Monday, June 05, 2006
Angry Victims Buy Ambulance To Tail Firm's Timeshare Scams
TWO timeshare victims who lost thousands of pounds are tailing the firm' s salesmen in a 'scambulance' to raise the alarm.
Campaigner Allan Thompson bought the old ambulance on eBay and tours the country to warn potential customers off timeshare firm Sunterra's scam.
Allan, 57, an oil rig worker, and wife Christine spent thousands on 'points' which they found were not enough to get the holidays they wanted.
Their experience with the firm happened seven years ago but they have dedicated themselves to warning others about it ever since.
The Sunday Mail won compensation for some victims six years ago after revealing how many had bought worthless timeshare "points in a timeshare scam."
Others lost thousands to the firm that renamed itself Grand Vacation Club and now uses other firms to sell their schemes.
The Thompsons research their sales tours and park the Scambulance outside. They were at the Ramada Jarvis hotel in Glasgow city centre eight days ago. Allan said: "I suppose it's turned into a bit of a hobby.
"We bought an ambulance for £2300 and renamed it the scambulance. We travel wherever Sunterra hold their sales pitches."
Christine, 50, said: "We do this because we're absolutely bloodyminded. It's a national scandal."
English-based Sunterra, who sell timeshare breaks in the UK and worldwide, use other companies to sell their holiday scams.
We told how many customers found the points they have bought are not enough to buy the breaks they were promised.
When they complained to Sunterra, they were told it is nothing to do with them and they should take it up with the company which sold them the deal.
But the front firms selling the breaks quickly disappeared before re-emerging using another name.
Allan, of Bearsden, near Glasgow, said: "We paid more than £8000 in 1999 after being told a string of lies at one of these sales meetings.
"We and the other campaigners were victims of a mis-selling timeshare scam. Sunterra say they have lots of happy customers - but Harold Shipman had plenty of happy patients."
Sunterra chief executive Nick Benson said: "This is the first I have heard of this.
"I will ask our member services team to have a look at these complaints to see if there is a way to resolve the issues.
"We have 90,000 member families in Europe and the vast majority are very satisfied, and do not think they are in the middle of a timeshare scam."
TWO timeshare victims who lost thousands of pounds are tailing the firm' s salesmen in a 'scambulance' to raise the alarm.
Campaigner Allan Thompson bought the old ambulance on eBay and tours the country to warn potential customers off timeshare firm Sunterra's scam.
Allan, 57, an oil rig worker, and wife Christine spent thousands on 'points' which they found were not enough to get the holidays they wanted.
Their experience with the firm happened seven years ago but they have dedicated themselves to warning others about it ever since.
The Sunday Mail won compensation for some victims six years ago after revealing how many had bought worthless timeshare "points in a timeshare scam."
Others lost thousands to the firm that renamed itself Grand Vacation Club and now uses other firms to sell their schemes.
The Thompsons research their sales tours and park the Scambulance outside. They were at the Ramada Jarvis hotel in Glasgow city centre eight days ago. Allan said: "I suppose it's turned into a bit of a hobby.
"We bought an ambulance for £2300 and renamed it the scambulance. We travel wherever Sunterra hold their sales pitches."
Christine, 50, said: "We do this because we're absolutely bloodyminded. It's a national scandal."
English-based Sunterra, who sell timeshare breaks in the UK and worldwide, use other companies to sell their holiday scams.
We told how many customers found the points they have bought are not enough to buy the breaks they were promised.
When they complained to Sunterra, they were told it is nothing to do with them and they should take it up with the company which sold them the deal.
But the front firms selling the breaks quickly disappeared before re-emerging using another name.
Allan, of Bearsden, near Glasgow, said: "We paid more than £8000 in 1999 after being told a string of lies at one of these sales meetings.
"We and the other campaigners were victims of a mis-selling timeshare scam. Sunterra say they have lots of happy customers - but Harold Shipman had plenty of happy patients."
Sunterra chief executive Nick Benson said: "This is the first I have heard of this.
"I will ask our member services team to have a look at these complaints to see if there is a way to resolve the issues.
"We have 90,000 member families in Europe and the vast majority are very satisfied, and do not think they are in the middle of a timeshare scam."
# posted by John @ 4:52 AM 
