We start this week with a look at some of the companies we have highlighted over the past few months, many of these are now going into liquidation. These companies are in most case only around two years old and began as “contract termination” with “no win no fee” claims once the contract has been cancelled. We also look at some of those that are under investigation or are in court and those that have even been sentenced.

First we look at RSB Legal, this company first came to our attention back in 2016, there modas operandi was very simple, once they contacted the timeshare owner the offer was to meet at one of their offices to discuss a “no win no fee” claim against the clients timeshare company. This soon turned into a pitch for the cancellation of the contract first, once this had been completed then the claim could go forward.

The one problem was they needed upwards of £6,000 to do the cancellation to be paid in advance, the claim would come later. The question that was asked was how was the claim to be made? After all it couldn’t go to court, especially if it was a timeshare bought in Spain, as once a contract is cancelled then no claim could be taken to court.

This left a Section 75 claim under The Credit Consumer Act 1974, against the credit card company or the finance company if it was purchased with a loan supplied by the timeshare company.

These were unlikely to have paid out, as with all section 75 claims you must show either: you have not received the goods or services paid for; the company has gone into liquidation; faulty goods unfit for purpose. This is fine if you are purchasing say a washing machine, but with a holiday product, especially a timeshare purchased many years ago, you will have used it and taken holidays. Even if the company no longer exists it would be difficult to get a payout.

Section 75 does not cover the misrepresentation of the sales agent at the time of purchase, if it is not in the contract it was never said!

The credit card provider will always contact the company involved to get their side, obviously, they will say that you have received the goods and services, after all you have used it. You may argue that you were unable to use it as you could not get the dates you required, the answer of the timeshare company is always going to be, sorry but these are always subject to availability, we did offer alternatives but the member didn’t want those. Hence claim denied.

Another twist is RSB Legal palmed off the cancellations to another firm Taylor Marshall Associates, a very clever move as if the contract wasn’t cancelled, no claim could be made against RSB Legal under section 75. They would claim that they have fulfilled their part of the contract and it was Taylor Marshall who had not done the work.

This is a scenario that we have seen on many occasions with many of these “Exit Companies”. Once it is passed over the client is then told that they should no longer pay their maintenance fees as their contract will be cancelled within weeks. The unfortunate thing is that nothing was done, the exit company did not carry out the work and the client ends up with several years of maintenance fee arrears. This has been the case with RSB Legal clients passed to Taylor Marshall, especially those members of Club la Costa. In this case CLC had informed RSB and Taylor that they do not recognise them, that they do not deal with third parties, but will cancel a membership directly with the member only and free of charge!

For those clients who have been through this, you can try a section 75 claim, but you should also report to Trading Standards and Action Fraud.

Back in January 2018, we reported on the announcement that Standon Mortimer Associates were the subject of a Creditors’ Voluntary Liquidation. Again this was a company contacting clients for exit and claims, the list of companies they were involved with is quite extensive, including RSB Legal, FHA Marketing along with Anderson Read Consultancy, Warwickshire Consultants,  Charles Ashworth Consultants and Harwood Jones Consulting.

So it looks like all these companies were all working hand in hand, the unifying factor appears they all worked with or for RSB Legal. The unfortunate thing is that many people have paid and lost thousands, yet these companies are limited liability companies and go into liquidation after spiriting the money away leaving no way of retrieving what you have lost. It just makes you wonder what new companies and scams they owners are going to come up with next.

Now for our old friend David Cox and TESS Paralegal Services Ltd, this is another in the long list of companies that David Cox has been behind, many have been dissolved along with massive debts.

Since his last post on 29 March, there has been nothing new posted in his “news” section, he has gone very very quiet, it is rumoured he is trying to sell the company or even liquidate it. This will not be good news for those who have paid him for cancellation services.

To see the full story of David Cox, use the search box.

As we know the Regional Organised Crime Unit of Somerset & Avon Police are investigation several Mark Rowe companies, we have also been told by reliable sources that Hollywood Marketing in Tenerife is also under investigation by the Spanish Authorities.

The companies under investigation include sellmytimeshare.tv, Monster Rewards and Monster Credits, yet Mark Rowe is still advertising in the press, facebook and other media his ABC Lawyers, Timeshare-Lawyers and other companies. The unfortunate thing is that many people will believe any advert they see in the press.

A good example is one reader, an elderly lady who saw one of his adverts in the Royal British Legion magazine, so naturally she thought it was genuine. The next thing is she had been sold Monster Credits. As we explained, just because the advert appears in a publication which we know and trust, does not mean it is genuine. After all, the magazine publishers need to sell advertising space to cover costs, they don’t check if advertisers are genuine, they only take the money.

Back in February we also reported on the jailing of several people involved in a long running timeshare scam, this revolved around the resale of timeshare. It then went on to contacting those who paid to sell their timeshare being contacted yet again, this time to get the money back from the original scam. There was then a third part, another company called to say they had been appointed by the Spanish courts to contact clients who had been scammed before, that there was money waiting for them and a tax needed to be paid to release the money.

The full article can be seen by following the link below:

http://insidetimeshare.com/they-get-them-in-the-end/

There is still no news on the sentencing of Dominic O’Reilly or his Daughter Stephanie O’Reilly of EZE Group. From information received this may not be taking place until around September. This leaves it very difficult for those taken in by the Leisure Credits to be able to get their money back. When new information becomes available we will publish it here.

So, we are losing some of these companies, but how long before other surface to take their place, as always, beware the calls offering “no win no fee” claims, the guaranteed exit solution or the “fake” law firm that tells you a case against your timeshare company is about to go to court or has been to court. Check, check and check again, do your homework, contact Inside Timeshare if you want help in checking the validity of any company that has contacted you or even one you have found either on the internet or advertising in the press.

Tomorrow we publish another Tuesday Slot with Irene, this week it is about “Special Assessments” at the Americano Beach Resort.

The post Start the Week appeared first on Inside Timeshare.

Welcome to the Tuesday Slot, this week Irene Parker looks at “Special Assessments”, in this case the Americano Beach Resort, this extra charge is something that we a familiar with on Inside Timeshare.

Over the years many owners / members have been handed these “extra bills” for various reasons, we even saw this with Diversified Resorts a couple of years back. That was because they had a huge tax bill owing, even those members that did not own with them at the time the tax should have been paid were given a bill. If they did not pay it within 30 days there membership would be suspended, blackmail or what!

Now for today’s article.

Americano Beach Resort

A Timeshare Resort in Dispute Hoping for a Dialog

By Irene Parker

June 19, 2018

Americano owners have been the recipient of a ‘special assessments’ to repair the Americano, which according to ABR/ARC is to the tune of around $15 MILLION!  

Hurricane season just launched, so as we brace for what is predicted to be a robust hurricane season, we look back to damage from which some resorts have still not recovered. When disaster strikes, dialog is important to restore not just the building, but the relationship between members and the developer. At the end of the article, I’ve included Tom Tubbs’ article about special assessments. Tom is with Island Consulting Realty and has 33 years industry experience. Tom is a member of the Licensed Timeshare Resale Broker Association.  

Americano Beach Resort, a/k/a The Suites at Americano Beach, now managed by ARC Resorts, LLC, has been shut down since a few days before Hurricane Irma hit Florida in September 2017. The reconstruction of the Americano Beach Resort is a complicated timeshare issue, and one that will take a series of articles to understand, given the complexity of the problems and the concerns of those who have owned at this timeshare for a couple of decades. Six Americano timeshare members have reached out to Inside Timeshare, expressing their frustration.  

As reported in Perspective Magazine, the plan before hurricane Matthew hit:    

In February (2016), ARC Resorts (ARC) acquired the rights to The Americano Beach Lodge Resort Condominium Association Inc. to uniformly redevelop and manage the 198 timeshare units located in Daytona Beach, Florida. Their objective is to redevelop and revitalize the property without burdening the timeshare unit owners with special assessments.

At The Suites at Americano Beach, the (hurricane Matthew) storm surge overwhelmed the Beachside Tiki Bar and the surrounding maintenance area beneath the pool deck. A large portion of the Sea Wall was washed away. The CAT 3 Wind forced significant water intrusion in the units, and compromised the window systems. The wind also compromised all the roofing systems. The resort ran on partial power for several days, which affected several major systems, such as the elevators and the cooling tower.

http://perspectivemagazine.com/081220165656/arc-resorts-daytona-property-rebounds-after-hurricane-matthew

Prior to the natural disaster however, ARC assessed the newly attained property in a thorough Insurance Review. They were able to upgrade the insurance coverage while lowering annual premiums. One feature in the upgrade was Business Interruption as a line item of additional hazard insurance coverage. This due diligence established security for ARC as an investor and shielded timeshare owners from excessive assessments.

https://www.insidethegate.com/2016/12/arc-resorts-daytona-property-rebounds-after-hurricane-matthew/

I reached out to R. Scott MacGregor, ARC President, and a 30-year resort industry veteran with executive experience in project planning, development, marketing, management, and finance. Scott understands the frustration long time owners feel.  

Like many resorts in the US, the Association had chronically underfunded reserves to keep assessments down, and had allowed a majority of the intervals to fall into default. Most boards of volunteer owners just aren’t prepared to deal with those issues, especially when a 60-year-old building requires the level of re-investment that the Americano does.

Americano members are asking for answers they feel have not been forthcoming in informational updates and meetings. Below are the questions Americano members would like answered. Scott MacGregor’s comments and answers to questions are in italics.

ARC had already agreed to post answers to many of the same questions that were presented at the May board meeting on the website, and we will do that and include some of the other questions provided below. Official information will be posted on the Association website only.  

Questions owners posed. Scott MacGregor’s answers are in italics.   

⦁ How much damage was claimed from Matthew?

⦁ How much has the insurance paid on these claims?

⦁ How was the money spent?

⦁ Owners state that there are lawsuits against insurers of the Americano.  What is the basis of these suits? I can’t comment publicly on the ongoing insurance litigation, only to say the basis for the lawsuits, for which the Association is the plaintiff, are over differences on the amounts claimed and the amounts paid by the insurers. Inaccurate comments about the litigation or the resort will be detrimental to the Association.

⦁ What work has been done on the Americano to date?

⦁ Why has it taken so long to get the Americano back open for business?

⦁ How much damage has been claimed from Irma?

⦁ How many special assessments are Owners expected to receive and what amounts?

⦁ The remodeling plan exceeds costs of $15 million.  It was stated that ARC anticipates gathering $10 million from investors.  What is the time frame for that?

⦁ Is it reasonable to expect owners to supplement $5 million, especially since it was stated 60% of owners are no longer paying annual maintenance fees?

⦁ If 60% of owners are no longer paying regular maintenance fees, how can the remaining 40% supplement the 60% who are not paying? If the 60% is accurate, it will be too costly for anyone to continue as an owner.

⦁ What do you estimate the building will be worth after all the renovations are complete?  Property records show the building valued at approximately $14.5 million now. The building was appraised and insured for $22 million, with additional coverage for contents, etc. (One of the members thought Volusia County had the building valued at or near $15 million.)

⦁ What kind of ‘exit’ plan do you have for owners who can no longer afford or wish to be part of the timeshare program, particularly long-time owners who are now senior citizens on fixed incomes?

⦁ Who owns ARC?

⦁ If the damage is more than 60%, should the building be declared totaled?

⦁ What compensation has been offered to owners who have not only been unable to use their weeks, or bank the weeks for exchange, but have paid maintenance and/or assessment fees for several years with nothing to show for it?  

Irene’s answer: Whether it is a timeshare condo or your personal residence, if a hurricane destroys property to the extent you can’t inhabit the property, it’s never easy. Property taxes and other expenses continue and alternative living arrangements need to be made. The real question the owners are asking – Is the reason the resort is still not open valid? It may be. The developer has every reason to see a closed resort open. If your home is 60% destroyed, it would be hard to find a buyer and more difficult to walk away from.     

Unrelated to the hurricane damage, owners claim that ARC has made significant changes to the way owners have always been able to book/use their timeshare weeks. Some say they have had their weeks changed from prime to non-prime; some have lost the weeks they had always booked for races and Bike Week; some were told they had to buy into a more expensive points system; some were told they had to change from Interval to RCI for exchanges, etc. We will reach out to these owners in a future article.

As was discussed at the May board meeting we can amend the Declaration to change the definition of a week from beginning on a Saturday only to being what suits the owner better. Race Week owners could stay Monday to Monday, for example, so they could enjoy the pre-race activities and stay over the night after the race without having to rent additional time. Bike week owners might prefer to come Sunday to Sunday, and be assured they could come for that event regardless of when the City scheduled it.

Owners reaching out to Inside Timeshare feel they may have been scammed, particularly as some owners paid thousands (as recently as 2017) to buy into a points system as they were told they had to in order to be able to continue to use their timeshare. No owner should have to give up a deed. Before doing so, the deed holder needs to make sure if the reasons a sales agent gives for giving up a deed (at any timeshare) is warranted.

At an Americano Board meeting May 21, 2018 a member reported:

Owners say they received a survey PRIOR to an owners’ meeting in March 2018, giving owners a chance to vote for:

(a) Continuing the timeshare program as is,

(b) Reducing the timeshare program to a few floors while redesigning and selling the rest as private condos, or

(c) Terminating the timeshare program altogether.  

From what owners say they were told at the meeting, over 60% voted to terminate the timeshare program.

Chris Crawford is an Americano owner and admin of a member sponsored Facebook page consisting of 200 owners. Chris did not attend the meeting, but feels the vote was hearsay. He said members who did attend reported no actual numbers were presented. Owners say they are frantic as they believe that they will lose their timeshare that they have put thousands into, many well over 20 years, and get nothing back.

Many want to deed their timeshare back to Americano. According to members, resellers will not even talk to owners about trying to sell as they are saying there is a lawsuit pending, but owners say they are receiving no information about a lawsuit (unrelated to the insurance litigation).  

Chris says complaints have been filed with various State of Florida agencies, certified letters sent to Americano Board of Directors and ARC requesting specific documents as proof of damages claimed, but owners say they have received no responses from Americano or the state agencies.

Scott MacGregor said there have been updates and information posted to members reporting the status.   

I hope the members of the member sponsored Americano Facebook group will heed the advice given to them by the State regulators and timeshare attorney Finn of Finn Law Group:  present evidence of malfeasance to the State Regulators or to a court of competent jurisdiction to be adjudicated, and/or present a plan for consideration by the Association which is better than the one ARC has presented.  

Our plan is pretty simple: we have been consistent from our engagement with the Americano that it will take about $15mm of capital to restore the facility to a current and compliant property after suffering years of under-investment in the reserves required to update all of the common elements when they reached the end of their useful lives. Initially, we intended to do that by generating $40 – 50 million in sales over 5 to 7 years and attributing about 25% of the sales volume (which is standard “product cost” in many US timeshare developments) toward that reconstruction.  Unfortunately, August of 2017 was the first month we attained break-even sales volume at the resort, only to have it shut down by Irma in early September. So, now our plan is to raise through ARC debt or equity $10 – 12mm as rapidly as possible to renovate the entire facility; to reduce the timeshare program to the number of units needed to support the remaining timeshare owners, and modify the use plan to make it more flexible for those owners.

Financially, the costs of ownership should decrease as the significant bad debt burden the owners have increasingly borne over the past 10 – 15 years would be eliminated, and the facility would be significantly upgraded, thereby eliminating the historic underfunded reserve problem the resort has had for the same time.  A facility of that size should have roughly $6 – 8 million in reserves. In the years prior to our involvement, its reserve balance as reported in its audits was closer to $500 – 600 k, less than a tenth of what was required. This is a common problem with too many timeshare resorts, done to keep the maintenance fees artificially low.  2016 was the first year in many that the Association had more than a million dollars in its reserve at year-end. I’ll also point out that 2017 will have been the first year the Association ever (as far as I can tell from past tax returns) the Association received net rental proceeds from the Developer, netting more than $120,000 through the first 8 months of the year.  The remaining units will be restructured as whole-ownership vacation rental units or held for rental, hopefully generating a return of and on the capital ARC is seeking to raise for its reconstruction.

It is the intent to raise capital externally, and not to require any additional assessments of the owners.  Were the remaining owners (including ARC which owns and pays assessments on approximately 1,450 intervals) to be assessed the amount necessary to complete the renovations, because more than 60% of them have stopped paying assessments over the years, the additional bill to each owner would have easily exceeded $5,000 per interval, which is not tenable.  The capital needed to be raises for a project like this isn’t easy; the units are small and don’t have external balconies, so the margins on redevelopment are slim. The funding will come from private investors; most likely those with a present stake in the Daytona market, from some of the specialized US timeshare lenders, or perhaps from a smaller Private Equity firm.  It’s what I spend most of my time working on.

