BlueGreen Corp. to cancel timeshare purchase contracts and return all money to consumers who claimed they that they were unable to get the promised holidays.
(28 May) Malta is to introduce a tough new law to control timeshare touts operating on the streets. Instant fines will be levied with the intention of stamping out anti-consumer practices which are damaging the image of Malta as a friendly holiday destination.
(28 March) Lawyers lodge a claim in the High Court, London, against GE Money Consumer Lending Ltd and Clydesdale Financial Services Ltd (t/a Barclays Partner Finance) on behalf of 300 consumers alleging misrepresentatiion by St Frances Marketing Ltd. and Easysave Finance Ltd., both of Exeter.
(12 March) A group of British and French consumers launch a compensation claim in the Lanzarote courts in respect of their loss of membership of Lanzarote Beach Club and/or International Vacation Club. More
(8 March) At a further hearing in Exeter Crown Court - see news on 17 December 2009 - the five individuals, Marc Herbert, Michael Girvin, John Girvin, Carol Small and Karen Henthorne, and St Frances Marketing Ltd were sent for a trial, possibly in November.
(12 February) Marriott International announce that they won't invest in any new timeshare develpments in the near future because of weak consumer demand.
(7 February) Subscribers to Which? Magazine are being asked if they have been approached by companies offering to sell their timeshare.
(7 February) Pueblo Evita fail in a court attempt to force an owner to pay annual fees. Details
(6 February) The Timeshare Consumers Association ("TCA") launch a further compensation group in respect of members of Club la Costa. Details

Timeshare News Headlines - 2009

(17 December) Five people involved with St Frances Marketing Ltd of Exeter (t/a Buena Viva) are committed to the Crown Court charged with 36 offences against the Consumer Protection for Unfair Trading regulations 2006 .
(8 December) Beijing erects posters around the city warning people not to buy timeshare. Details
(4 December) John Dalli is nominated as Commissioner-Designate for Health and Consumer Policy in Brussels to replace Commissioner Kuneva.   Mr Dalli has held a series of senior posts in the Maltese Government.
(30 November) OFT co-ordinate raids on a number of Incentive Leisure Group offices in the UK.
(18 November) Arthur Goddard, 60, and Alan Hill, 51, who ran Graig Park Village Ltd, are convicted of fraudualant trading and jailed for two and a half years in Mold Crown Court. Details
(5 November) RCI offer settlement to claimants in a class action brought against RCI in New Jersey, USA, alleging that RCI transferred exchange weeks into their rental pool thus denying these weeks to exchange members. Details
(15 October) Five people connected with a timeshare marketing company in Exeter are expected to appear in the Magistrates Court on 20 October on charges under the Consumer Protection for Unfair Trading regulations 2008.
(5 October) The Timeshare Consumers Association add "Holiday Clubs" to the list of Group Compensation claims.

(22 September) Marriott International announces that it will halt timeshare deveopment in Europe

(16 September) The Timeshare Consumers Association ("TCA") launch a series of Group Compensation Claims on behalf of consumers who believe that they may be the subject of mis-selling of timeshare. Details
(26 August) Fairways Club issues County Court claims against owners who have not paid their 2009 annual fees.

(21 August) Pueblo Evita resort issues County Court claims against owners who have not paid their 2009 annual fees.

(3 August) Around 300 people are poised to take group legal action alleging misrepresentation by Easy Save Finance Ltd. t/a Leisure Time Promotions and St Frances Marketing Ltd. t/a Buena Viva based in Exeter. Click here to find out about joining the group.

(28 July) Palm Oasis resort issues County Court claims against owners who have not paid their annual fees.

(9 July) Real estate brokers in Florida are banned from taking advance payments from timeshare owners seeking to sell.

(10 June) An advertisement on behalf of Incentive Leisure Group banned by the Advertising Standards Authority as being misleading. Details

(10 June) Incentive Leisure Group plead guilty in Reading Magistrates Court to 11 counts of fraudulant misrepresentation (whilst marketiong membership of DWVC) and are fined £28,000 plus £26,164 costs. More

(1 June) Incentive Leisure Group indicted in the Reading Magistrates Court on 36 counts of fraudulant misrepresentation. More

(12 May)   Asset Link Ltd. fail in their court action against a consumer who used a loan from GE Money to purchase a timeshare from Leisuretime Promotions, Exeter. Details

(21 April) Dial an Exchange (UK) and Hapimag (Switzerland)   enter into an agreement which will provide members of both organisations access to a wider range of resorts through the sharing of inventory.

(25 March) The Organisation for Timeshare in Europe "OTE" changes name to Resort Development Organisation "RDO" and announces the cancellation of their annual conference/forum.

(7 March) The American Resort Development Association "ARDA" spent $270K in the fourth quarter of 2008 to lobby the US federal government in an attempt to prevent foreclosures on loans made to purchasse timeshares..

