CRIMESHARE

June 15 2005
I have just been reading your site after receiving a phone call from CLC informing me I’d won a holiday after completing a shopping survey winning the prize draw. Knowing that you don’t get anything for nothing and that I never win anything I thought I’d surf the net for some info.  Thanks to your site my suspicions were confirmed – just another scam trying to net the unsuspecting.
The lady even had the cheek to tell me how lucky I was to win such a fabulous free holiday with no strings attached – how do they sleep at night?
Thanks again. - Karen

June 13 2005
We were stupid enough to become seasons owners(1 Bed 2 weeks peak/red)for 5 years now & want out as at first it was ok but now cant seem to be able to get nothing.Is there anyway out of this as we are unhappy & are not sure if we will be paying 2006 fee.We dont want to cut our losses and run as our losses arent exactly small fry.
Anyone out got out of there season timeshare?
Without being stung by paragon/ge capital? - HELP! - Mr & Mrs P Off

June 13 2005
I was scammed by Quality Vacation Club in March.  The usual, they lured me off the street, gave me the usual high pressure sales pitch full of lies and distortions.  I got a Thai lawyer the next day and sent a registered letter which under thai law cancelled the agreement.  When I got home I files a dispute with my credit card company and got my $1000 downpayment back.  QVC responded and said that the contract and sales slip says "No refunds".  The problem is the contract is null and void. Since I mailed the registered letter canceling the agreement, I only received two emails from the scum salesmen.  They should be jailed.  I couldn't find any agency in Thailand to complain to.  Now my bank is going to rebill me the $1000.  I am getting my own attorney because I have a no refund policy.  - jp797

June 12 2005
BAN HOLIDAY CLUBS AND THEIR SCAMMING MARKETERS - I have visited this site many times as I am a timeshare owner in Tenerife.  Whilst on holiday we have been approached to attend meetings at these offices.  They offer to take my timeshire in as px.  I am offered money back from Reclaim.  HA HA.  BUT WHEN ARE THE PUBLIC GOING TO LEARN - holiday clubs and their agents are conning people continually.  As long as the tourist goes with a scratch card tout, agrees to listen to the lies dished out and then part with money from their card they will continue to be in business and continue to scam mostly the older and retired people who think they can pass what they are buying onto their family.  They all live in luxury and drive expensive cars at a cost to the believing tourist.  This is a great site to find out the truth but also visit , ukinspain.com.  They all say the same - dont go near these holiday clubs offices. How they continue to be in existence is beyond comprehension.  There are enough warnings given.  Do not go into these offices.  Do not sign anything.  Do not give any money.  You are warned but you still get conned. - anon

June 12 2005
I handed over my timeshare to a company called Tenlanz in Los Christianos Tenerife for Club Class Holidays membership.  I was promised I would get my money back four years later.  Guess what - offered about 5% of what I expected that was a year ago.  Still no money - cannot get hold of them and yes Tenlanz do not want to know and cant help me either.  When will we learn and they are still conning people with a company called Reclaim.  Funny they are all in Spain.  Dont go there.  -  Conned

June 10 2005
Just to say that I had a very similar experience to your emailer of 27 May, except that in my case the travel company was called GVC Travel (referred to in other messages and on your list). I had completed a survey in a local shopping centre and given my phone no because they said there was a prize draw. I was suspicious when the initial company to call me mentioned a booking fee, and particularly concerned that GVC asked me and my husband to come into their offices in Reading to collect the vouchers and brochures. Needless to say, I will not be proceeding with this and have reported to Trading Standards. - not me

June10 2005
After returning home from holiday in costa del sol & within 10 day period for cancelling ( although this period could be up by the time you get home!)we decided to do so due to unforeseen circumstances. We notified in writing eveyone concerned by registered post & still they have taken £1000 from our visa account! i phoned clc & after passing me on to 3 different people i eventually got a man who told me £400 would be returned, when i asked about my other £600 he said they were 2 different payments & the £600 would be taken for 1weeks holiday? (whats he on about?) then i said i would be on to a solicitor on monday & he said someone would call me when they had time! & maybe i would get it back! I've now phoned my visa company who are trying to get it refunded for me we're really stressed out through this! never again!!!!!!! -  anonymous

June 7 2005
l own a timeshare in lanzarote during 2002 and 2003 l was conned out of 2500 pounds in various ways on one occasion l  went to teneriefe to meet with a person who was going to buy my timeshare we stayed in a appartment which we had topay up front and the money would be refunded after the sale of my timeshare unfortunetley for this person we met in the bar the previous night another couple who were there for the same thing yes it was a con we had to give them money to invest in their company and maybe at the end of the year they might be able to sell our time share we said no they did not even give us the bus fare back th the appertment
back in england we get a phone call from a man claiming to be a lawyer working in spain he was going to take these people to court to gat our money back he already had people who had said yes to this he was very posh spoken soft voice very believeble till he asked for money up front
l said nothankyou the gentelman then said he had my creditcard number and had had it for a number of months so if he had wanted to use it he could have to which l replyed go ahead tha card was cancelled a year ago you will get no money off that card.  l have not heard anything for at least a year lhave had two phone calls in the last month trying to sell my timeshare again but l hear nothing from them when l say if you want money up fron to sell forget it l did tis on the second call heard nothing then this morning l get a letter saying my timeshare is on their web sight for the sum of 2500 pounds l then look on your web sight for scams and there they are H.A.B. holiday advice bureau they give the address as  apdo 238 benalmadena costa malaga spain -   kindregards  lynn

June 7 2005
Has anyone sucessfully received any cash after the compulsary 5 years of paying £60 per annum to Loyalty Reward Trust based in The Isle of Man ? This is linked to Vacation Time Pack sold in Majorca nearly 5 years ago.
I would be very interested in any reply. - Thanks, Robin

June 7 2005
In reply to Ripped off of Bristol
It would appear that Madden has sunk to a new low in his ongoing quest to make a dishonest living.
Please contact Bournemouth trading standards - they are very interested in this man's activities
Trading Standards

Town Hall
Bournemouth
BH2 6DY
If you want to contact the fraudsters directly the number is . If you dial outside their "working hours" of 1pm to 8pm you will hear the voice of the great man himself in a recorded message. Be sure to leave an appropriate message for them. They are trading as "Goldquest" and "Starquest" - anon

June 6 2005
Just a quick note to add to your list about the infamous Frank Madden.
Well I assume this is the same person.
Recently my mum had a phone call; the other end of the call was a recorded message telling her she had won £7000 and that she needed to call this number:

This call lasted for just over 7 minutes costing £9.574 +VAT
The call told her to send a stamped address envelope to the following address along with a code that they provided over the phone.
Telecom Promotions, 2 Landsdown Crescent, Bournemouth. (I am sorry I do not have the post code on me, but I will provide this if it may help trap this villain.
When she told me she had done this I was shocked to hear that she would be so gullible to be honest. She has obviously not heard anything back, and her cheque for £7k has not turned up. She has since wasted a further stamp in communication with them as she has finally accepted that it was a scam and has sent a letter demanding the cost of her call back or she will contact Bournemouth Police with regards to acquiring money through deception.
I don?t think this will work like, and as I have said I think it was a waste of a stamp.
Having searched for the address on the web I came across this site, and I hope that my addition to this site will help other people stay away from evil scammers like this.
A £10+ phone call may not be a lot in the grand scheme of things, but for some people, my mum included, that extra £10 on the phone bill meant less food for the bill week.
It is unfortunate the it is those that need/could do with the cash the most are the ones that will fall for the con and end up been at least £10 down. - Ripped off, Bristol

June 6 2005
We went to Cyprus in May 05 and was stopped by a young lady employed by FULL CIRCLE HOLIDAYS, she asked us to go along and listen to someone chat to us about exclusive holidays, she advised us to stay for the max an hour, we ended up staying there for 4 hrs, we were shown around exclusive hotels and promised a 5* luxury holiday, I must say considering how sceptical I am at times I was drawn in and so were my parents....We payed a £2000 deposit(with my credit card, thank god)which gave us another free holiday, a Florida Cruise Ohhh( I know I can hear you all say, what a sucker) but hey it happens.. We were given 10 days after our return home to pay the outstanding deposit of £5000, this I thought would give me enough time to find info on this company... Whilst doing this I have found that the company is registered under the name of Vacation Time Travel UK who is ABTA and ATOL recognised, and situated in Spain the other company name they trade under is Olympic Holidays.. Strange how 3 companies are trading and yet only 1 of them is ATOL and ABTA registered.  I spoke with someone at the CAA and they advised me to run a check through CrimeShare, I am so glad I did as I have just saved myself from a big scam.  Thanks CrimeShare... If anyone else has experience similar problems within the area of Portaras Cyprus this year or the last few years please post your comments ASAP, and help stop others like us! - Tracey

