Browse Month

August 2018

Friday’s Letter from America

Welcome to the last Friday’s letter from America for August, this week Irene Parker reviews the similarities between victims of the Catholic Church and Timeshare victims, it looks at how speaking up can make a difference. But first a couple of items from Europe.

Another company offering discounted travel has come to our attention, Advantage Group British Travel SL, according to Spanish company records the registered address is:

C/ LA GAVIOTA 14 – APARTAMENTO 1-19, LOS ABRIGOS (GRANADILLA DE ABONA)

This address is actually an apartment block, no sign of any office in the street.

Telephone number (34) 922 456 773

The company was registered on 24 October 2016 with the administrator being one Victoria Hughes and the secretary one Caroline Elizabeth Docker.

It appears that they use OPC’s on the street with the ubiquitous scratch cards to lure holiday makers into a presentation. This will involve several hours of high pressure sales to get you to part with a significant amount of money for a membership to another dubious “discount holiday club”.

You will then get access to the following website

www.toptraveleurope.net

This can only be accessed once you have joined and received your code and membership, there is also a £75 a year administration fee.

Now the name of this company reminded us of another several years ago called British Travel based at the Centro Comercial Fañabe Plaza, which is also the base for Monster Travel, Sell My Timeshare and other Mark Rowe enterprises.

The director of British Travel was Paul Hughes, which was also a “discount holiday club”, but was pitched as a travel agency, where you could get discount from 25% to 80%. Obviously Victoria Hughes is more than likely his wife and is now the  front for this company, we also know that Caroline is linked to paul as they are facebook friends.

So beware the ticket touts and the offers of great discounts!

We have also been informed by one of our regular readers who had dealings with the fake law firm in tenerife, Legalidad Abogados, part of the Litigious Abogados family, of another email being received about his court case against Diamond.

This has caused us a great deal of hilarity, the case was supposedly heard on 24 July 2018 and the director of Diamond Resorts International pleaded guilty, just like all the timeshare directors in these cases from this fake outfit. You will never believe who they named as the director, MARK ROWE!

Well we all know that Mark Rowe is not a director at Diamond, he runs his own little empire featuring Monster Credits, Rewards and Travel, Hollywood Marketing and off course ABC Lawyers to name but a few.

So if you are reading this Mark, congratulations on your employment at Diamond and what a shame you ended up in court!

Now for today’s article.

Timeshare Predators compared to Catholic Predators

By Irene Parker

August 31, 2018

There are many good Catholic priests, sisters and nuns, especially Benedictine Sister Joan Chittister of Erie, Pennsylvania, speaking out on what has been the pervasive Catholic culture of institutional cover-up.

Sister explains,   

Pedophilia, the abuse of children, has finally unmasked for all to see the operational principles of an organization that has been able for years to ignore, reject– even disdain–the cries of multiple other groups of the ignored and abused.

It is clear now, in ways it was never clear before, how much damage is done to the church itself, ironically, by the kind of silence that makes it impossible for the church to admit its weaknesses, to deal with its questions. . http://www.joanchittister.org/

Something clicks inside a victim when they have had enough. Some timeshare companies employ the same tactics as the church. As timeshare members alleging fraud read through this, they will have no trouble seeing similarities. I advocate on behalf of timeshare members alleging fraud, alongside 44 Timeshare Advocacy Group™ advocates.

The Catholic scandal ultimately led me to timeshare advocacy. Turning anger over child abuse outward led me to CASA, Court Appointed Special Advocates for children in foster care, where I learned how to write court reports for Family Court. When timeshare members contact me, their complaints are often confusing and lengthy. I listen to their allegations, transcribe, and return to them their complaint in court report format. Other advocates answer questions that come up when members need to file regulatory complaints

A life’s journey can take many twists and turns. My life changed dramatically after a trip to Peshawbestown, Michigan to meet with tribal spiritual director and peacemaker Paul Raphael of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians. Peacemaker Paul was one of nine male children who attended the Holy Childhood School of Jesus in Michigan where Indian boys were sexually abused by three School Sisters of Notre Dame nuns in the 1960s and ‘70s. I contacted him after reading a four part article about the abuse. By part four I was livid.

