Bogland replied on 28/11/2016 07:42
Posted on 28/11/2016 07:42
There are many companies offering to sell your Timeshare some of which advertise in the club magazine. Below is advice from the company which I am a member of which offers good advice to any member of a Timeshare and helps you seek independent advice.
Unsolicited communication, claims companies and your personal data
Diamond Resorts (Europe) Limited (“Diamond”) and its associated companies within the Diamond Resorts group have put in place technical and organizational measures to safeguard the security of our members’ data. Nevertheless, a number of our members have advised us that they are receiving unwanted contact about their timeshares.
Of particular concern is the increasing number of calls from “claims companies” who suggest that they are in a position to facilitate the release of the member from their timeshare ownership. Often, these assertions are coupled with promises that they will also secure a refund/partial refund of the purchase price paid by the member for their timeshare.
Inevitably, a (sizeable) upfront fee is required - often to an (untraceable) overseas bank account or payable by cheque/bank transfer only (thereby circumventing the consumer protection that would otherwise be available to the member were payment to be effected by credit card).
Whilst we have received some communications from a number of claims companies purporting to be instructed by our members, generally, we receive standard generic template letters that do not address specific cases. Furthermore, in the event that legal arguments are put forward, the majority are simply unsustainable. In fact, our experience is that they generally do very little of any substance in return for the fees that they have been paid.
That said, these claims companies are very convincing. They use various scare tactics including for example: i) casting doubt on the validity of timeshare contracts with Diamond, ii) erroneously asserting that the Apollo acquisition will have an adverse impact on our members , iii) erroneously asserting that Diamond will prevent the sale (in 2027- 2029) of accommodations that were placed in trust for the Diamond Resorts Fractional Owners Club, iv) erroneously asserting that it is Diamond’s intention to withdraw the surrender/ relinquishment options which have been in place for some time for members in Diamond Resorts European Collection and which are now in place for owners in the Diamond Resorts Fractional Owners Club, v) advertising false testimonials from alleged members who they purport to have assisted.
Suffice to say, we recommend that under no circumstances should any member make payment to a claims company if they would like to relinquish their membership prior to contacting us so that we can discuss your options with you. The options we may be able to offer you are likely to be significantly cheaper, quicker and simpler than anything the claims companies purport to be able to offer.
We also strongly recommend that all members refrain from providing any unsolicited caller with personal information or from making any payments without first verifying their identity and company status.
In this regard, a free of charge verification service is available from KwikChex Ltd which leads an initiative called the Timeshare Task Force. For the sake of transparency, this initiative is funded by the Resort Development Organisation - the European trade association for the vacation ownership industry.
KwikChex is responsible for providing assistance and protection to timeshare owners who may have concerns or questions about their timeshare ownership. They work closely with law enforcement bodies, including the police and Trading Standards and are a Corporate Affiliate Member of the Chartered Trading Standards Institute. KwikChex also provides advice and information to Government departments and other official authorities, such as the Competition & Markets Authority, the Ministry of Justice, the Information Commissioner's Office and the Insolvency Service.
Diamond is eager to prevent unsolicited contact from happening, and has been working for some time with the Timeshare Task Force, the police, Trading Standards and the Information Commissioners’ Office to achieve this. Rest assured, we never share data with third-party companies for marketing purposes.
If you wish to report incidents of unsolicited cold calling, please complete the form that can be found on the following link: http://www.timesharetaskforce.org/cold-calling-data-theft/
Diamond Resorts (Europe) Limited (“Diamond”) and its associated companies within the Diamond Resorts group have put in place technical and organizational measures to safeguard the security of our members’ data. Nevertheless, a number of our members have advised us that they are receiving unwanted contact about their timeshares.
Of particular concern is the increasing number of calls from “claims companies” who suggest that they are in a position to facilitate the release of the member from their timeshare ownership. Often, these assertions are coupled with promises that they will also secure a refund/partial refund of the purchase price paid by the member for their timeshare.
Inevitably, a (sizeable) upfront fee is required - often to an (untraceable) overseas bank account or payable by cheque/bank transfer only (thereby circumventing the consumer protection that would otherwise be available to the member were payment to be effected by credit card).
Whilst we have received some communications from a number of claims companies purporting to be instructed by our members, generally, we receive standard generic template letters that do not address specific cases. Furthermore, in the event that legal arguments are put forward, the majority are simply unsustainable. In fact, our experience is that they generally do very little of any substance in return for the fees that they have been paid.
That said, these claims companies are very convincing. They use various scare tactics including for example: i) casting doubt on the validity of timeshare contracts with Diamond, ii) erroneously asserting that the Apollo acquisition will have an adverse impact on our members , iii) erroneously asserting that Diamond will prevent the sale (in 2027- 2029) of accommodations that were placed in trust for the Diamond Resorts Fractional Owners Club, iv) erroneously asserting that it is Diamond’s intention to withdraw the surrender/ relinquishment options which have been in place for some time for members in Diamond Resorts European Collection and which are now in place for owners in the Diamond Resorts Fractional Owners Club, v) advertising false testimonials from alleged members who they purport to have assisted.
Suffice to say, we recommend that under no circumstances should any member make payment to a claims company if they would like to relinquish their membership prior to contacting us so that we can discuss your options with you. The options we may be able to offer you are likely to be significantly cheaper, quicker and simpler than anything the claims companies purport to be able to offer.
We also strongly recommend that all members refrain from providing any unsolicited caller with personal information or from making any payments without first verifying their identity and company status.
In this regard, a free of charge verification service is available from KwikChex Ltd which leads an initiative called the Timeshare Task Force. For the sake of transparency, this initiative is funded by the Resort Development Organisation - the European trade association for the vacation ownership industry.
KwikChex is responsible for providing assistance and protection to timeshare owners who may have concerns or questions about their timeshare ownership. They work closely with law enforcement bodies, including the police and Trading Standards and are a Corporate Affiliate Member of the Chartered Trading Standards Institute. KwikChex also provides advice and information to Government departments and other official authorities, such as the Competition & Markets Authority, the Ministry of Justice, the Information Commissioner's Office and the Insolvency Service.
Diamond is eager to prevent unsolicited contact from happening, and has been working for some time with the Timeshare Task Force, the police, Trading Standards and the Information Commissioners’ Office to achieve this. Rest assured, we never share data with third-party companies for marketing purposes.
If you wish to report incidents of unsolicited cold calling, please complete the form that can be found on the following link: http://www.timesharetaskforce.org/cold-calling-data-theft/
DRECL/DRFOC – Explanatory note – 28.10.16
We would also encourage any member who has received unsolicited communication regarding their tim
Bogland