Another Timeshare scam, this time from Malta !

Another Timeshare scam, this time from Malta !

Police in Malta and the Malta Tourism Authority are investigating a timeshare company who purportedly defrauded clients out of thousands of euro’s. The company named as Platinum International Malta Ltd sold a timeshare membership with cost between €2,000 and €3,500 and promised to provide its members with heavily discounted hotel bookings and holiday packages. The membership covered a range of locations in five destinations, all the customer had to pay was €500 to Platinum for the service.

Instead of providing the services they had promised customers were left  with unsettled hotel bills and non-existent bookings. They even sent falsified bank transfers and airline tickets in an attempt to legitimise their operation.

According to one newspaper, trips planned through the company earlier in the year went unhindered, however customers started experiencing difficulties at the beginning of August. Many customers found that they had to foot the bill at the hotel they were visiting as it had not been paid as promised by Platinum International Malta. Incredibly, one member was arrested in Germany as he could not afford to pay the bill for the hotel he had visited, a bill Platinum should already have paid.

After weeks of turmoil for members, finally on 25 August, Platinum sent an email to all its customers asserting that the company can no longer honour any present or future hotel bookings. The matter is now being investigated by police and local authorities.

Redweek launch a timeshare online rentals service.

Redweek.com have recently launched a new online booking service, hoping this could be a safer way for owners to navigate their way through the complicated timeshare rentals market.

“When we launched in 2002, we really tried to stay out of the rental transactions, owners would post their ad, we would advertise to attract renters, and owners would negotiate and complete the rental on their own,” says Maurice Aubrey, RedWeek’s president.  “However, it turned out that wasn’t the best way to support timeshare owners, most of whom aren’t familiar with how to actually write a rental contract and request payments from strangers.  Even though the by-owner rental rates are often a 50% discount off the resort’s own rack rate, some renters believed it was too good to be true, and were wary of sending checks off without guarantees.”

With this in mind, RedWeek built RedWeek Payments as the solution for both sides. It was initially introduced only for timeshare owners who used the company’s “full service rental” product – where RedWeek handles the entire process, from posting the ad to managing inquiries and bookings. The process worked so well the company recently decided to open the platform up to all owners renting their timeshares.

Renters who book a week with RedWeek Payments can now get a complete rental contract and pay right on the site with a credit card, knowing their funds aren’t released until we are sure they got what they paid for.

“It’s the best of both worlds,” says Aubrey. “Renters get the low by-owner rates on timeshare rentals without having to worry about getting scammed; owners don’t have to worry about setting terms and requesting payments. They simply approve an offer when it comes in, and we send them the funds after the renter has checked in.”

Holiday Inn Club Vacations celebrates 10 years.

Holidays Inn Club Vacations is celebrating it’s 10^th birthday by throwing a birthday party and giving away 10 5 night holidays.

“We’re so proud of how much our owners and guests love Holiday Inn Club Vacations,” said Tom Nelson, President & CEO of Orange Lake Resorts. “The first 10 years of the brand have been tremendous. We have grown from just four resorts to 26 located throughout the U.S. since its launch. The next 10 years are going to be even more fun as we continue to grow and add new vacation destinations and beautiful resorts for our owners and guests to experience.”

Holiday Inn Club Vacations brand, is one of the largest and fastest-growing timeshare companies in the U.S. with resorts in 13 states stretching from Vermont to Nevada and Wisconsin to Florida. More than 340,000 owners and Holiday Inn Club-members enjoy the benefits of timeshare ownership through the company.

People who enter into Timeshare agreements often find it difficult to keep up with the mounting maintenance fees and simply cannot afford it any longer. They may also find that the Timeshare no longer suits their needs and simply want to end the contract. There are too many individuals who are willing to take advantage of Timeshare owners and offer fake products, along with Timeshare exit schemes. Before agreeing to any Timeshare termination or exit procedure with an individual or company, seek independent advise and fully research any company you are thinking of working with.

It is also important to remember that purchasing a Timeshare should NEVER be viewed as a financial investment. Timeshare is an investment in lifestyle, in future holidays and family time together. There is almost no resale value to a Timeshare.

The mis-selling of holiday products is, unfortunately, common practice within the holiday industry and these type of crimes often go unreported by the most vulnerable in our society and criminal convictions are few and far between.

If you have purchased a Lifestyle / Concierge Service, a Timeshare or a ‘Holiday Points’ based product from a resort or company and feel unhappy with the service, or feel you have been mis-sold this product, please get in touch with us to discuss how we may be able to help you with a possible Money Back Claim.