June 3 2005
I entered a competition in the Sunday Mail for a free holiday in Tenerife in conjunction with a chairty called 'Miracles' and was contacted by CIT travel saying I had won a weeks holiday at Molino Blanco in Puerto de la Cruz. We were offered half board but had to pay our own flights and transfer to & from the airport costing 120 Euros.
When contacted by telephone I asked the saleswoman if I would have to attend a presentation of some sort and she said no...catagorically.
After trawling the internet I came upon your site and I am so glad I did...it seems like a con !!! You can guess we won't be going !! I have contacted the Mail on Sunday to tell them of this as it makes me think that  CIT have contacted each and every person you entered the "competition" and told them they are winners too just to get more business. I am sure the Mail on Sunday will investigate. As this is the only holiday my husband and I can afford we were concerned that the Mail on Sunday may have promoted someone's business and given the impression that they support CIT activities. At no time on the competition wording was there any mention of time share.  I am very disappointed.....I wrote and declined their offer but have yet to hear any reply which just goes to prove that they're a bit shady.
For them to use the cover of a charity as well is sick ......the website for Miracles was last updated in 2003 so probably not still running.
Its a shame that something so negative has come out of what should be a most pleasant experience, I was so excited when I got the letter informing me of the "win". It may be that I am just too cynical and am reading too much into this, perhaps Stewart would like to reply
many thanks  - Caroline

June 1 2005
To all un-suspecting victims of Ogasaki Gardens: Have any other people who lost money on the Costa Blanca been given hope of a legal remedy by ¨Marc or Mark White"?  It seems that out of the blue , this lawyer(British accredited), who by pure chance is aware of the situation swindle victims are in, and arrives on the scene just a little bit too late.  He can help (for a fee of course).   Does anybody know if he has links with timeshare related companies on the Costa Blanca?   Is he another tool for the crooks to use to get more money out of people like me?  Is there any angle they haven´t thought of to strip away our life savings?
- Peggy Smith

May 27 2005
Just had a call from "CVI" in a fairly sophisticated scam.
They had our actual name and telephone number, and claimed that we had filled in a questionnaire last year (which we had, but stating that we wouldn't want details passed on), and it had been put in a draw and we had won a luxury holiday.  I am naturally suspicious, so I asked some questions.
Why if you can call me, couldn't you call me again to get some details. The answer she gave was that the company handling the holiday is a different company to that doing the questionnaire, and because of data protection, they couldn't give my details to this company.  I had to call this line (which I was assured to be non-premium) and quote a reference BF7.   At this point, I asked what's the catch, and she said definitely no catches.  Just choose your holiday and go within 18months.
So I called it, and a man answered.  He asked about the reference, and said he would check it against his system, and yes, it is a valid reference for today...congratulations you have won a luxury holiday etc.  Then he proceeded to talk about how they would send all the details over the post, and we could choose at our leisure and repeated the 18month limit.  All they asking for was a recommendation from us after the holiday as this is the best way to advertise.  Talk talk talk...what is your age?...talk talk talk... what job do you have ...talk talk talk... do you have children? talk talk talk.  At this point, I interrupted (because it was sounding like a script) and said is this going anywhere, as they should have all they needed to know and we'll await the info over the post.  He then obviously skipped over a bit, and then proceeded to say that the only requirement is that we go to a branch in Canary Wharf where they could discuss our precise holiday requirements.  At this point, I asked do we have to go to Canary Wharf?  He said yes to discuss precise requirements. I said that that sounded like a catch to me.  If we were free to choose our holiday, then there would be no need to talk to anyone.  So he then started on a mild attack..Do I not want a holiday, was I not pleased to have won?  I said you can appreciate my suspicion, there are so many scams about.  If you're genuine, then I'll look forward to receiving something over the post. Bye.
So I logged onto the internet and looked up the tel number in google and found you guys straight away. It confirmed my suspicions.  Thanks, keep it up. - North Londoner

May 26 2005
It looks like I have had a very similar experience with resort properties in Tenerife as a number of other people.
In March this year we attended the sales presentation (a condition of our free week prize that we had won). Five hours later after it finally dropped that we had no interest in buying a timeshare a different proposition was offered – that of an investment. Despite the fact that investment club was limited to 100 members and was full, a spare place was somehow found. After leaving my £500 deposit I realised what I had bought was four timeshares for £10k and not an investment at all.
After getting home a searching the net for comments I realised I’d been stung. I also realised that there was statutory protection for timeshare purchases both in the UK (UK timeshare Act 1992) and in Spain (Spanish Law 42/198), and that a cooling off period along with blank cancellation forms has to be offered with the sale. The next day I faxed and wrote to resort properties informing them of my cancellation.
I then received threatening phone calls and letters telling me that I had no right to cancel because resort properties were a resale company and not the original developers, and that I would be subject to legal action. The UK legislation actually covers any business selling timeshares to individuals from within the European Economic Area. It states that there must be a minimum cooling off period of 14 days and that blank cancellation forms must be provided, failure to comply with this extends the cooling off period for 3 months(I think) and is an offence.
I reported the matter to the local police and asked them to refer the matter to Europol, then wrote again to resort properties demanding my deposit back and informing them of the fact it had been reported to the police as a timeshare fraud. Resort properties then did a complete U turn, and have accepted the cancellation and refunded of the deposit.
The advice from was of huge help, and I’d recommend anybody having difficulties with resort properties or anything similar to contact them.  - anon

May 26 2005
I got a call today (26/05/05) from a call centre telling me I had won a Club La Costa holiday.
I'd "probably heard of them - based in central London" he said.
I asked for a postal address, chap said he'd give me a phone number.
I said "OK lets have the number". Chap said "so you are interested in the holiday?"
I said "No I just want to complain because I'm registered with the TPS and am not supposed to get calls like this one".
Chap wouldn't give me the phone number or an address and he finally hung up on me.
Club La Costa website only gives one contact address - in Malaga Spain.
Doesn't feel very reputable does it? - Tony

May 25 2005
after doing a little research on the "unbeliveable" offer we were made by cvi on a free holiday...blah balh balh you know the rest... I came accross your website and was fianlly convinced that indeed there is no such thing as a free lunch.
 I am  a journalist, but occasionally I am an optimistic one... and I'd had a bad week when my husband told me of the greatnews.... but having done my research (a sure fire thing is to checka company out  with the DTi and ABTA) ...my tip is  when they call back inform them that you have checked out their creditentials, they are bogus and you want no further dealings.  And if in doubt tell them, as I did, that you are a journalist....you'll never hear from them again....  publish if you like but i'd like to be anon...

May 23 2005
We all now know about Carpe Diem (Live for the Day) but how have all the other con merchants and scum bags in this industry escaped.  They are no different selling the same rubbish.  Unfortunately greed prevails and as long as the tourist thinks he will get something for nothing he will enter these offices and suffer the hard sell technique.  Some will stand their ground others will fall.  They will give over their credit cards just to escape.  They will then realise that they have done something they should not have done and try to cancel or get their money back from their card.  Sometimes this is too late.  They will get nothing back from Reclaim other than perhaps between 5 and 15 percent of what they were led to believe if the company still exists.  They will get nothing like the prices they were promised from the holiday club they join whoever it is.  Beware, do not go into any of these holiday club offices.  They are full of conning scumbags.  There are several within the Los Cristianos area selling Club Class Holidays with the incentive of Reclaim.  Do not be fooled by these people. - Astyonished

May 23 2005
could anyone tell me what is happening to the anfi resort in Gran Canaria. I have been reading some real horror stories about the place. Apparently TUI are trying to or have sold already.We have heard that people who have signed up for the Vacation club and who have effetively traded in their weeks for points are in danger of losing everything.
Word on the street is that a Spanish Builder will soon be turning it into a hotel. Could anyone concur ? - V worried

May 16 2005
I am a widow who visited Hollywood Mirage with 3 friends.  As the timeshare exchanger ( my weeks are owned elsewhere and I have had lovely holidays with that company ) I was persuaded to attend a talk as there were changes with RCI that RP had been asked by RCI to update me about.  ( This was first lie ).  As female on my own I was subjected to 3-4 hours of intense sales pressure and then marched to my room to produce my credit card.  Result £11,000 of lost money - paid for with an endowment I struggled to pay when my husband was ill with luekaemia and 3 young children to support.  What an idiot I have been!  Please continue to advertise this scandal to prevent others being as stupid as myself.    -  conned by RP

May 11 2005
Yes they're still at it.  Three calls this week, claiming to have opened up 'a new office' in Canary Wharf, Docklands, London.
Call Cambridge and claim a free holiday.  Yeah, but, yeah.  When pushed they finally admitted there would be a £39.50 per person 'booking fee', which, of course, you will never see again.  And, of course, if the two gross lesbians running Atlantis / Travelworks are handling the bookings, you will never see the promised holiday.  AVOID THESE CROOKS and give them NO personal information. - GGB

May 11 2005
I was interested to read a very recent report in your Whinges section as I was trying to check out Telemarketing Libbermar and World travel Program to help me to decide whether to take up their offer.
We have been contacted by Telemarketing Libbermar in Denia, near Alicante, and offered an acceptable price for some holiday points. They have told us to book flights and their free accommodation by 17.05.05 and carhire which will all be paid for by them when we arrive. As we have bitter experience of these scams we are very sceptical about this. We were promised that we only needed to be available nearby for a couple of days while the paperwork is checked out, not actually stuck in their offices in any presentation or long period. I asked if this was connected with any bond purchase or anything else at all, and was assured that it was not. All we had to do was sign a simple agreement to send the original papers back to them once we had received the money a week or so later into our bank in the UK.
I would like to hear urgently from other owners of their experiences with these people, who I have found on your blacklist. There are actually some companies who are not on your long, long list, and who have low maintenance charges and they are the ones we intend to stay with.... J

