Client: RCI Action Group
Date: 25th September 2014
Document: Timeshare Consumer Association
Sub-headline: Disgruntled RCI Europe customers band together to create an action group of over 10,000 people with a court case pending in early 2015.
We’re all very much aware that the timeshare industry started to stagnate in the late eighties and early nineties and with a huge amount to protect the clever guys in suits came across what they thought was a brilliant idea … “let’s forget about repetitive timeshare in the same resort each year and let’s start offering everyone the chance to buy timeshare anywhere in the world at any time”. It was, by anyone’s standard, a brilliant idea that had the potential of reinventing the timeshare industry, or it ‘would have been’ a brilliant idea if, in fact, it had gone on to work properly.
The problem is, for thousands of people it just didn’t work at all and although it managed to boost the flagging industry with impressive sales figures, the simple fact remains that thousands of people were unable to secure the holiday destinations that they wanted at the very times they wanted them … for too many people the promise just didn’t materialise which in turn created an overwhelming sense of mis-selling.
Much of the blame seemed to lie at the door of RCI, who as one of the main operators in the market seemed to crop up more frequently. News soon spread about a class action case that had been successfully won against RCI in the US and it wasn’t long before a number of disgruntled RCI Europe customers started to band together and form the RCI Action Group with the aim of bringing a similar British action called ‘group litigation’ against the operator.
Through word of mouth, the group soon started to grow and they fairly quickly appointed a company called Litigation Management who arranged funding for the case, created a committee and brought in the London based commercial law firm, Edwin Coe LLP. The case against RCI was handed to Senior Partner David Greene whose experience included the Railtrack shareholders action against the Government, Northern Rock and investors in the Madoff fraud. The team set about building a case against RCI Europe and the trial window has now been set for early 2015.
In terms of numbers, the group currently has just over 10,000 members all of whom will benefit if and when the case is won. But confidence is high, especially after the US outcome. The UK media has also been hugely supportive of the group and the BBC recently ran a feature on Radio 4 which featured the committee’s Chairman, Mike Attenborough Cox talking about the aims and ambitions of the group.
It is also important to note that membership of the group is completely free of charge.
For more information please contact info@rciactiongroup.com or take a look at www.rciactiongroup.com. There are important video clips on this website that explain the workings of the action group, access to regular newsletters, updates and background information. Although involvement with this case will not remove your obligation to your timeshare it may lead to significant recompense once the case is complete … a lot like a PPI case.
For more information regarding this article or assistance in any other timeshare related issues please contact the TCA on 01908 881058 or email: info@TimeshareConsumerAssociation.org.uk