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Did you know that in the UK there are more than 600,000 timeshare owners? Many of these people attended timeshare presentations after being invited or tempted with the offer of a free holiday or gift. A great deal of these people was then persuaded to purchase on the day, made exclusive offers that were only available there and then and promised their timeshare was an investment. These customers were also not informed that their maintenance fees would more than likely increase year after year, and they would be subjected to upselling whenever they visit their resort. In fact, these are … Read more

If you like the millions of other timeshare owners across the world, find themselves in the position where you feel stuck by your timeshare and desperately want to find a way out, then there are some important things to consider before you start your journey to economically unburdening yourself from a timeshare contract.

Has your timeshare become unaffordable, or perhaps you have been hit, like the millions of others, with financial strain due to the Covid-19 pandemic? For the majority of people life is changing all the time and we don’t always find ourselves in the exact same position we … Read more

The team here at Praetorian Legal have been enjoying some great success recently due to the hard work put in by our timeshare experts. Making a claim against a timeshare resorts is not an easy task and sometimes can take a longer than it should, mainly due to obstructive resorts, but worst of all it can be a stressful process to go through for anyone wanting an end to the whole ordeal, especially if they have been mis-sold in a deceptive and financially taxing way.

This has been the case for many of our clients who purchased at Silverpoint resorts … Read more

Dixons Carphone Warehouse has been handed a £29.1 million fine from the Financial Conduct Authority for mis-selling its Geek Squad service. The FCA said Carphone Warehouse trained its staff in ‘spin selling’ its Geek Squad policy to customers who already had insurance policies in place and didn’t need it.

The FCA started its investigation after whistleblowers reported the company were forcing staff to push the insurance and technical support product onto customers. They were trained to Advocate Geek Squad to customers who already had phone cover. The FCA said staff were also trained in ‘Objection Handling’ of focusing on customer … Read more

Some of the UK’s biggest banks have agreed to pay compensation to victims of bank transfer scams.

Until this new compensation scheme was announced this week, banks have refused to pay Reparation if neither they nor the customer were to blame.

Victims of bank transfer scams have been left with nowhere to turn, when banks have refused their requests for refunds. And figures released in 2018, showed that consumers lost £92.9 million because of this type of fraud.

But now a group of bank’s including Barclays, HSBC. Lloyds and RBS, has agreed to contribute to a fund to ensure victims … Read more

The Competition and Markets Authority has warned travel companies to stop mistreating unfortunate customers who have to cancel their holidays due to unforeseen circumstances.

A lack of awareness over how much can be retained when a traveller cancels a booking is extensive, according to the Competition and Markets Authority. A company cannot automatically keep a large deposit if the customer cancels owing to unforeseen circumstances. Such a contract may be unfair, even if written into terms and conditions.

This means that if a holidaymaker has to cancel a booking due to illness or a family tragedy, and the travel company … Read more

Five fraudsters have been jailed for a total of 17 years and nine months, for conning susceptible victims out of nearly £1 million.

The five men were facing charges of conspiracy to defraud and money laundering. The court heard how, between 2013 and 2015, the group of men conned more than 50 victims into a fraud and money laundering scam. The men would cold-call elderly and vulnerable people, introduce themselves under fake names and claim they were brokers with proficiency in fine wine.

They operated from an industrial estate based in Great Dunmow, and claimed to work for three companies, … Read more

Fraudsters are targeting elderly, vulnerable and young people who may have less experience of the tax system. During April and May, fraudsters target taxpayers with refund scams, by Feigning to be from HMRC, either by email or text. This coincides with genuine tax rebates at this time of year, made by HMRC and makes the con seem more legitimate as people may be expecting to hear from the tax service.

They ask recipients to provide bank details through a fake government website which harvests private information and is used to steal money from peoples bank accounts. To lure them in … Read more

A businessman has begun a hunger strike opposite the headquarters of Clydesdale Bank to protest about the way he claims it has treated him.

John Guidi, 63 from Glasgow, is sleeping in a tent in the city centre outside of the Clydesdale headquarters. Mr Guidi blames the bank for removing funding from his once successful property business and then selling his loans to another company.

Mr Guidi has been a loyal customer of Clydesdale bank for over twelve years and had built up a portfolio of over 150 rental properties. He says the bank withdrew his funding in 2012 and … Read more

Action Fraud are again issuing fresh warnings over an ongoing TV Licensing phishing scam. The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau are continuing to receive high numbers of complaints through their reporting service.

Fraudsters are sending members of the public fake TV Licensing emails, which are designed to steal personal and financial information. Action Fraud has received over 900 crime reports since April 2018,and the losses to victims totals more than £830,000.

Director of Action Fraud, Pauline Smith said: “We are continuing to see reports of fraudsters using fake TV Licensing emails to hook victims in and trick them into parting … Read more