Unholy Childhood, June 29, 2008

https://www.northernexpress.com/news/feature/article-3760-unholy-childhood/

Grand Rapids Michigan investigative reporters met with Sister Laura Jean Spaeth of the School Sisters of Notre Dame in Milwaukee. Sister Spaeth was skeptical about the credibility so the reporters interviewed a total of 80 former students to verify the abuse.

“My answer was if it was just one person, that would be a legitimate argument — but we interviewed 80 people and we heard a consistently recurring story,” Golder said. “And it was troubling to me that the leaders of the order, sought to dismiss what we were saying based on the other problems in their lives,…but it was clear to me, as people told the same stories over and over, that it established a pattern that was factual.”

In 2008 I was practicing for a pipe organ exam at the cathedral for an American Guild of Organists exam. Patrick Cooney was Bishop then. Stunned after speaking with Peacemaker Paul, I wrote Bishop Cooney a letter asking if I could arrange a meeting. Peacemaker Paul resisted saying, “How will that help us?” I said it wouldn’t but it would help the Bishop because he cares and hearing directly from Peacemaker Paul could possibly help Bishop Cooney stop a potential abuser.  

Wounded Souls July 8, 2008

https://www.northernexpress.com/news/feature/article-3251-wounded-souls/

“There have been up to 400 reports nationally of sex abuse by nuns,” said David Clohessy, former national director and spokesman for SNAP, Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. “The laws are written in Michigan to protect perpetrators and those who are doing the cover-ups. There have been efforts in the Michigan legislature over the past five years to get those laws changed, to be more victim-friendly, but in each case the bishops and the bishop’s conference spent a lot of resources to get those laws defeated,” Clohessy said. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Clohessy

After experiencing a timeshare bait and switch, I wrote to ARDA, The American Resort Development Association, explaining my concerns. I thought they would be grateful someone brought criminal actions to their attention. I did not hear from ARDA except for an auto-reply. Approximately 200 allegations of fraud have been sent to ARDA over two years – and no response. ARDA does not mediate disputes, but they have a code of ethics that is being violated, based on member reports.

According to Dr. Amy Grant, University of Central Florida, who presented at an ARDA World conference in 2017.

“A whopping 85 percent of all buyers regret their (timeshare) purchase (for money, fear, confusion, intimidation, distrust and other reasons). Forty-one percent of buyers never thought they would regret their purchase, but they did; another 30 percent were neutral prior to buying, but then regretted it.”

https://www.redweek.com/resources/ask-redweek/arda-world-timeshare-owners

Victims need to file regulatory complaints, lobby lawmakers and reach out to the media. I attended a Catholic conference where victims and clergy met to address the problems. It is only through the courage and fortitude of the Sister Chittisters of the world, change happens. It is unclear if the Pope or ARDA have really accepted the reality of Social Media because victims no longer need be silenced and isolated.

This article does go to show that only by speaking up and working together can any real change happen, these cases of abuse, although very different in nature, in the church and timeshare have one thing in common, both want you to remain quiet and say nothing.

That’s all for the month of August, the courts in Spain are about to start hearing cases again so there will no doubt be some interesting news on the legal front. Also during September Inside Timeshare will not be publishing regular articles as I am on leave and spending some quiet time with a large family reunion.

Have a great weekend and remember, any company that contacts you regarding your timeshare, do your homework before you do any business with them.

The Tuesday Slot

This week’s Tuesday Slot is an update by Teresa Laird first published on 23 March 2018 in Friday’s Letter from America, it tells the story of Double Purple Heart recipient Raymond Mori and his wife’s “Nightmare on Timeshare Street”. This article has also been published by OEN, opednews.com with an introduction by Irene Parker.

https://www.opednews.com/articles/Raymond-Mori-83-Two-Purp-by-Irene-Parker-Fraud-180828-295.html

At the moment Europe and especially Spain is very quiet on the timeshare front, mainly because we are in the middle of the summer holidays, with the courts in Spain on close down. But one reader did pass on a piece from one of the Anfi members forums, it poses a very interesting question on liability when it comes to private renting of timeshare apartments and weeks.

