If you are unhappy with your timeshare because you are paying out more than you can afford or not getting the service you paid for, then the first point of contact should be direct with the resort to give them an opportunity to rectify your issues. If this does not happen then the next step is to seek professional legal advice.
You may feel hopeless, even that there’s no way out but rest assured, there are options. If you do feel that this is the road you want to go down then here are some preparation steps that will help you.
Check Your Documents
Ensure you have all the contracts that you signed. If you can’t find all your paperwork, data legislation has meant that in Europe, you can request this information and the resort/company need to provide it by law. This is called a Subject Access Request (SAR’s).
If you do have your timeshare purchase agreement/contract, then have a good look through all the documentation. Have you got the whole contract, or does it feel like there are bits missing?
Can you spot anything that doesn’t look quite right? Often, these contracts are full of confusing legal language that is designed to confuse and deter you from investigating further.
Now, it is time to think back to when you bought the timeshare
It is a good idea to take some time to sit and write down everything you can possibly remember about the time when you bought your timeshare. Write as much detail as you can about every aspect of the day. Go through old notes and diaries, if you have them, to help garner as much information as you can.
How were you approached (on the street, by post, a flier, telephone call, onsite)?
Can you remember the things they told you to persuade you to attend – (free gift, money, free holiday)?
How long were you told the presentation would last & what was it about?
Were you put in a high-pressure sales environment, enduring a lengthy timeshare presentation followed by an intense grilling by a sales rep? Were you given alcohol or food? How did you pay?
Did they make promises to persuade you to buy, which didn’t materialise or later turned out to be untrue?
Be aware of the following:
1. Don’t Tell Your Timeshare Resort until you have all the paperwork
Whatever you do, do not alert them that you’re seeking legal advice against them. This will make them initiate intimidation tactics to put you off. They will tell you all sorts of things which may not even be true just to avoid coming under legal scrutiny and of course because they do not want to lose your maintenance fee income.
2. You Are Not Alone
There have been countless cases in recent years where even the biggest timeshare companies have been brought to task in the Courts, namely Club la Costa, Diamond Resorts, RCI, Silverpoint, Anfi, to name but a few. They have all found themselves subject to negative publicity, forced to hand out timeshare compensation, and thousands of timeshare contracts have been nullified.
3. Exit possibilities
Be aware, it may not be possible to relinquish from some Timeshare Contracts it simply depends on what you have purchased.
If you haven’t already done so, now is the time to seek help. Going it alone is simply not an option. It is important to have a good timeshare knowledge of the business and the law surrounding it, in order to mount a case that stands a good chance of success. Unless you are a lawyer or are prepared to put in many hours & days and probably late nights learning about it, taking timeshare companies on yourself is not a good strategy.
Looking online to find a company you can trust can be extremely daunting in a tarnished industry so please contact us should you want our assistance.
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