Client visits: two pay-outs before Christmas
Just in time for Christmas last year, two of our clients received their pay-outs and were kind enough to share their stories. Both visited our office in Spain in January to talk through their experiences, and to enjoy a sunny break with us.
First, the Bradshaw’s. They approached us in late 2016 after years of growing concerns with Club La Costa, and eventually decided they had had enough. We reviewed their situation, found their contract was not compliant with Spanish law, and the case was passed to our collaborating firm of lawyers, M1 Legal.
In 2012, the couple were sold a fractional timeshare at Sierra Marina Resort, owned by Club La Costa World, for £8,000. They had also previously paid CLC £19,000 for other schemes. On top of that, they faced an annual maintenance fee of £5,000.
Our legal team were delighted when the Bradshaw’s received their pay-out. “We received €16,076 just in time for Christmas,” said the couple. “This was like a big cloud over us and now that it has been lifted, we don’t need to worry about our family being lumbered with unwanted timeshare bills. We sincerely thank ECC and M1 Legal teams for their efforts.” (ECC stands for European Consumer Claims, a company of which Timeshare Advice Centre is a trading name.)
Andrew Cooper, CEO of ECC, commented: “I am pleased that we were able to achieve this outcome for the Bradshaw’s. We look forward to doing the same for many other clients in the future.”
The Bradshaw’s story even reached Yahoo! Finance, who also covered the case. (add in link)
Next, Mr Townsend, who purchased a one-bed apartment in Gran Canaria at Airtours Beach Club in 2000. Over the following 15 years, he paid more than a further £20,000 in maintenance fees, as charges rose by more than 110%.
Although he was assured Airtours could be trusted because it was a British company, he felt their actions did not match that promise. The timeshare was sold as an investment and described as five-star accommodation that his family could still use after he was gone. “But that was not the case. I later found out I had been misinformed and felt trapped with no option to sell. I was also becoming increasingly worried about my family being held liable for the annual maintenance bills.”
Mr Townsend stopped using the property in 2016. “In early December 2019, M1 Legal informed me that the Judge had passed final judgement, and shortly before Christmas I received €20,202,” said Mr Townsend.
“If there is anyone who is on the fence about pursuing a claim with ECC and M1 Legal, then I am happy to recommend them based on my personal experience,” he added. “It is my understanding that my case was not easy, and I would like to thank M1 Legal for pushing to get a positive outcome.”
Year-to-date results (Q1 2020)
In the first three short months of 2020 we achieved a lot, with clients securing successful outcomes in the Spanish courts. Here’s a snapshot of what the first quarter brought.
Timeshare cases can take time to move through the Spanish courts; it is not a matter of a week and it’s all over. Our appointed legal teams work extremely hard to achieve the results we share each week. With the lockdown in Spain cutting short proceedings in March, we have no new favourable judgments to report from the last couple of weeks, as the courts are temporarily closed.
We can, however, share our year-to-date figures. We have already obtained 47 victories from cases that have gone to court in recent months—20 of those against Club La Costa alone. We have also been successful in 62 jurisdiction cases, which are usually where the defendant appeals to change the geographical location of where the case should be heard.
We are also proud to announce that from these resolved cases, over £700,000 has been awarded back to our clients.
Timeshare owners contact us for a variety of reasons: to ask how to dispose of a timeshare; to explore whether they can claim money back; and to share the emotional impact of feeling trapped by a timeshare agreement. Helping consumers move forward and resolve these issues is what our whole team works towards.
What now?
Everyone is aware of the COVID-19 outbreak and the impact it is having worldwide. To comply with government orders in both the UK and Spain, we temporarily closed all our offices in the interests of staff safety. However, over recent weeks we have worked hard to ensure the whole team can continue working from home.
This means we are still contactable and it’s business as normal. We continue to offer phone and video calls, so clients can discuss their situation from the comfort of their own homes. The main difference on the legal side is that the Spanish courts remain temporarily closed and, until they reopen, we unfortunately cannot submit claims. In the meantime, our legal team are preparing cases so they are ready to file once the court system is up and running again.
If you have some time at home, it’s a good opportunity to dig out your paperwork and give us a call about your timeshare concerns.
