Welcome to The Tuesday Slot, this week we publish another “Nightmare on Timeshare Street” from a new contributor James McConnell, a Veterans Administration Chaplain. But first we look at another “Nightmare on Timeshare Street” which Inside Timeshare has been highlighting for around 3 years. Many of our older readers will remember the story of Mrs B and her sister, the last update was in January 2018, well the story has just resurfaced.
To recap, Mrs B, purchased a timeshare at the Dona Lola Club on the Costa del Sol, Spain in 2000, at the time they were 72 and 65 respectively. Their purchase at what can only be described as a high pressure lengthy presentation, was for 2 weeks in a 3 bed apartment, the cost at that time was £7000. (This has since been transferred to their points club).
At the time of the purchase, new legislation had been in force for about 1 year, this made the taking of any payments within the 14 day cooling off period illegal along with the length of the contract being over 50 years in duration, what is known as perpetuity. Mr B and her sister were not made aware of this fact at the time.
For years they paid the annual maintenance fees, even though they had not used the timeshare due to illness. In 2014 they decided to get rid of the Dona Lola timeshare along with another that they owned at Oasis Lanz Club in Lanzarote. They paid a company £5,695 to dispose of both timeshares.
In 2015 the paperwork arrived showing that both timeshare had been sold to a gentleman in the UK, this is where the problems began.
The timeshare at Oasis Lanz was successfully transfered to the gentleman, (Inside Timeshare has his name, address and passport details), the problem is with the Dona Lola Club operated by none other than probably the worst timeshare company in Europe, MacDonald Resorts.
MacDonald Resorts refuse to recognise the transfer of ownership, they say that they do not recognise the company that carried it out, but at no time warned Mrs B and her sister that they would not accept the transfer of ownership.
MacDonald Resorts then employed Network Credit Services Limited of Hamilton, Lanarkshire, a debt collecting agency who have over the past 3 years constantly threatened legal action if the debt of now over £3,500 is not paid. Network Credit Services have been told repeatedly that this debt is in dispute and therefore they should return it to MacDonald Resorts. They are still harassing her.
The latest in this sorry saga are new threats, these include copies of court orders they claim to have won against debtors of MacDonald Resorts, if that isn’t a blatant use of threats and scare tactics we don’t know what is.
Inside Timeshare has told Mrs B to fill in one of the forms stating that the debt is in dispute and send it back, Inside Timeshare will also travel to the UK and help her when the case comes to the County Court, along with legal help and all the documents that show the timeshare has been transferred.
We will keep you posted on this story as it unfolds over the next few months, now for this weeks article.
We Lost $24,695 to Allied Solutions Group plus $3,200 to Help4TSO
Trying to get rid of our Bluegreen and Silverleaf Timeshares
Research Travel Clubs before Buying
https://www.patientcare.va.gov/chaplain/index.asp
Our Story
By James McConnell, a Veterans Administration Chaplain
October 9, 2018
My wife Donna and I are 76 and 80 years old. I am a Baptist Chaplain at the VA Medical Center in Las Vegas. I spent 20 years in the Army. I was eight years an enlisted soldier and twelve years a chaplain. As an enlisted man, I was stationed in Korea for a year in 1969, stationed three years in Germany and the rest in the states. I served as Chaplain at Fort Dix, NJ from 1983 until retirement in 1994. I also served at Field Station Kunia and the 4th of the 87th Infantry Battalion as their Chaplain in Hawaii. I was stationed in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait during Desert Shield/Desert Storm and assigned to the 1st of the 17th Field Artillery Battalion as their Chaplain during the war.
We are aware that many seniors are going through what we are going through, stuck with timeshares we can’t get rid of, and then losing even more money to companies promising you that they can get you out of your timeshare but don’t. Allied Solutions Group told us they could get rid of our timeshares if we pay them more money for a travel club.
We attended the Allied Solutions Group presentation over a year ago at a Joe’s Crab Shack for the purpose of getting out of our two timeshares. We paid Midwest Transfer $27,895 May 17, 2017 for a Travel Club package. The purchase price included a credit of $3,200 ($1,600 each for the Bluegreen and Silverleaf timeshares), but now we are stuck with a travel club we don’t need or want and the two timeshares. It’s a nightmare. They didn’t even give us information about the travel club.
I contacted Irene Parker at Inside Timeshare. Irene contacted Help4TSO and spoke with a representative. Irene said the representative was very nice. She said he looked up our records and said they refunded us $3,200 because they did not get us out of our timeshare. We never received a check for $3,200.
Irene also contacted Allied Solutions Group for us. They would not talk to her. Irene asked if they could tell her what services Allied Solutions Group provided. The representative Irene spoke with said she would not describe their services. Irene thought this odd a company would not explain the services their company provided.
We understood that what Allied Solution Group proposed was a travel club. It was supposed to be a replacement for what we had hoped to lose. Getting out of timeshare was the only reason we attended. We had no interest in spending money for another vacation since we were trying to get rid of what we owned. Allied Solution Group told us the program we signed up with would replace our timeshares. The Allied Solutions Group wrote three dispute letters which we were to correct and send to the timeshare people. We did that but didn’t hear anything of consequence back.
