Yet again we are having to report about how the big guys are bullying the little people. How short sighted can these timeshare management companies be, or is it that the directors have not got their fingers on the pulse of what’s happening in their resorts. This time it’s Belton Woods coming to the forefront of how they are treating their once loyal ownerbase, many of whom have owned for years and now fall into the category of vulnerable clients, but their pleas for help are being ignored.
The directors of Belton Woods Lodges Limited are – Manish Mansukhlal GUDKA and Gareth JONES. These are extremely busy gentleman, Mr GUDKA alone holds 130 directorships/LLP designated memberships and Mr JONES (chartered accountant) has a magnificent 136 official positions.
The GOV.UK website states that according to the companies Act 2006 there are 7 duties a director must perform, amongst these, interestingly they cite the following
Promote the success of the company, specifically by the:
- need to support business relationships with suppliers, customers and othe
- impact of its operations on the community and environment
- company’s reputation for high standards of business conduct
For the benefit of Gareth Jones, it also states they must·
- Exercise reasonable care, skill and diligence
- You must perform to the best of your ability. The more qualified or experienced you are, the greater the standard expected of you.
- You must use any relevant knowledge, skill or experience you have (for example, if you’re a qualified accountant).
Surely threatening elderly and vulnerable clients with court orders and CCJ´s to pay outstanding maintenance fees cannot be classed as reasonable care, skill or being diligent. Some owners are only on a state pension and simply cannot afford the fees, others who bought with their partners are now widows or widowers and find it too painful to return, but all of this falls on deaf ears.
It is quite clear from the unreasonable treatment that owners are receiving from Belton Woods, that these 2 directors either have no regard for the plight their clients find themselves in or they have lost touch with the business by having their fingers in too many pies.
These timeshare owners bought in good faith, some many years ago, unfortunately believing the hype of the salesperson, however now their maintenance fees have escalated from a few hundred pounds a year to thousands and to add insult to injury the resort is no longer exclusive, as you can book the same level of accommodation on popular websites for a fraction of the cost, with none of the long term perpetuity commitment.
Belton Woods have now informed owners that they have frozen their Exit strategy, so where does this leave them now? Come on Mr Gudka & Mr Jones, a bit of customer service and forethought wouldn’t go amiss here.
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