European Consumer Claims CEO Andrew Cooper’s 2020 timeshare review and 2021 outlook

A message from our CEO, Andrew Cooper:

2020 has been a historic year. It has tested all of us in every part of our lives, and we have had to find new ways to cope, show empathy and work together — even when we have often been forced to be apart.

After years of standoffs, wrangling and gamesmanship, a Brexit deal has finally been reached. Everyone involved must be exhausted, and we can only hope the outcome proves beneficial for all.

At ECC, we have also had a demanding 12 months as COVID-19 shone an unforgiving light on long-standing issues within the timeshare industry.

Andrew Cooper, CEO of ECC

Profiteering

While airlines, hotels and other parts of the travel sector have largely tried to act fairly by refunding customers for services they could no longer use, timeshare resorts almost without exception used the situation to maximise profits. This has led to accusations of profiteering and a growing exodus from what many see as an increasingly outmoded holiday model.

Owners, appalled at being charged full annual fees despite being unable to travel, have been seeking safe ways to relinquish memberships or pursue compensation in greater numbers than ever.

Under pandemic restrictions, ECC has had to innovate to keep pace.

Extra demand under challenging conditions

By using video calls, embracing remote working and adding additional team members, we have met the extra demand. We have continued to work closely with our legal partners, M1 Legal, who during 2020 achieved 377 positive court judgements and £6.6 million in compensation awards, as well as over 600 relinquishments. Our success rate is close to 100% in both timeshare relinquishments and compensation claims.

We expect demand to increase further in 2021, and our team is ready to manage the workload.

Timeshare resorts collapsing

The giants of the industry are closing their doors one by one. Club La Costa (UK) PLC is in administration and four of its Spanish companies have filed for liquidation. Azure and Silverpoint are in a similar position. Diamond have significantly reduced their sales activities in Europe, and there are rumours that other major names are close to announcing closures.

In light of this, we have issued an alert to all timeshare owners — whether they are considering relinquishment or compensation claims or not — to get their paperwork in order. Many owners joined a long time ago and have since mislaid their ownership documents. No club is safe at the moment, and if a resort closes without warning it could become difficult, or even impossible, to obtain copies of your paperwork.

A simple call or email now to request copies from your club can give you peace of mind.

2021: A new chapter

Will we be able to travel this year? Nobody knows whether COVID-19 will worsen or improve, or what effect it will continue to have on timeshare usage.

It is possible that airlines will require proof of COVID-19 vaccination, and there are still no official timelines for mass availability. If resorts repeat the 2020 response of promising an extra week in 2022, that may stretch their credibility beyond many people’s breaking point — particularly as they clearly would not be able to accommodate the demand.

If 2020 is any indication, we can expect resorts to charge full maintenance fees again, further highlighting the inflexibility of the timeshare model. Paying an amount comparable to what non-members pay for a week’s holiday, while remaining committed to the cost whether you can travel or not, is not a situation even diehard timeshare advocates can justify for long.

Peace, love and safety, from us to you

Whatever your new year has in store, we at ECC wish you and your family prosperity, safety and good health.

We are here for any timeshare-related challenges. For everything else, I’ll leave you with this quote from Max Ehrmann’s Desiderata:

“whatever your labours and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy”

Andrew Charles Cooper.

January 2021

For more information or any other questions you may have, please call us on 0800 1026070 or email us at info@timeshareadvicecentre.co.uk.