Scott answer my questions highlighted in red: Since Inside Timeshare is published in Spain, we are interested in a statement made that ARC has ties to the EU. What are those connections?

When we started putting ARC together in 2015, one of the aspects we sought was ties to European (and South American) companies that we could leverage to send owners on trips abroad, especially to countries of their heritage.  Silverpoint and RCI Europe both expressed an interest in helping to do that, though we have no formal or financial ties to either. We do have a contact with the Holiday Plus discounted European hotel program, to which our ARC Freedom 365 members have access through the “Heritage” program on our website.  We will do an occasional “inventory swap” with Silverpoint, as we do with dozens of other companies. This helps us to place owners in locations they may not be able to get through direct exchange programs like RCI or II. Also, much of the programing staff for our technology partner TimeshareSoft International is based in Bulgaria.  We may also try to market some of the Americano condominiums in the EU and Asian markets through established broker networks in those regions, though we have not yet entered into any agreements to do so. There are no contractual or financial ties between ARC and Silverpoint. If there were, we’d leverage their destinations for marketing purposes on our websites.

Are hedge funds involved in the raising of funds?  

Hedge funds tend to make large, long-term investments in companies and real estate projects, but something as small (from their perspective) as ARC and the Americano redevelopment are not in their wheelhouse. We will raise the development capital from individual investors as noted above, and or from US specialty lenders in the timeshare space, and possibly from smaller Private Equity or VC firms. Due to the risk profile and complexity of the Americano, it will most likely be individual investors with interests in Daytona or other Florida beach markets and/or the US timeshare lenders.

My view is the solution is not to try to take the whole industry down, but to work on making parts of it better with community-based approaches to supporting the stronger, more sustainable resorts and helping those that are failing to do so in a controlled manner preserving as much value as possible and avoiding complete collapse of the Associations. I gave a similar presentation to the Timeshare Board Members Association in Orlando in May.

I don’t think anyone wants to take the whole industry down, but given several lawsuits and Attorneys General settlements, we believe timeshare could improve, especially in the sales and marketing department. Inside Timeshare has heard from 473 angry timeshare members and owners to date. We hope constructive dialog can improve customer relationships. If President Trump and Kim Jong-un can sit down and have a friendly chat, we should too.

Chris said the Canadian Teacher Association originally owned the Americano, developed as a place for teachers to vacation. According to Chris, the single largest shareholder (the old owner) sold it to ARC.  

Proprietors behind Americano are ARC American Resort Collection

http://www.arcresorts.com/about-arc/

Special Assessment: What Is It? Why Is It?

Tom Tubbs

Island Consulting Realty

It can happen. You open the mail from your timeshare resort and here’s a letter of explanation of why they are asking you to send them more money. First you have to understand what it is and is not. A special assessment is just that, special. Normally your maintenance fee is covering everything; upkeep of the unit and common area, housekeeping, taxes, utilities, insurance and also reserves. Let’s look at reserves. That’s the part that they collect and set aside for when the big things happen that we all know about; repave the roads and parking lot, new roofs, etc. It’s also called a sinking fund. But sometimes things occur that no one could have planned on and there’s no money in the budget to handle it.

Think of it this way. Every few years you paint your home (reserves). You know it’s coming. You clean the house regularly (housekeeping). You pay your taxes and insurance. But one day you’re outside and notice a crack in your foundation. You didn’t plan on it and didn’t budget for it but guess what, it’s there! You have to pay to get it fixed. That’s the same sort of thing that can happen with any homeowner’s association whether it’s your own neighborhood or vacation condo you own. Same with a timeshare. If it’s something that could not have been predicted, it simply has to be taken care of. The alternative is not making the repair and having the quality of the resort go downhill. That’s worse.

But here’s what you do have to watch out for. If it should ever happen to you, you need to know the real reason for the assessment. Was it something like described above and simply could not have been predicted? If so that’s understandable. BUT, what if they tell you it’s for “refurbishment” or something similar. That’s a red flag and it needs to be looked at. Since any competent management company or homeowner’s association knows that refurbishment is an ongoing expense, it’s normally a part of the reserves. Most resorts refurbish their units about every 5 years or so. It’s planned for.

   So if your letter states the special assessment is for refurbishing, you have to ask yourself, “What happened to the money I’ve been paying them all these years in maintenance fees?” Where is it? Is the Board of the homeowner’s association incompetent or maybe something worse? This is YOUR money they’re working with and they’re supposed to be able to handle it and account for it. If they’re not competent, it’s time to replace the Board of Directors of the homeowner’s association. And if there’s suspicion of theft, it’s time for a lawyer to get involved with a forensic accountant to go over the books.

So if it does happen, how much money should you be paying out? Well obviously that depends on what the problem is. But, again, this is where the beauty of timeshares come into play where you have a lot of people chipping in so no one in particular is going to get really hurt. Look at it this way. Let’s say you have a resort with 200 units. 200 units times 52 weeks per unit is 10,400 owners for the entire resort. If everyone were hit with a $200 special assessment, that’s over $2,000,000 coming in. It would have to be one unreal problem to cost that much money. So if you ever do get hit with an assessment, do a little quick math and make sure it looks like it adds up.

Thank you Irene, it really makes you wonder what the annual maintenance charges are actually used for?

That’s it for today, the next article will not be published now until Thursday, Inside Timeshare is travelling.

The post The Tuesday Slot with Irene appeared first on Inside Timeshare.

We all know that the resale market for timeshare is almost non-existent, you only have to look on ebay to see that many people can’t even give them away, even when they offer to pay the transfer fees. Those that have prices are either very low and have no offers or bids, the ones with highly inflated prices are what the owner thinks they are worth and hope they will get.

It has also spawned one of the biggest frauds in timeshare, the resale company, many owners have been victims of these over the years. In Europe the EU Timeshare Directives forbids these companies to take a fee for listing the timeshare, but they still do. Quite often they will claim that it is not a listing fee, but a marketing fee to give you your own webpage to create your very own personalised advert. Charges of around 1,000€ are not uncommon, once it has been paid, that is probably the last you will ever hear from them.

The most common scam in Europe is the call to tell you that they have a buyer already lined up, but to get this sale underway a “bond” needs to be paid, which is refundable once the sale has taken place. This particular scam was also used by the “Discount Holiday Clubs” such as Club Class and Designer Way Vacation Club, who would tell the owner that they have a corporate buyer wanting their timeshare. They would then attend a meeting either in the UK or have to travel to Spain.

At this meeting the classic “bait and switch” would take place, they would take your timeshare off your hands leaving you maintenance free, but you would need to pay around 10,000€ to join their discount club. In many instances, three years down the line the unfortunate timeshare owner found that they still owned their timeshare and were now in arrears.

This situation is actually the fault of the industry itself, mainly thanks to the false promises that they would “buy back” the timeshare when the owner no longer required it. Another factor is the perpetuity contract, which many owners found impossible to get out of leaving them and their families burdened with ever increasing maintenance fees.

This is Lisa Ann Schreier‘s Open Letter to Developers published on 18 June 2018 on her Timeshare Crusader Blogspot:

http://thetimesharecrusader.blogspot.com/2018/06/an-open-letter-to-timeshare-developers.html

An Open Letter to Timeshare Developers

Dear Timeshare Developers:

I’d appreciate an honest answer from any of you.

Why do you not buy back your own product when it’s being sold for $1,000, $100 or $1.00 on the secondary market when you can turn around and sell it the very next day or week for whatever grossly inflated price you do each and everyday to unsuspecting consumers?

It’s not like we’re talking about a product that deprecated due to rust or even the fact that it’s outdated. You maintain the product with the owners money and you determine the usage rules.

ARDA just reported that the average price of a timeshare was $22,180.

In under a minute, I was able to find these listings on a reputable resale site:

Marriott’s Desert Springs $4,295

Orange Lake North Village $3,000

Sheraton Broadway Plantation $500

Summer Bay Orlando $0 (not a typo)

It seems to me that you guys could turn a nifty profit by snapping these up and selling them for $22,180 or whatever your salespeople try to get.

But you don’t. Why is that?  Are you trying to give the impression that these timeshares aren’t worth anything?  Because that’s exactly what you’re doing.

Thank you Lisa for allowing Inside Timeshare to publish your letter in Europe, (even though this will be read worldwide). Inside Timeshare has had the pleasure of working with Lisa, albeit over cyberspace, Lisa is a long time advocate of the timeshare owner and we hope that we continue to work together.

If you have any comment or question about this article, or any other published, then use our contact page and send it in. Inside Timeshare welcomes your input.

The post Timeshare Resale: Lisa Ann Schreier Open Letter to Developers appeared first on Inside Timeshare.

It’s Friday and time for another Letter from America with Irene Parker, this week is part 1 with part 2 due shortly. Now, in Europe it has been a little quiet on the courts front this week, although there have been many cases before the courts, no sentences have been announced, so nothing there to report.

Inside Timeshare has been receiving many more enquiries regarding RSB Legal and Taylor Marshall Associates, these have all been very similar. They have all paid substantial amounts of money to have their timeshare contracts cancelled, none of this has been done. They are all receiving demands for unpaid maintenance and many are now in around two years of arrears.

It is obvious that these contracts have not been cancelled, despite what RSB Legal and Taylor Marshall are saying. All those who have contacted us have told us the same thing, their resorts have insisted that they do not deal with third parties to cancel contracts, only direct with the member.

Club la Costa has also been explaining this to members, they even informed RSB Legal and Taylor Marshall that they would not deal with them. But obviously they just carried on regardless and taking huge amounts from members knowing full well they would not get the contracts cancelled.

Another company which Inside Timeshare reported on in May, has come up yet again, Donaldson Bruce Associates, as we stated in the original article there is no record of them at Company House in the UK or in Spain. The website is registered under a privacy company and there is no address given just a contact page and a Sheffield telephone number 0114 303 0678.

This time the caller who stated to our reader that Diamond Resorts is closing its European Portfolio and will only be operating in America, well that is news to us and all the Diamond members who own in Europe! Having spoken with Diamond Resorts today about this company, they are now looking into the matter, they also confirmed that they will only deal with members direct regarding surrender of membership and not with any of these types of companies.

This is obviously a scare tactic on the part of Donaldson Bruce agents, to get people to sign up for a claim. Diamond Europe I believe, would inform their members if anything like this were to happen, after all it is in their interest to do so.

We do know that Diamond did close there sales offices and many staff had to laid off, obviously many of these have set up these “claims” companies and may be using the data “stolen” from Diamond to contact their old clients. On the point of the sales office closures, this was done for economic reasons, Diamond have franchised out the sales side so they are no longer responsible for the marketing costs or wages of the sales staff.

http://insidetimeshare.com/thursday-news-slot-a-new-cold-calling-claims-company/

So now on with our Letter from America.

Part I – Did You Get the Letter?

Part II – I got some letters

By Irene Parker

Most members begin their report: They said I should have gotten a letter…

June 22, 2018

There is no question there are millions of timeshare members happy with their timeshare. However, many existing members may be unaware their timeshare has little to no secondary market until a life event makes the timeshare unaffordable, or useless, because of the inability to travel. Deeding it back to the timeshare company without receiving any monetary value back may be acceptable when you have used the timeshare for many years, but what about the buyer who purchases a timeshare and then learns, sometimes just weeks after purchase, they were a victim of fraud? Most of the 466 families reaching out to Inside Timeshare allege they were baited and switched. Many with 800 credit scores now brace for foreclosure.

We need to equip the existing timeshare member, as well as the first time buyer, with the tools needed to make an informed decision. We feel the timeshare consumer should be made aware that there may be little to no secondary market for the timeshare they purchased. It would be helpful to know that the points you paid $60,000 for should only be listed for $4,500, in the case of one timeshare company that has even this much of a secondary market. A member of the Licensed Timeshare Resale Broker Association can estimate what your timeshare may be worth. LTRBA members will not even accept a listing for the points I purchased feeling my timeshare points have no secondary market. http://www.licensedtimeshareresalebrokers.org/

Do not pay anyone upfront money to get you out of your timeshare without checking with us or one of the self-help groups listed below. There are many scams created by this flawed points based product.    

Existing timeshare members almost always begin their complaint like this:

Sales agent: “Did you get the letter?”

Timeshare owner: “What letter?”

Sales agent: “You should have  gotten a letter.”

Timeshare owner: “I didn’t get a letter.”

There was no letter and the reason the sales agents said this was to disturb the existing member. This is a common sales technic. As a financial planner, I disturbed my prospects with, “Do you know if you have saved enough to generate 70% of your current income in retirement?” The difference was my prospects needed to fear this, but in complaint after complaint, the fear factor was used to coerce a timeshare member to give up their deeded timeshare and convert to points, or lose everything. Another fear factor is, “If you don’t buy points (if they are not holding a deed), you won’t be at the level needed to pay maintenance fees with points (or sell points if that is the member’s concern). No timeshare member is required to give up their deed, unless all owners are required to do so because the timeshare is being terminated.

 Many members are astonished at the level of deceit they say they experienced. One former timeshare sales agent told me her manager told her to order the CIA Manual on Human Manipulation. When I looked up human manipulation I found several of the  20 most common manipulation techniques used, have been used on timeshare buyers. The actions of these bad apples makes it hard on sales agents that do sell the product honestly. For some companies, I’m not sure if the honest or dishonest agent is considered the rogue.

  20 of the most common manipulation techniques (my comments to the techniques I picked out as applicable to timeshare are italicized)

The Patriotic Vanguard http://www.thepatrioticvanguard.com/20-most-common-manipulation-techniques-used-by-human-predators

1. Lying

Predators are constantly lying about practically everything in their life. They do this to wrong-foot their victim and confuse them. Lying is one of the manipulation techniques psychopaths typically use because they have no qualms about it.

Complaints always begin, “The sales agent said” and the member’s complaint is almost always dismissed with, “We are not responsible for what our sales agent says” or “You signed a contract” unless the member is holding a smoking gun (like the recording of a fraudulent sales presentation or a sophisticated spreadsheet they managed to get a picture of or smuggle out). One complainant even said her sales agent told her when she contacted him, “It doesn’t matter what I said. The only thing that matters is what you signed.” This dismissal is backed up by some Attorney General Timeshare Division reviewers, responding, “You have no proof” or, “You should not have relied on verbal representation.”

Okay fine. Our mission is to alert the public not to believe a word a timeshare sales agent says.

2. Not telling the whole story

This is different to lying as a predator will often keep a key part of the story to themselves in order to put their victim at a disadvantage.

Oh Boy! We could write a novel about this tactic. “You can pay all your maintenance fees by charging to a credit card.” This may work for a timeshare sales agent earning $600,000 a year charging $270,000 to a credit card to pay a $2,700 maintenance fee, but for the average timeshare buyer, a 1% credit is a far cry from paying all the maintenance fees. “And you can use your points for airfares!” When I attempted this it would have cost $2,300 in maintenance fee dollars to book one domestic round-trip ticket. One former timeshare sales agent told me he was forced out for explaining the actual value. He had 30 years in the business before joining this particular timeshare company.

4. Love-bombing and devaluation

Narcissists typically use love bombing as a manipulation tactic, they will go on a charm offensive and get you hooked into thinking this is the best relationship ever, then they’ll drop you like a ton of bricks without explanation.

This from Phyllis, being encouraged to give up her timeshare deed:

I am a senior citizen 5 feet tall women and he is a 6 feet tall man standing over me stating he was a child of GOD and he can help me then said to me “I am a friend I can tell you the best thing to do only if I signed”. He added the BANK CREDIT CARD. I was misled to only use the card for shopping that my points would go up and maintenance fees would go down. I never received the card. I never used the card. Now I have a trial date May 8, 2018 to pay their lawyers in the amount of $3446.04. They sent a letter stating the timeshare went into foreclosure and I am out of the contract. Since the timeshare and the bank are together I should be out of paying the bank as well? I need help. Could someone give me advice? Can I get someone to go with me and represent me? I am afraid and stressed. Please – email me on what I can so as soon as possible. Thank You.

The credit card company kindly granted Phyllis a 60 day extension to July. She is representing herself.

6. Denial

Often the simplest way a predator will manipulate a person is by denying the thing they are accused of ever happening.

The timeshare company party line response has been, “After a thorough investigation, the sales agent said he didn’t say that. Here are your initials on the fine print. You signed a contract. Kind regards.”

7. Spinning the truth

How many times have politicians twisted the facts to suit themselves? This spinning of the truth is often used to disguise bad behaviour by predators such as sociopaths.

