Dozens of would-be holiday-makers in Gloucestershire are to launch a legal battle against two firms they claim mis-sold them timeshare schemes.

The couples, along with hundreds of other people across the South West, have found themselves out of pocket after forking out for holidays with companies that have now gone into liquidation.

Many claim the problem has been compounded because they signed up for 'misleading' loans if they could not afford the initial outlay, and are now struggling to pay them back.

The schemes were advertised to work like club-cards or air miles, with credits accrued from brochure holidays being convertible into stays at timeshare resorts across the world.

The holidays were marketed by Easy Save Finance Ltd, which traded as Leisure Time Promotions, and St Frances Marketing Ltd, trading as Buena Viva and Classic Cruisers, after being invited by phone to marketing days at Exeter.

Most claim they only agreed because they were promised the points could be bought back if they wanted out – which they later found was not the case.

Many complain they had felt intimidated by the hard-selling routine of the marketing agency and felt they had been misled during the sales presentations.

Buyers claim it was only when they got home and read the small print that they realised what they had signed up to was merely an expensive timeshare.

Many are now facing hefty debts and court proceedings from financial companies that provided them with loans to pay for the holiday schemes.

Hundreds of complaints have since been made against the companies and hundreds of people have joined an action group set up to try to quash the loans.

Leading the group is David Schneider, an accountant with law qualifications from Middlesex.

"Everyone I've spoken to has been sold a timeshare together with a loan and they say they were attracted because they don't need to pay anything for a year," he said.

"But I believe people are misled by these companies' selling tactics and high-pressure selling pitch and they don't twig until later, by which time the company refuses to release them from the contract.

"We believe there are around 2,500 people out there who have signed up to these and similar schemes.

"Some of them include senior police officers, a number of solicitors and even a judge. They are educated, professional people."

Mr Schneider added that because people were signing up to loans, they were actually protected by the Consumer Credit Act.

The group is in the process of taking High Court action against the two finance companies that have financed the loans to pay for the holiday deals – Barclays Partner Finance, which is part of Barclays Bank, and GE Money.

Both have said they will address people's concerns on a "case-by-case basis" but refused to comment on whether they would consider wiping out the debts.

A GE Money spokesman said: "We are aware a number of complaints have been made about the way in which St Frances Marketing sold their holiday products.

"We no longer accept business from St Frances Marketing, or Easy Save Finance, but we take all such customer complaints very seriously."

A spokesman for Barclays Partner Finance said: "BPF is aware of the concerns relating to these firms and we will continue to review cases relating to these firms on an individual basis."

Easy Save and St Frances operated from premises which were raided by trading standards staff earlier this year. Easy Save went into voluntary liquidation in November, 2007 and St Frances in June this year.

One couple from Stroud cancelled the moment they got home but were told their cancellation letter was a day late. But when their lawyer asked Buena Viva to provide a photocopy of the dated envelope of that letter, it couldn't.

The couple went on to be threatened by bailiffs claiming they owe Barclays £15,000.

Devon County Council's trading standards department has confirmed that inquiries into the companies and several individuals associated with them are ongoing.

Mr Schneider, who leads the action group, can be emailed at time sharesteeringgroup@gmail.com or by calling 0208 958 3372.

Case Study

Martin and Sarah Taylor from Cranham signed up to a Petchey Leisure holiday points scheme with St Frances in February 2008.

"We had a phone call saying we had won a free holiday but we had to come to a presentation in Exe- ter to claim it," said Mr Taylor.

"We guessed it was something to do with a timeshare or holiday points, but we had been thinking about doing something like that for a while.

"The sales people told us it would spread the cost of the holidays over a 10-year period and we could get five-star accommo- dation and would have access to worldwide destinations.

"We told them we thought the cost of the loan was steep and they said, 'Try it for two years and if you don't like it we'll buy it back'."

The couple thought they would be repaying a loan of £2,500 and if they didn't decide to use the points they wouldn't pay anything, so they signed up.

"We were also told there was an option to pay nothing for 12 months and if we paid before that it was only an APR of four per cent. They would also pay £100 into our account every month, so we would only be paying £80 for first year and in the second it would only be about six per cent APR."

But when he read the small print, Mr Taylor realised he had signed into a financial agreement with Barclays for 24.5 per cent APR for a loan of up to £20,000.

"Once we realised we wrote a letter saying we wanted to cancel. After 12 months I noticed Barclays was withdrawing £500 from my account each month, so I cancelled the standing order."

The couple sought legal advice and were told they were better off sending a cheque for the full amount and sending a letter saying they had paid under duress. Mr Taylor made the difficult decision of withdrawing it from his pension pot to get the creditors off his back.

He said: "It has been extremely stressful."

Timeshare owners heading to New York for the festive period in 2009 will be able to enjoy a performance of White Christmas at Broadway's Marquis Theatre.

Featuring songs by Irving Berlin, there will be a total of 61 performances of the Walter Bobbie-directed musical, running from November 13th to January 3rd.

