Walter & Nancy Shankley from Lanark, Scotland, visited us recently and kindly gave permission for us to share their story. During their visit, the couple toured the M1 Hub and met the lawyer who supported them through their case.
In the latest Spanish court result involving M1 Legal, the Shankleys were awarded €20,684 in a timeshare case concerning an alleged mis-sold timeshare.
Walter and Nancy Shankley, both in their 60s, said they were overjoyed with the outcome and praised M1 Legal, the Malaga-based legal team specialising in timeshare contract law.
This is the third judgement secured by M1 against Anfinpan S.L., with awards totalling €45,091. In addition, M1 lawyers have negotiated a further five out-of-court settlements totalling €90,000.
Recently retired, the Shankleys said: “We are so happy to get rid of this timeshare.”
The couple paid £11,500 in 1999 for a July week in a two-bedroom apartment, but their maintenance fees later tripled. “We were told it was our apartment for 99 years and we could pass it down to our family – but we just did not want to burden them with it,” said Walter.
In September 2017, they saw an advert for European Consumer Claims LLC, described as experts in helping people exit unwanted timeshare contracts and make claims to recover money. The case was assigned to Spanish legal experts M1 Legal, based in Malaga. “They were very helpful,” said Nancy. “They said it would take 18 months and that is how long it took.” Walter added: “As long as you are patient and do not expect things to happen in 24 hours, we would recommend them to anyone in the same predicament.”
The case was heard in the Las Palmas court, resulting in a judgement against Anfinpan S.L., who were trading as Airtours in their dealings with the Shankleys. The judge ordered the Shankleys’ contract to be declared null and void.
M1 Legal lawyer Patricia Criado said: “This is another important victory where the resort has not complied with Spanish law. The main reasons M1 achieved this result were because the contract was in perpetuity, which means no end date, and the building and land registry information were not disclosed.” She added: “Our team aims to deliver the best results for clients within a reasonable timeframe. We were very happy with the result and are pleased that we can help consumers coerced into buying timeshares by unethical methods.”
This story is also in the public domain and has been featured in UK and local press. You can view it here: https://m1legal.news/shankley
M1 Legal – becoming the new ‘heroes’ in helping consumers take on timeshare resorts.
601 cases in the courts
266 cases being prepared
In 2019, M1 Legal has currently secured 46 victories totalling £702,089, with a further 21 won on jurisdiction which have been re-submitted for judgement.
Consumer alert
If you contact your resort about cancellation options, they may allow you to cancel. However, many resorts charge up to six years’ maintenance fees and you may need to be fully up to date. Importantly, in many cases you are required to sign a cancellation form which, if you read it carefully, may mean you are waiving your right to claim against your resort now or in the future. Our advice is not to sign your rights away and hand future benefits back to the same people who misrepresented you in the first place.
And another one bites the dust!
In February 2019, ABC Lawyers Limited filed for voluntary liquidation, leaving hundreds of clients wondering whether they will ever be out of their timeshare nightmare. ABC Lawyers Limited offered timeshare relinquishments and claims.
Advanced Business Consultants Legal S.L., the Spanish entity known as ABC Lawyers, is one of the many companies that had directorship under Mark Rowe. It is also known that several of his companies are under an ongoing police investigation. However, the good news is that if you or someone you know signed up with ABC Lawyers or any of their associated companies, we may be able to help you get a full refund on a ‘no win no fee’ basis.
Here is a list of companies and trading names under the ABC Lawyer umbrella
- ABC Lawyers Ltd
- ABC Legal
- Timeshare Compensation
- Timeshare Advice (not Timeshare Advice Centre)
- Timeshare Lawyer
- ValueMyTimeshare
Mark Rowe was also a director of the following companies registered in the UK. He resigned, leaving Nicola Helen Rowe as the sole director.
- Tuloca Ltd
- Landsdown Financial Ltd
- Staycation Lodges (Scotland) Ltd
- Staycation Lodges Ltd
- Jive Hippo Ltd
- Monster Tempco Ltd
- Gorley Vale Farm Ltd
Our offices
Our head office is located in Mijas Costa, southern Spain, and we would love people to visit the M1 Hub. We know that can be difficult to arrange, so we also have satellite offices across the UK for convenience.
STIRLING > MANCHESTER > HENLEY-ON-THAMES > DARTFORD > BRISTOL
If you are unhappy and feel let down by your timeshare purchase, contact our advice line today on 0203 807 3388.