This is one of our most recent complaints:

After we said no to L, Mr. Richard C told us we should buy points to save money on airfare since we have to fly so often to India to care for my mother undergoing chemotherapy. Richard said we could use our points to pay for plane tickets to India to help reduce expenses. L gave a long lecture on how immigrants (referring to me) should behave in the United States and should invest in programs like this to save money on travel.  They said I could fly four times to India instead of two. We have learned this was all a lie.

8. Minimising

Where a predator will try and play down their actions as not important or damaging and shift the blame onto the victim for overreacting.

“You were confused” is a frequent response.

10. Targets the victim

When a manipulator accuses the victim of wrongdoing, they are making the victim defend themselves whilst the predator is able to mask their own manipulation techniques. The focus is on the victim, not the accuser.

See #9

11. Positive reinforcement

This includes buying expensive presents, praising them, giving money, constantly apologizing for their behaviour, excessive charm and paying lots of attention.

In timeshare these are all the free tickets, restaurant coupons and giveaways.

12. Moves the goal posts

You might think you know where you stand with a person, but if they are constantly moving the goal posts in order to confuse you, then it’s likely you’re dealing with a predator.

These seniors lost their entire savings, $13,000, and were foreclosed. They were sold a minimal number of points that they could have vacationed with, but then up-sold into foreclosure, told they would lose everything if they did not buy more points. The husband diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and the wife hard of hearing. The company used the recording of the QA against them telling the grown son, and “We recorded the QA. They were very engaged.” In a PR Release the company had stated the recording of the QA was an enhanced Quality Assurance. Members are not allowed to record the sales session.

http://insidetimeshare.com/the-tuesday-slot-with-irene-8/

13. Diversion

Diverting the conversation away from the perpetrator’s act and moving the conversation onto a different topic is a typical way predators manipulate their victims.

When I told a scam my timeshare company does not allow renting points and I can send them the rule, they smoothly asked, “So how much are you paying in maintenance fees?” as they moved on to a travel reimbursement pitch.  

15. Guilt tripping

Someone who manipulates can guilt trip their victim by saying that they don’t care about them or that they are selfish or their life is easy. It all helps to keep that person confused and anxious.

Guilt tripping in timeshare often lays a guilt trip on the parents that they are not providing adequate vacation time for the kids.

17. Playing the innocent card

A true manipulator will feign utmost shock and confusion at being accused of any wrongdoing. Their surprise is so convincing that the victim may question their own judgement.

One member reported they were told, “Those sales agents at that sales center are good guys.”  This was a sales center we received over 50 complaints against, eleven against one particular agent.

18. Over-the-top aggression

Manipulators often use rage and aggression to shock their victim into submission. The anger is also a tool to shut down any further conversation on the topic as the victim is scared but focused now on controlling the anger, not the original topic.

See what happened to Phyllis in Question 4. We are flooded with complaints about timeshare sales presentations that last for hours with members being browbeat by rotating aggressors until they were diminished down to mush. I’m not making this up. If I had not heard 466 stories, I would not be this confident.

19. Isolation

It is far easier to keep a person under control if they are isolated from family members and friends who could shed some light and truth on the situation.

This is accomplished by NDAs and arbitration.  I refused to sign one after I was offered our money back, which is why I am still standing. The developer describes arbitration something like, “litigating from the comfort of your own home.” The timeshare company hires the litigator for $400 to $500 an hour.  

20. Feigns love and empathy

Predators such as psychopaths and sociopaths do not know how to love someone other than themselves, and cannot feel empathy, but they can pretend to in order to inveigle others into their lives.

See what happened to Phyllis in Question 4.

If you watch out for the above manipulation techniques, you can keep yourself out of a predator’s clutches.

… For reading, responding and for helping others.

Contact Inside Timeshare or these self-help groups if you need help or have a question you need answered.

We seek to provide timeshare members a way to proactively address membership concerns; to advocate for timeshare reform; to obtain greater disclosure from the company; to advocate for a viable secondary market; and to educate prospective buyers.

https://www.facebook.com/timeshareadvocategroup/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/DiamondResortsOwnersAdvocacy/

https://tug2.com/Home.aspx

https://www.facebook.com/groups/180578055325962/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/465692163568779/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1639958046252175/

FTC Report on Fraud

https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2018/03/ftc-releases-annual-summary-complaints-reported-consumers

Thank you Irene, we look forward to the second installment, join us again next week for more “Nightmares on Timeshare Street” and remember to do your homework, check, check and check again, there are many out there who just want to take your hard earned cash.

If you need any help in identifying any company that has contacted you or you have found on the internet and want to check if they are genuine, then use our contact page and get in touch.

Have a good weekend.

The post Friday’s Letter from America appeared first on Inside Timeshare.

Today’s Tuesday Slot is from Chantal Desjardins with the introduction and editing by Irene Parker, looks at the recent elections at Embarc (Club Intrawest) HOA board of directors. As you will see from this article it does not appear to be very fair. This is something we have seen in various elections at timeshare resorts in Europe over the years, so it is nothing new. In fact back in 2016 Inside Timeshare published the following article “Manipulation of votes by resorts and resort owners”. (see link below)

http://insidetimeshare.com/manipulation-votes-resorts-resort-owners/

Now for Chantals article.

Embarc (Intrawest) Diamond Resorts 2018 Election of Directors

Five times more members voting for me than closest rival –

Gives me a third place finish!

James Orr (incumbent) 421

Robert Reyes                    361

Chantal Desjardines       2293

And the winner is…..!     James Orr and Robert Reyes?

By Chantal Desjardins

June 26, 2018

Introduction by Irene Parker

Diamond Embarc members (formerly Intrawest) had the deck stacked against them in the recent Embarc HOA board elections, due to weighted votes in favor of the developer.  Diamond didn’t set it up that way though – Intrawest did in 1994 when they set up Club Intrawest incorporated in Delaware. Weighted voting provides a stranglehold on the club’s management & governance despite retaining less than 4% of the points.

If you check master declaration and bylaws for timeshares, often the cards are stacked in favor of the corporations retaining control of their boards through weighted voting on declarant points, all while pretending the individual members can influence an election by casting their “vote” in board elections.

When Intrawest researched timeshare governance and operating structure dating back to the early 90s, their governance structure was modeled after Disney Vacation Club, including the weighted votes for the declarant. Many points-based timeshares, especially large corporate ones, operate with very similar rules. Many members don’t realize this. Many pay no attention or don’t care. The member sponsored Club Intrawest Facebook has over 4,000 members. Voter turnout and support for Chantal was extraordinary as the numbers show, but she finished third.

This is legal – yes, but fair, ethical and moral – no, in the opinion of many timeshare members.

Chantal Desjardins’ comments about the election

www.citheownersgroup.org/2018results

Five times more members voting for me than closest rival gives me a third place finish!

How is that fair, you may ask? Well, it isn’t! This election was once again only “window-dressing” on the part of Diamond Resorts to make it appear that members have a say in the running of their clubs.

Nonetheless, Club Intrawest Owners Group members – THANK YOU!

Although I did not get a position on the Embarc Board in this election, the result, given the unfairness of the “weighted” votes, is excellent! Thank you for voting as a block, for not splitting your votes! Because of this, it is readily evident to anyone looking at the results that the candidate who obtained by far and away the most member votes, came in third.

Over 5 times more members voted for me than for the closest “incumbent”, James Orr. Over 6 times more members voted for me than for the second “incumbent” Robert Reyes. Over 3 times more members voted for me than for both incumbents together. In fact, 25% more members voted for me than all 7 other candidates added together.

And yet – James Orr and Robert Reyes are once again Embarc board members for another 3 years!

Although it is said nowhere in the run-up to the election, the declarant, the entity that “holds” DRI points as a member, has 15 times the voting power per point than that of individual members. They are very careful not to state this fact in the emails sent concerning the election – both before AND after. They are very careful to make it appear that members, who have the vast majority of the points, will have a chance to get their candidate onto the board. This is one of the most misunderstood aspects of Embarc membership. Even as they vote, are engaged, most members don’t understand that when the Declarant (DRI) votes, our member votes are made virtually worthless.

When one breaks down the numbers given in the pre-election emails as well as the results, the chart of the “count/weight” looks like this:     ​

​​

Once we all understand how this all “works”, it becomes evident and imperative that members must join forces to oblige DRI to give us what is our due – the number of board members that correspond to our points owned.

We need to increase our voting power so that it is at least half that of the Declarant (DRI).

Why do we only need half + 1?

Because when the board has elections for incumbent positions, we can cast all our votes (2 positions = double the votes) for 1 person, while they must put half of their total entitlement on each.

How do we do this?

• By each of us doing our part by recruiting members into our group each time we go to a club
• By pushing back against the unfair governance of our clubs by email, FB posts and raising awareness of the issues
• By voting as a block each time we are called upon to vote
• By demanding that elections information be posted on the Embarc member site, on the Embarc member Facebook pages, at the Clubs! DRI suppresses votes by only sending the information by email or nondescript postcard. It is a proven fact that emails from organisations have an “open rate” of less than 30% on average. Using only emails (and the undistinguished postal card) to announce elections, effectively allows DRI to suppress the vote while claiming to have done their duty.
• By joining the new not-for-profit Embarc Owners Association when it is launched and consolidating our power.
• By growing our numbers in the coming years, we can beat DRI at the election polls – and once we’ve done it the first time, we can do it again the following year – meaning that we CAN have 3 members on the Embarc board representing member interests. ​

What is the cost involved? Almost nothing! With a tangible result that doesn’t involve court costs and years of litigation!

That’s why I’m not disappointed in this year’s election results

I’m thrilled with our member engagement.

We WILL overcome – time and determination will allow us to achieve our goals.

Thank you all!

Chantal

Embarc election results are posted at the end of the article.

An update on Diamond’s Flamingo Beach Resort elections in St. Maarten

Diamond owns 72% of all the weeks at the Flamingo Resort and only one seat from the outside (that is not a Diamond employee) is elected each year. So the incumbent endorsed by the board won easily. There was discussion about adding a second seat and the board took this under consideration for future discussion.

Deeded owner Greg Guisti ran for the Flamingo Beach Resort board election held April 19, 2018 in St. Maarten. To paraphrase Greg’s explanation as to why a board should consist of member representations, “Timeshare members and owners have an expectation of what a good timeshare should be. Members are entitled to good communication and feedback, and that communication should include the voice of an actual owner or member.”

With the internet flooded with complaints directed against some timeshare companies, more than ever timeshare members need a more member friendly board to serve as a pipeline for communication.

Embarc 2018 Election Results

Thank you Chantal and Irene, it does make you wonder how the voting works, to get that number of votes and only come in third!

Had that been an election for government there would have been a very loud cry of “FIX” from the press and media. So the question is what happened?

I guess we can only read into it what we want because somehow I don’t think we are going to get any straight answers from the industry.

If you have any comments or questions on this subject or have had a similar experience either in the US or Europe, then use our contact page and let us know. Inside Timeshare is committed to informing all timeshare owners and vacation club members of what is actually going on, it may not please the developers or the industry, but who actually cares if they get upset!

The post The Tuesday Slot with Irene appeared first on Inside Timeshare.

Yesterday it was brought to the attention of Inside Timeshare that a company based in the US called Sell My Timeshare Now is using the Inside Timeshare name in keywords for internet search. The wording is Inside Timeshare Resales and Rentals, this we believe is to give the impression that Inside Timeshare is associated or endorsing this company.

They have been informed that we are not happy by this use of our name and have been asked to remove it, so far they have not responded. Along with any legal action that may be required Inside Timeshare will publish articles about this company to keep this in the news and to warn all our readers that Inside Timeshare is not associated with or endorses Sell My Timeshare Now.

We have also been in contact with an elderly lady from the UK, she wanted to tell her story of how she has been the victim of many scams regarding her timeshare and about the latest attempt to illicit money from her.

It all began years ago when she and her late husband purchased a timeshare with Club la Costa, over the years they upgraded and eventually succumbed to the sales pitch to “invest” in two weeks fractional ownership. This cost around £90,000 which she was not actually aware of as her late husband dealt with all the finances and the timeshares.

Over the years they had paid out to “scam” resale companies to try and offload the burden of the maintenance fees, they were also taken in by “fake” claims companies.

It was not until her husband’s passing that she actually became aware of how much they had spent. She then had to take control of all the affairs and settle the fractional ownership issue. In order to organise her husband’s estate and list all assets, she contacted Club la Costa for a valuation of the two weeks of fractional. What shock she was about to receive.

She was under the belief that each week of fractional was worth around £45,000 each, CLC sent her a valuation worth only £11,000 for both weeks.

Eventually she had to hand them back for no return, so all that had been “invested” was now gone.

Then the latest “scam” appeared.

She received a phone call supposedly from the Malaga Courts telling her she had won a case against Club la Costa, she had been awarded a huge amount of money well over £100,000.

Obviously she was not taken in by this call, but the disturbing fact is the caller had very precise knowledge of all transactions and purchases over the years with Club la Costa. This was even right down to the dates of purchase.

So one has to ask, where the hell did that kind of information come from?

We are all very well aware that client information is often stolen by employees, especially when they know that they are going to lose their jobs. This data is worth a great deal to the “scam” companies that are always being setup and obviously to the person selling it. Quite often these companies are also being opened by those  very same ex-employees.

This ladies story really does go to show how vulnerable people are, especially the elderly who more often than not are the main victims, after all the timeshare owning community is mainly this age group.

If you are contacted by any company and have been told they are either from the courts or have been appointed by the courts, do not believe them. Do not pay out any money, especially by bank transfer, use our contact page and let us know. It is your information that will help others.

On the subject of “fake” law firms, we have again been asked to warn readers about the activities of Hope Brugge, Megan Heywood and Paul Tyler or Taylor, supposedly calling from Abogados Lopez (Gran Canaria & Marbella).

The story is they have taken over the clients case which is about to be heard in the courts, they need to clarify some details before attending the hearing. Then very soon after another call is received and the client has been awarded a huge amount, this is backed up by an email with forged court documents and a forged notary letter.

The address given on the letter is:

Calle Teniente C Castillo Olivares 12, 35011, Palmas de Gran Canaria.

Checking this address it is an apartment block.

Telephone numbers being used are:

0034 951 242 867 (Malaga code)

0034 602 654 670 (Mobile)

0034 604 261 988‬ (Mobile)

0044 1291 440 500 (UK Chepstow code)

Email: info@javierlopezabogados.com

The website www.javierlopezabogados.com

Was registered on 22 March 2018, it is privacy protected so the owner is hidden. The website itself has nothing on it, just the one page with the words Javier Lopez Abogados / Lawyers and a lot of swirling lines.

Again this is a scam, do not be taken in by them, if you do have a case pending and you receive a call from them, contact your own lawyers for confirmation and inform them of any details you have been able to get.

These articles just go to show how doing your homework is so important, don’t believe what you are told even if it does sound plausible, check, check and double check.

The post Midweek Report appeared first on Inside Timeshare.

Back in April Inside Timeshare reported on a new cold calling company called Ross & Harper SL, CIF B9391915 with the address C/ Centro Comercial Los Jarales – Local 1, Suite  29651 – (Mijas) – Málaga. They were calling timeshare owners and claiming the court had awarded them substantial sums of money.

At that time we also identified another company at that address, with the question could this be the next cold calling claims company?

Victoria Services Legal SL

CIF  B93597839

Email: victoriaserviceslegal@consultant.com

This is a free email address service.

Telephone: UK  +44 203 582 7586; and Malaga +34 951 221 253

Well it certainly turns out we were right, Inside Timeshare received an email from one very grateful person who decided to do a little research on this company after he received a call from a Mr Nigel Watkins, who claimed he was an employee of the Bank of Spain. Mr Watkins has a great deal of knowledge about all the dealings our reader has had in the past 6 to 10 years with various holiday club memberships. Again as we have asked before, where did they get this kind of information?

The story goes like this, the Bank of Spain had done a sweep to prosecute all the scam companies and holiday clubs, during this investigation the Bank of Spain had uncovered not only records of money due but also substantial amounts deposited in accounts owed to those cheated. Wonderful news, especially for our reader, there was over £25,000 just sitting at the Bank of Spain waiting to be claimed by him!

He was then passed to Ann Sharke (rather an appropriate name don’t you think), who explained the various methods he could claim this lovely loot, which he would receive precisely on 24 July! (Wow). These followed exactly those published in the original article, (see link at the bottom).

