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ICO Names and Shames Illegal Telemarketers

Our Vault LTD fined £70k by the Information Commissioners Office, after making 55,364 nuisance phone calls.

 

In a statement, the ICO said it had issued an Enforcement Notice to the company, ordering it to stop its illegal marketing activity.

Our Vault had been cold-calling people who had previously registered with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) and had not consented to being contacted by Our Vault.

Our Vault claimed that all their personal data was checked against the register. However, following an investigation by the ICO, Our Vault were found to have never requested a TPS license. A TPS license … Read more

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Timeshare Fraudster Sent To Prison For Repeat Telemarketing Offences

Wesley Scott Aldred, from Kissimmee, Florida has been sentenced to 21 months in prison for violating the conditions of his probation order. He was previously convicted for telemarketing fraud in 2015, for participating in a timeshare resale Deceptive scheme. The company, named Premier Timeshare Solutions, defrauded timeshare owners all over the United States, including South Illinois, where Mr Aldred is currently serving his sentence.

Whilst on probation for that conviction, Aldred was found to be engaging in a similar telemarketing scam which targeted Timeshare owners. Aldred and nine other defendants were indicted in May 2014 for felony charges, including conspiracy … Read more

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Millions Of Travellers Set To Benefit From New Holiday Protection Directive

The new EU Package Travel Directive, ensures all travellers get the same holiday protection.

From 1 July this year, travel agents must take responsibility for each aspect of a holiday someone books with them in a single transaction. The new rules make travel firms responsible for every aspect of the holiday, and sorting out any problems falls to them. This means that the travel providers must ensure the holiday is as promised, even if they do not actually provide the service they are selling. For example, if you book a flight transfer, excursion and something goes wrong, it is up … Read more

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Bluegreen Resorts Target Millennials

Millennials are the new target demographic for Bluegreen Resorts.

 

 

Bluegreen CEO Shawn Pearson says his company are attracting more and more millennials seeking good quality, unique experiences and value for money.

Pearson says that this is a fantastic business and Bluegreen offer a great product. They own 69 resorts and provide a unique experience at every destination. Pearson said, “we really capture the local flair and for people that want to have a unique experience we offer all kinds of opportunities within our system”. 

Pearson was asked, whether millennials are buying timeshares. He replied, “I think what’s … Read more

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Teletext Holidays Sent Family to Spanish Town 7 Hours From Airport

Sisters Sammy and Sylvia booked a 3 night stay in Alicante, through Teletext Holidays, to celebrate their mother’s 55th birthday.

 

When the 3 arrived at Alicante Airport, they were told that their hotel was a €350 taxi ride away, or 7 hours by public transport. They thought Teletext was a good place to find a reasonably priced short break. They spoke with Teletext over the phone and specifically asked for a hotel near to Alicante town centre.

“The guy on the phone gave us lots of different options and was very persistent, we said we wanted to check around … Read more

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New Technology Helps HMRC Take Down Fraudsters.

Over the past 12 months, HMRC has requested the takedown of more than 20,000 corrupt websites. HM Revenue and Customs claims to have saved the public over £2.4 million, by shutting down websites and fraudsters who run them. Most people with a mobile phone have probably received a text purporting to be from HMRC which looked Genuine. The public have been made aware that these texts are fraudulent, by the government, who stated that they would never contact an individual by text, despite this being the way in which many people have been scammed.

Fraudsters alleging to be from HMRC … Read more

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Azure Resorts, do you have a claim?

Praetorian Legal are representing a number of clients in relation to mis-sold timeshare contracts by Azure Resorts Ltd.

A number of our clients purchased timeshare products with Azure Resorts, which were funded by loan agreements arranged by the resort. The sales company which advised those clients to enter into sizeable and complex loan agreements was not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, rendering the loan agreements unenforceable.

Many clients were not provided the correct information when signing the loan agreements, some signed the contracts after enduring long, high-pressure and aggressive sales presentations. FCA guidelines are in place to ensure that … Read more

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Interest-Only Mortgages, The Ticking Time Bomb !

Thousands could be owed Remuneration, if they were advised to take out an interest-only mortgage when other loans were available.

 

Experts in the industry have been warning for years about the ticking time-bomb of interest-only mortgages.

For most of us, our mortgage is the biggest and most important loan that we will ever have, a mortgage will be your largest debt. Given that the amount loaned can be spread over many years, the repayments are more manageable and affordable !

Before the financial crisis, many people were encouraged into interest-only mortgages. It was a popular and more affordable way … Read more

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Marriott Vacation Club Agree To Settle Class Action

Marriott Vacation Club owns and operates more than 70 vacation club properties throughout the United States, Caribbean, Europe and Asia. They have more than 400,000 Vacation Club owners. Owners are able to exchange into other locations through the Interval International Scheme, a timeshare exchange company with over 3,000 resorts. Uniquely, owners may also exchange their ownership week into Marriott Reward Points, which can be redeemed for stays at Marriott Hotel Properties, or for travel activities such as cruises and guided tours with affiliated partners.

It is the latter arm of the organisation that sparked a class action law suit against … Read more

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Westgate Acquires Former Hilton New York.

Westgate acquires former Hilton New York Grand Central Hotel, marking the Orlando based timeshare company’s first entry into New York City.

The two-tower, 23 floor, 300 room hotel is located in the historic Tudor City neighbourhood, at the heart of Manhattan’s East Side and has been rebranded Westgate New York. David Siegel, founder and CEO of Westgate resorts said, “It is with great excitement that I announce Westgate has purchased its first urban hotel located in none other than the Big Apple, this puts the Westgate flag Triumphantly in the heart of one of the most visited cities in … Read more

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