It tells the tale of two showbiz friends who put on a show in a Vermont inn, finding their perfect partners along the way.

White Christmas was originally staged at the Marquis Theatre last season after a number of productions were performed across the US.

Randy Skinner is on hand as the choreographer, which could excite those in the audience who know their stuff when it comes to dance.

The Marquis Theatre is one of the newest theatres to have been built on Broadway, having opened in 1986.

It has 1,611 seats, is one of nine Nederlander Organization Broadway theatres and can be found inside the Marriott Marquis Hotel.

Point to Point Destinations has welcomed Stoneridge Resort in Blanchard, Idaho to the world of RCI Points to its RCI Points Home Group.

Timeshare owners can take advantage of the 20 local golf courses around the resort as well as some swimming, fishing and water skiing surrounded by rolling hills and hardwood forests, the association of timeshare members explained.

A theme park also lies close by, or timeshare users can spend time at the 24,000 sq ft recreation centre, with its Olympic-size indoor pool and 3 newly resurfaced tennis courts.

In the winter time, there are some great ski areas to be enjoyed as well as numerous cross-country trails, according to Point to Point Destinations.

The timeshare company also notes that there is the Panhandle Mini-Golf Course in the vicinity of the resort.

Point to Point Destinations was established in 1999 and it originally offered locations in Whistler, Canada.

It introduced the first urban timeshare in Canada, located in downtown Vancouver.

Three luxury affiliates are to become part of the Registry Collection timeshare exchange programme's network.

These include Jimmy Johnson's Fisherman's Cove in the Florida Keys, which offers diving activities and waterfront dining.

An outdoor swimming pool and cabanas are also on offer to timeshare owners at the resort, as well as a private dock and boats.

The International Riviera in North Africa is another of the additions to the Registry Collection exchange programme's network, which is due to be completed in 2011.

Timeshare owners will be able to enjoy 50 luxury waterfront villas as well as a Las Vegas-style casino complex and golf and spa facilities.

Meanwhile, Halcyon Hills Spa Resort and Marina is to be found on the Greek island of Samos and will offer two beaches as well as tennis courts.

It recently emerged that the International Riviera development in Tunisia, a five-star residential resort, affiliated with the Registry Collection exchange programme.

Scores of residents in Gloucestershire are getting ready to take legal action against two timeshare firms after they all say, misled them into purchasing loans. The group along with hundreds more across the south west of the UK say they are now out of pocket after the companies both went into liquidation.

The scheme was meant to work as a reward package like air miles or club cards. Those involved would gain reward points for brochure holidays taken, which they could then exchange for time at a timeshare property.

The two firms invited people down to marketing days in Exeter via telephone canvassing and most of those that signed up said they either did so because of aggressive sales pitches or they had been promised that they could get their money back if they so wished. What most realised after they had signed up was that it was just an expensive timeshare.

There is now an action group that has been set up by people who were tricked into taking out the loans. The financiers behind the loans was Barclay’s Partner Finance who have said that they will look into each case individually and will not be writing off the debt as a whole.

Thanks to www.thisisgloucestershire.co.uk for the above information, for more details on this story please visit their website.

For those timeshare owners looking for some adventure, Iceland has plenty to offer, it has been said.

Icelandair has revealed the country covers around 103,000 sq metres, 10 per cent of which is made up of glaciers, such as the largest one in Europe in the form of Vatnajokull.

The landscape has been crafted by volcanic and geothermal activity and there is a lot of special nature to be found in Iceland, the airline noted.

Reykjavik, Iceland's capital, is itself situated very close to nature with Thingvellir National Park close by as well as the Gullfoss waterfalls and a geothermal area in Haukadalur where geysers shoot hot water, Icelandair reported.

As for other sites in the capital city, there is the Hallgrims Church, the parliament building and a flea market, the organisation added.

Timeshare owners looking to get off to the country can travel from London or Manchester to Reykjavik.

Disney Vacation Club has restructured its timeshare points system to get more people to book weekend trips.

As part of the alterations, the amount of points needed for weekday stays have been increased and the number required for weekend stays has been reduced.

Previously, the amount of Disney timeshare points needed for a weekend stay were approximately twice as much as a weekday trip.

Florida State law allows timeshare companies to reallocate points as long as the overall number of points is the same.

Disney Vacation Club offers members the chance to visit its numerous resorts across the world as well as more than 500 destinations across the world.

Members are also able to select what type of trip they want to take, such as an African safari break or a family holiday in Latin America or Europe.

Disney Vacation members also benefit from discounts on selected dining and entertainment experiences as well as on certain theme park annual passes at Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resorts.

A couple from Bristol are among hundreds of would-be holidaymakers launching a legal battle against two firms they claim mis-sold them timeshare schemes.

The families are trying to free themselves from costly loans they were sold at presentations in Exeter by companies that have now gone into liquidation.