May 9 2005
I have just come across your web site concerning the time share rip-off by Resort Properties.
We were similarly ripped off on one of our trips to our Beverely Hills flat.
This occurred in 2003 where we were enrolled as "Executive Investment owners".We paid £6,000 for 2 weeks .
These weeks were immediately put up for sale, together with our 2 existing weeks at Beverely Hills Club.
We were promised a good return on the sales which we could reinvest or cash in.
In the mean time we had no maintenance fees & we would be able to phone the sales manager (Barry Fox) & *book' a vacant flat anytime we needed one. No charge, as they were flats not being used & we were "Executive Investment owners".
Needless to say that when we tried to contact the said FOX, we found out why he was so aptly named as he imediately went to ground & we did not get any reply. We sent several complaint emails to resort properties & eventually talked to the original salesman (Ralph Jackobsen) who told us that our properties were not worth the money we paid for them. The only "Way Out" was to swap them (at additional costs) for units at his new resort. Needless to say I declined the "Offer".
At the end of the year came the usual demand for the maintenance fees which we had to pay after threats of losing our invested money.
We returned to Beverly Hills Club this year & were contacted by a salesman, whom I politely told that he should not come near me after my experience with Resort Properties. I was then contacted by his boss (John Borrows)  who arranged for a meeting to "sort things out for me" as he could see from my emails that I had got a raw deal!!!!! He turned out to be the most arrogant, sell indulgent, obnoxious character you could wish to meet. He said " You might not like me but I get things done". He was only correct on one of the points.
We had two meetings with him (wasting about 5-6 hours of our holiday), most of the time was taken up telling us about his private life & how he made a lot of money in his previous job selling something or other to "the soft southerners in England" (where I originally come from!!!). This was when he wasn't showing us the most enormous trophy gained as best sales manager ever in the universe. I think I saw the same trophy reappear on several other 'sales managers' desks at various intervals! How do they do that? He seemed to be heading in a positive direction during the first meeting so we put up with his verbal diarrhea, but when it came to the punch line he wanted us to invest another £6,000 so that he would take over our portfolio. Otherwise "NO DEAL". He eventually returned with the department head (usual trick) who told us it was a good deal but if we did not sign there & then it would be retracted!
Needless to say we left totally disgusted with Resort Properties & the con men they employ.
What a shame that such a good well run resort should be tainted by this unscrupulous company, but there again, they obviously endorse it as the company & their cretins are still there bringing in lots of money fraudently gained from ordinary honest people.
Let us all pull together & at least run Resrt Properties off of Teneriffe.-   Just Another Victim Looking For Justice.

May 4 2005
I bought a holiday voucher of ebay for £100, saying that it would be a two week holiday for 4 people. I knew there was going to be a admin charge of £40 per person. However when I recieved the voucher the telephone number did not exist, i have sent numerous letters to the compnay with no responce.
Basically just to warn people about buying these tickets off ebay or elsewhere. I am a single mum with very little money, and £100 is a lot for me, they just really annoy me, both the seller plus seventh heaven promotions. - Jessica

May 3 2005
Beware of Kevin Farley of World Travel Programe if your going to Denia Costa Blanca who tried to con us out of £18,000 of which we paid him £2000 and we are still trying to get it back we have recieved numours threatening letters from him asking for the balance to be paid or they will send in the heavies and as we are in our 70's we find this very upsetting - Don Philip

May 2 2005
We need to warn others of the " Exclusive Club " while I was on holiday in Malta in April 2005 as usual we were approached by a tout ( all to common there ) and asked to look at a five star hotel being up a hill and promoting itself to see if we would stay there next year. A lovely young girl from Wales gave us a perfectly beleiveable story and we decided to go and see. We were invited in to a room that was in ensence a kitchen !!!  This can only be described as not a place we would do business from in any event even if we were interested in what we saw.  The final straw was the people we met,one was a man called Ian with a Birmingham accent that struggled to speak due to his being drunk and stinking of alchol, we were then assited out by another man that smelt the same and struggled to walk and the " CLUB " they were promoting the " Exclusive Club " was clearly a scam as they had no material to show us and were working from a resort that could only be decribed as in need of closure , it in my opinion was not worthy of any stars. Never Five . I guess this is because they have poor abilty to get a good resort to promote themselves. The club turned out to have no website and the " trustees" MONMONTH TRUSTEES were bogus as we later discovered from another person that went in to the " Howard Johnson St Pauls Bay " from our hotel earlier in the week. Interestingly he said they are all drunks that run it just as we found.
Why do people keep falling for these loosers that clearly are operated by con men and employ alcholics to do it for them, the only saving grace is the fact ones like the "Exclusive club" must end soon if the resort we went to is anything to go by as clearly they cant con the locals as its a dump and anyone that joins them with such poor back up is just in need of help ... My advice is steer clear of the " Exclusive club " it must be a con as no money was spent on promotion credability and bogus "trustess " used, you will see alcholics and it has to fail as clearly they wont spend money on you the customer when you need it. Pay Them nothing my feeling is you will loose you cash. ..Malta is a lovely place for a one time Holiday but people like this ruin our desire to return we feel must warn others. It does however answer where old alcoholics go, in that regard one question has been fulfilled . Regards - Warned

Apr 29 2005
We too are victim's of this scam!!
We got offered a good price to sell our T/share at Potong Beach Resort, By Alma real estate, based in Cadiz Spain , we had to pay an up front cost to start transactions , Mr Andreas Muller & Tania Williams Solicitor Oscar Laub
& settlement Agent Sara Menders , these could all be Fiction names , we were also given an address which is plaza de Los Jazmines 3
11500,Puerto De Santa Maria  Cadiz Spain
We sent $2600 to these Villans , Are the Spanish police interested in putting these people behind bar's cos we are Can anyone help Patrick & Sheila , Ps dont part with any money !!

Apr 29 2005
THANKS for your website
Recently contacted by T-One.
Agreed to go on their site at no cost to me.
Agreed a price of £10k for 2 wks in a 2bed Tenerife (you can buy a week out of the newspaper for £1500 or so)
1 week later they phoned to say they had received an offer of £9800.
How wonderful!
All I needed to do was send £495 via credit card, meaning I would be covered for any loss.
The exchange of funds and deeds would then be conducted via courier.
Alarm bells rang.
Checked T-One website, its quite good, but no reference to membership of any professional body.
Their letterhead has an 0870 telephone number and their address does not seem to exist.
So declined their offer and told them to remove my weeks from the website.- Melvyn Evans

Apr 28 2005
re-smug march 16th.
nathan here from 1 2 buy.just wanted to let you know that im looking forward to your visit over here with your silly little army buddies (probably from the signals regiment).JUST HOPE YOU REALISE WHAT THE COSTA DEL SOL IS ALL ABOUT. -       REGARDS,NATHAN WALSH(EX 2 PARA)

Apr 28 2005
We visited WTP in Spain, Denia, this past weekend and met Mr R.A Macha, the boss and brains (although the money for the deal comes from the Rocce billionaire family it was claimed), Kevin the negotiator and Debbie the baby-sitter. This was following a commitment that they would buy our timeshare at Dona Lola for a minimum of £5500. They offered to pay flights, hotel and car hire and give a good price. It turns out that  there is a complex scheme that involves Swiss and other banks. Here is how it works: they ask you to put up some money and even have an option in which there is a low cost insured option. The money is to buy 25 years membership of a property service, Designer Way Vacations Limited, which gives discount holidays and cruises and access to timeshares that WTP have bought. This is a front for a financial scam that might involve major banks.
In our case we were given various options to pay. For example we could put up £15,900 to WTP. They then pay it into a bank – USB, Credit Suisse and Rabbo were the ones cited - as a deposit asset which the bank uses to borrow about 6x the amount at very low interest from another bank (so about £78,000). The asset therefore leverages Credit Suisse etc’s liquidity so that they can then put the money into credit operations, or so it is claimed. The difference between the amount say Credit Suisse borrows at (2%) and the amount they lend at (say 6-8%) funds a healthy profit for them, and enough to repay it all. The bank then provides WTP funds, some kind of commission or cut, which gives the timeshare owner a handsome price – in our case the figure quoted was £18,700 - and also enables WTP to buy timeshares for nothing.
WTP use this in order to acquire majority holdings in desirable timeshare resorts such as Dona Lola (we saw a note that this was on their hit list). Once they have acquired a majority their claimed plan is to hike up the annual maintenance fees to thousands of euros and then repossess all the property from distressed owners. For nothing of course.
Several different options are given owners – payment in advance, bank to bank transfer and an ‘insured’ deal organised with BBVA Bank. You are told that you will put up the money and then8-12 weeks later you will get the money.
What really goes on? There are various smoke and mirrors, but what is real? For example we are told about the plan to buy up timeshare properties and force out owners, with a rather pitying and angry response if you question the ethics. This will be enough to worry many people – they ask: do you want to be part of the 51% making a healthy profit or the 49% with nothing? The contracts are loose and woolly. The contract you sign says it is not part of a series, but the ‘contract’ to buy and pay for the timeshare is actually in a loose side letter, presumably keeping it out of the bank’s way? Debbie, the babysitter is hired to stay with you at all times. They won’t let you have the contracts to discuss with a lawyer. They talk incessantly about their families and situation and the deal with a very slick line, refusing to explain “how a bank guarantee works” until they have cleared that you really are the owner, but of course its really got nothing to do with how a bank guarantee works at all and everything to do with their scheme. They hassle you, are rude if you don’t roll over, etc. Not nice people, and how many parties are being conned?
 - Prof Angus Jenkinson
 

