TIMESHARE: Are you totally satisfied with your purchase?

In 2005 Annie Jones wrote in the Sunday Mirror: "IF you dream of owning a property abroad but can't afford it, you can still enjoy your own little piece of paradise - by investing in timeshare. Hard-sell salesmen cold-calling or hanging around resorts with their bogus "free holidays" and high-pressure sales techniques gave timeshare a bad name when it was invented back in the early 1970s. Then there were the problems of resorts that never got built, companies that disappeared overnight, service charges that doubled."

The article went on to explain that "times have changed" and that "timeshare is now respectable and sold according to a strict code of practice". Furthermore, it sited the presence of such prestigous companies as Marriott, Hyatt, Hilton, Ramada, Sheraton and DeVere as evidence of this new-found respectability.

Extolling the virtues of timeshare exchanges, and in particular mentioning timeshare exchange comapny RCI, the article went on to say "unlike owning a property outright, if you fancy a week or two somewhere else then you can simply trade your time".

An RCI representative was quoted as saying that if you own a week in one of their affiliated resorts and fancy going somewhere else, "you give that week to RCI - and then you take your pick. You can also save unused points from one year to combine with the next for an extra special trip. RCI has something for everyone."

The article concluded with a glowing report from a satisfied timeshare owner:

Financial adviser Jon Sullivan and wife Jackie bought a week's timeshare at Club Bena Vista on Spain's Costa del Sol seven years ago - and have never regretted it.

"We've got a three-bedroom villa that sleeps eight. It cost us £1,500 for one week a year, and it's ours forever. When we're too old to use it, we can pass it on to our three children. I play golf so I use it for golf holidays. I go there with friends for the week and we split the cost which makes it a really cheap holiday."

The couple - both 55 - joined RCI as well and purchased a bonus week for around £200, so Jackie and the other wives could go to Tenerife or Lanzarote while the boys played golf.

"The maintenance fee is £250 a year. And for that you get everything done. When you turn up the house is clean and it's serviced while you're there. One year the boiler blew up but I just reported it to the manager and it was fixed the same day. We decided we wanted a property on the Costa del Sol, mainly for the golf, but without the expensive initial outlay or the hassle of ownership. Timeshare seemed the perfect solution - and it was. I've never regretted buying our place - it's been a completely trouble-free experience and has given us cheap holidays but with the same quality every time."

So clearly some timeshare owners are delighted with their purchase. Sadly, according to Owners Action, a firm of specialist consultants who deal with disputes within the timeshare industry, many timeshare owners are however not so happy. In fact, Owners Action say they have discovered a pattern of abuse, deception and even fraudulent issues that have been systematically perpetrated by many of the major timeshare industry players to the detriment of owners. Maintenance fees have risen much faster than inflation, whilst important maintenance has not always been carried out in resorts; exchanges have been difficult or impossible to obtain; exorbitantly high interest rates charged by finance companies, and problems with the disposal and transfer of weeks and points.

Having carried out extensive investigations of these issues, International Timeshare Refund Action (ITRA) are now pursuing the coordination of a claim to the courts on behalf of timeshare owners who can justify due cause for refund compensation, distress and damages on the grounds that their timeshare purchase was not of merchandisable quality.

If you believe these issues affect you, contact www.ITRA.net now to see if you qualify to join this class action.