Although a rescheduling of an appointment at the last minute can be a little infuriating, in this instance yesterday was actually a blessing in disguise. The proposed article would have been about yet another elderly widow having problems with their exit, again it was a case of believing they were out after paying an “exit firm” to do the “job” several years ago.
After a very long delay, the timeshare company has closed the matter and confirmed they are now legally out. In this instance, we have agreed to the wishes of our reader and not named the resort which has also removed all arrears of maintenance, nice to publish a good outcome for a change.
So, as that article has gone, we have been left to cobble together a quick look at one of the items we have been told about, we begin with a warning posted on one of the Facebook groups regarding cold calls and possible scams.
The BBC consumer program “Rip off Britain” recently highlighted the story of a holiday firm offering “Special Deals”, always an alarm bell ringer that one, the deal, “7 weeks holiday anywhere in the world for a one-off payment of £1,560.”
Apparently, when the consumer tried to book, he was told it would cost another £800!
Timeshare owners are very used to these types of cold calls, they are what are termed “Fly Buys”, The way this works is very simple, the more exotic locations will have “no availability”, leaving the usual European destinations. Now, when I say European destinations, what I actually mean is “timeshare hotspots”.
The whole purpose of the exercise is to get you on a presentation for either a timeshare or a holiday club, nothing more and nothing less. As part of the deal, you will be expected to attend a “sales presentation”, no matter how they word it. Failure or refusal to do so may result in a full Invoice being presented for the accommodation or being turfed out, it is in the small print and it has happened.
At present there are around twenty (live) firms in operation, with an association with a company based in Alicante, Spain called Easy Consulting SL, which has been around for years.
Two of the companies are Platinum Weeks and Exclusive Weeks, both websites are very similar, especially when it comes to the “Resort Directory”.
https://www.platinumweeks.co.uk/resortdirectory.php
https://www.exclusiveweeks.co.uk/resortdirectory.php
On having a very quick gander at the resorts “available”, all do appear to be timeshare related, once again the alarm bells are ringing loudly.
Now what does appear to be very strange is the fact these are timeshare resorts, yet Timeshare Business Check and Timeshare Task Force, who are RDO funded, have a very critical “WARNING” about them.
https://timesharebusinesscheck.org/advice-platinum-weeks-easy-consulting-sl/
We do just wonder what is going on here, the resorts accepting “bookings” from these companies, yet the “Industry Trade Body” has its minions lambast them with a very negative review?
I can’t help wondering about double standards and could the reason be they have not paid to become members of the RDO? We have said in the past, “Not a member, then your fair game”. We should also take into consideration that some of the European resorts may not be RDO members themselves.
That aside, it is clear these calls are nothing more than timeshare and holiday club marketing making a reappearance.
This is a list of companies associated or linked with Easy Consulting SL, this has come from Timeshare Business Check.
- Bonus Breaks www.bonusbreaks.co.uk
- Bonus Extra Weeks www.bonusweekbreaks.co.uk
- Couples and Family Resorts www.couplesandfamilyresorts.co.uk
- Direct Resorts International www.directresortsinternational.co.uk
- Direct Resort Promotions (DRP) www.directresortpromotions.co.uk
- Easy Consulting SL www.directresortsinternational.co.uk
- Exclusive Time Online www.exclusivetimeonline.co.uk
- Exclusive Weeks www.exclusiveweeks.co.uk
- Extra Weeks www.extraweeks.co.uk (no longer live)
- Extra Time Online www.extratimeonline.co.uk
- Hotels VIP www.hotelsvip.co.uk
- Love All Inclusive www.loveallinclusive.com
- Love All Inclusive Asia www.loveallinclusiveasia.com (no longer live)
- Love All Inclusive Canaries www.loveallinclusivecanaries.com (no longer live)
- Love All Inclusive Caribbean www.loveallinclusivecaribbean.com (no longer live)
- Love All Inclusive Med www.loveallinclusivemed.com (no longer live)
- Love All Inclusive USA www.loveallinclusiveusa.com (no longer live)
- Platinum Weeks www.platinumweeks.co.uk
- Premium Breaks www.premiumbreaks.co.uk
- Resorts Direct www.resortsdirect.co.uk
- Reward Breaks www.rewardbreaks.com
- Sky Breaks www.skybreaks.co.uk
- Sponsored Breaks www.sponsoredbreaks.co.uk
- Sponsored Weeks www.sponsoredweeks.co.uk
- The All Inclusive Club www.theallinclusiveclub.co.uk
- The Gift Company www.giftcomp.com
- The Ultimate Holiday Package www.theultimateholidaypackage.co.uk (no longer live)
https://timesharebusinesscheck.org/advice-platinum-weeks-easy-consulting-sl/
Cold calls which also include unsolicited Emails, Texts or even “snail mail”, should always be treated with caution, nothing is as it seems and it could cost you more than you bargained for.
That’s all for today, Baby Dog was given a new toy, I just wonder if this is up to the job.