Apr 22 2005
Watch out for a company that run a so called 'travel agents survey'in the street with the possibility of a prize.
COMPANY CALLING THEMSELVES GVC TRAVEL. Short list of Q's.  Then you are called personally and told that you have won the star prize.
After asking all the right questions, I was told that I could pick up my prize from a travel agent by ringing through with a ref. no.
Travel agent name was made up.  GVC TRAVEL lied about having a head office, gave a false name for the MD. Did not say I had to sit 3 hours being sold a points timeshare.  I found out from other people and websites.
THEY ARE A BIG CON.  - Flush M. Out
 

Apr 21 2005
After recently visiting the lovely island of Malta, we were asked to visit the Kennedy Nova resort in Sliema. The Kennedy Nova was a typical 3-4 star hotel which was being used to front a timeshare system called the "Exclusive" Club.
After a presentation we were invited to join the "Exclusive" Club system by a salesman named Garth.It was pointed out that there was another resort available in Bugibba named the Mediteranean which is a Howard Johnson resort.
We were told that the "Executive" Club also owned "over 20 " other resorts including "Hever Country Club" where the "Exclusive" club system was sold.
WRONG, upon my reurn to the UK I contacted Hever Country Club, who had never heard of the "Exclusive" Club. We were also informed by Garth that the "Trustee's" were a company called "Monmouth Trustee's", again this is a bogus company.
The "Exclusive" Club is an offshore registered company that is selling a worthless system to unsuspecting holidaymakers. After more enquiries  it was discovered that the company is owned by a man named Allesi who is Maltese.
Anyone who has joined this "Club" would be well advised to seek legal advice.  -

Apr 20 2005
are all of the companies listed on your site fraudulent?  I see some of them advertise in the national newspapers and assumed they would be genuine - how wrong can you be.  I have had two "contracts" for the sale of my timeshare and despair that I can ever find a genuine buyer.  Any thoughts?  - JB

Apr 20 2005
This company Maritimo Marketing who, I now Know, have the same Scotish directors and trading address in Scotland as Timeshare Consultancy limited (TCL Worldwide.com).
Maritimo marketing.com web page is a direct copy of the TCL worldwide.com web page (now not answering thier telephone)
One can only conclude that they are not a bona fide company who now openly acknowlege that they are operating in spain with a client waiting to purchase. Why are they a Scotish based ltd company? (I conclude credibility for us in the UK.)
They are now idicating that they have a purchaser for our timeshare (retainer of 750 Euro's refundable on completion of sale Ha Ha) as apposed to offering it for sale under their tcl (worldwide) badge.
The following is an extract of our recent communication (yet to be resolved)
I?ve been expecting to hear from you since last Monday (11th) when I repeated that I couldn?t sign the contract as it stood.  You intended to e-mail a Contract or Letter-of-Intent stating that Maritimo Marketing definitely has a buyer, which I could sign and safeguard my interests.  I phoned mid-week and today, but you were unavailable and have heard/ received nothing, so conclude that such an offer will not be forthcoming.  You are aware of my difficult domestic circumstances and will understand that I must ask for immediate return of my ?good faith? deposit.
Brief Summary
22nd March? Phone call gave definite offer of £2900 and buyer was waiting.  Good faith deposit required from both parties in case of pullout after ownership transfer has begun.  Deposit is perfectly safe and will be returned if change of mind before transfer; otherwise return on completion in 6-8 weeks.  14 days cooling off period applies.  Asked if contract would confirm all this and reply was affirmative.
23rd March? Requested copy of contract by e-mail.  Promised, but not delivered.
31st March ? Received contract by post, but did not reflect conversation of 22nd March.  E-mailed cancellation and requested deposit return within cooling-off period.
Subsequent phone calls and e-mails restated, but did not change the position.  Written confirmation of a buyer could not be obtained.
I am advised to report the matter to my Credit Card Co and/or the Office of Fair Trading after giving opportunity for amicable settlement.  A legitimate company will comply with the credit Finance Act.  Please get in touch within the next three working days so that we can resolve the issue, as I cannot delay following advice much longer.
To date no resolution has been afforded
Thanks for the publicity on your web page (foc) maybe others will not now be taken in like I originally was. claim in process  - unhappy timeshare owner, bm

Apr 18 2005
Thank the good Goddess for your website.
This morning I received an email from a company that I could not remember ever contacting or entering a competition with.
They claimed I had won a Holiday Certificate with Seasons Holidays, but that to use it, I  would have to pay an upfront management fee of over £300. The word 'SCAM' immediately rang bells in my mind.
The whole thing smacked of the now well-known Canadian Lottery scam that asks you to pay a fee to collect thousands or even millions of dollars worth of winnings after which of course you hear nothing.
I thought I should do some research before even contacting the competition promoters and found your site almost immediately.
I've written a fairly snotty email back, challenging them to prove they are NOT a scam by giving us our prize and deferring the management fee on the premise that if it's so great we are going to want to pay it on our return.
From what people say here, it seems unlikely that they will have ANYWHERE left that we could take a holiday even if we wanted to.
Thanks again! I'll be calling them on Monday on their Freephone number to tell them to take my email address off their database or I'll take legal action. - mrsfletch
 

Apr 18 2005
I've just returned from the Beverley Hills Club £500 lighter having succumbed to what I now read is an investment scam. I still owe them about £9500. Has anyone out there sucessfully cancelled within the statutary 10 day cooling off period or am I dreaming. I see Resort Properties are registered in the UK as a non trading dormant company but the credit card was processed under the name Tensel SL. I presume this is the Spanish front to the company. The rep (Mike Macedie) was not in the least reptile, pushy or flashy and took me in completely. I wish I'd done my research first. Beware. - spiked

Apr 15 2005
I have just received a letter of congratulations on winning £6000 Quaterly prize draw from The Travel Emporium, Apartado Correos 584. Torre del Mar. Malaga Spain. 29740 Phone 0034 952 543 128. This is connected to a holiday talk I had with Sunterra holidays.As this is a Quaterly prize draw why is there so many letters of winners over the last month?  Just thought I would let you Know of the offer and see how many people are actual members and if so how are their holidays progressing. Regards -  David

Apr 15 2005
i would  like to here from any experiences from Royal Resorts in Bali. We bought a timeshare for Goah and now want to get out of it/try to sell it but i feel that this may be difficult to do. Does anyone have any advise/experience to relay to me.
i know now that we were foolish and in a "holiday frame of mind" it was sort of like a drug induced coercion they even took our children away and we were pressured into signing tired, hot and stressed , we signed and have paid membership for five years and want to get out
any advice would be appreciated! - Deb and Steve Treloar

Apr 14 2005
HAVE RECEIVED TWO PHONE CALLS FROM CLUB LA COSTA BASED IN LAKESIDE THURROCK,  I HAVE WON A 7 NIGHT HOLIDAY FOR 4 PEOPLE WITH NO TIES OR HIDDEN EXTRAS, TOGETHER WITH A £75 GIFT VOUCHER TO SPEND IN MARKS, JOHN LEWIS OR ARGOS.  YIPEEEEEEEEE.  ALL I HAVE TO DO IS GO TO THE PRESENTATION AND COLLECT MY WINNINGS.  THANK GOD I FOUND YOUR WEB SITE.  AFTER PHONING THE FREEPHONE TELEPHONE NUMBER AND BOOKING MY APPOINTMENT (I KNOW, DIDN'T THINK AT THE TIME) WE LOOKED AT ALL THE NOTES ON YOUR WEB SITE AND MY PARTNER DECIDED TO PHONE THE FREEPHONE NUMBER BACK TO HAVE OUR NAMES TAKEN OFF THEIR LIST.  HE GAVE THEM OUR REFERENCE NUMBER AND ASKED THEM NOT TO CONTACT US AGAIN AS WE HAD BEEN READING A VERY INTERESTING AND HELPFUL WEB SITE, TO WHICH THEY SLAMMED THE PHONE DOWN.  MADE US GIGGLE ANYWAY. ANITA & GARY

Apr 12 2005
thanks for your website. I have recieved 2 phone calls from City Vacations in the last 2 days with the same speil as I've seen on the site.. free holiday for 7, survey form etc.. Was v suspicious, took the details and left it. Got a second call today telling me I had to respond within the next 30 minutes or I would miss out. Thankfully Google hit your site!
Thought I would let you know that the number they gave is now based in Cambridge, and that the number IS listed on the web phone directory sites to a Cambridge address- initially I thought it might be legit (but I suspect it might be a post box!)
Anyway, won't be bothering with calling them!
I do wonder where the hell they got my details as they called on a home phone number that we don't use for anything but the internet.  - anon

Apr 11 2005
There are a number of people who have left messages on your message board about the company   New Century Vacations - International Recreation Services - Vacation Time.  I am desperately trying to get more information about this 'organisation'.  My parents appear to have been conned by them and I'd like to put together a case to track down the people behind this and retrieve as much of the lost investment as possible.  Is there any way that you can pass on any email addresses or information you have so that I can be put in touch with others who have had a similar experience of dealing with this company to collate more info and potentially come together to discuss ideas as to how to move forward?  I would be very grateful if you could help me with this seemingly impossible task!!  Please contact me via this email address: or on 07971 602 690.  Many thanks   - Nicola Hamilton