Many parted with thousands of pounds after signing up to buy holiday club points or weeks on river boats which they say they were told could then be converted into stays at timeshare resorts across the world.

They bought into schemes marketed by Easy Save Finance Ltd, which traded as Leisure Time Promotions, and St Frances Marketing Ltd, trading as Buena Viva and Classic Cruisers, after being invited along to the marketing days via phone.

Many of the couples say they were lured by the prospect of a free holiday if they signed up and further access to first-class holidays anywhere in the world.


Most claim they only agreed because they were promised the points could be bought back if they wanted out – which they later found was not the case.

Paul Carter, from Ashton, and his partner Mary McCaffrey are taking their case to the High Court.

Back in May 2007 the pair decided to sign up to the scheme at a presentation by St Frances Marketing in Exeter because they already had a timeshare they were keen to cash in and understood it would be possible to swap it for two weeks of Petchey Leisure points for destinations anywhere in the world.

"We believe we were coerced into buying a timeshare by hard-selling tactics," said Mr Carter, 44, a security worker.

"We were promised holidays anywhere in the world, free passes to Disneyland, cheap car hire and flights, you name it.

"They lured us there with the offer of a free holiday but even then we had to pay for the flights to Tenerife ourselves."

The couple say they were promised two weeks in September and that they would have access to holidays promoted by RCI, which is the world's largest timeshare network – a claim that turned out to be false.

When they arrived in Tenerife, they were immediately approached by another holiday points company, Infinity, which tried to convince them to sign up to another scheme and transfer their points.

"We did sign up but cancelled the moment we got home from holiday," said Mr Carter. That was when we knew something was up and when we got back from holiday GE Money started wanting their installments of £240 a month from our account."

Hundreds of complaints have been made against the companies — including several to Exeter MP Ben Bradshaw – and hundreds more have joined an action group set up to try to quash the loans.

Mr Carter discovered the action group after Googling the company and saw hundreds of complaints from other disgruntled customers.

"I wrote to GE Money and St Frances referring them to the Consumer Credit Act and saying there was no deal. It has been really stressful, but I'm adamant that they won't get anything out of me."

The couple have three children under 10 and say they would struggle financially to make the repayments if they were forced to.

"I want to warn off people from signing up to similar schemes. This is an expensive loan and you are better off going to your local travel agent and booking a holiday through them."

The group is in the process of taking High Court action against the two finance companies who have financed the loans to pay for the holiday deals – Barclays Partner Finance, which is part of Barclays bank, and GE Money.

Both have said they will address people's concerns on a "case-by-case basis" but refused to comment on whether they would consider wiping out the debts.

Easy Save and St Frances operated from premises that were raided by trading standards staff earlier this year. Easy Save went into voluntary liquidation in November 2007, and St Frances in June this year.

In May last year, trading standards, which had received many complaints from customers unhappy with what was described in court as "pressurised sales techniques", warned two directors of Easy Save Finance, Carol Small, of Ide Lane, Alphington, Exeter, and Marc Anthony Herbert, then of Barn Owl Close, Torquay, over the company's conduct.

Ms Small and Mr Herbert gave an undertaking to trading standards that they would abide by the terms of the Misrepresentation Act 1967, and not induce customers to enter contracts by making false representations.

When contacted by our sister paper the Exeter Express and Echo, Mr Herbert, now living in Somerset, said: "I was connected with St Frances Marketing at one stage, but I'm not connected with that company any more. I am not in a position to comment."

Ms Small also declined to comment.

Club La Costa Resorts & Hotels will be celebrating its silver jubilee this year and the timeshare company is looking to take advantage of its experience in the market.

Roy Peires, chairman and founder of the company, said that the 25th year anniversary is just the start for the company as it continues to improve its products.

The timeshare organization will be adding new features to reservations, as well as delivery on its sites. Club La Costa will also try to expand its services to other major holiday destinations around the globe, said Peires.

The company will celebrate its Jubilee throughout the year among staff members. There will be special commemorations for employees, who have had the longest tenures in the company.

Club La Costa recently opened its first resort in Turkey called the Apollonium Club La Costa Spa & Beach Resort, which features 350 units of traditional Turkish baths.

Timeshare owners are booking last minute breaks to escape the poor British summer.

Ian Bradley, a spokesperson for AITO, said that many people thought about staying at home earlier this summer after good weather predictions for the UK, however, many timeshare owners are now booking a break.

He said that Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, Egypt and Morocco are proving to be popular locations for timeshare owners and holidaymakers.

The announcement from the Met Office last week, which said that the weather will not be as good this summer as previously predicted, prompted many people to start packing their bags.

Mr Bradley added that he has seen a flurry of activity for late bookings, with many people panicking and wanting to leave the poor weather behind.

Recent research from Monarch Flights and Holidays found that Costa Blanca, Crete, Sharm el Sheikh, Kenya, Fuerteventura, Larnaca in Cyprus, and Dalaman are popular with timeshare owners and holidaymakers.