Welcome to our weekly Letter from America, this week we have another “Nightmare on Timeshare Street” from yet another veteran, this now makes 99 who have been in touch with us. In this article the Sherwood Family tell their story of their dealings with Wyndham. But first the latest from Europe.
At the Court of First Instance N1 in Barcelona, Case Number 362/2017, lawyers from Canarian Legal Alliance, presented a case against Club Estela Dorada SL, Restotel SA, Medhotel Group SL and Clubotel La Dorada SL, which is part of the ONA Group, based in Barcelona.
The breach of the timeshare laws were the contract was in excess of the 50 years laid down by law, what is commonly known as perpetuity, plus the illegal taking of deposits within the 14 day cooling off period. It seems that the companies involved tried to bypass Spanish law through the Tax Haven of Andorra, but the paperwork did show that a Spanish registered entity was involved, which put the case directly under the jurisdiction of the Spanish Courts.
Andorra itself is an independent principality situated between France and Spain in the Pyrenees mountains, it is mostly known for its skiing and being one of Europe’s main Tax havens.
Click on the link below to open the court document or click to download.
The client has now had their contract declared null and void, and will receive the following:
- Purchase price 70,778.07€
- Deposit paid 32,973.00€
- Maintenance fee 8,973.24€ (this is approximate as the final amount has yet to be determined)
This is a total of 112,724.31€ (approx).
The lawyer in this case was Judith Diaz Pascual, another of the young and dynamic CLA team.
So congratulations to the client and also to the team at CLA, they are certainly making a mark on the world of timeshare.
Now for our Letter from America.
Veteran/Active Duty Service member #99 Timeshare Trapped
The “Unfair” in Unfair and Deceptive Practices
An Arizona House Bill 2639 designed to protect consumers is opposed by ARDA.
Please voice your support for this Bill by calling and writing to the Bill sponsors listed in this article: http://insidetimeshare.com/the-tuesday-slot-arizona-house-bill-2639/
By the Sherwood Family, a Wyndham Hostage
March 8, 2019
Mr. Sherwood’s YouTube:
I am sure there are plenty of timeshare members quite happy to spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars on their timeshares every month because they are getting use out of it. However, what happens when your circumstances change? You will quickly come to regret every penny you sunk into the timeshare capable of holding the member hostage for life.
Due to health issues that have been piling up over the years, my wife and I can’t use our Wyndham timeshare anymore. I spent 20 years in the service of my country and am a 75-year-old 100% disabled veteran and retired Master Sergeant from the US Marine Corps. I also have early onset glaucoma. My wife is 71 and has had total hip replacement surgery twice in the past 3 years. Our Wyndham sales agent did not tell us about the Wyndham Armed Forces Veterans Club.
We bought our Wyndham timeshare in 2014. We used it twice a year for the first three years. It never lived up to the billing our sales reps gave it but we were happy enough. We never thought twice about handing over our money because we were getting something out of it. Unfortunately, getting old is no fun. Your circumstances can change overnight. Change may come soon after purchase or arrive years down the line. When those changes come you will be hit in the face with the reality that there is no way out of your timeshare if there is a loan outstanding. You are stuck with paying for your slice of thin air out of your social security allowance until the day you die unless foreclosed.
One of the reasons for this article is that I do not take kindly to being bullied and will not be dismissed, told to shut up and hand over my money. Another reason is that I would like as many people as possible to be aware of what they are getting into before purchasing a timeshare.
I sent Wyndham my letter from the VA attesting to the fact that I am 100% disabled. They would not accept that letter, stating they wanted proof I couldn’t travel. They requested full access to my medical history. I found this an egregious invasion of privacy so refused. I went back to the VA for a letter that stated specifically that I couldn’t travel but Wyndham would not accept this. A letter from the VA stating that I am 100% disabled and cannot travel seems more than enough for Wyndham to join the dots.
Imagine what the scenario is if you are not a senior, or a veteran, or disabled – if we are being refused, how many other people with their own reasons and issues will be refused?
Wyndham stopped communicating with me when I delinked to give them access to my medical records despite me reaching out by letter and phone on several occasions. They have now sent me to collections with Pinnacle Recovery Inc. I will tell Pinnacle what I told Wyndham; they will not see a penny from me.
To confound matters, the third Stooge in this story after Wyndham and Pinnacle; Barclays Bank, want us to pay them too. When Wyndham tried to open a credit card for us, my application was refused but my wife’s was accepted. My wife receives in income less than a thousand dollars a month but after Wyndham added my social security income, military retirement and VA compensation, they made it look like she was earning several times more than she actually did. Wyndham has charged the card several times already with fees we were not aware we would be asked to pay. Needless to say, Barclays won’t be seeing any money from us either.
My advice to potential timeshare customers; use Airbnb.
My advice to Wyndham; if you can’t listen to your customers then you shouldn’t be in the hospitality business.
Thank you to Mr. Sherwood for sharing his story. If the public knew the difficulties of getting out of a timeshare, would anyone buy one? What car, boat, home, or pair of shoes would you buy that you cannot sell if there is a loan outstanding?
Here are member supported groups we feel are not 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/groups/DiamondResortsOwnersAdvocacy/
https://everythingabouttimeshares.com/consider-exchange-options/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/180578055325962/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/465692163568779/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1639958046252175/
Thank you to the Sherwood Family for their contribution this week, as we mentioned at the start, this is the ninety ninth veteran who have been in touch with Inside Timeshare and the other groups. It would seem that even though they have served their country, the timeshare sales agents just do not respect that fact, they just see them as easy money. Not all the blame can be placed on those sales agents, the timeshare companies must also take responsibility for allowing their staff to get away with it.
So to finish today’s article, we are still calling on any reader who has had any dealings with Meredith Pritchard and Stephen Paul Fairclough to come forward, it is your information that will help the police get the evidence to bring Fairclough to justice. Use our contact page and Inside Timeshare will get back to you.
Have a great weekend and don’t forget be vigilant when dealing with any company that contacts you or you find on the internet or advertising in any publication.
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