Apr 9 2005
I wunder if there is somebody who can do something about those bandits at Aguineguin Las Palomas (DESIGN VACATIONS)
All those poor people who lost there savings there.
And they laugh when you say something to them.
We are going back there to get our money real soon.
And for Annelies Bos who works there and Chuck and Joost whe have a big suprise.- angry

Apr 9 2005
Are Club Atlantico the new Blue Atlantic which gave us such heartache in 2004?  I notice it's Arguineguin again.  Club Puerto Atlantico by any chance?  Who's running it now? Wasn't Design Vacations an offshoot of Blue Atlantic? Why the hell are these crooks still in business? - C

Apr 9 2005
My name is Els Walraven and I just got back from a holliday on the  island Fuerteventura. I email you to warn everybody that is going to this island, that the company "Carpe Diem" is very active there.
They claim that they have a formula for you that can save you as much as 70% on the costs of your future hollidays. Th only thing you have to do, is buy the 'key' to their webside. FOR 18.000 EURO'S!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ofcourse me and my partner refused (if we had that kind of money, we wouldn't have to save on our hollidays!). Still, they said, we had won a trip to Malta. The only thing that we had to do in return, was to go to a meeting of their company when we were staying there.
We like the idea of a free holliday but this time I think  we pass. We are afraid that in the end, it is going to cost us a lot of money.
I hope that a lot of people reed this warning before they go on their holliday.  Greetings, -  Els (The Netherlands)

Apr 9 2005
Club La Costa are at it again.
A very tempting "we are not had sell" letter arrived today. Study the terms and conditions on the back and it is quite clear that your "holiday" is anything but free. All is fraud to my mind it is a shame the authorities cannot attend to it.
Unfortunately there are sheep.- HGW

Apr 8 2005
To Paul Chatwin of ..I applaud your honesty in business however I defend the right of this website to publish people who make false statements concerning your companys name, and you should be actively investigating those who are using you name fraudulently instead of complaining about the publicity. This website is actually acting in your interest in exposing those who are defrauding you. All genuine customers need do is contact you to see if the offer is genuine. Do not shoot the messenger. - Brit

Apr 7 2005
Dear friends,
My story is nearly identical to all of the others you have heard with a small wrinkle.
My goal was to buy as an investment property, and I negotiated a fantastic rate by paying in full up front.  I too thought I would make piles of money renting my unit out but in reality made close to nothing that I was promised.
Here is the wrinkle - in order to close the deal, I was given an annuity contract equal to twice the amount I paid for the unit with a maturity of 25 years.  I stuck the contract in the safe and forgot about it - that was in 1998 -
Fast forward to 2000 and I end up with this "annuity contract" as part of the split of assets in a divorce hearing -
Fast forward to 2005 and I look into cashing in the contract early, or at least finding out what it is worth.  I contacted all of the insurance companies listed on the contract and none had heard of the Annuity.  I contacted the lawyer listed as the attorney trustee and he finally returned my call, promised to send me some information, but never followed through.  Finally one of the insurance companies emailed to tell me they were starting action because there was no such annuity with their company - they copied me on the letter to the attorney listed.
So - long story short, I have a worthless annuity contract, and have paid a ton of money for a unit I will never visit and can't unload.  I also have gone through 2 or 3 of the "resale companies" been scammed by the "call an independent agent" and others (century 21 timeshare resale's, etc).
I am seeking $10,200 (Annuity value) plus the cost of the 2 resale companies who have scammed me - I did not realize how many other people got taken, and that there was even a remote chance of recovering anything!  Best of luck,  - Eric Sylvia

Apr 6 2005
Dear Sir,
I am the owner of
We are not involved in timeshare nor do we issue holiday vouchers.
Over the past few months, I have received at least 20 emails from people asking how to use their "sunbreaks" voucher.
We no nothing about these vouchers.
Today, I have read 2 references to sunbreaks on your website - both suggesting a possible fraud.
Whilst I accept that there is a company somewhere posing as sunbreaks, this has nothing to do with sunbreaks.co.uk
As such, I would appreciate that any reference to sunbreaks be removed from your site or a clear message be included stating that these suggestions have nothing to do with sunbreaks.co.uk
I applaud your efforts to expose fraudulent companies, but not at the expense of honest ones.
Many Thanks - Paul Chatwin     sunbreaks.co.uk

Apr 5 2005
I want to warn everybody who goes to Gran Canaria, Please dont by anything of Design Vacations and dont go into a taxi for free.
All they tell are lies,lies nothing but lies.
Nobody give something for nothing.
We know because we where so stupid to believe them.
They can talk so much till you say YES, but dont do that.
In a Short time we go to Aguineguin to club Atlantico to get our money back en we dont go away till we get it.
And we dont go there alone. - Angry & Mad
 

Mar 31 2005
My wife received a call from a company called The Travel Emporium telling her we had won the Travel Emporium Quarterly Prise Draw. I wasn't aware that we had entered a prise draw, anyway this prise is worth over £6,000 and is a full lifetime membership to the TRavel Emporium, guaranteering you and your family a minimum of 4 weeks holidays each year in luxury accommodation forever.  To book a holiday we can ring a Sapinish number, the address given is Torre Del Mar Malaga.  To join there an administration fee of ?595 + an Annual Membership Activation Fee of ?80, total ? 675.00.  I notice the reference on you web site refer to a similarly named company in Scotland.  I may have this company wrong but it has the signs of being a scam.  Has anybody else heard of this company.  If this is one and the same company it target south of Scotland - Birmingham - Bluenose
 

Mar 30 2005
Warning about united paradise group in Tenerife, Five years ago they sold me an investment package Guaranteed 15% return in first year now 5 years later paid 25,000 pounds recieved one payment of 3,000 pounds now promising to pay me back over 22 months that was 8 months ago still no money, here thay have major finnanciual problems, spoke to gearge kennedy who passes the buck refers me to Ralph hummel son of the conman Horst Hummel, heard there are lots of other people like me have been advised to go to the spanish police to do a denuncia, if this works i will be in touch, advise you all to denounce them nothing but cheats and scoundrells. - unhappy client

Mar 29 2005
I am so glad I found this site before I went on holiday!!
My husband and I have just returned from our "Free Holiday" at the Hollywood Mirage in Tenerife. We knew in advance that we would have to attend a "presentation about the resort and it's facilities" and being Timeshare owners we could read between the lines and knew what to expect. We went into the "presentation" with our eyes wide open and our wallets tight shut!
I booked the "presentation" on the Sunday morning to get it over and done with as soon as possible so that we would be able to enjoy the rest of our holiday. Our rep, Lisa was very pleasant (as you would expect) and we had a good laugh with her. I let her rattle on. She asked all the questions you would expect, jobs, where do you live, how big is your house etc ... all this to get an idea of just how much you might be worth. A couple of times she badmouthed the people who take the "free holiday" without any intention to buy! All the time mentioning that this was not Timeshare we were here to buy. When it came down to the business end I let her explain the whole resale package to us. We enjoyed her company, drank as much tea and ate as many sandwiches they would offer us. I then turned to her and said by the way I am not going to aggree to anything today.
You could hear the crash as her jaw hit the floor! She then asked why? I said because I will not give anyone £10 000 without doing some sort of research into the company first. I didn't tell her I had seen this site and from what I have read there was absolutely no way they were going to get my money. She asked what further information she could give me and the only analogy I think of was "Would you buy a house just from the information given to you by an estate agen, never viewing the property or researching the area?"   this seemed to satisfy both her and (eventually) her line manager. The goodbye was very abrupt!
The best part of the whole day was we met Lisa by the pool later in the day - her family were staying at the resort. She would not even acknowledge us!! - Proud of Ourselves!!

Mar 28 2005
 I just recently bought a pack from Viajes Sonnentravel in Gran Canaria. In the contract they say that they have a contractual relationship with DAE Destinations Club AG.
Checking the Net at a German website timesharemagazin.de, DAE Holiday Destinations says that since november 2004 they don´t have any more relation with Viajes Sonnentravel.
Does anybody know anything about it?????  Thanks   -  Victim

Mar 28 2005
Several years ago we purchased from a company that opened a branch in Bournemouth uk called Resorts Ownership.  We purchased sufficient points to have 2 weeks in a 3 bedroom in Florida at any time.   Since that time they moved back to South Africa and then our problems started.  They appear to change their name with monotonous regularity and have been Club Resorts International (CRI) Leisure Corporation, Club Leisure and goodness knows who else.  Maintenance levy has escalated to such an extent it is not viable and we can no longer get any reasonable exchanges we think.  We want out but have been pointed in the direction of Flexi Club who want more money to change to their system which we are not prepared to do.  Can anyone help with how we may escape the clutches of this group please? Please email is on
Thank for your help.   disillusioned

Mar 27 2005
Mrs Travis asks [Mar 24]  what the British Government are doing about the timeshare crooks in Britain.
Not a lot.
Even less than the Spanish Government are doing about the timeshare crooks in Spain, which is a damning indictment on our law enforcement authorities. – Brit