The first three methods were difficult, time consuming and expensive, but not to worry, luckily Ms. Sharke could find a Spanish lawyer who worked for the Bank of Spain, who could do all the work for around 8,000€ with an immediate payment of around 2,500€.

How very convenient, Ms. Sharke just happened to find Sr. Jose Manuel Rodriguez of Victoria Services Legal SL, (hang on, I thought she said he worked for the Bank of Spain). According to the agreement, apparently sent by the Bank of Spain,  comunicacionbancodeespana@post.com (not an official email address for Bank of Spain, it should be XXXX@bde.es)it contained all that had been explained to our reader. Although the last two paragraphs left a lot to be desired, these paragraphs did actually allow for Sr. Rodriguez to cancel the contract with impunity after payment.

The bank details which the client would need to transfer the money are:

Santander Bank.  IBAN ES86-0049-5792-1725-1606-3191.  Swift/Bic BSCHESMM. Central Commercial, Valdepinos, 29649 Calahonde, Mijas, Malaga

Well thanks to this reader deciding to do some research and having found the original article which described everything he had been told, they didn’t get his money. This really does go to highlight the point that we are always making:

IF IT SOUNDS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE IT PROBABLY ISN’T.

Never believe what you are told on the phone, never pay any money on the promise of the Courts, Bank of Spain, Tax Authorities or any other body is holding a huge amounts of money just waiting for you to claim it. There is always a catch, you either need to pay a lawyer to do the work for you, there is Tax to pay, a Procurator to pay or even bank fees to make the transfer.

THERE IS NO MONEY WAITING FOR YOU

THEY ONLY WANT TO GET HOLD OF YOURS

So the moral of this little tale is do your due diligence, do your homework and do your research. If you are in any doubt and need help in getting the information then use our contact page and ask Inside Timeshare, that is what we are here for.

http://insidetimeshare.com/start-the-week-another-warning/

The post Victoria Services Legal SL appeared first on Inside Timeshare.

Sell My Timeshare Now Exploits Inside Timeshare’s Name

INSIDE TIMESHARE IS NOT IN BUSINESS WITH

SELL MY TIMESHARE NOW and does not endorse SMTN

Sell My Timeshare Now has plagiarized Inside Timeshare’s name by using the keyword search words INSIDE TIMESHARE RESALES AND RENTAL on this link.

http://ww2.sellmytimesharenow.com/timeshare/Inside/vacation/

We had previously pulled two timeshare members’ articles after Sell My Timeshare Now (SMTN) refunded the members their money. Both members owned a timeshare widely reported as having no secondary market. There are few, if any, licensed timeshare resale brokers that will even accept a listing for the timeshare these members owned.  SMTN charged the families $1500 to $1700 to list their timeshare points, only to see the listing stagnate over the next year.

Reviewing a report from a few months ago, submitted by a timeshare member who had been solicited by SMTN, I noticed a quote the member provided from SMTN agent Richard Salzenstein. The member said Mr. Salzenstein agreed that her timeshare had no secondary market, but declined to answer why SMTN continues to accept listings for this company.         

Timeshare members solicited by SMTN threatened to file regulatory complaints accusing SMTN of offering real estate advice without being a licensed real estate agent, because both members said SMTN assured them they had listed at a good price. After checking with a timeshare insider, I was advised that this could be considered acting as a real estate agent without being licensed. SMTN agents are not licensed real estate agents. When the timeshare members threatened to file complaints, SMTN refunded their money.

As a courtesy, when a timeshare member approaches us about an article, we send a draft of the article to the company, hoping the company can resolve the dispute. Inside Timeshare would always rather see a member helped than publish an article. If the key words are not taken down, Inside Timeshare will direct readers to the New Hampshire and Florida Attorney General’s Office where SMTN is domiciled or operates as well as state real estate licensing commissions.    

Sell My Timeshare Now is not a scam, because there are timeshares with resale value. The company can make plenty of money listing timeshares points of companies like Hilton, Marriott, Disney, Starwood and Hyatt that do have some secondary market value.

SMTN is not Ebay or Craig’s List. SMTN advertises that they are knowledgeable of the timeshare industry and are a resource for timeshare members. By accepting listings for timeshares known to have virtually no secondary market, SMTN is harming beleaguered timeshare members already financially stressed.

June 29, 2018

By Irene Parker

If any timeshare members wishes to sell a timeshare they should check with a member of the Licensed Timeshare Resale Broker Association. They charge nothing upfront. We have often referred timeshare member to LTRBA.

http://www.licensedtimeshareresalebrokers.org/

This is the member’s report from the article we previously pulled:

I responded to a Sell My Timeshare Now (SMTN) solicitation. I had been trying to get rid of my timeshare points for years. I wasting $1600 by listing with SMTN, I was relieved to find a member sponsored Facebook page where I learned the company had launched a voluntary surrender program. We applied for the program and were accepted. We were able to avoid the painful collection calls that come after the member stops paying maintenance fees. 

Nikki Salvador of We Buy and Sell Timeshares recommended SMTN.

My SMTN listing agent explained that the upfront money charged is not a commission. In addition to the listing fee of $1,600, Maria quoted $800 to $1200 estimated for attorney fees should the points sell. I listed the points for around $14,000. Any knowledgeable member of this company knows this is a ridiculous listing price for my points, given the number of members on Facebooks and websites seeking to give away this company’s points.

Maria assured me demand for my points is high. I started inquiring about inactivity since we had not heard anything. Maria said, “People are looking at it. The price is good.” By advising a price, and advising me our price is good, I learned Maria was acting as a real estate agent without being licensed. I dropped the price to $12,500. Nothing happened. The timeshare points are worthless.   

SMTN still retains their Better Business Bureau rating of D.

https://www.bbb.org/concord/business-reviews/timeshare-resale-and-rental-marketing/sell-my-timeshare-now-in-portsmouth-nh-92008632

SMTN has been sold twice since 2010. Scott Roberts is the owner of Vacation Innovations and SMTN is a wholly owned subsidiary of V.I.

Accepting upfront money to sell a timeshare is illegal in some states like Florida, but it seems companies can work around the law by calling it an ad or subscription fee, or a market analysis.

After receiving our first SMTN complaint, I called SMTN and talked to Mike. The first question I asked Mike is, “Can I rent my points through SMTN?” Mike said renting my points is no problem. When I informed him this company does not allow the renting of points through a third party site like SMTN, Mike said he would have someone from legal call me. I did not hear back. I offered to email Mike the rule from the member handbook.

According to Better Business Bureau files,

Sell My Timeshare Now, LLC

This company has a pattern of complaints that centers around the company’s advertising claims. Complainants allege they are guaranteed a time frame in which their timeshare will sell. Many consumers allege the company makes a promise that their timeshare will sell quickly. The company responds to the complaints and reiterates the company policy which reads the company does not guarantee when a timeshare will sell.

On March 23, 2016 BBB reviewed the complaints on file and determined the pattern described above has not been eliminated. BBB sent a letter to the company requesting cooperation in responding to and eliminating the pattern of complaints.

On December 5, 2017 representatives of SMTN met with the BBB to update us on improvements they are making to their organization. They have taken steps toward improving customer service by hiring a new Customer Service Manager. They have put in place an “audit group” that will contact consumers on the day they sign the contract with SMTN and then again 90 days out as a way to ensure customer satisfaction. It is anticipated that by proactively working with their customers, the number of complaints will be reduced substantially. BBB will work closely with SMTN to follow their progress and to continue to address any complaints that may come in.

Consumers are, once again, requested to contact SMTN prior to filing a complaint with BBB at 1-877-815-4227. This Business Is Not BBB Accredited

Customer Review Rating:

35%

62%

[12] Positive Reviews

[1] Neutral Reviews

[21] Negative Reviews

[34] Total Customer Reviews

[107] Total Customer Complaints

Composite Score:

Sell My Timeshare Now, LLC has received 1.93 out of 5 stars based on 34 Customer Reviews and a BBB Rating of D.

This content is provided by the business and may contain advertising. BBB does not review or endorse this content.

https://www.bbb.org/concord/business-reviews/timeshare-resale-and-rental-marketing/sell-my-timeshare-now-in-portsmouth-nh-92008632/Alerts-and-Actions

According to a post found on RedWeek, published on the internet, SMTN does seem to charge a considerable upfront fee. A member had asked whether they should buy timeshare points through SMTN.  

Timeshare members seeking to sell their timeshare need to do their homework.

This is a Department of Justice report about timeshare transfer violations:

https://search.justice.gov/search?query=timeshare+fraud&op=Search&affiliate=justice

Contact Inside Timeshare or one of these member sponsored U.S. timeshare groups if you need help with a timeshare. It can save you money.

https://www.facebook.com/timeshareadvocategroup/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/DiamondResortsOwnersAdvocacy/

https://tug2.com/Home.aspx

https://www.facebook.com/groups/180578055325962/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/465692163568779/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1639958046252175/

If you have had any experience of this or any similar company and want to share it, then use our contact page and get in touch, Inside Timeshare welcomes your stories.

On the subject of the warning issued about some of the fake law firms and claims companies, Inside Timeshare has been informed by Canarian Legal Alliance that the fake law firm Abogados Lopez have had a denuncia made against them with the Guardia Civil and at the Courts.

This means that the callers Hope Brugge, Megan Heywood and Paul Tyler if those are their true names are now under investigation. Readers who have informed Inside Timeshare of being contacted have also made reports to the UK authorities using the Action Fraud website.

That’s it for this week, Friday is here and it is the start of another weekend, have fun and join us next week for more news and views on the murky world of timeshare.

The post Friday’s Letter from America appeared first on Inside Timeshare.

Welcome to our first article for July, we start this week with some news from the Courts in the UK.

On Tuesday 19 June at the Royal Courts of Justice, The Upper Tribunal, Tax and Chancery Division, sat on hearing brought by the Financial Conduct Authority and Barclays Partner Finance. Presiding over the case was Judge Timothy Herrington.

The case centers around a petition to the FCA by Barclays Partner Finance to issue a validation order for finance agreements made between April 2012 and April 2014 for loan agreements involving timeshare sales in Malta.

It transpired that the company which brokered the finance agreements, Azure Resort Services Limited, were not authorised or licenced by Barclay Partner Finance. They approached the FCA to have these validated and claimed that no consumer detriment had been caused by this.

The FCA did issue a validation order on the evidence it had from Barclay Partner Finance, they then received many complaints from many of those affected, this numbered around 1,444 clients.

On investigation it was found that consumer detriment may well have been caused with the new evidence coming to light. But the FCA felt it did not have the authority to reverse the validation orders and the case went before the Tribunal to have the validation orders reversed.

Canarian Legal Alliance along with other law firms representing clients had representatives in court. In the case of the CLA client, the loan agreements was for the purchase of multiple timeshare weeks. These were upgrades to original purchases in the “investment” packs being sold by Azure Resorts, which is the Malta arm of Silverpoint in Tenerife.

These multiple weeks were sold with a promise that a resale program would be put into place, then after two years they would be sold and the “investors” would be able pay off the loans with the money they would make on the sales.

As we know this ploy has been going on for years in Tenerife by Resort Properties / Silverpoint, which are subject to many cases going before the Tenerife Courts and the Supreme Court in Madrid. These sales have never taken place.

The CLA client was given a loan of over £20,000 to finance the purchase, they were misled into believing that the weeks would be sold and the loan agreement would be only for a two year duration. In fact the agreement was for a 15 year repayment term.

It is also known that the clients who were 75 at the time of signing had the loan approved within days of signing. At no time were they asked for any proof of income versus outgoings reports. These clients also signed the purchase agreements and the loan application forms after more than 5 hours of intense high pressure sales. They also felt they had no choice but to make these purchases so as not to lose out on money previously “invested” for weeks which had not been sold. The excuse they were given was what they had previously purchased were not selling as they were not the type of weeks and apartments which people wanted to buy.

The Judge presiding over the case then adjourned the hearing for deliberation, a verdict is yet to be announced.

If the validation order is reversed by the court, then this leave Barclays Partner Finance in a very difficult position, the upshot is if these agreements are not validated then Barclays Partner Finance cannot pursue the borrowers if they decide not to continue the payments. The lawyer for BPF assured the Court that until the judgement, BPF would not enforce the agreements for those who have defaulted.

This also leaves many other questions regarding finance agreements for timeshares, how many more have been made by unauthorised licenced brokers?

It also poses the question of ability to afford the repayments, especially when these agreements have been approved within days of signing, how many have been granted the loans without showing any proof of income versus outgoings reports?

Shawbrook Bank acknowledged this back in 2016, which we reported in an article in July that year, the CEO also resigned over this matter. (see links below)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2016/06/28/shawbrook-banks-shares-plunge-on-9m-hit-from-dodgy-lending/

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/markets/article-3663651/Shares-Shawbrook-drop-challenger-bank-reveals-loan-irregularities-cost-9m-finance-chief-quits.html

Now for some news from the Spanish Courts last week.

The Supreme Court in Madrid issued two more rulings against the timeshare industry, number 123 and 124. These once again involved Silverpoint SL in Tenerife, they also lost in two cases in the Courts of First Instance held in Tenerife.  

In cases held at the Courts of First Instance in Maspalomas, Anfi were on the receiving end, with contracts being declared null and void and being ordered to repay the clients their purchase price back.

Diamond were also on the receiving end of a Court of First Instance ruling, again the contract was declared illegal and therefore null and void.

With these 7 cases the timeshare industry has been ordered to repay over 160,000€ and in most case legal fees and legal interest.

The lawyers involved in all these cases are the lawyers from Canarian Legal Alliance.

If you have any comments or questions regarding this or any other article use our contact page and get in touch.

Been contacted by a company or found one on the internet and you are not sure about them, then contact Inside Timeshare and we will point you in the right direction.

The post Starting the Week appeared first on Inside Timeshare.

Inside Timeshare publishes members accounts of sales presentations.

The reason we publish members accounts is because all but a few members report back to us that their claims of false promises made to sell them timeshare points, which they call lies, are being met with “You signed a contract” or “We’re not responsible for what sales agents say.”

That’s fine if that is the official position at  some timeshare companies, but the public needs to be made aware of the FACT that their complaints, in almost all of the 483 reported (as of the end of 2nd quarter 2018, were met with “You signed a contract” or “We are not responsible for what our sales agents say.”

The last thing we want to do is throw out the baby with the bathwater, lumping a fine timeshare company like Disney, into the tub of timeshare companies we feel need to improve sales and marketing practices.  

Please take the time to read decorated Marine veteran, John Collick, 100% disabled, his bio, and ask yourself “Who should I believe?”  

Now on to our U.S. British 4th of July edition of Inside Timeshare, submitted by John Collick and by Irene Parker.

Introducing Timeshare Advocacy Group

Military Team Leader John Collick, and Military Team members:

George Yamada

Teresa Laird

Angela Sandstede

July 3, 2017

By John Collick, First Sergeant, USMC (Retired), and Irene Parker

Tomorrow is the 4th of July, the day Americans celebrate Independence from …. England. England and the US were once enemies, but now allies and friends. If two countries can resolve their differences, maybe timeshare developers can heal their relationship with 483 angry timeshare families that have reached out to Inside Timeshare for help. Like freedom, customer relationships must be daily earned and refreshed.  Four veterans share their allegations of deceit and frustration over the lack of timeshare enforcement.

There is no federal timeshare enforcement on the front end of the timeshare sale, and little to no enforcement in states where the Attorney General also falls back on the oral representation clause. Some Attorneys General conducted investigations based on members’ reports, but others, like Florida, mimic the timeshare developer’s response to complaints, “You signed a contract.”

Florida’s Department of Business and Professional Regulation’s (DBPR)

The department’s response to all complaints we have directed to DBPR

As you are aware, alleged verbal misrepresentations are very difficult to prove in light of the written documents and disclosures.  In terms of evidence we rely on these documents to prove or disprove the allegations. The actions taken by other state agencies are not evidence of the alleged misrepresentations related to the sales transactions conducted in Florida.  

This is exactly why we need a media outreached campaign to let the consumer know how any complaint that begins with “The sales agent said….” will be received. In essence, the Florida Timeshare Division, DBPR, does little to stop the deceit. False verbal representations made by unscrupulous timeshare sales agents are allowed to continue unchecked. Repeat offenders receive awards.   

The Florida DBPR demand proof. What would be the proof? Florida is one of only a few states that require both parties be aware of a recording of an in-person sales presentation. Most states allow a consumer to record an in-person meeting without the other participant aware.

http://www.diligentiagroup.com/legal-investigation/private-investigator-tips-is-it-legal-to-record-a-phone-call-or-conversation/

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau helped Wells Fargo victims, but timeshare members, even in the CFPB’s heyday, could not effectively file a CFPB complaint. This was because borrowers filing a CFPB complaint are required to select a lender from the CFPB menu. Many timeshare borrowers don’t even know who the lender is, as the timeshare company services their loan. A timeshare company is not a choice on the CFPB’s drop-down menu.

