TATOC The Timeshare Association

This year, 2011, saw some very important changes to the law with the rolling out of the 2011 European Timeshare Directive.

For legitimate companies this legislation was very good news as it validated their positions as trustworthy organisations and enabled customers to buy holiday products, safe in the knowledge that they were protected by a robust set of consumer rights.

So with this new age of compliance and a fair and ethical trading environment in place, why are mainstream, legitimate organisations experiencing a wave of negative comments on Internet forums and blogs and in some cases outright attacks in the shape of anti-timeshare websites?

Phil Watson “The Timeshare Lord” was today part of a discussion group with presenter Vernon Harwood on BBC Radio Somerset talking about the recent demise of St. Frances Marketing Ltd based in Exeter, who were operating a “Holiday Club” scam involving hundreds of victims. The company had recently been taken to court by Devon Trading Standards for “unfair trading” where five senior staff were ordered to pay £150,000 in costs.

Unfortunately, they were spared a potential two year prison sentence because they all pleaded guilty. The decision not to jail the five defendants who ran this scam company has been criticised by ABTA for not being a strong enough deterrent.

Vivienne Noyes-Thomas has made it to Mount Everest Base Camp, smashing her fundraising target in the process. As reported by Sharetime, former RCI executive Noyes-Thomas was tackling the Himalayan challenge for Christel House, the timeshare industry's charity of choice.

The trek to Everest Base Camp took 10 days. There, at 17,600 feet above sea level, the team spent a night in freezing temperatures.

"It was physically very hard work, sometimes mentally very hard work too," said Noyes-Thomas, "but I was fit enough thank goodness and had very few issues with the altitude - just some flashing lights in the eyes during darkness, a typical Khumbu cough as they call it there (named after the Khumbu Ice Fall that is one of Everest's most dangerous sections) which is very common because of the altitude, and some swelling around the eyes and in my toes.

As part of the Office of Fair Trading’s Scamnesty Month Cardiff Council Trading Standards is warning about the dangers of Bogus Holiday Clubs.

Trading Standards are asking for any material relating to these scams to be placed in the ‘Scamnesty’ bins located in Cardiff libraries and Housing Offices.

The scams work by inviting people to join an exclusive club offering special rates or discounts on flights, accommodation and other services.

The enticement may be when you are at home or when you are on holiday via:

• A telephone call offering low cost holidays
• A telephone call offering to buy your timeshare
• A scratch card prize on the street
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