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South Africa Timeshare industry set for major overhaul

The regulatory body which overseas timeshares in South Africa say that they are preparing a major renovate, after receiving thousands of complaints from unhappy consumers. The National Consumer Commission, which regulates consumer and business interaction, launched an inquiry in May 2017 to better understand the consumer impact of the timeshare and vacation ownership industry. Hearings were conducted over the course of six months and a panel of experts approved the recommendations, to correct structural and behavioural issues in the industry.

During the hearings, the panel heard a number of concerns raised by consumers, including the accumulation of points from vacation … Read more

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Drone attack at Gatwick

Tens of thousands of passengers are facing major upheaval after a drone attack grounded flights. Gatwick airport said 11,000 passengers on 760 flights were delayed when authorities noticed two devices flying over the perimeter fence. Gatwick closed its runway Wednesday night just after 9pm, when the drones were spotted, in what police say is a deliberate act of disruption. The runway briefly opened in the early hours of the morning, but closed again 45 minutes later when another drone was spotted. Police were unable to shoot the drone down because of the risk from stray bullets, but Gatwick officials … Read more

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Retired Couple Want Out Of Their Timeshare

A retired couple from Maine, USA say they spent thousands on a timeshare they have not been able to use. It’s the same old story, an gullible family spend their hard earned money in the hope of enjoying wonderful holidays promised to them by unscrupulous sales reps. By the time the ink is dry on their contracts, the disappointment begins.

The couple from Maine, purchased their timeshare in 2013 from InnSeason Resorts, who run an affiliation with RCI. They were promised a membership which would allow them to trade in their timeshare unit and use it to travel to resorts … Read more

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More Mis-sold Financial Products !

Solar Panels, The New Nightmare For Barclays !

Barclays may have to pay a £38.5 million bill to homeowners over loans taken out to fund solar panels which may have been mis-sold. Barclays Partner Finance is a subsidiary of the bank and has said it will put aside a fixed amount to settle customer claims for compensation. They have also employed the services of Legal advisers to review its liabilities in relation to the case.

It was revealed in May that solar sales agents had misled homeowners into signing up to loan agreements for solar panels. After a surge in … Read more

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Travel Agents Sentenced For Fraud

A travel firm based in Leicester ran by three men has been running a multi-million pound scam. The firm falsely claimed to be licensed to sell Hajj pilgrimage package trips to Mecca. The three men falsified documents and used the logos of ATOL licensed companies to legitimise their business and take advantage of people wishing to visit the holy Muslim site.

After multiple complaints, Leicester City Council Trading Standards launched an investigation into the company and found that paying customers who used the travel agent were subjected to poor quality, dirty and dangerous accommodation and transport.

Judge Timothy Spencer … Read more

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Timeshare Resorts Setting Sites On Urban Destinations

Diamond Resorts Investing in St. Louis.

Diamond Resorts is turning a hotel in St Louis into a timeshare destination. Diamond has purchased six floors of the 29 storey City Place Hotel and will convert the six floors into luxury timeshare apartments. Once the redesign is complete in 2020, City Place Tower will be Diamond’s flagship urban destination.

Michael Flaskey, chief executive officer of Diamond Resorts, said: “St. Louis is a new market for the industry and we are proud that Diamond Resorts will be the only company offering vacation ownership Lodging for the millions of families who explore St. … Read more

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87% of Black Friday deals aren’t as good as you might think

Consumer advocacy group, Which, have been tracking product prices for the last twelve months and found that better bargains are available after Black Friday. The investigation found that 87% of products were the same price or cheaper than their Black Friday price at other times of the year. They also discovered that 46% of products were cheaper on at least one day during the six months after Black Friday.

Which covered retailers including Currys PC World, Amazon, John Lewis and Argos and tracked 94 popular products for six months before and after Black Friday last year. They found that most … Read more

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Illegal Timeshare resort Tax Ruling could be overturned.

Maui County in Hawaii is waiting for a second court to rule after appealing a decision made by a Judge in march, who agreed the timeshare property tax classification established more than 10 years ago is illegal. If the county loses the suit, they could be faced with a bill for $34 million in property tax refunds.

A lawsuit was filed against Maui County back in 2013 by Ocean Resort Villas Vacation Owners Association which essentially disputes the classification of tax levied against timeshare resorts. Since 2008, the rate for timeshares has been $15,41 per $1,000 of net taxable … Read more

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£6.1 Million a year lost to courier fraud

Fraudsters posing as police officers and bank officials have stolen over £6.1 million over the past year. The scams directly target aged and vulnerable people, they call victims claiming that their bank account is at risk from fraudsters. These despicable and elaborate crimes have been dubbed ‘Courier Fraud’ and in most cases, they involve a victim being tricked into giving out their personal information or pin numbers, followed by a courier arriving at their home to collect their bank cards or cash.

A victim in her late 70’s was told that there was a suspected counterfeiting ring at her … Read more

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Disney Set To Expand Their Timeshare Offerings

Walt Disney World Build 2 New Timeshare Resorts. The Florida-based theme park resort said that the as-yet-unnamed resort will open in 2022. It will have 900 hotel rooms, as well as villas for Disney’s timeshare program. The 27,000-acre tourist destination already has 36 resorts on its property, as well as four theme parks. This new project joins three other resort construction projects underway at Disney World.

Disney Parks and Resorts also announced a new development for Disney Vacation Club, it will be an entirely new resort near Epcot called Disney Riviera Resort and also unveiled a new skyway transportation system … Read more

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