We know there are millions who use and enjoy their timeshare points, but 483 families have described to Inside Timeshare how they were deceived by false statements and promises. Such tactics are illegal in the eyes of the FBI, described as white-collar crime – deceit, concealment, violation of trust, bait and switch.          

It is particularly disturbing to hear reports from 51 veterans, active duty military and law enforcement members. Several active duty military are worried about losing their security clearances due to timeshare foreclosure. Recent victims #50 and #51 are a police officer and a deputy.

John Collick, First Sergeant, USMC (Retired), 100% disabled, shares his timeshare experience. John is working on an article about his timeshare experience that he intends to submit to the DOD Inspector General and to the Military Times newspapers: Army Times, Air Force Times, Navy Times and Marine Times.   

Several other veterans and members of veterans’ families have come forward to assist John in his efforts, including:

• George Yamada, Vietnam Army veteran 70% disabled due to Agent Orange,
• Teresa Laird, her dad Raymond Mori, a two time Purple Heart recipient, alleging he and his wife were up-sold into timeshare foreclosure,
• Angela Sandstede, her dad a Navy veteran, up-sold to $2,700 a month in timeshare loan payments, living on his letter carrier’s pension, now facing foreclosure.

John’s bio

John has a long and distinguished career as an Intelligence Specialist, both as a Marine and a federal employee. John was a Terrorism Analyst for the Navy in the immediate aftermath of 9/11; later became the Coast Guard’s Senior Threat Analyst, where he wrote a protocol for identifying risks and threats in the maritime domain. When this was implemented in the Port of Boston, it saved the city, state, and federal governments several million dollars. The port recently used that protocol while conducting a live shooter drill, with success.

John held a Top Secret SCI clearance for over 35 years; in addition to those identified above, he was also a Supervisory Intelligence Specialist at Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a Senior Intelligence Research Specialist, responsible for developing a process for vetting Syrian refugees at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and the Department of Defense HUMINT Issues Manager for Yemen. In this position, he was responsible for coordinating all classified activities concerning U.S. interests in Yemen.

Timeshare and the Military

Using his experience as a Marine First Sergeant, Mr. Collick advised that the Navy Criminal Investigation Service, Army Criminal Investigation Division, Air Force Office of Special Investigation and Coast Guard Investigation Service are responsible for investigating crimes against their service personnel, especially if it appears endemic. Although it is usually accomplished at the base commander level, any of the military service headquarters have the authority to place any business on the “off limits” list if it appears that their business practices are hurting military personnel. If endemic throughout the country, the Joint Chiefs could do the same. John has been reaching out to active duty members and others, gathering reports for his research and articles.

John is married with four kids; a 31 year old daughter, also a disabled veteran; a 27 year old son, an active duty Army officer; a 15 year old daughter in high school; and a 13 year old son, with Downs Syndrome, who has the mentality of an 18 month old.

His personal awards from military service include the Meritorious Service Medal, the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, Armed Forces Service Medal, Arctic Service Medal, Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, and Combat Action Ribbon. He was also awarded the Navy’s Civilian Commendation Medal, for his role in translating documents and identifying previously unknown terrorists in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks.

By John Collick

It is my intention to reach out to the military and others in an effort to warn the military and the public at large that timeshare sales agents are, according to our experience, encouraged to make any false claim necessary to sell vacation points. We purchased our timeshare in Florida.

We were told by a Diamond Resorts sales agent, that we needed to purchase Diamond vacation points to ensure our weeks owned at The Colonies in Williamsburg VA timeshare didn’t lose value. The salesman, Mr. Stephen Kim, stated this was necessary because Diamond Resorts was in the process of acquiring The Colonies. We had recently upgraded to four weeks at The Colonies, so had no intention of making further changes in our vacation program until we received this false information. Mr. Kim said the points would be much cheaper if we purchased before Diamond acquired The Colonies because after the acquisition, the price per point will increase significantly. It wasn’t until a year later, after we purchased a Platinum membership at Diamond’s Mystic Dunes in Florida, we learned The Colonies was not to be acquired by Diamond Resorts – or any other company.

I filed a complaint with Diamond requesting the contract be rescinded. Diamond’s Hospitality agent responded, “Diamond is not responsible for what our sales agents say.” The FBI agents I spoke with, and attorneys have confirmed, hiding behind fine print is not legal, but with no enforcement, deception continues unchecked.   

We attended a mandatory orientation presentation at Mystic Dunes after our first purchase of Diamond points in Williamsburg VA. I asked sales agent Rida about Mr. Kim’s statement that Diamond was in the process of acquiring The Colonies. She said that she hadn’t brought it up because it hadn’t been made public.

We were also told we could use our Diamond points for amusement parks, concerts, the theatre, airplane travel, etc., only to learn airline travel was the only item mentioned for which points could be used, but even that was of little value.

All our timeshare experience has been with The Colonies of Williamsburg. They always told us the truth, not what they wanted us to believe. We have no desire to ever sell The Colonies of Williamsburg timeshare, but have every intention of ridding ourselves of Diamond Resorts.

Other veterans facing timeshare foreclosure, George Yamada, Roy Simmons, Raymond Mori  

George Yamada

Vietnam Army veteran 70% disabled

I work as a pension administrator. I was told the timeshare points I purchased were an investment. The first few purchases I made were based on the vacation experience but there is no question the last purchases were made because I was told the price per point had appreciated and was expected to continue to appreciate.

Angela Sandstede

My father, Roy Simmons, is a Navy Veteran. He had been happy with his timeshare points, but was up-sold to the point we are concerned about my parents losing their home if they have to file for bankruptcy. We made a YouTube hoping someone would listen and we will be reaching out to our Minnesota Attorney General, Lori Swanson. My dad retired on a letter carrier’s pension. My parents were up-sold to $2,700 a month in timeshare loan payment.

http://insidetimeshare.com/tuesday-slot-irene-13/

Teresa Laird

My father, Raymond Mori, also a Marine veteran, earned two Purple Hearts. My parents were sold a trial package, despite being timeshare members of this company for years. When I asked the company to cancel the purchase, they would not talk to me, insisting they had to talk to my parents. They “fixed” it by selling them 17,000 more points. When I went with them to Las Vegas, the agents there tried to sell them $234,000 in additional points at age 83, while my dad was dozing off in his wheelchair. Had I not been there, I feel they would have signed.    

http://insidetimeshare.com/fridays-letter-america-42/

Whistleblowers of America reviewed several timeshare complaints reported by veterans and active duty personnel. They presented our timeshare fraud report to the Joint Committee of Veteran’s Affairs March 14, 2018.    

Anyone helped by our advocacy efforts is encouraged to make a donation to WoA.

https://whistleblowersofamerica.org/

Thank you John and Irene, the number of complaints that we have received from military and law enforcement personnel is only the of the proverbial iceberg, there are many more who have had the same experience but have as yet not found who to go to.

Inside Timeshare will continue to publish these stories, they may not be popular with the industry, but the 4th July is about the freedom to express yourself, if you believe you have been wronged then is in not your right to speak up?

To all our friends and readers in the United States we from Europe wish you a very happy 4th July.

The post Tuesday Slot with Irene appeared first on Inside Timeshare.

Now we are in July the legal world will start to slow up in Spain, the courts are beginning to wind down for the August break, but there will still be some news as sentences are issued for cases previously heard.

In the Court of First Instance Number 4, in Maspalomas San Bartelomé de Tirajana, Anfi have been on the receiving end of a very severe sentence, this particular one shows the courts are not taking it lightly when timeshare companies break the law.

In this case Anfi have been ordered to payback double the amount paid within the cooling off period, this can range from 10 days to 90 days. The law states that no payment shall be taken within this cooling off period even by a third party such as a trustee, which many timeshare companies have tried to use to get around this law.

This follows the Supreme Court rulings which created jurisprudence in 2015 in favour of the clients. This has been confirmed many times in Spain’s highest court and has been followed judiciously by the lower courts.

The clients in this case have also had their contract declared null and void but will now receive over 63,000€ plus legal interest.

The Spanish Timeshare Law 42/98 has been in existence since 5 January 1999, yet until recently the timeshare companies thought they were immune, since March 2015 and the very first ruling by the Supreme Court, they have found they are not as powerful or immune from sanction as they thought. Now with around 124 rulings the odds are firmly stacked against all contracts which have infringed the law, leaving the timeshare companies to pay back millions of Euros to clients. (See PDF below for the full court sentence).

1st N4 Anfi data protected (ves)

In further news from the Supreme Court, they finally issued their ruling in a case against Puerto Calma, in Gran Canaria. They have upheld previous judgement that the contracts which were issued were illegal under Spain’s Timeshare Law 42/98. This follows all other rulings from the highest court in Spain, declaring the contract null and void with the client being awarded over £11,000.

It looks like David Cox may have resurfaced, a new post has just gone up on his website, this lists “cases” won in court for his many clients since July 2017 upto April 2018. At first glance it does all look very impressive with the figure being shown, but it is when you actually start looking at the list the questions then begin.

Every single entry is worded the same, “Mr & Mrs X won damages, interest and costs in the amount of £xxxxx”.

There is no mention of which timeshare company, which court the case was held in and no mention of what the infringements of the timeshare laws had been. There is also no mention of which lawyers or law firm had conducted the cases.

Surely if you were looking for credibility you would show these details and the court sentence papers on at least some of the entries. So could it be as he has claimed of others that these are all Bogus?

Another fact which is rather disturbing is his companies adverts on the forum Timeshare Talk, which is owned by Mark Rowe. The reason this is disturbing is we all know that David Cox had a falling out with his former partner, posting many scathing comment about Mark Rowe companies, then they all disappeared!

Have they now kissed and made up, it certainly looks like it.

As usual we leave you the reader to make up your own mind.

If you want to know about any company that has contacted you or have found on the internet, then contact Inside Timeshare, we will help you get to the truth.

Join us tomorrow for our Friday’s Letter from America where we give you an update on “Sheilah’s Pencil Pitch” article, with an introduction by our very own Irene Parker.

The post Thursday News appeared first on Inside Timeshare.

Welcome to this week’s Letter from America, today Sheila Brust gives us an update to her previous article “Pencil Pitch”, again edited by Irene Parker.

It would seem that Darth Vader has sent in his Imperial Stormtroopers and Inside Timeshare is under attack from the dark side, no problem, the force of the good is with us. Keep your stories coming, the truth will always prevail!

Now on with this week’s Letter from America

An Update to Sheilah Brust’s Pencil Pitch

The Florida Timeshare Division told us,

“You have no Proof” and we were not allowed a rebuttal

Why is this not proof?

July 6, 2018

Introduction by Irene Parker

Many potential timeshare buyers have watched timeshare sales agents scribble timeshare promises on a piece of paper. Buyers are not allowed to keep a copy of the “Pencil Pitch” but Sheilah Brust managed to walk out with hers.

Sheilah listened to her pencil pitch in Daytona presented by Diamond sales agent Brad Leslie. She filed a complaint with Florida’s Department of Business Practice and Regulation (DBPR) and was told the following,

As you are aware, alleged verbal misrepresentations are very difficult to prove in light of the written documents and disclosures.  In terms of evidence we rely on these documents to prove or disprove the allegations. The actions taken by other state agencies are not evidence of the alleged misrepresentations related to the sales transactions conducted in Florida.  Based on our review, it did not appear that the information provided to you by the sales agents were false and misleading. Lack of clarity could be an issue but that in itself cannot be considered a violation. We are not surely, if the sales agent had voluntarily provided the hand-written notes or you had kept them on your own.  If there are discrepancies between the notes and what was actually received in terms of points, we will address that issue.

By Sheilah Brust

My husband Thomas and I have been Diamond timeshare members since Diamond acquired our resort. Our original timeshare was purchased in 1994. Things were fine until we fell for the Pencil Pitch.   

On February, 4, 2017, we attended an update meeting at Diamond’s Daytona resort The Cove. We wanted to attend the update because Diamond had been sold to Apollo Global Management. We are Platinum Diamond members so already had more points than we needed, but wanted to hear about the changes.

Diamond sales agent Brad Leslie said that he had just returned from training in Orlando and had learned about a new program that would allow us double point usage. We patiently followed Brad’s presentation. He wrote the numbers upside down. I remarked at how he could he do that. He said practice.

We feel Diamond must not understand the Pencil Pitch or they would cancel this purchase. I have learned Diamond retained the law firm Duane Morris to write a letter implying our article was defamatory. I have submitted this article as our rebuttal. We understand the figures we were presented. We were not confused. I have an accounting background. I wrote down everything Brad Leslie said.

Here’s the pitch. We hope you post a comment expressing your interpretation.  

The actual Pencil Pitch is three pages long. Page 2 of the Pencil Pitch is based on 15,000 additional points instead of 25,000 points pictured above because we said no to 25,000 points. The numbers below reflect 65,000 points instead of 75,000.  For those not familiar with the point system, a Diamond timeshare points sells for around $4 a point.

Timeshare members incur annual maintenance fees. For Platinum members the annual maintenance fee is $.15 per point, or $8,631 for the 50,000 points we owned before the purchase of 15,000 additional points.

From the original illustration above, to offset maintenance fees, on the right side of sheet, Brad said and wrote:

• Own 75,000 points
• Ability to get (Double Usage) 150,000 points – 50,000 points is what would be left for travel
• 100,000 points would be available for point redemption @ 10 per point through a Travel Reimbursement program. Brad told us to book hotels, etc., and then cancel the reservations. We would receive a reimbursement check back for $10,000. The 50,000 points tendered would not be credited back. Brad said we would be reimbursed via check in about 30 days or 72 hours if via a reloadable debit Visa card. Without the double points, this program is of no value. If we used all our 50,000 points for redemption at $.10 a point, we would receive a reimbursement check for $5,000 that would only pay $5,000 towards a $8,631 maintenance fee bill with no points left for travel.

Brad said we could use the reimbursement check to pay maintenance fees but he said he could not tell us that. He said, “It’s your money!”

Brad said we paid $8,631 in maintenance fees for 50,000 points in 2017.  Following Brad’s logic, we could eliminate $8,000 of the increased $11,252 maintenance fee (due to the purchase of 15,000 additional points), by taking advantage of this new program.

65,000 own                 $8,631 current maintenance fees before 15,000

65,000 given              2,621 maintenance fees on the new 15,000

130,000 points            $11,252 Total maintenance fees with new 15,000

50,000 if used            8,000 Less reimbursement check

80,000 left                 $3,252 Maintenance fees still owed       

x $.10 reimbursed     EXCEPT THERE WAS NO 65,000 POINTS GIVEN!

$8,000

Brad said Diamond was working on a new member page for the new program that would have a split screen and that we would be able to see our newly acquired 15,000 points in the background. He said the 65,000 points “given” (Brad’s word) would also appear on a “split screen” on our member account page.

When I asked about the maintenance fees on the new 15,000 points, Brad said, “If you don’t use them you don’t pay maintenance fees on them. They will be kept in the background. If you want to use them then you will pay maintenance fees.”

I specifically asked Brad, “So if I had all 130,000 points reimbursed, they could all be redeemed for a check? Brad said, “Yes.”

I asked Brad why this program was developed. He said Diamond wanted to make sure we STAYED VACATIONED.     

We met with Brad again in May 2017. Brad said the program had changed. Brad said Diamond was getting rid of the debit cards because there were problems. He said DRI was working on the split screen. He said now we would need to generate the reimbursement checks by participating in the Travel Reimbursement program. I was familiar with this program and had used it before. This was a benefit we already had as Platinum members, but only beneficial if we were to lose points. We feel Brad adulterated the Travel Reimbursement program, incorporating it into his February Pencil Pitch.  

Brad’s reply to our complaint submitted to the Florida DBPR was that 15,000 points in the background was for a Dream Vacation. He said I was confused! Dream vacation points were not in any background account. They were added to our account February 17, 2017 so these could not have been the points in question. Brad sent us a $2,621 check to reimburse us the maintenance fees on the newly purchased 15,000 points. If it wasn’t for the NEW 15,000 points, we never would have gotten a $2,621 reimbursement check for the maintenance fees. Diamond representative Brandi said sales agents are allowed to reimburse members for their first year’s maintenance fees. Dream Vacation points don’t have maintenance fees.

