Laura Whitcombe published in The Spectator the article: Timeshare? Think stylish getaways, not dodgy sales reps, on the 27 May. The RDO used it in their article of 23 June titled: Why Now is the Right Time to Reconsider Timeshare.
She actually paints a very nice picture of timeshare today as compared with the past, but how true is this?
In some cases it may be true, but for many the reality is somewhat different, there are still so many resorts that are clinging to the old ways, never allowing owners to surrender. Rising maintenance fees and generally treating owners with contempt.
Yes, we have said before the concept of timeshare is a good one, but there are still many complaints about timeshare, this is borne out by the number of court cases that are currently underway. In the article she says that CAB has had only 11 complaints in March, but she also points out that they are to do with resale companies. It has to be remembered that CAB will refer anyone with a complaint about their own resort to contact them direct. So relying on figures such as this does not paint the right picture.
She also highlights a couple of timeshares, one is the Gleneagles Golf Complex, which to be honest is not what you could call traditional timeshare. One would expect that this prestigious club would be totally above board!
The other is 47 Park Street in Mayfair London (by Marriott), again not what you would consider traditional timeshare, especially as membership is between £118,000 and £270,000 with annual maintenance fees of between £7,000 & £8,000 per year, not exactly for us mere mortals!
Another company she highlighted was the Club la Costa Yachts,with membership starting at £9,900 for this you receive eight sailing weeks over an eight year period. The cost is also huge, with £700 per person per week which covers meals, crew etc, but again there is an annual maintenance fee of £600 per sailing week. Not a cheap option for the ordinary folk.
The RDO are certainly using this article to their advantage, is it a case of, look even The Spectator says that timeshare is a good thing. They have been very selective in what they have used, the references to the timeshare directives and laws, which have been around for years. Yet in the past it has been the very members of this organisation that have failed to follow them.
If there has been no breach of legislation why is it that those very resorts are now having to payout large amounts in compensation?
As for the claim that timeshare is being sold with shorter contracts, well that is only because of recent court cases, where the Spanish courts have banned the perpetuity contract, these are still legal in many other countries. Yet what is being done about them?
Hilton, Gleneagles, 47 Park Street may be selling the 10 to 15 year contracts, but then these are responsible companies, not the old style timeshare resorts or developers, these are also being aimed at a different type of purchaser to standard timeshare.
So all in all, the article does not actually reflect reality, it is a journalist’s take on a different product to the one we all know and possibly loathe. Timeshare is on the defensive, the RDO is charged with putting a different “spin” on the product, with articles such as this trying to make it look appealing. Only time will tell!
For the full article follow the link, (you may have to register to read it).
https://www.spectator.co.uk/2017/05/timeshare-think-stylish-getaways-not-dodgy-sales-reps/
The post The RDO and a Selective use of a Spectator Article on Timeshare appeared first on Inside Timeshare.