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Widbury Barn, Widbury Hill, Ware

Hertfordshire SG12 7QE

Timeshare cold calling on the rise again!

We have now reached the season in which timeshare owners are starting to get their maintenance fee demands. We also notice a massive increase in calls from existing clients and non-clients reporting that unregulated sales representatives and companies are cold calling them. There are lies and then there are facts. 

 

The Lie:

People are cold-called and shown our website. They are told that this is the firm of solicitors we work with; that it will be Sarah who is personally handling their case. They then disappear with the timeshare owner’s money. We only find out about this is when they call us and ask for an update. We must advise them that they are not our client and they have lost their money.  

The Fact:   

We categorically do not work with any third-party. We cannot and will not work with non-regulated firms. This goes against all the advice we give to consumers. We have spent a long time protecting our clients against these non- regulated firms. Our simple advice is that if you are cold called by a company, then report them. Do not engage with them, no matter how good it sounds. Remember: if it sounds too good to be true, you can bet it is too good to be true. A big warning sign is that they don’t take credit cards.  The number of these companies are growing by the day. If this happened contact us straight away for some free advice. The good news is we have lately had some success in claiming the moneys back from these non-regulated companies. 

 

The Lie:

Unregulated companies that read posts and twist their sales pitch. An example of the latest sales campaigns being put out there is that Club La Costa (“CLC”) have been investigated and are in liquidation, but the liquidator has found hidden property and money to pay claims.  They pressure the consumer into signing up with them, promising that they are guaranteed to get all, or potentially double, their money back with huge interest in a couple of months. They then say that Sarah waddington Solicitors don’t know what we are doing and that we just put the case into the FOS, nothing happens, and no money is recovered.  

The Fact:

We deal with the above in a professional manner. We are duty bound to point out to the consumer that this is simply not true. In fact, the complete opposite is true. We do know what we are doing. We have recovered over £3 million in compensation, and this is growing every day. The position of CLC is clear they are not in liquidation yet, but an application has been made to the courts. The total amount of the claims against the corporate entities is currently £67,000,000.00. (sixty-seven million pounds) in the UK and unpaid Judgements, against CLC, of more than €30,000,000.00 (Thirty Million Pounds) in Spain, against CLC, going back several years. There is no prospect of recovering any monies from CLC, in Spain or in the UK, any time soon, if at all.  

Even if the Liquidators were to trace hidden property and money, it could take years of legal wrangling, and extra fees, before the money would reach consumers. The preferential creditors of CLC would have first call on any assets realised, and CLC Members are not preferential creditors, so would be at the back of the queue.  

We have spoken to many CLC members with Spanish Judgements. However, As of today’s date, we are not aware that they have had any actual money refunded. 

Once we have confirmation from the Liquidators that CLC has in fact gone into Liquidation, our Senior Solicitor who specialises in CLC cases, including claims against the banks, will put a newsletter out explaining exactly where CLC members stand. Until then, no matter how good the deal sounds, DO NOT sign up with a non-regulated firm, as we might not be able to get your money back.   

I THINK I HAVE A TIMESHARE CLAIM WHAT SHALL I DO?

We would encourage anyone who owns a Timeshare to contact us as soon as possible. Processing a claim takes time and to avoid any delays and further expense, call our Timeshare specialist on 01924 601095 to find out how we can help. You can also email us on info@sarahwaddingtons.com or request a call back here 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, be sure to do your research and check if they are regulated by the SRA and if the individual is registered as a solicitor.

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Widbury Barns, Widbury Hill, Ware, Hertfordshire, SG12 7QE