Posts

,

Timeshare Trial May Hold Key To Solve Murder Case

The partner of serial Timeshare fraudster John “Goldfinger” Palmer is facing trial in Spain this week, in a case which police say could hold the key to his murder. Christina Ketley and Richard Cashman are accused of selling non-existent timeshares on Palmer’s orders, whilst he was behind bars serving 8 years for fraud.

In June 2018, Ms Ketley offered a £100,000 reward for information leading to the prosecution of those responsible for the murder of John Palmer. Ms Ketley said: “It haunts us every day to think that whoever was responsible was clearly watching John, Harassing him like an animal … Read more

/0 Comments/by
,

Timeshare still popular in the United States

Timeshare giant Wyndham Destinations has commissioned a survey, in an attempt to gauge the future prosperity of the timeshare industry in the US. According to the survey of 1,250 Americans, almost half believe they will spend more than $80,000 on holidays during their lifetime. More than half of the people surveyed said they had stayed in a timeshare and a massive 80% said they had enjoyed the experience. Amongst millennials, 55% said they had stayed in a timeshare and 73% of these had enjoyed their experience. remarkably, one in four liked it so much, they would consider purchasing a timeshare … Read more

/0 Comments/by
,

Timeshare Company Could Face Prosecution

A timeshare travel company based in Cape Town, could face prosecution for multiple charges, including duping customers into signing up for a membership.

Vacation Hub International, a membership based travel and lifestyle company, is being investigated by South Africa’s National Consumer Commission. The NCC is the primary regulator of consumer business in South Africa, and helps regulate business practices. After investigating the company, NCC referred the case to its prosecutors. They allege that the vacation company falsified themselves in order to trick people into signing up to their services. They used unfair tactics to prevent customers from cancelling their memberships … Read more

/0 Comments/by
,

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

/0 Comments/by
,

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

/0 Comments/by
,

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

/0 Comments/by
,

Defence attorney sent to jail for his part in $3 Million Timeshare scam

An attorney representing a bogus timeshare company is sentenced to jailtime after imploring guilty to attempting to influence witnesses and lying to prosecutors.

Joshua Gayl pleaded guilty in court to a single count of conspiracy to obstruct justice. Gayl had been representing a timeshare consultancy firm, who were being prosecuted for conning timeshare owners out of more than $3 million, through their fraudulent consulting services. The owners of Vacation Ownership Group LLC were sentenced back in 2016 to a total of 51 years, for running a mortgage fraud scheme orchestrated to sell consulting services to owners of vacation properties. … Read more

/0 Comments/by
,

Timeshare owners take Marriott to court

Timeshare owners are continuing with their suit against Marriott Vacations Club, despite the resort giant’s attempts to disrupt and delay the class action. Lawyers for the timeshare owners have now asked the court in Florida to penalise Marriott over intentionally withholding documents. This is the latest action taken by the owners in an attempt to hold Marriott Vacation Club responsible over its conduct. They allege Marriott operated a fraudulent scheme which allegedly sold dishonest points based timeshare memberships. If the owners are successful, it could have huge implications for Marriott and other resorts, over how they sell timeshares and … Read more

/0 Comments/by
,

Timeshare Owners Sue Marriott Vacations

Ritz Carlton Timeshare Club members are bringing a mass action claim to a federal judge. The claim alleges Marriott Vacations caused the value of Ritz-Carlton Club members’ deeded units to decline and, in some cases, owners lost up to 90% in the value of their timeshares at the resort. Owners claim that an affiliation between Marriott Vacations Worldwide and Ritz-Carlton Destination Club, which allowed Marriott members to trade one week at the Ritz-Carlton Club in Aspen Highlands with points-based members of the Marriott Vacation Club, caused the value of their investments to sink. Ritz Carlton Club was sold to owners … Read more

/0 Comments/by
,

The Timeshare Trap

All-inclusive resorts have been a firm favourite of holidaymakers for generations. The Comfort an all-inclusive resort can offer is very appealing to many, especially families. Having everything readily available to you, under one roof and, for a fixed price, is a big plus for holidaymakers. In addition to this, the facilities are often far better than in a hotel or villa, they also offer games centres, kids clubs, evening live entertainment, shuttle services, beach activities, exercise classes and unlimited food and drink. The real benefit, though, is not having to worry about added expenses piling up, and having to face … Read more

/0 Comments/by