|
In
the UK, anyone who sells or offers for sale (other than
occasionally) package holidays must comply with the Package
Travel Regulations 1992. These set out travel organisers’
responsibilities to their customers and the remedies available should there
be a breach of the Regulations. They define a
package as something which: is a pre-arranged combination sold or
offered for sale at an inclusive price covering a period of more
than twenty-four hours and which includes at least two of the following
components: transport, accommodation or other significant tourist
services (not ancillary to transport or accommodation).
 Further
information on the Regulations for travel organisers (useful for
consumers too).
 Please
click the button to access our FactSheet and Frequently Asked
Questions on Package Travel.
Timeshare is
defined in the Timeshare Act 1992 as
buying the right to spend a set period in a holiday property each
year for three years or longer. It may also give buyers the right to
exchange for properties in other resorts.
The Act, as amended by the Timeshare Regulations 1997,
implements a European Directive. It provides consumers with useful
safeguards when buying a timeshare from a UK based company. These include:
-
a 14 day
cooling off period during which the buyer can withdraw from the
contract
-
the seller may
not ask for or accept any money from the consumer during the
cooling off period
-
a brochure in
the consumer's preferred language setting out information about
the timeshare
-
written notice
of the right to cancel the contract and a cancellation form.
"The
Timeshare Guide" explains these provisions in more detail.
Timeshare
- Making the Right Choice
This leaflet provides a basic guide to consumer's
rights when purchasing Timeshare and also warns consumers about
those holiday products, such as holiday and vacation clubs, which
fall outside the scope of the Regulations.
  Timeshare
- Making the Right Choice
 Printed version
Timeshare resales
The Department
continues to receive reports about the trading activities of some
timeshare resale companies who approach timeshare owners and offer
them a marketing service to sell their timeshare an up front fee.
This contractual relationship is not covered but the Timeshare Act.
Some of these companies claim to have potential purchasers wishing
to buy at lucrative prices but once the fees are paid sales rarely
take place and, where they do, it is often at a selling price that
barely covers the fee.
Holiday Clubs
Holiday clubs
are a fairly recent phenomena and are not covered by the Timeshare
Act 1992. These are schemes where consumers buy what amounts to a
promise by the club to provide them with holidays for a very long
period into the future - sometimes their lifetime. The schemes look
very like timeshare but membership of the club is not linked to any
rights in any particular property. Instead the club offers them the
opportunity of supposedly cheaper holidays in a particular resort or
a variety of different locations and sometimes based on spare-time
in traditional timeshare resorts.
Holiday club
sales people tend to use high-pressure selling methods at
“presentations” often over the course of several hours.
Sometimes consumers sign up simply in order to get away only to find
that there is no right to cancel and they have lost their money. In
the Department’s experience the promises made during the
presentations are rarely kept. Consumers who sign contracts and pay
deposits outside the UK are not protected by UK law.
Please
click the button to access our factsheet for further information on Timeshare,
Timeshare Resale, Holiday Clubs and useful links.
DTI
Contact The
DTI cannot give any advice on individual cases. Consumers with
Package Travel or Timeshare problems should read our Fact Sheets
(or see above) which give advice on what to do.
|
