(26 December) TCA expand their “Help and Advice” with the introduction of an automatic telephone service providing answers to the most commonly asked questions – 0901 607 0077
(20 December) DTI apply to have 14 companies connected with the internet based club The Travel Association wound up. The companies include Holiday Direct (UK) Ltd, Club Direct Travel Ltd, Vacations Direct UK Ltd and Manor Farm Promotions Ltd.
(12 December) DTI wind up six companies involved in mis-selling internet based holidays. The companies include Travelmasters Ltd, Callmasters UK Ltd, CCH International Ltd (Bahamas), Intersun Ltd and Leisuremasters Ltd.
(26 November) Hapimag, the very original timeshare developer based in Switzerland, announces a new resort in Sylt in northern Germany
(6 November) The Department of Trade & Industry (DTI) announce proposals for minor changes to the Timeshare Act 1992.
(3 November) TCA launch a campaign to find 16,000 potential victims of the John Palmer frauds.
(25 October) Citrus Hotels, which recently bought the Edinburgh and Glasgow Residences (see 30 July) announce that they have now sold the Edinburgh Residence to an unnamed buyer.
(22 October) Donald Gonczy, a US citizen, was sentenced to seven years jail for his part in a timeshare “valuation” fraud which cost 38,000 owners a total of $15.4M Other members of his family were also sentenced.
(15 October) Hapimag – the very first timeshare company, based in Switzerland – opens a new 100 unit resort in Orlando-Lake, Florida.
(12 October) Russian Government is to introduce a licensing scheme for sellers of timeshare and holiday clubs. Licences will run for a period of five years.
(19 September) Three banks, HSBC, Bank of Scotland and Sainsburys Bank confirm that they will in future not differentiate against claims made abroad under the Consumer Credit Act.
(2 September) Gleneagles Hotel, Scotland, obtains planning permission, after three attempts, for a timeshare development close to the hotel.
(29 August) Office of Fair Trading appeal for victims of timeshare and holiday club frauds in Spain to enable the OFT to apply for “Stop Now” orders under their new powers covering the whole of the European Union.
(12 August) Seasons Holidays plc, Direct Tours & Travel and Vacation World were fined a total £18,000 (plus £3,000 costs) for making false claims in respect of “free holiday” promotions.
(31 July) Spanish police announce that timeshare frauds valued at one hundred million Euro have been perpetrated against an estimated 70.000 Europeans.
(30 July) Sunterra Corp – parent company of Grand Vacation Company – emerges from bankruptcy in the US more than two years after seeking court protection from its creditors
(30 July) Edinburgh Residence and One Devonshire Gardens (Glasgow) have been bought by a company headed by Richard Harrington and Ian Ganney – who sold their LSI buiness to Sunterra/GVC four years ago. (See 18 Oct 2001)
(19 July) The Alliance of Timeshare Consumers in Europe – ATCE – is formed by the consumer organisations in France, Germany and the UK. TCA is the UK member of ATCE.
(12 July) John Palmer makes a second appeal against his conviction. The Appeal Court reserves its judgement.
(4 July) Strasbourg Parliament vote 431 to nil to adopt the Legal Affairs Committee report – see 19 June.
(19 June) Legal Affairs Committee of the European Parliament publish proposals for major changes to the EU Timeshare Directive, to be debated by the European Parliament shortly.
(14 June) Further arrests see 6 Nov and 23 Nov, 2001) of eleven people in connection with timeshare and other frauds took place yesterday in Tenerife and the Costa del Sol. A nuumber of Britons are involved including associates of jailed John Palmer.
(8 June) USA Interactive Corp – a company specialising in controlling companies with internet booking systems – buys Interval International.
(29 May) RCI announce a rental scheme to enable any holiday maker to rent timeshare accommodation surplus to the requirements of RCI Weeks and RCI Points
(20 May) The Irish “European Consumer Centre” comprehensively reports on problems for timeshare and holiday club consumers.
(30 Apr) Office of Fair Trading admit to conducting an informal investigation into sales which are excluded from the Timeshare Act 1992 (as amended)
(25 Apr) TCA announce a scheme to help victims of the John Palmer fraud to obtain compensation.
(19 Apr) John Palmer was ordered by the Court to hand over £33M which was said to represent the loss to those of his clients that he defrauded.
(15 Apr) eBay, the world’s largest internet based sales operators, have linked with RCI to provide a website for resorts and owners to offer their resale weeks for sale.
(11 Apr) Five people were arrested in Tenerife by the Spanish police in respect of allegations of major timeshare frauds on the island. These allegations are believed to be associated with the arrests made in 23 November 2001. [see 23 Nov ]
(11 Apr) The appeal by John Palmer against his conviction, on the grounds that an indictment was not signed, fails. Palmer is said to be making a further appeal on different grounds later this year.
(9 Apr) An attempt is being made to appeal the conviction of John Palmer on the basis that the indictment document was unsigned. After two trials lasting more than a year and costing an estimated £15m. (See 23 May 2001)
(2 Apr) Cendant Corp (parent company of RCI) buys Trendwest, a timeshare operator with 48 resorts in the Eastern side of the US. Cendant had previously purchased Fairfield and Equivest in the Western US.
(14 Mar) Plans to develop a timeshare resort at Gleneagles were finally rejected by the Scottish Executive after an appeal against a planning decision.
(4 Mar) TCA announce that Timeshare Traders Ltd of Llandudno have become a Recommened Reseller.
(22 Feb) Paula Woodgate, previously Managing Director of Interval International in Europe, takes over as Chief Executive Officer of Grand Vacation Company in Europe following the move of Nick Benson to be CEO of Sunterra Corporation in the US.
(14 Feb) Cendant Corp (the US parent of RCI) announced that it has bought Equivest Finance Inc, a major timeshare marketing and finance company, merging it into Fairfield Resorts (with 30 resorts in the US). Cendant already own Century 21, a leading US reseller, recently linked with the UK reseller Primeshare.
(1 Feb) Sunterra Corp (the parent company of GVC) has filed plans for financial reconstruction so that it can come out of Chapter 11 (protection from bankruptcy) in the US.
(1 Feb) “Sorted” of the Mirror exposes a timeshare crook, Sydney Goodchild, who is now on the run in the US. Sorted claim that Goodchild has at least nine other alias names and has been active in the UK
(28 Jan) Disney boosts timeshare confidence in the US with a change of use of part of a major hotel into a timeshare complex as part of the Disney Vacation Club.
(24 Jan) At the creditors meeting of Residence International Ltd the Receiver warned timeshare owners that their contracts cannot be guaranteed
(13 Jan) LBC Members Association resolve to continue to fight for a “fair deal” for owners at Lanzarote Beach Club. Details
(5 Jan) Holiday Which? publishes a report on European timeshare indicating that recent legislation has had little effect in reducing consumer problems. Included in its recommendations are improved rights of owners.
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