The writer starts by mentioning that members can’t help noticing that apartments are being privately rented at Anfi and the question arises of who would be liable if that renter had an accident in the apartment?

Would the resort be liable or would the person renting it out be liable if any legal action were to be brought, a very interesting point as the resort could claim that as they are not members but have rented from a private individual they are not covered by their public liability insurance. That would mean the owner of that week and apartment would theoretically be liable, but as an owner renting it out for whatever reason, be it no longer using themselves but covering the maintenance fees, they are unlikely to have any insurance cover for this eventuality.

The writer also goes on to say that this wholesale renting was not what was originally intended, it was for the sole use of members and their families, he believes this is just another nail in the timeshare coffin and would not be surprised if Anfi became a hotel in the future leaving members with little redress.

On that last point, we do know that IFA Lopesan has set aside millions of euros with the intention of buying the Cazorla shares giving them full control. It is also a known fact that IFA Lopesan have no interest in the timeshare model, they favour hotels which are mainly all inclusive and of a very high standard.

If you are an Anfi member what are your feelings on these points, Inside Timeshare would like to hear from you, now for this Tuesdays article.

Retired Marine Raymond Mori, Two Times Purple Heart Recipient, Alleges Timeshare Fraud at Age 83

An update since my original article March 23, 2018

http://insidetimeshare.com/fridays-letter-america-42/

Tuesday Talk Member’s Forum August 28, 2018

  

By Teresa Laird,  

Purple Heart 9/29/68

“I am writing this at my parent’s last Diamond Resorts update March 13, 2018, I am convinced my parents, at age 83 and 79, would have purchased 30,000 additional Diamond vacation points for $234,295 had I not been with them. This offer required a down payment of $69,993. I kept the paper of these terms under the table because members are not allowed to walk out with hand written notes. My dad was not feeling well. He falls asleep in his wheelchair and had spent six months in the hospital after a heart attack. The stress over this expense has caused my parent’s health to deteriorate further.”

Raymond Mori before being shot down twice, a gunner,  earning two Purple Hearts.

I changed their phone number to avoid Diamond’s collection calls. My mom still shakes when she hears the phone ring. She has never been late on paying a bill in her life, so this has caused her to lose weight and lose sleep. I learned my mom’s entire Social Security check goes to pay the Diamond mortgage. We have learned Diamond points have no secondary market value, so unlike your home, you can’t sell the points if you have a loan.

My parents today, Lillian and Raymond Mori, married 61 years

I have reached out to Angela Sandstede as her parents are going through exactly what we are going through. Roy Simmons is a Navy veteran. His Diamond mortgage payment is $2,700. He is a Navy veteran and a retired letter carrier.

Roy Simmons and Angela Sandstede Simmons

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_nca6lMA4U&feature=youtu.be

Like many, my parents used their Monarch Grand Vacation timeshare for years without complaint. They said they were told they had to give up their deed and buy points. I’ve learned they did not have to do that. Since Diamond acquired Monarch, their annual maintenance fees have increased from $2,600 to $4,600.        

I first learned of their purchase when my mom told me they had purchased an investment. She said they had invested in property. I called Diamond Resorts when my dad said they wanted to sell some points. When I asked how to go about selling points, the DRI hospitality agent laughed at me.

What they bought

4,000 Diamond points 3/12/2013 for $20,416  

2500 Diamond points 6/25/2013 for $8,325  

2500 Diamond points 7/29/2013 for $8,616

5000 Sampler points 5/4/2014 for $2,995

At ages 79 and 75 they were sold a Sampler trial program?

I called Diamond and told them that they needed to take back this last Sampler purchase at the very least. They said they would work with us but had to talk to my parents directly. What did they do – they sold my parents 17,000 more points over the phone at then ages 79 and 73 for $49,492. My parents said they were told they cannot cancel the Sampler, but the points could be added to something else. This is why they are in foreclosure. The caller said they would attach the Sampler points to another program. I could not believe it. Their new maintenance fees are $4,780.