Mar 27 2005
We retutrned from Tenerife yesterday.Whilst there we were stopped by a young girl and handed scratchcards and told that these were Thomson and Airtours promotions and we could collect our free winnings from the airport if we would agree to recieve brochures for future holidays.My partners monoply card won her 200 cigs and bottle of vodka. My card ( surprise surprise) was the top prize. The girl had to confirm with a colleague that i had indeed won the top prize because she said she had never seen anyone win a top prize before! Also that she would get a £50 bonus for herself, she could hardly contain her exagerated excitement. The pal confirmed i had won 1000 euros, camcorder,free luxury holiday for two or 150 euro and directed us to a nearby office to claim the prize, all we had to do was agree to listen to a presentation for at least 15 mins.We had to be residing together for at least 3yrs, working, have a credit card and not be connected to the travel industry to qualify.
As we both work in sales and know the techniques we agreed to attend as we felt like a free drink or two and a bit of a wind up. What we got was a very amateur and vague presentation for the DWVC holiday club from a british salesman who kept talking about his kids, asking us about ours and showing us a foto of his son. They tempt you with unbelievably cheap holidays eg. 2wks carribean AI £200 total. ( if you join the club for as much as you look like you could part with) once he thinks you are interested he calls in his boss ( a sleazy arrogant spanish woman) who piles on the pressure to close the deal. The salesman will then sit at your side of the table cos youre supposed to feel that he's on your side and they heap on the pressure and loads of promises, no doubt all empty. I can see how if you are not switched onto their set up you could feel obliged to part with money as they are doing so much for you, taking such an interest in you and yours, going to save you so much money and at the end of five years give you all your money back!!!
Lets face it, if something seems too good to be true then it almost always is, and there is no such thing as a free lunch! Read the rest of the posts here and draw your own conclusions.
We got our free refreshments. The 200 cigs and vodka, albeit grudgingly. And the top prize..... the old holiday voucher for a holiday of their choice within the next 18 months, to their timeshare resort at 3 days notice. Of course you have to pay the registration fees, supplements booking fees and if you dont take up the first offer ( which no doubt will have expired by the time you recieve it) then you get downrated to the option 2 holiday which basically means that they now offer you only free accom at their timeshare resort provide you agree to attend all their presentations and you book the flights tro them at OTT prices. The most cost effective way to deal with the voucher is to put it in a recycle waste bin and hope its next life is something more useful, like a toilet roll.
NEVER NEVER EVER sign any kind of agreement whilst on holiday, especially the type that the offer only applies today etc. Normally they will fish from you how long you have till you go home before they decide to tell you wether or not you have a cooling off period or not. Usually the nearer the end of your holiday the less likely they are to offer the cool off , but if you still got a week or so they might tell you that you can cancel before you go home.Dont really make much difference the general rules are that if you go to a place of business to sign, you have little or no right to cancel or refund and if you sign at home via a cold call, you have much improved protection.
If you are still not convinced or are willing to give them the benefit of the doubt, and you have a modern enough mobile phone, ask them if they mind if you use the voice record feature to make a record of the presentation and if you can also take their foto or perhaps copy their passport or resident or work permit numbers?????????? I think not......be careful and remember that you are there for a holiday, and do just that. And only that! - anon

Mar 26 2005
I was told today by Andy at HDI that I had been selected from a survey respondent group for a 7-day luxury holiday. I listened politely waiting for the catch. None appearted (of xcourse). So I commented that the four venues were excellent, but sounded almost too good to be true and what did we have to do in return?
Now paraphrasing the ensuing conversation...
Andy: 'Just come to meet Sunterra and select your hire car and so on. It's in Stevenage on 2 or 3 April'.
Me:Are there any conditions we have to meet to claim this holiday?
Andy: None
Me: Any commitment we have to make to get the holiday?
Andy: None, and you have 18 months to take it in.
Me: Is it a timeshare presentation?
Andy: No.
I accepted one of the slots at the weekend of 2/3 April, and I now await their letter, but having sceptically trawled the internet I am becoming convinced there is only a huge waste of time ahead, or financial pain at worst.
Can this be posted on one of your message boards under the name Coach Matthew? I would like to see what forum members advised - like is there any way to get the hol without the commitment and with acceptably short tedious negotiations/hardselling? - Coach Matthew

Mar 25 2005
Anybody heard the major rumblings about Chaka's Rock Chalets?  All that correspondance that has been coming, I hope all owners have read it - quite alarming.  What does flexi club want with our timeshare block.....LEAVE US ALONE!!!!!  - Concerned

Mar 24 2005
I would be grateful if this information got printed on your site so others are aware.
Fuengirola Servicios 2002, 2001, whichever,Key Properties Town advisory and now newly named UNASE are all the same company and all a bunch of crooks. There is no tribunal or court in Spain that are dealing with compensation cases for misled timeshare owners. I checked with the British Consulate.
People need to be aware UNASE are contacting all their old daft enough to have paid the first time round.
I also noticed a lot of British companies on your site. What is the government doing about them?  We seem to be high on the list for all sorts of bogus companies today.
Very angry & disappointed -  Mrs Travis

Mar 24 2005
Hi,got a call from mvi today....exactly to the letter the same as the other comments on your site.Filled in questionare, free flights,choice of 10 5star locations,7nites for up to 6ppl,blah, blah,blah.Reason given for free holiday was its cheaper than spending £100,000 with STV for tv advertising if the lucky 50ppl give fab reviews to friends/family etc..Call came from Kilmarnock ,girl said they were near Safeway store?Anyway,glad i checked the net and found your site,I'll be giving them pelters if they 'phone back.I thought I was good at telling lies....these twats have it down to a fine art!!!Keep up the good work, - COSS.

Mar 24 2005
I have been reading quite a lot of 'warnings' about Club LaBourse which makes me very hesitant to have anything to do with this organisation even though mt wife and I went on an 'information night' at a htoel in Penrith NSW recently. Could one of the people leaving messages give a detailed example of how they were duped or is it just that the organisation did not come up to their expectations? I am a very sceptical person regarding anyone who claims to be able to either make a lot of money or save lots of money and was particularly interested when we were told that Club LaBourse could book any Trafalgar tour for a maximum of $1400 which seems incredibly cheap. This of course was not in writing. Could someone please give an example of how they were 'duped'. - jamie123

Mar 24 2005
Pippa. If someone threatens legal action and then does not take it this is harassment – which is a criminal offence. Report the offensive Motherwell character to your local police. – anon

Mar 23 2005
Ex barratt, Macdonald owners, since receiving a final threat,early January 05, from a different guy at Motherwell to take me to court for non payment of exhorbitant management fees,etc, as quote, "they are now losing money" my final chance to pay something. etc, I am still waiting for the court forms some eleven weeks later, why the hell don't they act and get it over with!!!!
James,Feb27th, is Barratt owners group still alive?, please contact at e.mail - pippa -

Mar 22 2005
Re: Carpe Diem / Travelsafe Holidays
The promised offer to spend my holidays in hotels with 4 and 5 stars for a cheaper price encouraged me to join the holiday programme from Carpe Diem / Travelsafe Holidays and to sign a contract.
I have paid a fortune!
Now having received my information parcel and the vouchers. I must notice that I could book valuable accomodations cheaper per Even flights are often cheaper per
The crooks of Carpe Diem / Travelsafe Holidays cheated me!
Of course I am going to report them to the police and I hope that all other affected people will do the same, so that these criminals get punished.
How can I get back my money? Unfortunately, CAB could not help me. I would be very grateful for advice!  - Peter

Mar 21 2005
REPLY TO "SMUG" ON 16 MARCH 2005
I've got big problems with this company! Can you please email your contact details to me at so that I can discuss the matter with you. Thanks. Susan Meadows

Mar 21 2005
I'll see that I'm not the only one whois very mad on Annelies Bos.
Yesterday she send us a letter that we have too pay hahahahahha.
Thats very funny.
But we going in a short time to Aguineguin to get our money back and we dont go alone. - anoniem

Mar 20 2005
My partner and I were also CONNED by Annelies (was always a bit suspicious about her name by the way) Bos.  We too had to endure what was supposed to be 90 minutes.  We arrived at 1pm and I actually took a very nice photo of the sun setting before we left Club Puerto Atlantico.  My partner paid £900 deposit for a 9 year holiday club membership.  After returning home full of enthusiasm for this "special deal" laden with holiday vouchers, Skype headset taboot, we were dissappointed to find Design Vacation listed with Crimeshare.  We also heard about the mention these clubs were getting on BBC Watchdog.  We decided to cancel and thought we would be okay, because it was within the 10/14 day cooling off period.  How wrong we were.  We were told that no cooling off period is mentioned anywhere in the Contract and there is no way we can have our deposit refunded.
I received a letter yesterday from Annelies saying that unless we pay the balance immediately we will be in Breach of Contract and they will get their legal bods to sue us.
I'd like to know how these people manage to get away with this.  We are heading back to Puerto Rico in May and am seriously thinking of getting tshirts printed for the benefit of these timeshare/holiday club pests, with the words - don't even think about it!!!!! - madisa