Of course Brad was selling a double point program. He wrote down 130,000 and called the 65,000 points “given” points. I had told him that this program better be right because we are retired and living on fixed incomes and that we had NO extra money if he was not telling us the truth.  His answer was that he hoped to rebuild our trust in Diamond. We had told him we had been duped previously, told we had to buy 4000 points to prevent our heirs from being stuck with Diamond points.

Diamond’s response to us was that the information as presented was confusing, but not illegal. This is the CLARITY promise Diamond launched in response to Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich’s issuance of an Assurance of Discontinuance.  

The CLARITY Promise: With this clear, concise and consistent information, consumers can easily determine whether the Diamond Resorts hospitality experience is the right decision for them and their families.

https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170123005839/en/Diamond-Resorts-Launches-New-National-Customer-Service

Diamond’s Response:

On April 5, 2018, we received a call from a DRI Hospitality agent. She said our complaint had been escalated to the legal team and they found no wrongdoing. This is part of what she said to us.

I definitely agree that your confusion of that process is warranted. I have spoken to our legal team and sales team and we agree the double point explanation is definitely something that could have been misconstrued or seen as confusing by members or purchasers.

We have made changes to the way that information is given at the time of sale but we have to say the stance we take on this is: because there may have been some confusion on how you may use those points to create a savings for yourself doesn’t make the explanation illegal.

Summary

As a result of this upsell and lack of clarity, we have less time to travel because we have to work to pay for the additional points that increased maintenance fees to $11,252. We have a loan with Diamond for $31,000 and $26,000 Barclay Card balance.

Brad charged on two Barclay Cards $14,000 in my name and $12,000 in Thomas’ name. He had us fill out a credit card application to see if we qualified for the new program. He returned and said, “Barclays loves you! You got $26,000 credit!” I was livid after I learned we had been charged these amounts. We could have used a different credit card that would have gotten us rewards points.  

This whole deal was based on having 130,000 points using points at $.10 a point for a Travel Advantage reimbursement service taking advantage of 65,000 bonus points. You can book a lot of vacations with 50,000 points that would vastly exceed a measly reimbursement check for $5,000. You can stay a week for roughly 2500 to 5000 points. At an estimated 4000 points per week, about 12 weeks.       

What CLARITY?

According to the Federal Trade Commission Section 5

An act or practice is deceptive where

• a representation, omission, or practice misleads or is likely to mislead the consumer;
• a consumer’s interpretation of the representation, omission, or practice is considered reasonable under the circumstances; and
• the misleading representation, omission, or practice is material.

https://www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/supmanual/cch/ftca.pdf

From the Arizona Attorney General’s Assurance of Discontinuance:

IV Assurances

“Diamond shall enhance its programs, policies and training and continue to instruct and train its Vacation Counselors and Sales Managers to comply with the ACFA (Arizona Consumer Fraud Act). Diamond shall advise all Vacation Counselors and Sales Managers that they may not:

1. Sales agents should not deviate from sales material
2. Sales agents should not make oral representations at the point of sale inconsistent with the Purchase document.

https://www.azag.gov/press-release/attorney-general-brnovich-announces-800000-settlement-diamond-resorts

http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/business/aroundregion/story/2018/jun/17/whconsider-when-buying-time-share-vacatispot/472994/

Contact Inside Timeshare or one of these self-help groups if you need help with a timeshare concern or would like to share your experience.   

https://www.facebook.com/timeshareadvocategroup/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/DiamondResortsOwnersAdvocacy/

https://tug2.com/Home.aspx

https://www.facebook.com/groups/180578055325962/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/465692163568779/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1639958046252175/

Thank you Sheila for your candid story, it just amazes us that this type of sales practice still goes on, yet the companies involved deny all responsibility for their sales agents actions. In Europe timeshare is very much on the decline, partly due to the antics in the past of unscrupulous sales reps, not all I hasten to add, I do know many who abhor the deceitful practices and are genuine in their approach to selling the product. They believe that telling the truth sells the product.

We have said this on many occasions, timeshare was and could be a good product, it may not suit everyone but sold properly and truthfully will only strengthen it and give it a future.

So we say to all timeshare companies, get your house in order, reign in your sales agents / reps, stop these types of sleazy sales presentations, take control or you will lose a product that could work.

News has just come in from Canarian Legal Alliance of this weeks court cases, on the receiving end are Anfi in Gran Canaria once known as the flagship of timeshare resorts in Europe and Silverpoint in Tenerife.

The Court of First Instance in Maspalomas, Gran Canaria, has had NINE sentences passed against them this week. The clients will receive back all their money and have had their contracts declared null and void.

In Tenerife, Silverpoint, who are well known on these pages has lost another case in the Court of First Instance in Arona. Again the court ordered the return of all money and the contract declared null and void.

In total these 10 cases will cost these timeshare resorts over 325,112€ plus legal interest and in most cases the return of the client’s initial legal fees.

So the week ends with another “Black Cloud” hanging over the timeshare industry. Will they ever learn?

Inside Timeshare welcomes your comments and stories, if you would like to share these with the rest of the timeshare world, then use our contact page and get in touch.

So that is all for this week, join us on Monday for more news and views of the timeshare world, have a great, enjoyable and safe weekend.

The post Friday’s Letter from America appeared first on Inside Timeshare.

It’s Monday and the start of another week, today we highlight some more new names that have been cropping up over the weekend, we start first with Davies and Howell Associates a new cold calling claims company.

The company was registered on 30 August 2017, with the company registration number 10939012, with the registered address  20-22 Wenlock Road, London, England, N1 7GU. Telephone: 0203 857 9497 and the email: info@daviesandhowell.co.uk

The director is registered as David Alan Taylor, with the correspondence address as above, according to company records this is his first appointment. Chances are he is not the owner but just a front name.

They have a website http://www.daviesandhowell.co.uk/  which was registered on 22 October 2017, a relatively new website and company. So what are they offering?

According to their website they have a wealth of experience and knowledge spanning over 40 years in the holiday ownership and financial services markets. They claim they are able to extricate you from your timeshare contract and claim compensation. Reading between the lines with their mention of finance agreements and credit cards, this claim looks very much like a Section 75 of the Credit Consumer Act 1974.

As we have said before, if you have used your timeshare then a refund under Section 75 is unlikely, the timeshare company will rightly say that you have used it therefore you have received the goods or services paid for. If your timeshare company has gone into liquidation, then you may have a chance. Section 75 is unlikely to cover breaches of the Spanish Timeshare Laws, for this you would need to employ the services of a Spanish lawyer with extensive knowledge and experience of the timeshare laws in Spain. Also you must still be a member, once a contract has been cancelled you cannot take any case to court.

The website itself is very basic, having only one page and very little information, it looks like the classic information collection site. These are designed to collect as much information about you and your timeshare as possible, the chances are this is then used to pass on to other companies. So the moral of this story is beware.

We now move on to another new company that was found during our usual search on the internet, this company was highlighted by Mindtimeshare on 6 June. This is called Ashton Group, with the following address and telephone number:

H5 Hash Tree Court, Nottingham Business Park, NG86PY Nottingham, UK

Tel. 0044 203 519 23 38

At customer services is  Paul Menard

Email: p.menard@ashtonagency.co.uk

So far we have not even found a website, even using the ashtonagency.co.uk from the email address draws a blank.

What actually caught our eye was the name of the legal representative, Sir Drummond McFadzean, so we began our search for this Knight of the Realm, well couldn’t find him. We did however find a Mr Drummond McFadzean, a director of  Ashton (Estate Agency) Ltd of Romford with an entry on Linkedin. Checking with Company House records we did find a company called Ashtons (Estate Agents) Ltd with a registered address in St Albans Herts. The director of this company since 1993 is MR KARL GEOFFREY JUDD, Drummond does not show on the directors list.

We did a search on the name of the company Ashton Group but found nothing relating to timeshare, there are however plenty of other companies with very similar names, including one in the USA which is a financial services company.

So there we have it what looks like another resale scam on the way, remember not all is as it seems, do your homework, check, check and check again, then double check. If you are unsure on any company that contacts you, or even  one that you have found while searching for a way out of your timeshare, then contact Inside Timeshare, we will point you in the right direction.

The post Start the Week appeared first on Inside Timeshare.

Welcome to this week’s Tuesday Slot, this week Irene Parker looks at the 2nd quarter of the year from The Timeshare Advocacy Group, it clearly shows how this group has grown. This group is clearly making the industry very jittery, but as we have said before, “they only have themselves to blame”.

In tomorrows article we will be having a quick look at the latest news from the courts in Spain, there have certainly been some incredible results this week. So rather than give them here they deserve an article to themselves.

Now on with the Tuesday Slot.

The Timeshare Advocacy Group

2nd Quarter Report

By Irene Parker

July 10, 2018

Timeshare Advocacy Group  assisted 483 timeshare families as of June 30, 2018. TAG took root February of 2017. About a half dozen of us started a clearing house of information and as Inside Timeshare gained readership, more and more timeshare members reached out to us for assistance and advice. One of our Facebooks that began with 30 members February 2017 now proudly posts comments from 1570 members from 30 countries!

TAG received a total of 267 requests for assistance for all of 2017. Just through the first half of 2018, TAG received 228 requests from timeshare members, so we approached double the volume of complaints, just in the first six months of 2018.  Timeshare members seek straight answers which our advocates provide free of charge from Australia to England and between.

All but a handful of our 483 families reported back to us that their complaint was dismissed with, “You signed a contract” or “We’re not responsible for what our sales agents say.” If this is the official position at some timeshare companies, we feel the consumer should be aware of this in order to make an informed decision as to whether a timeshare is right for you or your family.

Not one of the 483 families that reached out to us was aware that there is little to no secondary market for many timeshares. We encourage timeshare buyers to contact a member of the Licensed Timeshare Resale Broker Association before buying any timeshare. Licensed timeshare resale brokers, charging nothing to list a timeshare, work in all timeshares and can cover the spectrum of available choices helping you decide whether it is best to buy on the secondary market or direct from the timeshare developer. There are pros and cons for both. http://www.licensedtimeshareresalebrokers.org/

About half of the members reaching out to us are battling serious medical issues or hit one of life’s road bumps that made the timeshare unusable or unaffordable. Many are saddled with high interest rate loans and some with higher interest rate credit cards. Unlike your personal residence, it is difficult to get rid of a timeshare that has an outstanding loan. We have been contacted by senior after senior, facing foreclosure for the first time in their life, because of defaulting on a timeshare loan. Almost all have high credit scores and have rarely been late paying a bill. The foreclosure process can be devastating.  Just knowing you are not alone can be a comfort. This is a difficult process for the young as well.

Our Military Team leader, John Collick, experienced his complaint dismissed with “We are not responsible for what our sales agents say,” As described in John’s Inside Timeshare’s July 3 article. John said he was told the timeshare he had owned for years was being acquired by the company he booked a stay with, told he needed to buy timeshare points from that company as the points would cost much more after his resort was acquired. According to John, this information was false.

“We’re not responsible for what our sales agents say,” seems somewhat of an admission that Section 5 of the FTC code has been violated. According to the Federal Trade Commission Section 5:

An act or practice is deceptive where

• a representation, omission, or practice misleads or is likely to mislead the consumer;
• a consumer’s interpretation of the representation, omission, or practice is considered reasonable under the circumstances;
• and the misleading representation, omission, or practice is material.

https://www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/supmanual/cch/ftca.pdf

Our standard disclaimer is that we know there are millions who use their timeshares with no complaints. We are encouraged by some timeshare developers who seem sincerely interested in improving timeshare sales practices.

We are proud to have grown to 44 advocates, professionals bringing their skills and life experiences to the table to advocate on behalf of timeshare members seeking to address concerns about their membership. We have established seven teams. Although all our advocates are dedicated, it is understandable that once a dispute has been resolved, enthusiasm diminishes, especially if the member was required to sign a non-disclosure agreement. Over the past year, more core advocates have volunteered to stay with us for the long haul, as we continue to organize and improve operations. If you signed an NDA, it does not prevent you from joining our legislative outreach team, for example.   

Leading our efforts:

• Reporting Team, functions as a quality circle management team     
• Media Team Leader – Richard Sokolowski, real estate agent, Arizona
• Military Team Leader, John Collick, First Sergeant, USMC (Retired)
• Legislative Team Leader, Sheilah Brust, retired from the New York Governor’s Office of Employee Relations
• Scam Research: Deniece Vargas, California
• Technology Support (Open due to Team Leader signing an NDA)
• Foreclosure Support, Scotty Black, M.S. Criminal Justice

Probably the most common comment we at Inside Timeshare hear is, “At least I know I am not alone.” Proactive action, working with a volunteer towards timeshare resolution, relinquishment, refund, or even foreclosure, takes the problem from the unknown to the known.

We seek to provide timeshare members a way to proactively address membership concerns; to advocate for timeshare reform; to obtain greater disclosure from the company; to advocate for a viable secondary market; and to educate prospective buyers.

Consultants and behind-the-scenes advocates add an additional layer of advice and protection. One very important consideration is that many of those we have helped were on their way to the upfront “guaranteed to get you out of your timeshare” firms that sometimes prey on those already victimized. Not all are bad, but scams abound.  From this perspective, the developer, the timeshare lobby, and TAG advocates are on the same side. This 15 page Department of Justice report listing timeshare fraud, jail terms and fines, says it all:

https://search.justice.gov/search?query=timeshare+fraud&op=Search&affiliate=justice

Thank you to all our Contributors and upcoming new Contributors. Contact Inside Timeshare if you, or someone you know, needs assistance or would like to share their timeshare story for the benefit of others.

“Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens” Jimi Hendrix

https://www.facebook.com/timeshareadvocategroup/

So that’s it for today, all it leaves us to say now is if you have been contacted by any company or found one on the internet and want to know if they are genuine and can be trusted to what they claim. Contact Inside Timeshare and we will point you in the right direction.

The post The Tuesday Slot with Irene appeared first on Inside Timeshare.

Important Update: Another reader has identified Lance Steer as one Lance Oakley, an ex-Diamond Sales Rep and also of ex-EZE Group.

Another name has come come to the attention of Inside Time

share from a worried reader:

Positive Outcome – Contractual Specialists

With the address:

Rural Innovation Center, 10 Street Avenue, Stoneleigh Park, Kenilworth, CV8 2RG

Which is a serviced office rental center where meeting and conference rooms can be hired by the hour.

They use the telephone number:  02476 960 735 which is a coventry code, when this number was called Inside Timeshare was told we had the wrong number. We have susquently found that the telephone number belongs to Coventry Creative, Advertising and Graphic Design , Rover Road, Coventry, CV1 3HT which is Coventry market, a completely different area.

The contacts are: LANCE STEER & JOANNE JOHNSON with the email address:

assistance@customersupportline.co.uk

So far no company with this name has come up on any internet search, using the email address does not link to any website and no information about Lance Steer or Joanne Johnson appear on any search.

So what has concerned our reader?

Very simple, they have paid by bank transfer for a relinquishment of their Diamond membership, yet are still getting demands for maintenance arrears. So it looks like yet again money is paid and the relinquishment is not done.

According to the emails our reader has received, Lance says he has been helping timeshare owners for over 5 years, funny how we have not heard of him before. The other strange fact is that in his emails he goes on to say why he has not been in touch with his clients, listing his illnesses, bereavements and severely disabled Father. Even getting an assistant Joanne, to email clients and explain all his personal problems. (see PDF and the end). Not the sort of information one would normally give. (Looking for sympathy comes to mind).

His emails also go on at length about Spanish Supreme Court rulings, how he has studied many case files and come to the conclusion that all these contracts are illegal.

In order to give credibility he mentions Canarian Legal Alliance and places links to their website, even including screenshots attached to his emails. All the details he puts in these emails looks as though they have come directly from the CLA website, even using the same frases.

Another part of his emails go non to tell the clients that Diamond and other timeshare companies have no right to chase for maintenance arrears, or that Daniels Silverman the debt recovery company has no right to chase the debt.

Unfortunately, all this information has convinced our reader to pay for a service which Lance cannot provide, after all we have stated on many occasions in these pages that Diamond, Club la Costa and many other timeshare companies and resorts will not deal with third parties for cancellation of contracts. They will only work with the members directly.

So just from the lack of information on the internet and the lengthy explanations on his illness and private life, plus the fact that Canarian Legal Alliance have never heard of Lance, does get the alarms bells ringing.

Sticking with Canarian Legal Alliance, this week they have announced the following:

There lawyers have secured another 242,391.46€ on behalf of 6 clients,on the receiving end of this is Anfi Del Mar. These funds have been paid directly to the court of San Bartelomé de Tirajana in Maspalomas. The clients are 2 from the United Kingdom, 2 from Norway and 2 from Germany.

