Timeshare Consumers Association

News Headlines - 1997 & earlier (Archived)

(20 Dec) Timeshare Consumers Association sends out nearly 200 printed copies of Code of Conduct for Committee Members. Important Christmas reading for many recipients.

(3 Dec) Global Group has been bought by Signature Resorts for $18M. Having just bought LSI, Signature are now world leaders in points clubs with 175,000 members at 46 resorts - nearly 60,000 members being in Europe.

(30 Nov) Anfi Beach Club Owners - is this the very first UK based owners club on the web ?

A model site for all other owners clubs to follow. We wish it every success.

(15 Nov) Daily Telegraph carries a substantial "consumer report" on timeshares warning of the dangers that still exist and exampling some of the benefits of timeshare ownership.

(13 Nov) New Spanish Timeshare Law further delayed - now expected to come in force on "February/March 1998"

(10 Nov) a European Timeshare Association is to be "launched on 1 January 1998". This is a new, pan European, direct membership organisation for businesses in timeshare - effectively a merger of all the national organisations including the Timeshare Council (London). Based in Brussels, it will have offices in London and Madrid.

(2 Nov) U K R E announce a tie up with San Fancisco Exchange Company in the USA. This enables UKRE to now offer exchanges for its members into the US, Caribbean, Bahamas and Mexico

(1 Nov) RCI UK Trade Conference takes place on Wednesday 10 December in Warwickshire - contact 01920 444249 for information.

(30 Oct) Interval International   announce that they are to be bought out by their own management - led by President, Craig Nash. This effectively demerges II from the same parent as RCI, so the two exchange companies will remain fully independent. The reported price paid is $200M.

(25 Oct) K W Resorts are holding their next Timeshare Auction on Saturday 22nd November at Sandown Park, Esher. Catalogues (£2) are available from: K W Resorts, The White House, Portsmouth Road, Thames Ditton, Surrey. KT7 0SY or   Tel: 0181 339 0010

(13 Oct) Trinity Factors are having another auction of timeshares on 4th November.

(28 Sept) Sunday Mirror repeats our warnings about buying a timshare in Spain until the Spanish government implement the European Directive on Timeshare. Nigel Griffiths, Minister for Consumer Affairs, is to visit Spain to try to get an end to the fleecing of timeshare buyers.

(15 Sept) LSI has been bought by Signature Resorts of the US.    Signature claim the purchase makes them the largest owner and operator of timeshare resorts in the world with 33 resorts in total.

(2 Sept) LSI have just provided another reason for not buying into a Points Club - at least not into their Grand Vacation Club - with the announcement that as from 11th August owners will not be able to split the points on a single certificate when they sell. Either you find a single buyer or you are stuck with Grand Vacation Club for ever. Perhaps LSI will relent when their owners find problems selling.

(6 Aug) Laugharne Park Wales, was found guilty by the Advertising Standards Authority of misleading prospective purchasers. See also below.

and now it is rumoured that Global Vacation Club (another Points Club) are to charge £800 to transfer ownership into a new name.

Macdonald Hotels has acquired a 50% stake in Barratt International Resorts. This joint venture tightens the link between Macdonalds who manage the resorts for Barratt,   through its subsidiary LRM,    and Barratt Resorts.

Nigel Griffiths, Minister for Consumer Affairs at the DTI, has just published a Timeshare Guide with some valuable advice for holiday-makers - especially those going to Spain and the Canaries. You can get a free copy of the guide by telephoning 0171-510 0174 and quoting URN/97/643

The Daily Mirror recently ran an article warning against touts using scratch cards as an enticement to attend a timeshare presentation. They concluded the article with the view that timeshare is a perfectly good way to buy holidays.

The new Holding Company for the merged RCI and II holding companies is to be called Cendant Corp.   How the merger will affect the operations and competitiveness of these two major exchange organisations we have still to hear.   UPDATE.(24 September 1997) US financial press report that II is likely to be sold before the merger of their parent companies is ratified.

John "Goldfinger" Palmer was recently charged with a £ 20M fraud possibly involving 10,000 timeshare buyers. It is expected to be some months before the court hearing - we'll keep you informed.. Mr Palmer is understood to be involved in a number of resorts on Tenerife including:-

Island Village

Los Olvios

Tenerife Royal Gardens

Club la Paz

.. and others...

New legislation came into force throughout Europe on 29th April 1997 which will help timeshare buyers avoid some of the scams in the industry. The UK legislation is tougher than that of some of the popular holiday resort countries in southern Europe. The full text of the Timeshare Directive 1997 (the implementation of the European Directive on Timeshare in the UK) is on page www.hmso.gov.uk/si/si1997/97108101.htm . For those not of a legal mind there is a good explanation at the bottom of that page.Or the consolidated version of the Timeshare Act 1992 is available from HMSO bookshops - (ISBN 0115154353)

Some owners in UK resorts do not pay VAT on the local rates and insurance portions of their Management Fees - making a worthwhile saving.

Airtours - the leading UK operator - has joined other big names like Disney and Marriott by buying into a US timeshare resort.

Michael Wood-Power, who runs Laugharne Park, gives formal assurances to the Director General of Fair Trading in respect of the Consumer Credit Act 1974.

August 2004