Some disturbing information has come in from concerned readers about their old Club Class memberships. It would appear that Gr8stays who have replace Leisure Alliance are contacting people for arrears of the yearly membership / admin fees, many of these go back at least 4 years.
Leisure Alliance replaced Club Class after Premier Travel SA, when they were forced to close down by the Department for Business Innovations and Skills back in 2012. When you go to the website for Leisure Alliance it has been replaced by Gr8stays, which is also a Discount Travel Members Club, the same as Club Class. In other words just a new name for an old product.
The difference is in the terms and conditions, with the old Club Class membership if you wanted to cancel, then you just stopped paying the annual subscription. According to the new terms and conditions the contract is “Indefinite”, which as we know is the same as perpetuity and illegal according to timeshare directives. Although they will argue they are not timeshare and do not come under these regulations, but they are a long term holiday product which does come under these directives.
So are they that desperate for funds they have resorted to contacting old members for arrears, with threats of legal action and some very dubious comments. In the following recording an agent is heard clearly making these threats and behaving in a totally unprofessional and condescending manner. Many of the people being contacted are now elderly and these calls can be very very frightening for them. (Download and play)
Club Class recording of threats to take legal action
Now, when Club Class was closed down, surely the membership with them was then terminated? After all the contract was with Club Class and not Leisure Alliance or Gr8stays, how can any membership with a liquidated company be transferred to another company without your express permission?
Also, according to the terms and conditions, if you are transferring as an existing club membership holder, (Club Class) then the terms and conditions of the original contract apply. Now part of the pitch when being sold the original Club Class was that it differed from timeshare, as when no longer required, the member just stopped paying. Therefore if you were an existing member then transferred, how can they chase for any arrears?
Another point in the terms and conditions is in the liability section, article 9, The Laws of the United Kingdom shall govern this agreement. Now, the company is registered as a Spanish company, under the name Legal Representatives & Claims SL with the CIF number B93434728. According to company checks this company has a registered address as Avda Antonio Machado S/N – Puebla Quinta 6 Benalmadena 29631. Two directors are listed, Justin Gilson and Fernando Sansegundo Cebrian.
Justin Gilson was also linked to Premier Travel SA, this company replaced Club Class then became Leisure Alliance. Again we have the same name cropping up under different company names, which does make it look like these companies are all connected and just trying to fool the consumer.
So the question has to be asked what jurisdiction would govern the contract, especially if it was signed in Spain? As we have seen with the cases against timeshare companies, if the contract was signed in Spain then it is Spanish laws that applies.
If you receive any calls demanding money for so called arrears for Club Class membership, contact Inside Timeshare and we will point you in the right direction on how to deal with it. If you have any questions regarding any timeshare or holiday club matter, Inside Timeshare will try to answer it.
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