Call to action for timeshare owners
The Resort Development Association (RDO) has issued a call to action for timeshare owners, urging them to contribute one euro each to help fund the Enforcement Project and the Consumer Helpline, now that the responsibility for funding both has been passed to the Timeshare Partnership Trust (TPT).
RDO has fully funded the Enforcement Project for the past four years. In this period, the Enforcement Team, based in the Canary Islands and headed by a former Spanish National Police Inspector, has dealt with 1484 complaints, brought about the closure of 82 fraudulent companies and helped consumers recover an estimated one million euros from fraudsters.
Richard McIntosh, RDO’s Chairman, explained why RDO could not continue to do this indefinitely and has passed the responsibility for funding Enforcement across to the TPT: “The work of Enforcement does not benefit our developer members, all of whom are bound by the RDO Code of Conduct, but rather the timeshare owner, who is preyed upon by fraudsters whom RDO does not regard as part of the timeshare industry at all.”
The TPT, created in 2008 to provide financial support to worthy timeshare causes throughout the UK and Europe, has also been funding the Consumer Helpline run by TATOC the timeshare association for the past three years. Last year alone, the Helpline dealt with around 6700 complains by phone and 1195 by email, many of which were fed through to the Enforcement Team to follow up.
“Both projects, Enforcement and the Consumer Helpline, are ultimately for the protection and benefit of timeshare owners, which is why we are asking all owners to make a small contribution of just one euro per year to the TPT, so that the superb work in fighting against fraud can continue,” added McIntosh.