News Headlines 2008

(27 October) The Organisation for Timeshare in Europe ("OTE") announce plans to change it's name to 'Resort Development Organisation' ("RDO")

(23 October)   ARDA - the trade body for timeshare in the USA - pleads for financial suppport for the industry from the US Government to stave off possible collapse. Details

(23 October) A Judge decides that the assignement of a debt does not neccessarilly deprive the borrower of the protection of the Consumer credit Act 1974.
(22 October) The European Parliament approve the adoption of a new Timeshare Directive. Details
(22 September)  GP Travel Ltd and Club Select Holidays (UK) Ltd, based at Graig Park, Dyserth, along with Director Jennifer Robinson; Company Secretary Alan Hill and Sales Manager Adrian Gleeson, have given undertakings that in future they will not breach the provisions of the Misrepresentation Act 1967, the Control of Misleading Advertisements Regulations 1988, the Common Law of Contract, the Trade Descriptions Act 1968 and the Companies Act 1985, when selling holiday club membership.

(27 August) The Advertising Standards Authority state that a TV advertisement by ETOO is misleading.   Details here

(13 August) TAG World Services, a holiday club run from premises in Sudbury, Suffolk, is closed down by the High Court for serious misrepresentation.

(4 August) 3 Key Select Club companies are wound up by the High Court following investigation by the Companies Investigation Branch.

(24 July) The Official Receiver has been appointed as provisional liquidator to Full Circle Managment Limited. Details here.

(17 June) Police in Pathos, Cyprus, have started a major clamp-down on timeshare touts on the street.

(12 June) The Daily Mirror describes the misery of an investor in timeshare with Resort Properties, Tenerife. See   here
(28 May) Enforcement agencies throughout Europe join forces to stop the activities of bogus holiday clubs.    Details here
(26 May) The Consumer Protection Regulations become law in the UK. Details here.
(19 May) Diamond Resorts (UK based) offer their points members the opportunity to withdraw from membership without any penalty. Copy of letter here.
(19 May) The final draft of the new Timeshare Directive is approved in the committee stage of the European Parliament. Details here

(7 January) The Consumer Affairs committee of the European Parliament approve ammendments to the proposed new Timeshare Law. Details here

News Headlines 2007
(18 December) The House of Lords endorses the European Commission plans for an improved Timeshare Directive but recomends that the cooling-off period should be 21, not 14, days.    Full report
(12 December) Club Sunterra is renamed "THE Club" in a re-branding exercise by their new owners, Diamond Resorts Inc, of Las Vegas.
(12 December) The Unfair Commercial Practices ("UCP") Directive becomes law. A summary is here

(5 November) IAC Corp announces plans to spin off into five separate companies, one of them being Interval International.

(31 October) The House of Lords decided that the use of a credit card overseas will continue to be protected by the Consumer Credit Act..
(24 October) There will be an update of the John Palmer story in “Roger Cook’s Greatest Hits” on ITV1 on Tuesday 30 October at 9pm
(12 October) UKRE launch a new website to provide a low cost service to timeshare owners wishing to rent out their weeks. More details at www.rent-accom.com
(6 October) VOICE ("Vacation Owners Independant Coalition in Europe"), a joint venture between OTE and TATOC, which was established to provide consumer advice, is to close in December 2007.
(5 October) The Office of Fair Trading ("OFT") Scambusters Team launch a campaign to warn consumers about becoming involved with bogus holiday clubs.
(2 October) Credit card issuers will today appear at the House of Lords to appeal the Court of Appeal judgment that section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 applies to overseas transactions.

(22 August) A claim for damages, in the Nevada Court, is filed against Diamond Resorts, who bought Sunterra Corp. in April 2007, alleging that Sunterra Corp. misled their stockholders.
(2 August) Hilton opens a new hotel and timeshare resort (Hilton Grand Vacation Club) in Vilamoura, Portugal

( 14 July) John Palmer is arrested by Spanish Police and held in custody in Madrid on allegations of bribery, arms possession, corruption, money-laundering, drug-trafficking, forging credit cards and passports, issuing threats and ordering acts of violence.
(3 July) Butlins opens their new timeshare apartments at Minehead, Somerset.

(7 June) European Commission announce their proposals for a new Timeshare Directive - details.

(15 May) TCA moves to larger offices. Details.

(18 April) The Chief Executive of OTE, Anthony Arke, resigns.

(1 March) The European Commission, the Office of Fair Trading (London) and the Spanish Consumer Centres (Madrid) have joined forces to warn consumers about the dangers of becoming involved in holiday clubs.

(1 February) Febrary is "Scams Awareness Month" as the Office of Fair Trading advise consumers to avoid invitations to holiday club presentations. Full details

(23 January) The appeal by Holiday Options against a Gloucester Court decision that Shakespeare Classic Line Houseboats (at Barton Turns Marina) were covered by the Timeshare Act 1992 failed. More details here
(9 January) Montechorro Beach Club (now called Oura View Beach Club) launches an owners group - website here

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