TATOC & RDO Not Recommended By Citizens Advice Bureau

We have recently been informed that people pursuing advice about their timeshare problems and who have consulted with the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) are no longer being referred to TATOC & RDO. It has long been considered that these two organisations are the authority on timeshare.

TATOC being the consumer champions being the self proclaimed ‘elected consumer body’ and RDO being the resort owners taskmasters who police the resorts and oversee ethics within the timeshare industry. The words Ethics and Timeshare are an unlikely pairing in the world of timeshare and it is puzzling as why this sudden change by a consumer agency (CAB) has come about. There is no official statement as to the reasons why TATOC & RDO have been removed from their website and the database of advisors but as overpower within the timeshare industry that these two organisations have been, the CAB appear to have lost confidence in them.

We have recently been contacted by a client who approached TATOC’s consumer helpline for advice about a timeshare problem and they were advised that there was nothing TATOC could do for them and they referred them back to the resort to whom they were in dispute with. This doesn’t appear to be a very good service in light of the image TATOC purvey in all of their promotional literature.

It is interesting to note that anyone who is anyone in the timeshare industry is judged by their association with TATOC and RDO, or, their  lack of association as the case may be. Therefore, anyone who does not display the ‘coveted’ TATOC or RDO logo on their letterhead or website is considered to be unreliable or operating a scam. Whilst we appreciate that that there are unscrupulous traders in the timeshare industry the fact that these two organisations have enjoyed a hierarchical status within industry over many years has given them the power to deter people from seeking independent advice from anyone other than an organisation associated with TATOC or RDO.

The CAB’s decision to exclude these organisations is testament to the fact that these two organisations serve no purpose in assisting consumers to resolve problems arising from their timeshare ownership. It is plain to see from TATOC’s own website that they are heavily funded by timeshare resort owners who in turn are nearly all members of the RDO. The simple question is, how can an organisation that is so heavily involved with timeshare resort ownership be a consumer champion fighting the rights of timeshare owners?

Indeed the TATOC figurehead Mr Harry Taylor has interests in resort ownership. Praetorian Legal have received legal proceedings from one of Mr Taylor’s interests Lakeview Country Club, Bodmin, Cornwall. One of our clients received a claim form bearing Mr Taylor’s name acting in his capacity as a senior committee member, see the link here>>>

Mr Taylor and Lakeview’s legal proceedings were easily defeated and lead to Mr Taylor conceding defeat to keep timeshare agreements out of the reach of the UK courts. A victory in court would inflict serious damage upon the resort owners ability to continue to rip off owners for the extortionate annual maintenance fees.

The industry’s attempt to bring in a regulator to expose and vet timeshare related companies is farcical. TATOC and RDO championed the introduction of Timeshare Business Check a company powered by Kwik Chex. Kwik Chex is owned operated by a Mr Chris Emmins, Mr Emmins is a serial company Director with a string of failed companies with debts in excess of £ 400,000.00 owing to creditors from the various entities once owned and operated by him. Here is a copy of a Companies House Director’s report on Mr Emmins previously failed business ventures, see link here>>>>>

A routine Director’s check at Companies House reveals all. Kwik Chex is a company showing a mere £ 4,134.00 at bank and liabilities of £ 9,531.00 and a co-director by the name of Gemma Chatwood. We are unaware of any other assets the company may hold but on paper this company is insolvent when considering assets to liabilities. This is the company and person TATOC and RDO have entrusted to clean up and oversee the timeshare industry. Would you trust or believe in a person with a business portfolio like Mr Emmins or two organisations who employ the services of such a person?

Perhaps this may well explain why CAB have excluded TATOC & RDO from their database of trusted timeshare advisors.