We have a $37,000 loan. We owned two Silverleaf weeks and are still paying. If you own a house, you can sell your house if you have a loan. We did not know that timeshares are worthless. This is devastating for seniors who have always paid their bills on time. What can you do if you bought something that can’t be sold?
Allied Solution Group/Midwest Transfer described their services as a Mortgage Relief Advocacy Process. They said an advocacy firm is retained by Help4TSO,
Helping Timeshare Owners, LLC, Orlando, Florida.
According to the Help4TSO website:
Orlando Ventures, LLC dba Helping Timeshare Owners will fight to recover any and all monies paid to the developer. If not successful, Orlando Ventures, LLC will refund 100% of your monies back. Orlando Ventures will receive a 10% commission on monies recovered not to exceed $500.
We signed the agreement May 18, 2017
$1,600 charged to be released from Silverleaf
$1,600 charged to be released from Bluegreen
Also known as The Midwest Transfer, a mortgage relief and travel plan
May 25, 2017 agreements were signed by Bill Howell.
$6,300
$9,595.
$8,800.
$24,695 + $3,200 = $27,895
Why are regulators not interested? There seems to be no one to talk to and no one seems to care. It is shameful and we don’t understand why there is so little regulation. It seems the only way to protect consumers is to write about what is happening to warn others. DON’T BUY A TIMESHARE YOU CANNOT GET RID OF and don’t pay anyone you don’t know money to get out of a timeshare.
One of Allied Group Solution’s BBB complaints and the company response followed by what happened to us
Allied Solution Group
On June 6, 2017 we signed a contract to remove our name from 3 timeshares and purchased a replacement vacation company. We paid a total of $15,142. Of this, 3 charges of $1,569 were for the timeshare transfers. They have completed one transfer, but refuse to either complete the other 2 or refund the $1,569 each for those 2. They were notified in August that one of the timeshare companies would not work with them and they should have made a refund at that time. The other timeshare was carried on their books as 3 contracts. They then asked for us to sign and pay for 3 more transfers at $1,569 each. We would not and they sent a letter the file was on “freeze”. Letters requesting the refunds of $1,569 for each of the 2 incomplete transfers were sent 11-15 & 12-27-2017 no response from either.
Allied Solution Group Response
03/16/2018
Mr. and Mrs. **** entered into a contract with Allied Solution Group (ASG) on June 6, 2017 requesting us to get them out of three ownership’s. ***** ******** ****, ****** *****, and *** ***** ****** at Tahoe. On June 13, 2017 we spoke with the client and verified the full contract and also discussed that we were doing three transfers and getting them enrolled in to ******* ********* ***** ****. At that time, there were no concerns from the client and we charged the client outside of their rescission period. On June 27, 2017 we called the client again to discuss to the need of some signed documentation in order to proceed. We followed up on July 10, 13, 25, 26, 31st and within those times we either spoke to the client or left a message stating their ******* ******** ****** **** was on hold until we received that paperwork. On August 4, 2017 we received the requested documentation, but the needed signatures were still not on the documents. We spoke with the client on August 7, 2017 and discussed the need for signatures again, and mailed an additional copy to client. On August 14, 2017 the client called with tracking information for the signed documents. Upon the receipt of these documents we still needed the deeds and documents for the ownership with Shell, ****** *****, and *** *****. We sent a second notice to the client for needed deeds on August 29, 2017. On September 18, 2017 the client called and said the deed for ***** could take up to 60 days to get back due to flooding in Florida. On September 19, 2017 the enrollment into ******* ******** ****** **** was completed. On October 12, 2017 we sent a third and final notice for deeds on their ownership’s for transfer. On October 17, 2017 we received the deeds for ownership, and it was brought to our attention that there were six ownership instead of the three that were discussed at the point of sale. At the point of sale and on our Welcome Call we reconfirmed that there were three ownership’s. As with any service that is provided if there is more work than what was originally presented, there will be an additional cost. We sent additional documentation on October 20, 2016 if the client chose to have us do all six transfers versus the original three, but told them it was their choice. October 27, 2017 we put the ***** transfer on hold until we heard back from the client and sent them documentation to show the freeze as well, to which, we have not heard back. We have completed the the ****** ***** transfer and *** ***** ****** is processing. *** ***** ****** transfer did not begin until August of 2017 when we received the needed deed in office. Within the contract it states we have 12 to 18 months to transfer this ownership. We currently are well within that window. We have done exactly as the client requested, and cannot help that the facts presented to us at point of sale were not accurate. We are happy to finish our contracted work, but will not work on the ***** property until the client communicates their wishes with us. There are no grounds for a cancellation. We will discuss this further with the client if needed.
Thank you James for your contribution, this article along with today’s lead, really does show that timeshare is truly a nightmare.
If you have a story which you would like to share and make others aware of, then use our contact page and get in touch, we would love to hear from you. Inside Timeshare is also asking for any lawyer who has experience of UK debt legislation and County Courts to get in touch to offer advice in the case of Mrs B. In advance thank you.
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