This comes from the procedure put into place by CLA with a team of their senior lawyers Eva Guitierrez and Judith Diaz Pascual and Cristina Batista, enforcing provisional execution of sentence within 40 days of the judgement being issued. This means that once the judgement is issued the timeshare company must lodge the awarded amount with the court voluntarily or it will be enforced.

There is also another form of securing the funds which has just been enforced by the Court of First Instance No 4 in Maspalomas, which has placed an “Embargo” on Anfi accounts in respect of funds which are due to a German client. These embargoes allow the court to directly take the funds from those accounts and place them in the courts account ready to be paid out to the client.

These moves by CLA have been place to ensure that funds due to clients are secured, even if the offending timeshare company is appealing. It also stops the timeshare companies from delaying the payouts, which has been the case in the past, now the clients know that their money is secure.

That’s it for today, if you have had any dealings with any company or individual such as Lance Steer, use our contact page and get in touch, we would love to hear from you. You can also contact Inside Timeshare if you require any information relating to your timeshare or any company that has contacted you.

Click below to read the two emails.

Lance Emails

The post Midweek Roundup and Another Dodgy Looking Setup appeared first on Inside Timeshare.

Here we go again, another new website has come online, https://www.timeshareassociation.co.uk

Registered on 13 June 2018, The Timeshare Association with the company registration number: 09041038 and a familiar address of: Coniston House, 3 Beach Rd, St Anne’s-on-Sea, Lancashire, England, UK, FY8 2NR, which for many of our readers is the address associated with our old friend Mr David Cox.

The company registration number is actually for the company known as The Long Term Holiday Product Association Ltd, formerly known by two previous names, The Timeshare Consumer Association Ltd and Timeshare Mediation Ltd. Which according to company house records Mr David Cox resigned from on 25 May 2018.

Although this website is fronted by two new names Mrs. Sofia Foley & Mr D Burnes, with the address according to the website of 25 Dyer Street, Kirkham, Lancashire. PR4 2JA.

Obviously it is another David Cox adventure as the “About us” section states: “We are a community company “not for profit” and the company is under guarantee, that financial guarantee provided by Mr David Cox”. (Well not for profit! If Cox is involved there will be profit coming his way).

Again just like TESS was borne out of the Timeshare Consumer Association when Cox was director and owner, that website funnelled unsuspecting consumers into the hand of David Cox and TESS!

The news section is again probably written by him, although it does look like he may just have someone to “edit” his very poor command of the written English language, mind you saying that, it is still full of grammatical and spelling errors.

But that is besides the point, it is again attacking other companies without any fact or foundation. Praetorian Legal and Mercantile Claims are once again under attack along with a very defamatory article about Mr Eugen Kaiser and Canarian Legal Alliance. (I pity the front people when the lawsuits begin, Mr Cox is well out of the frame!)

The website bolsters the news section with news going back to 1997, well I suppose that they did need to make the website look as though it is older than it actually is. Another point is the logo, it looks very familiar, just like the old logo for TATOC, which was also known as The Timeshare Association. (Is this to again confuse people into thinking it is the same organisation?)

So is this another wonderful ploy by Mr Cox, the failed director of many companies to confuse and snare the poor timeshare owners into the clutches of his businesses and his partners?

On the website there are many sections, all with little drop down category menus, one from the “About Us” section is “Highly Regarded Companies” and starts with the following:

“The Companies contained on this list have proven to be highly regarded by any of: the Government, authorities, industry professionals, professional bodies. They are known to have maintained their service and appear not to have faltered in delivery of the good and professional services.”

“Those Timeshares we have considered as highly regarded are from investigations we have conducted, including taking advice from others. It has been explained that those on the list that they have excelled in considering and delivering benefit to the consumer and are highly regarded and respected by others.”

Yet there is no list, does this mean that you as a timeshare owner must contact them to get it?

If so which companies are “Highly Regarded”?

One could surmise that it will be one of his companies or that of his associates, could one of these also be a Mark Rowe company, after all he did pull all the negative comments about Mark Rowe from his TESS website!

Click on the following link and nothing comes up any more!

http://tesslimited.co.uk/2016/09/13/the-monster-in-monster-credits/

One thing Mr Cox is very good at and that is pulling the wool over people’s eyes, so all we can say is timeshare owners beware the false stories peddled by any website or companies that DAVID ANDREW COX  has anything to do with.

As for the new front people at The Timeshare Association website, you really need to take stock of your situation, while Mr Cox is behind the trenches just like the old world war one generals, you are now in the firing line!

For more information on the inebriate that is David Andrew Cox click on the following:

http://timeshareexitsupportservices.com/

http://www.tess-timeshare.com

https://tesstimesharefacts.com/

https://tesstimesharefacts.com/news/david-cox-bernadette-cox-disolve-companies-faster-alker-seltza-glass-water/

http://insidetimeshare.com/david-cox-tess-attacking-sundry/

http://insidetimeshare.com/tess-allegations-facts/

Now for another warning about a fake law firm that we have previously mentioned Abogados Lopez, this “firm” are contacting clients of Canarian Legal Alliance and claiming that they have taken over their cases.

http://insidetimeshare.com/what-a-pitch-readers-share-their-information/

This is “FAKE LAW FIRM” they are not working for or on behalf of Canarian Legal Alliance, they have not secured funds for your timeshare with the courts, they are only out to steal your money.

The callers are Hope Brugge or Megan Heywood, the numbers being used are:

0034 951 242 867 which is a Malaga code

0034 602 654 670 which is a Spanish mobile

Another number that has been used is

0044 1291 440 500 which is a Chepstow code.

DO NOT FALL FOR THEIR VERY CONVINCING PITCH!

The post The Timeshare Association: Another New Website from David Cox appeared first on Inside Timeshare.

Welcome to this week’s Letter from America, today Irene Parker asks a very important question, What is a Defamatory Statement? This is in fact a very appropriate article considering Irene and Inside Timeshare have been accused of making them in respect of some of our readers “experience” stories. Inside Timeshare asks this question, how can a statement be defamatory if it is someone sharing an experience they have had with a particular company?

We started the week with an article highlighting two new companies that are what can only be described as dubious, the first was Davies & Howell Associates Ltd, with a registered address in London. They claim to have over 40 years of timeshare experience and can extricate owners from their timeshare, along with gaining them compensation.

The other is Ashton Group, apparently based in Nottingham, they have been cold calling timeshare owners with the same type of story. They apparently have a legal representative going by the name of Sir Drummond McFadzean!

So far no company record or website has been found about them, which is never a good sign.

On Tuesday, Irene published the 2nd quarter report from the The Timeshare Advocacy Group, considering it is only halfway through the year, the number of pleas for help is huge. Thank you to all the advocates who work so hard to help these readers.

Another dubious setup was reported on Wednesday, this concerns a company called Positive Outcome – Contractual Specialists, with the names Lance Steer and Joanne Johnson. It turns out from information received that Lance Steer is in fact one Lance Oakley, a former Diamond sales agent who also worked for EZE Group. Again they claim to be able to get you out of your contract and claim compensation.

Now on with our letter from America.

What is a Defamatory Statement?  

When to File a Complaint with the Federal Trade Commission

Irene Parker

July 13, 2018

The above cartoon was not selected to play partisan politics. It was selected because it is thought provoking. Clearly the elephant is a Democrat and is feeling defamed. Does that mean he or she was defamed? For EU readers who may not be familiar with our political symbols, the Republican Party portrays the elephant as their mascot.  

Inside Timeshare always considers defamation. Our stance is that truth is not defamatory. The reports received from 496 timeshare members describe deceptive and unfair trade practices. A pattern of complaints creates compelling and compounding evidence, even without hard evidence like a recorded conversation. If timeshare companies and some state regulators are over relying on the oral representation clause, the public needs to be aware that they should not believe a word a timeshare sales agent says. Are our readers’ allegations defamatory?   

Definition of defamation in law (from Webster’s Dictionary)

The act of communicating false statements about a person that injure the reputation of that person

Following is an excerpt from a New York Times article. I have edited out the names because we are exploring the topic of defamation, not singling out any one timeshare company. Are the following statements defamatory?

New York Times economics specialist devoted a long article…. One timeshare owner told the journalist: “The Company is much more ambitious, aggressive and downright nasty in their sales presentations compared to other companies. This Company just has an amazing reputation of being tough on people.”

A 77-year-old California woman said a 5-hour hard sell left her “shaking.” The Company gave her a voided receipt for a $4,840 charge on her credit card: “The representatives had been so certain that she would agree to the offer that they had charged her card for the down payment – even though she had not given approval,” the Times reported.

Inside Timeshare has received many complaints and published many articles submitted by timeshare members who say they were not aware a credit card had been opened or that they had been charged for the purchase of a timeshare product.

Unlike Wells Fargo victims, the timeshare buyer complaining of the unauthorized opening of a credit card, or unauthorized charges, often could not file a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The CFPB has lost influence since the roll-back of the Dodd Frank Act, but even before the agency’s demise, timeshare buyers could not easily file a CFPB complaint because the timeshare company serviced the loan. A lender must be selected from a dropdown menu. Timeshare companies are not an option. When the member selected the bank that issued the credit card, the bank would respond that they did not actually sell the timeshare points or fill out the application for a credit card. End of story.  

The response from the company to the article:

The CEO said he had “belligerently zero tolerance” for any of his sales representatives who “goes off script.”  

In my opinion, some companies could care less if their sales agent “goes off script” unless the buyer happens to work for the media or holds a smoking guy, like a recording of a fraudulent transaction. Two of our readers who worked for the media resolved their dispute in one day. According to FBI agents our readers have contacted, or attorneys I checked with, “You signed a contract” or “We are not responsible for what our sales agents say,” is in violation of Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission’s Unfair and Deceptive Practices Act.

In order to determine whether an act or practice is “unfair,” the FDIC will consider whether the practice “causes or is likely to cause substantial injury to consumers which cannot be reasonably avoided by consumers themselves and are not outweighed by countervailing benefits to consumers or to competition.” (5)

To correct deceptive trade practices, the FDIC will take action against representations, omissions, or practices that are likely to mislead consumers acting reasonably under the circumstances, and are likely to cause such consumers harm. The FDIC will focus on material misrepresentations or omissions, that is, those that affect choices made by consumers because such misrepresentations are most likely to cause consumers financial harm. 6

https://www.fdic.gov/regulations/compliance/manual/7/vii-1.1.pdf

Almost all members reporting are highly professional, educated people, alleging they were a victim of unfair and deceptive trade practices. All but a handful were angry, desperate, overwhelmed, and confused until empowered with straight answers about how to report and rectify their timeshare nightmare. A few were just tired of aggressive attempts to sell them more points. They just wanted out.  

More on Defamation

http://www.dmlp.org/legal-guide/what-defamatory-statement

A defamatory statement is a false statement of fact that exposes a person to hatred, ridicule, or contempt, causes him to be shunned, or injures him in his business or trade. Statements that are merely offensive are not defamatory (e.g., a statement that Bill smells badly would not be sufficient (and would likely be an opinion anyway)). Courts generally examine the full context of a statement’s publication when making this determination.

In rare cases, a plaintiff can be “libel-proof”, meaning he or she has a reputation so tarnished that it couldn’t be brought any lower, even by the publication of false statements of fact.

Defamatory statements that disparage a company’s goods or services are called trade libel. Trade libel protects property rights, not reputations. While you can’t damage a company’s “reputation,” you can damage the company by disparaging its goods or services.

Because a statement must be false to be defamatory, a statement of opinion cannot form the basis of a defamation claim because it cannot be proven true or false. For example, the statement that Bill is a short-tempered jerk is clearly a statement of opinion because it cannot be proven to be true or false. Again, courts will look at the context of the statement as well as its substance to determine whether it is opinion or a factual assertion. Adding the words “in my opinion” generally will not be sufficient to transform a factual statement to a protected opinion. For example, there is no legal difference between the following two statements, both of which could be defamatory if false:

“John stole $100 from the corner store last week.”

“In my opinion, John stole $100 from the corner store last week.”

For more information on the difference between statements of fact and opinion, see the section on Opinion and Fair Comment Privileges.

Defamation Per Se  

Some statements of fact are so egregious that they will always be considered defamatory. Such statements are typically referred to as defamation “per se.” These types of statements are assumed to harm the plaintiff’s reputation, without further need to prove that harm. Statements are defamatory per se where they falsely impute to the plaintiff one or more of the following things:

• a criminal offense;
• a loathsome disease;
• matter incompatible with his business, trade, profession, or office; or
• serious sexual misconduct.

It is important to remember that truth is an absolute defense to defamation, including per se defamation. If the statement is true, it cannot be defamatory. For more information see the section on Substantial Truth.

Emily Doskow, attorney

http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/defamation-law-made-simple-29718.html

3. A defamatory statement must be false — otherwise it’s not considered damaging. Even terribly mean or disparaging things are not defamatory if the shoe fits. Most opinions don’t count as defamation because they can’t be proved to be objectively false. For instance, when a reviewer says, “That was the worst book I’ve read all year,” she’s not defaming the author, because the statement can’t be proven to be false.
4. The statement must be “injurious.” Since the whole point of defamation law is to take care of injuries to reputation, those suing for defamation must show how their reputations were hurt by the false statement — for example, the person lost work; was shunned by neighbors, friends, or family members; or was harassed by the press. Someone who already had a terrible reputation most likely won’t collect much in a defamation suit.

Scotty Black is a Timeshare Advocacy Group advocate. The FBI definition of white-collar crime is “deceit, concealment, violation of trust and bait and switch.” Scotty has an MS in Criminal Justice and works in law enforcement. A few months ago Scotty sent me the criminal code that stated that someone aware that a crime may have been committed must report the alleged crime because it is a crime not to report a crime. When timeshare members report actions that meet the FBI definition of white-collar crime, FBI agents have advised us that we should direct those members to file a complaint with the FBI at IC3.gov and with the FTC.

Timeshare Advocacy Group

We seek to provide timeshare members a way to proactively address membership concerns; to advocate for timeshare reform; to obtain greater disclosure from the company; to advocate for a viable secondary market; and to educate prospective buyers.

https://www.facebook.com/timeshareadvocategroup/

Related article: Timeshare Advocacy Group

http://insidetimeshare.com/the-tuesday-slot-with-irene-11/

That’s it for this week, we shall be busy watching the World Cup Finals this weekend, unfortunately England didn’t make it to this years final, that is between France and Belgium.

Have a good weekend and join us next week for more information and more stories on the world of timeshare.

The post Friday’s Letter from America appeared first on Inside Timeshare.

Last week we highlighted the new Timeshare Association, which is linked to David Cox of TESS, we do know that he appears to have made up with Mark Rowe, as all posts he had slating his companies have been removed. But The Timeshare Association is inextricably linked to Timeshare Talk, a forum owned by Mark Rowe.

They have posted a list of who knows who by a gentleman called William Dobbs, (if that is his genuine name), this in itself is nothing unusual, in most industries many people will know each other. After all they may have worked together in the past.

The one problem with this list is the title, Who Knows Who, Ian Smart, this is what can only be described as very offensive to all who knew Ian Smart, I say who knew, as Ian Smart passed away earlier this year. So to use the name of a man who is no longer with us Mr Dobbs is to say the least sick. You should be ashamed of yourself.

Last week the following information came in after publishing Friday’s Letter from America, it was certainly a busy week in the Spanish Courts, and a rather expensive one for the industry.

No less than 16 sentences were passed by various Spanish Courts, they are as follows:

10 were against Anfi del Mar

2 against Tasolan (Palm Oasis)

4 against the Tenerife based Silverpoint.

In all cases the contracts have been declared null and void and the amount of money the timeshare companies have been ordered to return is over 561,000€.

It was also announced by Canarian Legal Alliance that their Provisional Execution of Sentence team had also successfully had 2 more embargos place on Anfi cash accounts, securing the money for their clients.

Tomorrow Inside Timeshare once again publishes a revised article on How to File a Complaint, these articles are aimed at our American readers but are still of interest as you can adapt them to suit your own country and associations.

If you have any comments or stories you would like to share then use the contact page, also if you need to find out about any company that has contacted you or one that you have found on the internet, then get in touch and we will point you in the right direction.

The post Start the Week appeared first on Inside Timeshare.

This week’s Tuesday Slot we publish a revised article on How to File a Complaint, but first a quick word on the article yesterday and the post on Timeshare Talk by Mr William Dobbs. We have had several emails from readers venting there disgust at the use of Ian Smart’s name considering he passed away.

