Be on your Guard  

This week has seen a sharp increase in the volume of unsolicited cold calls being received by our Timeshare clients, both past and present, from unregulated companies and their associated call centres. Like text scams some of these people are claiming to work on behalf of the Crown Prosecution Service, the UK Government and the non-existent Timeshare Council.  

False or misleading information  

Let us make one thing quite clear, this is totally untrue and is only being used as a hook to attract your attention. Other cold-callers try to scare vulnerable clients by telling them that Sarah Waddington is under investigation and/or is being closed down. Neither of these defamatory statements are true. 

We are working with various legal entities to identify these callers and will prosecute them where possible. Please do not publish their defamatory statements. 

Many cold callers are claiming that to be out of your timeshare that you should have received a notarised document from the timeshare company stating this. Others are stating that clients remain on various registers including a Land Register. Both of these suggestions are totally untrue and they are only being used as a lever to obtain money from you fraudulently. 

We now live in a technical age and the majority of timeshare companies will confirm relinquishment via email. This is quite normal and carries full legal effect. 

My team and I work tirelessly to protect the interests of our clients in firstly removing them from their timeshare noose, and where possible make a claim for compensation on their behalf.  Please ignore these companies and certainly do not make payments to them.  

Cold Callers

One of the reasons that these types of cold callers are able to trick and deceive their targets so well is that people have misconceived ideas about what a fraudster might say or sound like on the phone. These scammers are experts at what they do and they are very good at it, often using a number of different tactics to earn the trust of the person on the other end of the phone.

They may be extremely friendly, empathetic and genuine sounding, often lying about how they know about people being scammed and how awful it is and how they have even helped them before like they can help you.

Alternatively, they might resort to less gentle tactics, using threatening or forceful language to scare timeshare owners into believing that they owe money or have to pay a fee, bill or charge that they legally owe.

It is not uncommon for them to also know a lot of details about yourself and your timeshare but this is because timeshare companies have been known to sell on their client’s details to illicit third parties often in breach of data protection rights.

There is one key thing to remember about timeshare cold callers and that is there is no valid reason for them to call you. Legitimate timeshare solicitors and timeshare realtors will not ever have the need to cold call customers. If you get a call that makes you uncomfortable or is from a source that cannot be proven then you are under no obligation to speak to them, simply hang up the phone and block the number.

What Can You Do?

Unfortunately, the timeshare industry is one that has been rife with scams and continues to have such issues to this day, but there are circumstances under which you could make a successful timeshare compensation claim.

Some of the types of contracts that could have grounds for a claim include;

• In Perpetuity Timeshare Contracts
• Mis-sold Timeshare Agreements
• Floating Week Timeshares
• Timeshare Points Clubs

Taking legal action against the timeshare company can help to get you the financial compensation you deserve and, in some cases, terminate the contract for breaching the law. Timeshare law is extremely complex and is not something that can be taken on by anybody but requires the professional expertise of a specialist timeshare solicitor.

If you want any assistance relating to a Timeshare issue, please feel free to get in touch with us on our Timeshare Support Hotline 01924 601 096, or request a call back 

Finally, remember any genuine timeshare solicitor will be extremely careful to manage a client’s expectations. They will be honest and realistic with what could possibly be achieved in regard to your individual case. If someone claiming to be a lawyer or solicitor has been in contact contacted, be sure to do your research and check if they are regulated by the SRA and if the individual is registered as a solicitor.