22nd October 2008 - MEP McAvan backs clampdown on timeshare touts

Local Euro-MP Linda McAvan this week endorsed new rules designed to end the misery of people caught out in timeshare and holiday club scams. The rules, voted on by MEPs in Strasbourg this week, will clamp down on the dodgy dealers who prey on members of the public seeking a regular getaway to the sun.

The new rules will provide essential additional protections and close loopholes in the existing law when people buy, sell or exchange all types of timeshare holidays, including cruise boats, canal boats or caravans and 'discount holiday clubs':

* Extending the scope of the law to cover all timeshare style products
* Extending the right of withdrawal to 14 days
* Introducing a new standard information sheet on the timeshare giving all details of the timeshare plus fees – which must be provided before the contract is signed
* An extension of the right of withdrawal to 3 months if the company fails to provide the standard information sheet
* A ban on upfront payments for holiday clubs

Linda McAvan says;

“For many years I have received a steady stream of complaints from members of the public who have fallen foul of the timeshare and holiday club touts, sometimes people who have handed over large sums of money for products whilst they were on holiday. Sometimes they believed they had the right to cancel the agreement when they did not, often the deal they were entering into was unclear or the verbal agreement they had with the seller was not reproduced in writing and amounted to nothing. This week the European Parliament has said “no” to the practices which have caused so much heartbreak.”

She adds;

“It will still be some time before these rules come into effect in every EU country. My advice to anyone thinking about buying a timeshare is to do your research, don’t rush into any agreement, and if it sounds too good to be true – it is.”