Consumer Alert

Claims Companies

We have been advised by some of our members that they have been approached by the following companies to exit their timeshare ownership:

• The Timeshare Termination Team
• Praetorian Legal
• ABC Legal
• Fullbrook Associates
• Lansdown Financial
• Taylor-Marshall Associates
• Collins-Harper Associates
• Amaryllis Associates
• Sarah Waddington Solicitors
• AEGIS Direct SL

If you have been contacted by one of these companies, please speak to RCI first to understand your options in relation to your RCI membership. RCI is best placed to assist you with any aspect of your RCI membership and you do not need to pay a third party for membership-related advice.

Your RCI membership enables you to exchange your timeshare ownership and is separate to that of ownership. Any queries relating to your ownership should be communicated to the resort/vendor where your ownership was purchased.

Platinum Weeks

We have been alerted to several incidents where RCI members have been contacted and offered holidays by a company called Platinum Weeks.

Platinum Weeks is in no way affiliated with RCI. We advise our members to contact the RCI Call Centre if they are unsure whether any calls they receive are from RCI or from companies who claim they are connected with RCI to check they are genuine.

Club Class/ ITRA/ RCI Action Group

Please click here to read the following press release relating to the winding up in the public interest of a number of companies linked to a concierge holiday scheme marketed by an organisation called International Timeshare Refund Action (ITRA) under the guise of asking people to join in legal action against the timeshare industry. Such action by the Insolvency Service is only taken where the evidence of wrong doing is considered a serious threat to the public interest. We would strongly advise all RCI members to seriously consider whether they wish to have any dealings with ITRA, as this organisation is not operating with a legitimate purpose in mind, as the actions of the Insolvency Service demonstrate. Please also click here for the findings of the Court in 2 recent cases.

We are aware that ITRA claims to have instigated legal action against RCI Europe and has been attempting to solicit members to join this action though various means, most recently, we are told, via an organisation called “RCI Action Group”. We can confirm that proceedings were issued against RCI Europe in the High Court in London by a number of current and former members. The case proceeded by way of 4 test claims. RCI strongly disputed the claims made and, in a judgment dated 20th October 2016, the Court found in favour of RCI on all claims.

UPDATE – AUGUST 2019

We understand from the RDO (Resort Development Organisation) website that ITRA was wound up on 30 January 2019. This followed a petition made by a couple that had taken ITRA to court on grounds of unlawful conduct involving misrepresentations and failure to provide promised services concerning timeshare relinquishment and compensation. ITRA failed to refund monies as ordered by the court.

RDO have advised that the owners of ITRA are now trading through the ECC (European Claims Centre). ECC is also the subject of consumer complaints and has previously worked alongside ITRA, with common ownership and the same employees and premises. In several cases, ECC are attempting to take over cases from ITRA and, in some instances, are demanding fees.

We advise members to be cautious if contacted by ECC.

Advice to our Members

As members will note from the other warners on this page, unscrupulous organisations remain ready to try and mislead you into thinking that they are connected to RCI in order to sell their "services". In many cases these "services" are of very poor quality or simply non existent.

Typically, these organisations make use of cold calling or unsolicited emails and falsely claim to be from, or associated with, RCI. If you receive an unsolicited call or email from a person who claims to be contacting you from or with the agreement of RCI you should always ask, before doing anything else, that the details of your last exchange you arranged through RCI (eg where and when it was) be confirmed. If this is not answered satisfactorily then this suggests the organisation is not genuine and we strongly advise that you discontinue all contact immediately, do not disclose any personal details and do not purchase any services being offered. Please let RCI know if you receive any such suspicious calls or emails, so we can tell other members, and take what action we can to stop such action.

We also recommend that you consider contacting Mindtimeshare (www.mindtimeshare.com), who are a Consumer Association representing the interests of European consumers that have been victims of a fraud related to Timeshare. They will, with your agreement, use what you tell them to investigate further and take what action is possible so any suspected dishonest practice is publicised and stopped. 

Praetorian Legal

We believe that the above organisation (which is not a law firm) may have been in contact with a number of RCI Members. In particular, we understand that Praetorian offers to write to RCI on behalf of members in order to affect cancellations of their memberships.

Praetorian makes a charge for its services. We believe however that in the vast majority of cases members’ queries or concerns can be addressed quickly and without any charge if they speak to RCI directly.

We would therefore urge any members that are contacted by Praetorian not to agree to pay any money to them but to contact RCI instead. 

www.timesharecompensation.co.uk (January 2017)

We are aware of the above claims website/business which, despite not being a law firm, purports to offer claims and compensation services to consumers. We note In particular, that there is a description on the website of the claims brought against RCI by the “RCI Action Group” which are referred to above. This description is grossly misleading and contains statements that are straightforwardly untrue. In particular, we would stress that the court found in favour of RCI, dismissed all the claims concerned and ordered the claimants to pay RCI’s costs. We would urge our members not to have any involvement with this business. 

sellmytimeshare.tv
Monster Rewards SL

Please note that RCI has no association at all with sellmytimeshare.tv or Monster Rewards SL. We do not endorse any product or service provided by sellmytimeshare.tv or Monster Rewards SL and any references to RCI on sellmytimeshare.tv have been made without our authority.

On 28th November 2017, police officers in the UK investigating matters concerning Monster Travel and SellMyTimeshare.tv executed warrants, searched several premises and made multiple arrests. The investigation is ongoing.

Consumers who have concerns about these and connected businesses are advised to immediately file a report with Action Fraud online via http://actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040. 

EZE Group

On Friday, 17th November, EZE Europe Ltd, Dominic O’Reilly (described as the CEO of EZE Group) and his daughter Stephanie O’Reilly, a director of EZE Europe Ltd, appeared at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court. All pleaded guilty to offences under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008. These related to misrepresentations regarding the selling of ‘Leisure Credits’ or ‘Concierge Services’ a ‘holiday and lifestyle’ product and connected purported legal assistance to timeshare owners. Leisure Credits have been the subject of official warnings by the UK authorities.

Luxury Linx

We have been alerted to several incidents where RCI members have been contacted and offered holidays by a company claiming to be part of RCI called Luxury Linx.

Luxury Linx is in no way affiliated with RCI. We advise our members to contact the RCI Call Centre if they are unsure whether any calls they receive are from RCI or from companies who claim they are connected with RCI to check they are genuine.