Mar 20 2005
My husband owns the Legend Worldwide Holidays vacation club membership and recently he received 2 calls from different companies offering to sell the time share to foreigners for us. As we bought it at RM12K+ and currently market value is RM22K+ which sound very attractive. We went to a company called GLOBAL SENSATION SDN BHD and they claimed that they are associated with Emperor Resorts International which has offices is China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Indonesia and Australia. They asked for an upfront processing fee of RM2,100-00 and cannot guarantee whether they can sell the membership but once we've paid it, we can only get back the money after one year (don't know where will they be after 1 year)We took the guy's namecard and application form. I went back home and the next day went to the companies commission to do a search on the company and found out that the company has incorporated since 2001 but no account was filed todate. The company has a change of secretary and director in November 2004 which means that they are only operating for a few months. To justify my findings, I've log on to Emperor Resorts International's website (which they claimed they are associated to) and managed to email to them to get a confirmation and the fact proved that I was not wrong, they are not associated to any company in Malaysia! Soon after that, my husband received another call from another company called MAESTRO BUSINESS CONSULTANTS SDN BHD and said that they are associated to MAESTRO BUSINESS CONSULTANTS Singapore. They again ask foo processing upfront! I've searched through the web and found this website. I felt thankful to the latest technology we had today and enable me to check without even step out from the door! I also thank the founder of this website to help us not to be cheated by these companies that are trying to make quick money from us. - SK, Kuala Lumpur

Mar 19 2005
Hi all,
I am aware lots of your supporters have been to hotels for presentations etc.
Is there anyone out there who has contacted the hotel after to seek information about the scammer etc.
I am researching the area and would ask if any of your readers/contributors to contact me on: - Steve
01793 876451
E Mail -

Mar 17 2005
Hello,
A very good website you have here! I`m not sure if this is the best place to ask but i`ll try.
Me and my wife met some people when we were at Rhodos last year. As many others in the world we "won" something and spent some hours listening to the information they had for us.
Timeshare is nothing I have anything against but for us we have other plans the next years...
What we did was to receive a gift because i was lucky i suppose.. and we have the possibility to have 1 week stay at a resort in malaga. We pay the flight by ourselves and make it to the resort. But i don`t know  much about this, i think they have made a very good impression snd i we dont think they willfool us. (bad english i`m sorry)
If you have any information or advice we will be very happy to hear froom you.
Companys name:   Ultimate Vacations LTD
From England.
Company reg. no: 4172957
Our place to stay in spain:
Miraflores Beach and Country Club,    Costa Del So   Yours sincerly - Thomas & Jorunn, Bergen, Norway

Mar 17 2005
T C L Worldwide
We need to know who is this company?
Last year (2004) they traded (from an english address in Scotland)
this year they are trading from a spanish address (Maritimo Marketing. Bulevar de la cala-Edificio C - Oficina 9 La Cala de Mijas - 29649 Mijas Costa Malaga espana)
I Paid £400 to sell my timeshare with TCL Worldwide through world pay at a different address in 2004 (hopefully will get money back)
why does world pay ,a large oranisation,not know who they are dealing with?
Do they not have credit profile technology?
the timeshare resale world is still, as always, in need of some redress
Not yet re embursed (cliam pending) - adp

Mar 16 2005
Hey!!  Another one to guard against!!!!
Over the last few days, I have been pestered by 'Nathan' from The 1.2.Buy,  Apartado de Correos 110, 29631 Arroyo de la Miel, Benalmadena, Malaga, Spain,(Telephone No 0034-952-563-128,  Fax No. 0034-952-444-458) who said they wanted to buy two of my Timeshare weeks!!!!  They had been offered, what I would say to be, extremely generous prices, and would I be interested?????
One snag, though!!   I had to deposit with them 795 Euros for each week, to show my good-faith in the exchange.(hahahahaha!!!!!) This of course would be perfectly safe, as it would be in an Escrow account!!
I regularly read this superb website, so I strung him along for SEVEN long-distance phone calls, each lasting about 20 minutes!!! (That cost 'em a bit!!) Eventually, I got bored, and told him about Crimeshare, which he claimed is owned by John Palmer????
Anyway, if these people(?? are they human??) contact you, string them along, with the hope of a possibl;e sale!!  While they are being strung along, they're not attempting to scam other people.
By the way, if 1.2.Buy read this, I'm coming to Malaga in July, with 3 army mates I used to serve with!!  We gonna call on you, and pay our respects!!  - Smug

Mar 15 2005
After recieving the info on a free trip to amsterdam my partner decided to pay the extra fee so that we both could go...we might as well burnt our hard earned cash!!After sending off the registration form 6 weeks ago then hearing nothing back we decided to phone atlantis vacations to see what was going on,only to find both of the phone numbers they gave us are disconected,then we went to the internet and stumbled across this web site,only to realise that we have been taken for a ride.There must be some kind of regulting body for this kind of industry?How can these people contiually open buisinesses without any kind of investigation into the legitimacy of these people and their intentions?I will be posting a message on australian travel watch dog website,in hope that no more aussies leave the uk with a bad taste in their mouths.Good luck in catching these guys,they must be pretty slippery characters to have got away with it for this long..... - Two pissed off aussies....
 

Mar 15 2005
 Hello were from Holland.
Im sorry for the bad english writting.
We get in touch with DESIGN VACATIONS-trustresale ltd in Aguineguin in Mas Palomas.
We bought a holiday package with 8 vouchers for 8 holidays and the tickets included for 8000,00 euros.
Thats wat they told us the guys CHRIS MASSET/JOOST AND THERE IS A DUTCH LADY ANNELIES BOS SHE IS THE DEVIL.
We want to book a trip to Turkije but now she say that we only bought a membership for the money.We can book a holiday with the vouchers only bij the Promotion compagny BLUEWAVE and that we have to pay 100 euros for membership to BLUEWAVE.
But on the site of BLUEWAVE you get a free voucher even when your not a member and we had payd 8000,00 euros.
How is this possible that nobody can do something about this.
We dont rest till we get our money back.
And we hope that everybody that also bought of DESIGN VACATIONS do that to. - Tina Turner

Mar 14 2005
Has anyone else out there been done by this firm called
JET SET MARKETING in Playa de la Arena Tenerife they rang us up saying they were contracted by a firm called
Medallion to buy up 500 weeks of timeshare weeks for the American holiday market but the transaction could only be done if we went out to Trenerife we paid 450Euros for 7 days accomodation which they said we would get back if the deal went through we arrived in Tenerife someone picked us up at the airport and took us to our hotel then he left , on checking in, they told us they were full up but we have arranged for us to stay at another hotel a few hundred yards down the road, we went and everything was ok
   We went to the meeting with Jet Set Marketing they told all the usual patter we showed them the copies of our timeshare cert's
which I stamped copy all over them, the young lady took them to fax to the states (so she said )after about an hour she came back with the fax reports and showed them to us, the figures were too good to be true so we said go ahead, she then said that £16900
would be paid into an escrow account in our names and the remainder after 21 days,  then the total amount would be transfered into our account in the uk, but while this was going on we were introduced to this gentleman who said that for all this to happen we were introduced to this holiday club called International Concept Travel for a 35month deal to get 4 weeks holiday a year
for a price of £9500 the first £500 to be paid there and then by credit card and the rest when we arrived back in the uk but they said there wasn,t a get out clause in it because after 35 months we could walk away and get our £9500 back, then we asked what   about our management fees that were already payed for 2005 which we had a letter stating this would happen, they denied anything about it but they said what they could do is pay for our flights out there also the 450 euros for the hotel plus they would pay us £450 a week for two weeks leaving us with only 2 weeks for the first years club membership bringing the total we should have had to pay within 14 days after arriving back in the uk to £7500 but on arriving back in the uk I discovered your web site
faxed them straight back cancelling the holiday contract which they said we couldn't guess what we haven't heard a thing since so all we have lost at the present is the £500 deposit which I am taking up with the credit card company.
Yours Sincerely  -  D Blakey    email. 
 

Mar 13 2005
We have the chance to buy one week from Resort properties [Link]  and it was in November 2004. Obviously we were hoping that this sort of business is the same as other properties business, and were waiting for our money to come shortly. It is not a year yet, but as we found your web site we have no doubts that there won't be any money coming...
In connection with the above  we would like to ask the public several questions:
1. Do we really own these timeshare week from 2006 (as stated on the agreement)?
2. Can we sell it privately (e.g. using resales web sites)
3. Is there a way to complaint? (e.g. police, or Interpol). If somebody was consulting the lawyers or doing any claims already, please share the experience.
4. What shall we do to join the number of "owners" in the same situation. Is there an e-mail or any other contact information?
Can you please publish our free e-mail address in the forum.
Best regards, - Tanya and Gordon Callison

Mar 11 2005
We also have been compeletley conned by ANNELESE BOS of club atlantico in gran canaria!!! we visted there last year and were shown around by salesgirl which took 4hours not 90mins.as promised.We met Stuart the boss who told us the price was £9000.for 25 years membership of design vacation.We told Stuart that this was a waste of time for us as we are retired and dont have much savings he still tried to talk us into it as he stated the whole family could use it even after we were  gone. This sounded good at the time because he even offered a discount if we paid the whole amount that day by credit card which dropped the price to £7500.We were still very nervous and wanted to leave as we were very very unsure-but stuart offered to bring out a person from a legal department with no connections to the sales.THIS IS WHEN OUR TROUBLE BEGAN WHEN MRS BOS CAME TO SPEAK TO US.She told us a whole pack of lies for an hour and was very convincing with it. She told us how her and her family always used it and had great holidays . When we think back she lied from the moment we laid eyes on her we told her it was our life savings and was for our grandchildren and wanted time to think about it but she said if we did not pay today we would not get any discount.In the end she pushed us into this wrong decision to join this CONCLUB!!!We are so glad that we found your website and seen previous complaints about the lying-evil ANNELESE BOS WHO CONNED US AND WE HAVE VERY LITTLE MONEY LEFT FOR  OUR RETIREMENT. WE GOT NOTHING FOR OUR MONEY BECAUSE EVERY TIME WE TRIED TO BOOK A HOLIDAY WE GOT NOWHERE-SO WHAT A WASTE OF £7500.WE WISH WE HAD NEVER GONE THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE -----BEWARE OF ANNELESE BOS IF YOU ARE CONNED INTO THIS PLACE WHIST IN GRAN CANARIES - CONNED  PENSIONERS