My mom worked as an interpreter for the Ontario California liaison. She speaks Spanish. My dad is diagnosed with early Alzheimer’s. To think their lives have been financially ruined by this company is unforgivable. I am an advocate now. I am a veteran. I am working on a graduate degree and am active in the Veteran’s Resource Center. There is a Veteran’s Resource Center in every university. As soon as I finish my degree, I plan to make it my life’s work to warn veterans about predatory timeshare sales that can financially ruin the lives of those who served to protect us, including those who intend to do us harm. I am one of 72 veterans and active duty military and law enforcement who have reported alleged timeshare fraud.  https://www.csun.edu/vrc

https://www.facebook.com/groups/DiamondResortsOwnersAdvocacy/

Thank you Teresa for the update, it is despicable that the timeshare industry allows its sales agents to behave in this manner, we have said it before and will continue to say it, you as an industry

ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT YOUR SALES AGENT SAY AND DO!

It is your products they are selling, you employ them to represent your companies, the buck stops with you. If the industry can’t change its practices, then maybe it is time for major legislation forcing them to change. We have seen this in Spain, consumers there are now given the full protection of the law, the strongest in Europe, with other countries starting to follow their lead.

If you have any comments or would like to share your own “Nightmare on Timeshare Street”, then contact Inside Timeshare, remember you are not alone.

Have you been contacted by a company offering resale, claims or relinquishment and are not sure if the company or what they are offering is genuine, then use our contact page and we will point you in the right direction. Doing your homework before engaging with any company dealing with timeshare will save you money and a whole lot of stress.

Friday’s Letter from America

Welcome to another Letter from America, this week Meryl Reyman gives her insights on the timeshare industry, or as we prefer to call it “Nightmare on Timeshare Street”.

Inside Timeshare and Timeshare Advocacy Group™ has received 285 timeshare complaints since January 1, in response to our articles, from timeshare members angry about purchasing a product, most allege they were deceived into buying, signing a perpetual contract with no secondary market. We received 257 complaints for all of 2017.

Given the dramatic increase in the volume of complaints, Irene will only be posting our Friday’s Letter from America to allow more time to respond to our readers. In addition, Irene is working on a research project with a team of advocates.

We hope other contributors who have previously submitted articles, will continue to submit articles and we encourage new submissions from others who would like to contribute to our cause – educate the public to prevent or at least slow the volume of complaints from angry timeshare buyers, tired of the deception.

WHY IS NEVADA THE “WE SEE NOTHING” STATE

AND MISSOURI THE “SHOW ME” STATE

By Meryl Reyman, a Nevada resident

August 24, 2018

Our most vulnerable and valued citizens—elderly, disabled and military—are often defrauded by the timeshare industry.  Since there is no federal protection in the U.S., victims must rely on the states they live in to protect their interests. However, timeshare buyers typically buy a timeshare in a state other than their state of residence, so must file a timeshare complaint in the state where they purchased the timeshare. Some state Attorneys General are listening. Nevada is not one of them.

Nevada seems to be under the thumb of the timeshare industry and is profiting from the millions of dollars that are taken out of the pockets of the victims of timeshare fraud.  Despite repeated complaints of a very serious nature, and high ticket sales, the Nevada Attorney General, via the Nevada Real Estate Division and the Nevada BBB, deny consumers cavalierly by stating “you have no proof” even when a pattern of deceit and bait and switch tactics are its own proof. The volume of similar complaints is compelling and compounding. In timeshare Mecca Florida, proof is even harder to come by because it is a two party state, meaning both parties must be aware of an in-person meeting being recorded.  

Recently the Better Business Bureau of Missouri published a report detailing a pattern of predatory practices by timeshare sales agents and “Get you out of your timeshare scams” in Branson.  

Consumer Tips from the St. Louis BBB:

Don’t Fall for Deception, Pressure and Traps Disguised as Vacations: A Better Business Bureau Study of the Missouri Timeshare / Vacation Club Industry

https://www.bbb.org/en/us/article/news-releases/18149-dont-fall-for-deception-pressure-and-traps-disguised-as-vacations-a-better-business-bureau-study-of-the-missouri-timeshare-vacation-club-industry

Look on the secondary market first. If you are interested in buying a timeshare, you may save thousands buying on the resale market. Be fully aware of what you are purchasing and from whom you are buying to ensure a smooth transaction. Make sure you have in writing the terms of the sale and what each side is responsible for paying at closing. Read the contract carefully and ask questions of the seller.

