At Sarah Waddington Solicitors we feel saddened and angry by the need to write this but yet again find ourselves in a position where we are being forced to defend ourselves against false information, lies and slander touted by competitors in order to discredit our agency.
By now most of our loyal customers will already be familiar with the seemingly endless amount of false articles and derogatory information that is being posted or shared online. Unfortunately, this is not a new thing for us and our clients past and present know the truth about how we work, the level of service we provide to them and are able to ignore these fabrications.
Whilst we remain in some ways strangely flattered that these people seem to spend an endless amount of time, effort and money attempting to discredit us, we are mindful of the fact that some people who may not see through these made-up and damaging stories about our company and that potentially vulnerable people may be targeted by them.
We ask that if you do receive any calls or information about these that you report them and provide any information you may have that could help us to identify the organisation behind these stories.
The Latest Fake News
Carrying on with similar claims, themes and insinuations as the last posts, articles and misinformation, some of the recent attempts to discredit us include:
- Claims that we are under investigation by our regulatory body and that we are being closed down.
This is not true. Our regulatory body (the SRA) operates in very sensitive and confidential matters and under no circumstances would they discuss investigations or interventions with anybody outside of the SRA until they were legally able to publicise the decisions – which obviously hasn’t happened. They certainly do not talk to or ‘tip off’ cold callers or timeshare associations or forums about the investigatory activities and to claim otherwise that this has happened and is therefore a ‘source’ is laughable.
Our firm is SRA regulated and customers are able to verify this using the official Solicitors Regulation Authority website.
- Claims that we have not achieved any timeshare contract relinquishments.
This is yet again another untrue statement. We are proud to share that to date we have assisted approximately 600 clients with the lawful relinquishment of their timeshare contracts. As well as this, we also have around 250 more that are currently under offer of relinquishment from the timeshare company’s and are constantly being worked on in order to meet a suitable resolution.
We remain at all times, fully committed to helping our clients to exit unwanted timeshare contracts. Timeshare law is not always straight forward and it can take a couple of years in complex cases to reach a resolution. The timeshare company’s we are up against are often extremely devious and underhanded and will use various delay tactics in an attempt to prevent us from succeeding. However, we know all the shady tricks and use our vast experience and legal timeshare knowledge to push through everything they throw at us without hesitation.
We have also logged 341 claims on behalf of clients to the Financial Ombudsman Service where we are waiting for a settlement outcome, but again these things take time.
Timeshare Compensation Cold Callers
The same types of people and organisations that are responsible for these false stories are the same unreliable and illicit cold callers who frequently phone people and offer them ‘timeshare compensation’.
Here are some key things to watch out for and be aware of when dealing with these calls.
- Firstly, if they are calling you without you having made an enquiry that is a red flag. No reputable legal agency will need to cold call in an attempt to gain clients.
- If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is. Big promises, light on details, vague answers to questions and not managing your expectations by being honest about what the process entails and how long it can take is all signs that this is a scam.
- Asking for fees, payments or deposits upfront or tricks such as ‘simply transfer us ‘X’ amount and we will have all your timeshare money returned in a matter of weeks. Never send anyone a penny of your money without doing a lot of research, finding reviews and if possible viewing their offices and meeting them in person.
- Remember to ask as many details as you can about them and write it all down. Ask very clearly for their company name and address, the name of the person you are speaking to and the telephone number they called from.
- Ask them how they got your details. Since the advent of the General Data Protection Regulations in 2018, the incidence of cold calling activities has declined in most industries but this does not appear to be the case in timeshare claims management.
- The way that they react to being asked these questions can also tell you a lot about who they really are and their true intentions, quite often they will either give false details, make excuses to not give the information or just hang up the phone abruptly once they realise they are not fooling you.
- If you are concerned that an elderly or vulnerable person who owns a timeshare is being targeted, please keep a diary of the unwanted calls and consider blocking the calls from these numbers if possible.
If you have any information that you wish to pass onto us, please feel free to do so and we may be able to report their activities to the appropriate authorities.
Thank You
We would like to take this opportunity to thank our loyal clients for their continued custom and support and for being able to recognise the truth through the lies.
We are working to identify the perpetrators responsible and are hopeful that they will soon be held accountable for what they are doing. If in the meantime you have any questions about timeshare compensation please do not hesitate to contact us and we will do all we can to help.