Don’t get grief in Tenerife

Don’t experience grief in Tenerife

Have you been “cold called” by ClaimYourClaims or RefundYourFunds? Did they invite you to a free holiday in Tenerife, where they said that they can pursue a claim for monies you had previously spent on a timeshare or holiday club? Did they promise to take your claim on a “no win no fee” agreement? If this has happened to you then you are not alone because many people have reported the same story and realised later that they had been scammed.

This “scam” was reported on the BBC programme Rip Off Britain on 31 January 2019, where they filmed outside the offices of one of the companies that was involved.

How the “scam” works

The following is based on the experiences of a number of our clients. The company names change frequently but the “scam” remains the same:

Firstly, you will receive an email confirming the dates of your visit and a voucher which suggests that you have been provided with “free” accommodation for up to 7 days. One hotel often used is Laguna Park.

When you arrive in Tenerife you will be taken to a meeting where people with reassuringly familiar names such as “David” or “Debbie” will meet you. The meeting will involve being taken around a number of different offices and having what appears to be an informal meeting in a café or restaurant. The presentation is likely to take up to 9 hours to complete.

So what is the product being sold? The consumer will eventually be invited to purchase typically 4 holidays in the Canary Islands via Company A, of which the holiday they are currently taking at the time becomes one of the four and 5 holidays “worldwide including flights costing up to £250” with Company B. The contract with Company A will refer to the additional agreement with Company B, and a deposit on average of £4,000 will be taken via a credit card. The contract will require a further sum of up to £12,000 to be paid by bank transfer at a later date. The contract will state that it is non-cancellable, and that Company A will immediately pay for all of the 4 holidays they are providing. The consumer will then be provided with a number of accommodation vouchers via Alturabeds.com for holidays that are to be taken within the next 12 months. We have no evidence that Alturabeds.com is involved in any deception.

Please be aware that in the cases that we have seen to date the value of the accommodation being provided by Company A is substantially more expensive than the cost of booking the same accommodation, on the same dates, via reputable travel websites.

Consumers are also told that monies paid at the presentation are needed in order to register their claim, and that the monies paid will be refunded within weeks. On their return to the UK consumers will be contacted by another caller who suggests they will pay £10,000 or more into their bank account in order to pay the sums due to Company B under the contract. It appears that the scammers have been trying to arrange personal loans on behalf of the consumer. We understand that none of the consumers that we have spoken to so far had actually applied to the lenders to borrow such money, and that it would appear that a “third party” has contacted the lender on their behalf.

So far there is little evidence that consumers have actually received any help to recover monies that they have previously paid for timeshares which was the original point of the first phone call. The “scam” that we have described is purely to sell another product at highly inflated prices.

All is possibly not lost, if you used a loan or a credit card for the original timeshares or leisure credits or used a credit card in Tenerife then a genuine organisation like Lincoln Green Law may be able to recover your money. Before using any company to help you recover money look into who owns the firm and if they are regulated. If you can’t find out then why are they hiding this information, perhaps they aren’t what they seem.

If you have been exposed to the “Tenerife scam” or something similar or know someone who has then please contact us as we may be able to pursue a “no win no fee” claim to help you recover your money.

New reasons to use Lincoln Green a fully regulated solicitors practice

Consumers should be aware that as of 1st April 2019, in order to pursue a claim against a lender or credit card provider, the entity pursuing a claim needs to be regulated either via the FCA (Financial Conduct Authority) or the SRA (Solicitors Regulatory Authority). Lincoln Green won’t “cold call” you because solicitors are forbidden from taking a claim where the claim was generated via a “cold caller”. Claims companies based overseas still need to be regulated if they wish to pursue a claim via either the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) or the court system.

Why are Solicitors any different?

A Solicitors has a code of conduct to which they must abide, which is enforced by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, which requires them to act in their client’s best interests. They must act with integrity, independence and protect clients’ money and assets at all times. Furthermore, a consumer who uses a solicitor can also rely upon the solicitor’s professional indemnity insurance, should a mistake be made and of course the solicitor can do everything a CMC can do and also progress your case through the court’s system.

Using a solicitors practice to progress your claim is like a one stop shop and you will not be passed from company to company to get the compensation that you deserve.

So who are you and what do you do?

We are Lincoln Green Solicitors a regulated and trusted legal institution with a team of legal experts who work tirelessly for our clients.

We are dedicated to the protection of consumers’ rights across the board and help consumers who have been treated poorly reclaim their money and be compensated for their loss.

We hold ourselves to the highest standards so you can be confident our dealings with you will be fair, honest and professional.

How can I contact you?

If you think you have been mis-sold a product, please contact us and talk to a member of our team.
We can be contacted on 0300 303 3819 or by email info@lincolngreenlaw.com

Or, fill out one of our website forms and we will call you back within 2 business days.