SNP MEP
Welcomes
Tightening
of Timeshare
Laws
SNP
President
Ian Hudghton
MEP
has welcomed
recent work
in the
European
Parliament
which it is
hoped will
bring an end
to scams
operating in
the
timeshare
and holiday
industry.
Every year
thousands of
holidaying
Scots are
targeted by
salesmen in
Europe's
resorts -
and often
they end up
considerably
out of
pocket as a
result of
conmen and
scams.
The European
Parliament
has been
working on a
proposal
from the
Commission
since July
2007 aimed
at outlawing
the
practices of
the
unscrupulous
salesmen.
Mr Hudghton
has played a
key role in
the
negotiations
around this
work - and
the measures
proposed
will now be
put to an
important
vote in the
Parliament
on Monday
night (19th
May).
Speaking
ahead of the
vote, Mr
Hudghton
said:
"Every year
MEPs receive
letters from
constituents
who have
been ripped
off by dodgy
salesmen
while on
holiday.
These
salesmen
operate in
all the top
resort areas
of Europe
and target
holidaymakers
who are
enjoying
their break,
having fun
and, often,
not paying
close
attention to
what they're
signing up
to. This
can lead to
people
losing
thousands of
pounds of
savings and
gaining
nothing in
return from
fake
timeshare
schemes and
'holiday
clubs'.
"This is
something
which has a
truly
international
aspect - and
so when a
holidaymaker
from, say,
Lanarkshire
finds he's
been ripped
off in
Lanzarote it
can be
difficult to
try to get
that money
back.
However, by
taking
action at an
EU-wide
level we can
hopefully
see off the
conmen and
ensure that
tourists
don't get
into trouble
in the first
place.
"Over the
past few
months I've
negotiated
with fellow
MEPs from
all
countries
and
political
parties to
come up with
a package
which will
make the law
as tight as
possible.
We think
we've now
got a deal
together
which will
be good for
holidaymakers
and good for
legitimate
tourist
agents and
salesmen.
"Thousands
of Scots
have a great
time
holidaying
in the sun
every year.
However, a
percentage
of those
come home at
the end of
their break
only to wake
up in a
nightmare.
Hopefully
those days
are coming
to an end -
and everyone
will be
happily rid
of the dodgy
dealers."
Notes:
*
European law
currently
applies to
fixed-property
timeshares.
However,
over the
years
fraudulent
salesmen
have started
selling
other things
such as
"holiday
clubs" and
timeshares
on boats,
caravans
etc. These
schemes are
designed to
fall outwith
timeshare
regulation.
* The
package
agreed by Mr
Hudghton and
MEPs from
the three
largest
groups in
the European
Parliament
will be
voted upon
at a meeting
of the
Consumer
Affairs
Committee in
Strasbourg
on Monday
evening.
The package
will:
*
require
timeshare
and holiday
salesmen to
provide full
written
details of
who they are
and what
they're
selling;
* give
consumers a
period with
the right to
withdraw
from
anything
they have
signed;
* ban
advance
payments;
*
regulate the
timeshare
"exchange"
industry;
*
extend the
law to cover
"long term
holiday
products".
These are
often
schemes
similar to
timeshares -
but fall
outside
existing
laws and so
are open to
abuse and
scams.
