Welcome to the first Friday’s Letter from America of 2018, we may be only 5 days into the New Year, but the Supreme Court has just made another ruling against Silverpoint.
Another client of Canarian Legal Alliance has had their contract with Silverpoint declared null and void, with the return of over £11,000 plus legal fees and interest. This now makes the number of rulings from the Supreme Court made by CLA to an astonishing 83!
Once again it is that time when maintenance bills start to drop onto the door mat, for many this is a difficult time, especially for the elderly who can no longer afford to pay the ever increasing bills.
For one elderly lady which Inside Timeshare has been highlighting for some time it has happened again. This is the case of Mrs B, as you will remember, MacDonald Resorts refuse to acknowledge that she no longer owns her timeshare at Dona Lola in Spain.
Mrs B and her sister, who are now in their late 80’s, employed the services of a company to be rid of their timeshares around 3 years ago. This company “sold” the timeshares and transferred them to another person, this was duly notarised by a notary in Spain. The Lanzarote timeshare has caused no problem, but MacDonald’s refuse to accept the transfer.
Mrs B has now received another demand for over £3000 for maintenance, obviously this will end up being sent to a debt collection agency which will incur even more fees.
It must also be remembered that they had not used the timeshare for over 10 years, yet still paid the maintenance until the transfer. Both are virtually housebound and cannot afford to pay these extortionate amounts.
Tony Hetherington has published several articles about MacDonald Resorts and their chasing of maintenance fees, even after the death of the owners or severe illness.
MacDonald Resorts is one of the worst offenders in the timeshare industry for this type of behaviour, it is companies like this that have given timeshare the reputation it has. Greed it seems is the order of the day.
Now for this weeks Letter from America.
Hope for Beleaguered Timeshare Members!
Start with the Better Business Bureau
By Irene Parker
January 5, 2018
The Nightmare on Timeshare Street article scheduled for today has been cancelled because the resort listened and responded to the member. We don’t yet know the outcome, but at least the member has not been dismissed or ignored. The customer is not the enemy. The enemy is the timeshare sales agent that “pitches heat” making outrageous claims to sell points, knowing they are protected by the oral representation clause and that there is no federal enforcement.
If you have a complaint about your timeshare, first and foremost, contact your resort. It’s surprising how many who contact us have not tried to resolve their issue with the timeshare company before contacting an attorney or an exit company. It is the opinion of Inside Timeshare, in most cases, a member can accomplish what an attorney or an exit company can accomplish by following our complaint form. We are here to answer any questions for free.
In the U.S. it’s best to begin with the Better Business Bureau, although the BBB is not a regulatory agency. It is a nongovernmental nonprofit that serves to promote a community of business that consumers can trust. The BBB does not solve consumer disputes. Success is not based on the outcome, but whether the business responded or not.
A BBB complaint is the easiest to file and can serve as your blueprint as you work your way down the list of appropriate agencies. File a complaint only if you feel you were a victim of deceit and bait and switch. “I can’t afford this” or “there is never any availability” or “you can always book cheaper online” are not specific enough complaints.
We compare the Better Business Bureau ratings among five major vacation point sellers. First, an explanation of the rating process from the BBB website:
The BBB rating rates only how cooperative and responsive a business will be to consumer issues. BBB ratings are based on information in BBB files with respect to the following factors:
⦁ Business’s complaint history with BBB.
The BBB rating takes into account the following information with respect to closed complaints that relate to a business’s marketplace activities:
- Number of complaints filed with BBB against the business.
- The size of the business.
- If complaints have been filed, whether in BBB‘s opinion the business appropriately responded to them.
- If complaints have been filed, whether in BBB’s opinion the business resolved the complaints in a timely manner to the customer’s satisfaction.
- If complaints have been filed, whether in BBB‘s opinion the business made a good faith effort to resolve complaints, even if the customer was not satisfied with the resolution.
- If complaints have been filed, whether in BBB‘s opinion the business failed to resolve the underlying cause(s) of a pattern of complaints.
- The age of resolved complaints. Older resolved complaints have less of an impact on the rating than newer complaints.
⦁ Type of business.
⦁ Time in business.
⦁ Transparent Business Practices
⦁ Failure to honor commitments to BBB.
⦁ Licensing and government actions known to BBB.
⦁ Advertising issues known to BBB.
From Best to Worst based on Stars
BBB Accreditation: If a business has been accredited by the BBB, it means BBB has determined that the business meets accreditation standards, which include a commitment to make a good faith effort to resolve any consumer complaints. BBB accredited businesses pay a fee for accreditation review and monitoring for continued compliance.
https://www.bbb.org/council/for-businesses/about-bbb-accreditation/
Disney Vacation Club, Marriott Vacation Worldwide, Diamond Resorts International, Bluegreen Vacations Unlimited, Wyndham Vacation Ownership
# of stars # of Complaints # of reviews + – neutral
A+ Disney Vacation Club 5/5 9 1 1 0 0
No Government Action No Pattern of Complaints
Accredited since 1991, in business since 1990
A+ Marriot Vacation Worldwide 3.68/5 123 11 0 11 0
No Government Action No Pattern of Complaints
Not accredited, in business since 1994
A- Diamond Resorts International 3.27/5 1,115 89 2 86 1
Government Action noted
Not accredited, in business since 1996
C+ Bluegreen Vacations Unlimited 2.47/5 781 108 9 95 4
Pattern of Complaints
Not accredited, in business since 1966
C+ Wyndham Vacation Ownership 2.39/5 2,085 96 4 92 0
Government Action noted and a Pattern of Complaints
Not accredited, in business since 1994
Next week: The Consumer Protection Agency – What’s left?
A survey of all timeshare appropriate regulatory agencies:
http://insidetimeshare.com/chicken-soup-timeshares-soul/
Always Remember:
U.S. Self-Help member sponsored groups we believe not to be industry influenced:
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://www.facebook.com/groups/180578055325962/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/465692163568779/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1639958046252175/
Contact Inside Timeshare if you have questions about this or any other article published, we are here to give you the best advice possible.
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