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Marriott Vacations in court again

In the ongoing case of Marriott V Ritz-Carlton Club members, a federal judge partly granted a sanctions motion.

Owners filed the motion earlier in the year, claiming Marriott was acting unreasonably, and in bad faith, by hiding essential documents from the court. Marriott Vacationssaid they had simply made a mistake by failing to hand over key evidence in the class action, claiming it caused the owners’ property values to plummet.

In a partial win for the timeshare owners, the judge ordered Marriott Vacations to pay reasonable attorney fees to more than 200 owners, finding that the company withheld an affiliation … Read more

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Man who promised to recover timeshare fees jailed

Officials in Singapore have sentenced another timeshare fraudster, after he was involved in multiple cheating scams, duping unsuspecting timeshare owners into believing he could recover money from terminating their timeshare memberships. He has been sentenced to 3 and a half years imprisonment for his part in this huge scam.

A court heard that during the course of three years, over 50 victims reported to police that they were cheated by the defendant into paying money to recover some of the money they had already paid to their timeshare resorts. Victims paid nearly $100,000 to the fraudster and his co-conspirators.… Read more

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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 overhaul, 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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Timeshare Company Could Face Prosecution

A timeshare travel company based in Cape Town, could face prosecution for multiple charges, including tricking 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 misrepresented 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

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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 whopping 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. Incredibly, one in four liked it so much, they would consider purchasing a timeshare … Read more

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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 pleading 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

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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 misleading 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

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Thinking of selling your timeshare ?

If like the many timeshare owners, you have become tired of your burdensome timeshare, or simply can’t continue to pay the mounting maintenance fees, you have probably thought about selling it. After all, you were told that when you no longer wanted to keep it you could sell it on and make a profit.

But before you enter into the murky waters of timeshare re-sales there are some important things to be aware of. Just as there are rouge sales reps and scammers when buying a timeshare, the same is true when trying to sell one.

If you own … 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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The Timeshare Trap

All-inclusive resorts have been a firm favourite of holidaymakers for generations. The convenience 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

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