  • Don’t bow to pressure. Take time to think about your decision. Ask the salesperson to send you written information about your possible purchase, including a contract that you can review. There is nothing that says you have to sign the first thing that is shown to you. Let the deal breathe before you figure out if it is right for you.
  • Do your research. Compare travel savings with online travel services or local travel agents. Also, check out the company with bbb.org.
  • Act fast if you are not satisfied. If you sign a contract for a timeshare or travel club, you have a short window to cancel the contract if you don’t like what you purchased. Don’t wait until after you get back from your trip to take a second look at the contract and research the company you are dealing with or it may be too late. Also, always pay with a credit card so you can challenge the charge should something go wrong with the purchase.
  • Do it yourself. If you want to get out of a timeshare commitment, do the work yourself. First, turn to the property from which you purchased the deed to see if there is a deed-back program in place. If that does not work, you may have to turn to the resale market. You likely will have to make a deal with a buyer to sell the timeshare. That option often is still cheaper than dealing with a resale or liquidation company that may charge you thousands of dollars to do the same work for you.

The Message as we interpret it:

Given the perpetual nature of the timeshare contract, the lack of a viable secondary market, and rising maintenance fees, consumers can find themselves stuck – with points eventually foreclosed or taken back, only to be sold again to the next unsuspecting vacationer.

DON’T FINANCE A VACATION or any Luxury Item AT 12% TO 19% and don’t believe a word a timeshare sales agent says. As the St. Louis BBB recommends, check with a licensed secondary market resale broker. We recommend contacting a member of the Licensed Timeshare Resale Broker Association before buying any timeshare.   http://www.licensedtimeshareresalebrokers.org/

Timeshare is a multi-billion dollar industry propelled by powerful lobby dollars. The media needs to help their public by shining a light on the deceptive practices so that the consumer can make an educated decision as to whether the timeshare product makes sense for them.

Inside Timeshare, and Timeshare Advocacy Group™, whose mission is to shine a spotlight on the timeshare industry, has received about the same high number of complaints directed against Florida, Nevada, Missouri, Hawaii, California, and Virginia sales centers. Of these states, only Nevada and Florida have routinely dismissed the customer by falling back on the oral representation clause.

For more information, please contact me at: [email protected] or Timeshare Advocacy Group™: https://www.facebook.com/timeshareadvocategroup/

Meryl Reyman is a retired attorney and former senior executive of a large marketing/advertising agency located in New York City. Meryl is now a resident of Henderson, NV. She successfully rescinded a timeshare contract after learning little of what the sales agent said was true.

Thank you to Meryl for your advocacy efforts. If you or someone you know needs help with a timeshare concern, contact one of these self-help groups that Inside Timeshare feels is not industry influenced.

https://www.facebook.com/timeshareadvocategroup/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/DiamondResortsOwnersAdvocacy/

https://tug2.com/Home.aspx

https://www.facebook.com/groups/180578055325962/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/465692163568779/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1639958046252175/

This week Inside Timeshare has received many more complaints from disgruntled US members, these have been passed on to our Advocacy teams who are now working with them to sort out their problems. We have also been receiving many requests for information from our European readers, the bulk have been from the UK and all revolve around the growing claims and cancellation business. Most of the requests are about the many companies that we have already highlighted, but it will not be long before a few new names start to emerge.

The unfortunate thing is that there are some genuine law firms working very hard to help owners who are stuck in the timeshare rut, but how do you sort out which is which?

If you have been contacted by any company or have found one on the internet and want to know the truth about them, use our contact page and we will point you in the right direction. Remember doing your homework will always save you a whole lot of stress, plus it will also keep your money where it should be, in your bank!

Join us next week for more on the murky world that is timeshare, have a great weekend and if you are going to a timeshare resort, beware the “update” meeting!