DETI ISSUE WARNING ABOUT TIMESHARE TOUTS

THE Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment’s Trading Standards Service (TSS) has issued a warning about the pressurised selling techniques and unscrupulous practices being used by some companies to sell timeshares.

Current techniques used by timeshare touts involve targeting holidaymakers, in the street or on the beach, and offering them a scratch card, which reveals that they have won a prize. But rather than simply going to pick up a prize, the unsuspecting holidaymakers are then subjected to a high-pressure time share presentation, often behind locked doors, which can last for several hours.

Mark Curry, TSS Inspector warned Northern Ireland consumers not to be persuaded by such hard selling techniques: "Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you can just turn up, collect a free gift and walk away. These schemes and presentations are carefully designed to make them hard to resist, and the sales people involved are more experienced in persuading people to buy than most consumers are in resisting them."

With the selling of timeshare accommodation strictly controlled by the Timeshare Act 1992 and European Union Directives Mr Curry explained how the process impacts on consumer’s rights: "Some local holidaymakers have told me about schemes which use complicated terms and conditions to deny purchasers a reasonable cooling-off period. I have been surprised at the extent to which some companies have gone to try to avoid giving this protection to consumers.”

He said that anyone seriously considering buying a timeshare should remember that reputable timeshare companies do not ask you to pay anything at a presentation, and legitimate companies will also give you written notice of a ten-day cooling-off period, during which the contract may be cancelled.

The six golden rules when attending a timeshare presentation are:

- Do not take along bankcards, a chequebook or money;

- Never use a credit card as identification;

- Do sign or pay for anything;

- Do not rely on verbal assurances;

- Insist on full written details;

- Do not be rushed into signing anything.

Anyone who has been pressurised into signing a timeshare agreement, or simply wants more information about their rights as a consumer should contact the Trading Standards Service on

Tel. 028 9025 3900.

(SP)