Mar 9 2005
 I received a letter from reclaim back in december informing us that we would be getting back aproxamently one quarter of what we had invested & were told that we would be recieving the cheaque within a month, as of yet we have had noting, we have tried the gibraltar phone number which is now a dead line, has anyone else had any money back yet or had simular problems contactting them ?. - Nick

Mar 9 2005
My partner & I were contacted last year by Resort Properties [Link]  based at the Hollywood Mirage in Los Cristianos Tenerife. We were informed that we had won a runners up prize of one weeks free accomodation. We would be met at the airport by one of their reps and would have to attend a 90 minute presentation. We arrived in Tenerife on Friday 25th Feb and stayed at the Beverly Hills Heights Club. Early Saturday morning a rep by the name of Cathy arrived at our apartment door and arranged a meeting with us the next afternoon. We were expecting a 90 minute presentation, the meeting lasted 6 hours. Cathy first wasted 2 hours plus of our time gobshiteing about her life and asking personal questions about ours. The next couple of hours was spent enquiring about our timeshare ownership at the Paradise Club in Las Americas. When she realised she could not beat the deal we had, Cathy then started to explain a timeshare resale investment scheme for £20000. Several hours later when she realised we were not going to buy as it was explained we didn't have that kind of money spare, Cathy called her manager over Peter Wallbridge. He offered us 4 studio apartments for £10,000 with a "verbal gurantee" that they would each be sold in a matter of months each for a minimum of £4050. After 6 hours we were completely exhausted and wanted to go. We were the only couple let in the their office and the time was now 9.30pm. We paid a deposit of £500 equivalent in Euros. There was a follow up meeting that we had with Angela Brooke whom we found out has a friend who is a neighbour of ours that she had lost contact with. She gave us her number to give to our neighbour (if anyone would like her number for a "chat" please let me know). My suspicions were roused after reading all the small print and then asking for a guarantee that we would get a sufficient return on our investment by the end of the year. Angela informed us that she could not give this but said that they always sell client's investments promptly and we have nothing to worry about. I informed her that i would be investigating their company when i got home.
Now that i have returned and come across your website i see my initial suspicions were correct. We are glad we did not proceed with any further money transactions. Although we are happy that we saved ourselves £10000 we were wandering if anyone knows how if at all we can get our £500 deposit back. -  D & M

Mar 8 2005
I'm glad to have seen this site.  I too allegedly won a holiday through Sunterra [Link]  after completing a marketing information form.  Basically, any home owner with a decent income will 'win' a holiday.
I did not find the visit to one of their venues a waste of time as my husband was very proficient at wasting theirs and the salesman insisted we do not take up their offers again.  I retorted I would do this again for a free holiday if offered!
You need to read the small print and respond to the 'free' holiday within a week and pay an admin fee of about £39 pp.  I think this is reasonable for a weeks holiday in Portugal.  I am choosing out of season and purchasing my own flights and car hire so these companies aren't making much money out of me!
I have however recently won a membership from Travel Emporium.  I have no clue who they are and what competition I entered but it seems they are linked to Sunterra as there is a high admin fee to pay (600 Euros) before I can be a member. Funny prize eh!   - Helen

Mar 8 2005
I would appreciate if you were kind enough to post the following message in the Canary Islands section.
I just recently bought a pack from Viajes Sonnentravel in Gran Canaria. In the contract they say that they have a contractual relationship with DAE Holiday destinations.
Checking the Net at a German website timesharemagazin.de DAE Holiday destinations says that since november 2004 they don´t have any more relation with Viajes Sonnentravel.
Does anybody know anything about it??  Thanks  -  Victim

Mar 7 2005
J & S  Pleased to hear you got your money back. To assist the rest of us could talk us through the process so we could possibly get some back too. To be honest i'd be happy to get half back now just to forget the whole thing  - Phil

Mar 6 2005
We have just returned from a wasted Mothers Day visit to Brockwood Hall  (6th March 2005). We received a phone call advising us that we were one of fifty lucky couples in the North West to be offered a 7 night luxury holiday plus 2 return flights. This was in response to a questionnaire completed. We were advised that there were no restrictions on when to take the holiday, that it was not timeshare or holiday ownership,that we could take our 14 yr old son and only needed to pay for one additional flight plus    £39-50 admin per person. All sounds familiar?  Just wondering whether this is another off-shoot of MVI or CVI ? - anon

Mar 6 2005
Just found your web site - pity I had not found it last year before I joined MVI [Kilmarnock] [Link] and "lost" £2559.00. I hope other have been put off joining by reading the comments - How do they manage to stay in buisines, and how do the police/courts/councils allow them to keep on trading? - bert

Mar 6 2005
My husband and I visited Club Puerto Atlantico in Gran Canaria whilst on holiday.  We liked what we seen and heard and so decided to buy into Design Vacation Exchange.  We then met ANNELIES BOS who came over as a nice person (much to our sad disappointment later).  It was all explaned to us that we needed to pay £2000 deposit and also agreed with MISS BOS to pay the balance in six weeks time at this point we payed the deposit by credit card.  I was contacted five weeks later by MISS BOS but by this time my husband had tragically died.  Now when telling her about this she had the cheek to laugh more or less mocked me by saying that she heard this excuse all the time.  I was not feeling very strong at that time but tried to protest at what she was saying, the only offer she made was when she said send a death certificate (how callous) as this is a non-cancellable agreement-what a heartless, evil, little person if one could call her that (person).  I wonder how she sleeps at night, i also found out since that all she told me at that time was complete lies.  I had been through so much with the loss of my husband-yet she could not care less or even offer any sympathy and of course she delighted to eventually tell me after i had made many calls that i would not recieve any of my deposit back.  Is this woman human?   - anon

Mar 6 2005
City Vacations International (CVI) are targeting people in the London area. I received a letter telling me I had won a  luxury holiday after completing a questionnaire (that I know I haven't done). I was  told that to publicise their holidays and new office in Canary Wharf, instead of having advertiseing promotion they had contacted 50 couples to take  these wonderful holidays and tell all their friends about the great time they had -  that's all there is to it.  I could find no information about them and contacted MVI [Link]  whose website was given. MVI said CVI was an offshoot luxury holiday company in England. Also that the compant was able to make offers as often their rooms available were only 40% full.  I dragged my husband to the presentation (risking him never speaking tro me again!). Once there we met another couple and started discussing our doubts about CVI, the first couple were taken away nad within 5 minutes left the building, we were subsequently ushered into a room and explained that, as they had told the previous couple, too many people had turned up and they were short staffed so we could have the voucher without the speel. Once home I suddenly discovered your website and thank you so much I only wish I had found it earlier and saved the tiem and money of going to Canary Wharf.. When I read so many complaints about MVI/CVI, I felt a twit at not having seen through all this. Has anyone had a good experience with this group on the standby holiday or flexible holiday schemes?

Mar 4 2005
We have been members of Club Resorts international [Link] for many years since they were the Leisure Corporation and started an office in England.
We are finding the fees rising unbelievably and would like to sell but find that we cannot appear to do so.  We  have been told we can just give our 1000 points back or spend more money going into the Flexi exchange system which appears to be very similar to the RCI Points system.  Does anyone know if they are tied up together?  We do not wish to spend any more of our money on this and would appreciate hearing from anyone who knows more about CRI in South Africa than we can find out. Many thanks. Please email me on - Brenda

Mar 1 2005
This a response to Mark Gillinghams post in the whinges section. I too have had problems with this company and need a copy of the letter that they sent you as my wife destoyed ours before I knew that it would be needed can you (Mark) email me at . I would be most gratefull for your help in this matter as it has caused me and my family a lot of un called for stress -  in the know

Mar 1 2005
On 27/02/2005 I got a phone call from Alex at MVI [Link]  telling me that my wife and I had won a holiday and to phone they then promised £50 M&S vouchers, Flights from Glasgow or Prestwick 5* accomodation for 7 nights AND transport to and from the airport WHAT A DEAL ?? and only for £39.00 each booking fee.
So I booked my appointment, and researched further, thus finding this excellent web site.
I have no intention of keeping my appointment but I hope by myself and others wasting their time by booking false appointments it will eventually cost them and p**s them off.
I think this is the only way to get to these con men. - anon

Feb 28 2005
Hi, I've been contacted by CLC. [Link] .... telling me I've won a 7 day holiday with flights for 4 people.
They have asked me to go to their head office to "register"..... I smell a scam..... then I found this website.
Could anyone advise me on what is going on. - Angel Lover