Mr Dobbs you should think very carefully at what you write and who about, to use the name of a deceased person who cannot speak or defend himself is the lowest of the low. I have had emails from his personal friends and family, all demand the removal of his name and for you Mr Dobbs to publish an apology.

It is also clear that you have no idea what you are saying or writing, yes I do know many of the people on that list, after all it is my job to know, but much of it is so out of date it is laughable. One person who you mention as sales at Palm Oasis, has not even been in the industry for at least 15 years and as we stated yesterday, in any industry people will be acquainted with each other. So Mr Dobbs will his family and friends get the apology?

Now on with today’s article.

How to File a Timeshare Complaint (July 17, 2018 revision)

Start with the Attorneys General

If necessary, continue to the FBI at IC3.gov

Finish with the Federal Trade Commission, if Section 5 is violated

FTC Unfair Practices

An act or practice is unfair where it

• causes or is likely to cause substantial injury to consumers;
• cannot be reasonably avoided by consumers; and
• is not outweighed by countervailing benefits to consumers or to competition.

FTC Deceptive Practices

An act or practice is deceptive where

• a representation, omission, or practice misleads or is likely to mislead the consumer;
• a consumer’s interpretation of the representation, omission, or practice is considered reasonable under the circumstances; and
• the misleading representation, omission, or practice is material.

https://www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/supmanual/cch/ftca.pdf

“I was told that in order to be released from a timeshare I had owned for years, which was a deeded timeshare week, I had to turn the deed into points. Believing the sales agent, on June 19th I bought $12,000 worth of points for no reason. A few weeks after purchase I learned through Social Media the company has a voluntary surrender program.” (Example of an actual complaint)

Inside Timeshare has received 499 U.S. timeshare complaints as of July 16, 2018. All but a handful of complainants allege they had been sold a timeshare by deception. In all but a few cases, the member was dismissed with “You signed a contract” or “It doesn’t matter what the sales agent said.” If timeshare companies would acknowledge that some timeshare sales agents do intentionally mislead the consumer, there would be no need to file complaints and no reason for the existence of member supported advocacy groups.

According to FBI agents and lawyers our advocates have consulted, it is not legal to hide behind fine print, but it takes volumes of complaints to raise a regulator’s eyebrow. The Federal Trade Commission released its 2017 complaint report, listing travel, vacation, and timeshare as one of the most costly frauds at $1,710. Our reader complaints dollar amounts range from $4,000 to $400,000 or more. We wish members were only losing $1,710. Inside Timeshare has received complaints from 61 veterans and active duty military and law enforcement.   

Travel, vacation, and timeshare frauds were the most costly with people losing a median amount of $1,710. The FTC also broke out fraud losses for members of the military and found their median fraud loss to be 44 percent higher than the general population.

https://www.jacksonsun.com/story/opinion/columnists/2018/04/06/ftc-releases-2017-complaint-statistics/493425002/

Timeshare Members need to be especially vigilant about “Get you out of your timeshare” firms because many are scams. Some are not. Timeshare Advocacy Group (TAG) has a scam research team formed by members who have themselves been scammed. This 15 page US Department of Justice timeshare scam report illustrates the seriousness and extent of the problem, caused by the lack of a viable secondary market. Timeshare company annual and quarterly reports have mentioned a viable secondary market as a risk to investors.    

https://search.justice.gov/search?query=timeshare+scam+report&op=Search&affiliate=justice  

Advocates for reform feel the problems that exist in the industry today are caused by an overreliance on the oral representation clause, iron clad developer based contracts, the lack of an adequate secondary market, and limited enforcement. We don’t dispute there are many who use and enjoy their timeshare and many sales agents who sell the product properly, but here are the most common timeshare complaints reported by our readers:

• The agent said I could easily sell my points,
• The agent overstated the value of travel awards to pay for airline tickets, or the use of a travel credit card to pay maintenance fees,
• The agent said I had to give up my deeded timeshare and buy points,
• The agent said I have to give up my deed and buy points (or buy enough points to get to the next loyalty level) or my heirs will be burdened,
• The rescission clause was dodged because the agent said the (bogus) program would not be available until after the first of the year, or we were  not allowed access to the booking site until after the rescission period.

To begin your complaint, raise your right hand.

Do you promise to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God? Present your information factually and without opinion or inflammatory language.

Information Needed to File a Timeshare Complaint

Name (s) and age of member

Phone Number

State of Residence

Member Number

For each contract in dispute:

Where Purchased and Date of Purchase

Number of Points Purchased

Sales Agent and Sales Agent ID# (if available)

Purchase Price

Down Payment

Amount Financed and Interest Rate

Loan Number

Current Loan Balance

Name of Credit Card if one was used to pay the down payment

What do you want? Do you seek Refund or Relinquishment?

Why? Is it due to Deception, Health, Age or Financial Burden?

Complaints expressing dissatisfaction with general availability will go unheeded as will a request based on not being able to afford the timeshare. If you feel you were deceived, list the reasons why. If there was no deceit, ask for relinquishment. Maintenance fees must be current and there can be no loan outstanding. Just like your personal residence, you can’t go to your home mortgage lender and say you can’t afford it. The difference is you can sell your home if there is an outstanding loan.  

MOST IMPORTANT – Purchase Timeline

It is better to state your narrative as a narrative referring back to the contracts and figures at the top of your complaint. Begin with when you first became involved with the company and proceed chronologically. Keep your history brief up to the point when things began to go wrong.

After you complete your complaint, email it to the appropriate resort department. Expect to be denied. Typically your resort reviewer will restate your concerns, produce your initials and signatures, point out the oral representation clause and inform you, “If something was important to you, you should have asked for it to be put in the contract.” File a rebuttal if you disagree with the company response.

Mark your email to the resort urgent if you are in financial distress. It is best to file a complaint before the debt collectors are hounding. If one of our advocates is assisting the member, the member will report back to us if the issue is resolved. Due to the required non-disclosure, terms and conditions will not be discussed.

Attorneys General

If the resort has dismissed your complaint, the next step is to file a complaint with the Attorney General of the state where you signed your contract. It can take sometimes a month to hear back from an AG but once your complaint has been accepted, debt collectors are not allowed to call. You can find any Attorney General by searching the state name and Attorney General. Some states will direct you to the real estate or consumer division. You should file a complaint with the state Real Estate Division against the agent if the agent was deceptive. Not all states require timeshare sales agents be real estate licensed.     

We have determined, based on reports from our readers, some Attorneys General walk lockstep with the developer, responding to complaints with, “You should not have relied on verbal representations.” Thus, in those states, the consumer is out in the cold and at the mercy of the developer’s decision. In other states, Attorneys General have opened investigations and reached settlements based on a volume of complaints and a pattern of consistent reports of deceptive behavior.

The FBI

Any complaint reported to the FBI should be of a more egregious nature. “They promised me a free cruise but it wasn’t free” is an example of a complaint that is not serious enough for the FBI. Our opening example, describing a buyer told they had to give up their timeshare deed when that was not necessary, would merit an IC3.gov report. To determine if your complaint is serious enough to file an FBI complaint, review the FBI definitions of criminal acts:  

White-collar crimes are characterized by deceit, concealment, or violation of trust and are not dependent on the application or threat of physical force or violence. The motivation behind these crimes is financial—to obtain or avoid losing money, property, or services or to secure a personal or business advantage. These are not victimless crimes. A single scam can destroy a company, devastate families by wiping out their life savings, or cost investors billions of dollars (or even all three).

Mortgage fraud is a subcategory of financial institution fraud known as “fraud for profit”:

Fraud for profit: Those who commit this type of mortgage fraud are often industry insiders using their specialized knowledge or authority to commit or facilitate the fraud. Current investigations and widespread reporting indicate a high percentage of mortgage fraud involves collusion by industry insiders, such as bank officers, appraisers, mortgage brokers, attorneys, loan originators, and other professionals engaged in the industry. Fraud for profit aims not to secure housing, but rather to misuse the mortgage lending process to steal cash and equity from lenders or homeowners. The FBI prioritizes fraud for profit cases.

https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/white-collar-crime

The FBI has advised our members, if the allegation involves credit card fraud, the member should also file a complaint with the Secret Service.

https://ask.metafilter.com/81136/Should-I-call-the-Secret-Service-over-credit-card-fraud

Most important, consider reaching out to local or national media. Reporters look for content and are surprisingly easy to reach. Write an article about your experience. The more people who come forward, the more the public is made aware of timeshare black holes before engaging in a timeshare sales presentation.

Summary of Regulatory and Law Enforcement Agencies

• The Attorney General’s office where you signed your contract. Most AG complaints can be filed online.
• The Real Estate Division of the state where the agent is licensed if your complaint is against the agent.
• The FBI at IC3.gov portal if you feel you were deceived. For allegations of a serious nature you may also contact an FBI field office to file a tip orally. Have your facts and figures ready. The FBI complaint website is called IC3.gov which stands for Internet Crime. This is a bit confusing. IC is the name of the portal. That doesn’t mean it has to be an internet crime. Click IC3 as your choice when filing. Sometimes your local field office will pay closer attention than say Las Vegas, where losing money is a tourist attraction. You can find your nearest field office from this website. https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices https://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx
• The Federal Trade Commission is one of the most important agencies to file with, because it is federal. Most states have incorporated a portion of the FTC’s “Unfair and Deceptive Trade Act” in their state law.   
• The media – the court of public opinion is often the only court available. Inside Timeshare, published in Spain, welcomes member submissions, positive or negative.
• The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau for credit card or lending complaints, under the mortgage option (even if no mortgage), selecting the bank involved. Timeshare has dodged this regulatory bullet because most members don’t know the identity of the lender as the timeshare company often services the loan (Timeshare companies are not an option from the CFPB’s drop-down menu). CFPB is the organization that helped Wells Fargo victims. The CFPB lost influence after the roll back of the Dodd Frank act March 2018. The Dodd Frank act was enacted after the abuses caused by subprime lending. The CFPB is still considered a regulator. https://www.consumerfinance.gov/
• File a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. The company’s BBB rating can be misleading in that the BBB only rates how efficiently a company responds to complaints. Sometimes the BBB allows you to log in and file a rebuttal. If you file a complaint, a review is not allowed. We have received complaints from members reporting that a company representative called, saying the message is time sensitive, but does not answer the phone when the member repeatedly tries to call back. We suspect this boosts the company BBB rating because the company can report, “We reached out.”
• Lawmakers – The problem is the timeshare buyer typically does not buy in their state of residence which is why lawmakers don’t seem to take timeshare seriously. Still, any effort to contact lawmakers is encouraged.

If this sounds like work, it is, but you can file with some, all, or none of the agencies. If you pick two, pick the Attorney General and the FTC. We have a team of advocates who can answer questions and help guide you through the process. We feel “Action and Advocacy” is the best way to change questionable timeshare business practices.  

Depending on the seriousness of your complaint, you may forward your complaint to the firm’s public relations office or firm and to ARDA, the timeshare industry’s PAC, for violating ARDA’s Code of Ethics. ARDA’s Code of Ethics can be found on ARDA’s website. ARDA ROC does not mediate disputes, but ARDA does have a Code of Ethics. Due to lack of response to about 200 of the more serious complaints we sent to ARDA, we do not recommend owners make the voluntary “opt in” or “opt out” ARDA ROC donation on your maintenance fee invoice. Not one of the members we questioned knew what ARDA ROC stands for, yet collectively gives ARDA ROC about $5 million a year. It is the opinion of our advocates, that although ARDA lobbies for the industry and for timeshare members, when the issue at stake is one that is at odds with members, members lose because they have no voice.

You may also forward your complaint to the Association of Vacation Owners. AVO has been tracking our complaints for research purposes. http://insidetimeshare.com/the-tuesday-slot-with-irene-3/

If you are granted a positive outcome, you may not say or write anything disparaging about the resort, but there is no harm in staying involved by referring timeshare members who need help to Inside Timeshare or to one of the self-help groups listed below we know are not industry influenced.  

Who We Are and Why We Do This

Our advocates are not attorneys and we do not provide legal advice. We have researched regulatory agencies and are here to direct consumers to the appropriate regulatory and law enforcement agencies. The right to file a regulatory complaint is the right of every citizen who feels they have been wronged.  

It’s a good idea to contact a member of the Licensed Timeshare Resale Broker Association to find out whether your timeshare has a secondary market. http://www.licensedtimeshareresalebrokers.org/

Venting on complaint sites has no effect whatsoever but an organized campaign to track complaints and report alleged fraud has already born fruit in the form of Attorneys General investigations and greater public awareness.

If all else fails, we will refer to an attorney if the member can afford one. If you are forced into foreclosure, but have an otherwise unblemished credit report, you can write to the credit reporting agencies in an effort to explain why you were deceived and why you were not able to resolve your dispute.

Contact Inside Timeshare or email Irene Parker at

ireneparker377@gmail.com or call 270-303-7572 EST if you are interested in becoming a volunteer. Feel free to call any day of the week from 1:00 to 5:00 PM EST. It’s best to schedule a call. All calls and emails are returned within 24/48 hours.  If your email is not returned, please resend and send a text message.

Self-help groups seek to provide members a way to proactively address membership concerns; to advocate for timeshare reform; to obtain greater disclosure from the company; to advocate for a viable secondary market; and to educate prospective buyers.

https://www.facebook.com/timeshareadvocategroup/

http://tug2.net/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/DiamondResortsOwnersAdvocacy/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/180578055325962/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/465692163568779/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1639958046252175/

July 7, 2018 Irene Parker Timeshare Advocacy Group     

Related article: FTC Section 5

http://insidetimeshare.com/fridays-letter-from-america-12/

That’s it for today, you now have all the information to be able to file a complaint, if you need any help with this or want to know about any company that has contacted you or you have found on the internet, then use our contact page and we will point you in the right direction.

The post The Tuesday Slot with Irene appeared first on Inside Timeshare.

Our regular readers will be aware that we have been following the many changes in name for almost 3 years, well here is another new name for you, Legalidad Abogados SA, with the website:

http://legalidad-abogados.com

Registered on 20 May 2018

The websites is as usual exactly the same as all the others except for the new names and photographs of the lawyers, which no doubt are photographs of genuine lawyers taken from the internet. We will be trying to identify the genuine people as we have done in the past.

The company apparently was was founded by Manuel Midan Embalori (photo below), on Monday 20th July 1990, which was in fact a Friday! They have the CIF Number (National ID Number), is A30458629, which is again not genuine.

The lawyers are named as:

Armando Calenam Salderol

Daniel Lominiar Golteras

Carlos Demanar Voltarisa

There address is one that week have seen before, although genuine, they are not there:

Legalidad Abogados S.A.

6-4, Calle de S. Francisco, Santa Cruz, 38002, Tenerife

Freephone: 0800 802 1938

Tenerife Tel: 0034 822 684 515

embalori-abogados@email.com

legalidad-uk-claims@email.com

So what are Legalidad Abogados doing?

Obviously it will be the same ploy they have used in the past, your timeshare company and the director is being taken to court, for a payment to the Procurador you can be included in the case. The Procurador is named as Jesia Elisabeta Eliaz and the money is to be paid into her Bankia account.

Now the case our lucky reader was to be involved in was to be heard at the end of July, this involved his timeshare at Island Village and the director is named as one Mark Rowe, who for those regulars to our pages will know is not a director of Island Village but owns companies such as Hollywood Marketing, The Monster Group of companies, ABC Lawyers to name just a few.

No doubt within days our reader would have received the wonderful news that Mark Rowe pleaded guilty, which somehow no one will ever believe, Mark Rowe pleading guilty!

We also wonder which gang will steal the cheque and cash it, we have had Romanians and Ukrainians, we have heard that the new gang are Croatians!

Whoever they are, there is no legal law firm called Legalidad Abogados, there are genuine lawyers with those names, there is no case case at court and there will definitely not be a cheque sent from the court!

It will be the same old “Fraud” we have seen in the past, don’t fall for their story, the documentation looks real, but it is all fake.

If you have been contacted by this or any other firm with a similar story, then beware, unless you have personally instructed a Spanish law firm to act on your behalf then you do not have a case in court.

The courts do not instruct any company to contact timeshare owners, or to act on the courts behalf. They do not send out cheques and will definitely not instruct another company to investigate a stolen and cashed cheque.

Remember doing your homework, just like our reader, will save you a lot of money. If you are not sure about any company that contacts you or even one you have found on the internet, then use our contact page and we will point you in the right direction.

The post Litigious Abogados: Another New Name to the Family. appeared first on Inside Timeshare.