European Parliament vote to help make timeshare disasters thing of the past says MEP.

2.14.00pm GMT Wed 22nd Oct 2008

Liz Lynne, the LibDem Euro MP for the West Midlands has welcomed a report by the European Parliament that seeks to combat the problem of dodgy timeshare deals.

The report, which was produced by Dutch MEP Toine Manders, a member of the Alliance for Liberals and Democrats in Europe (ALDE) group of which the LibDems are also part, will give customers greater security when entering in to timeshare agreements or holiday club deals, including a mandatory two week 'cooling- off' period, in which customers can change their mind about the agreement and will be entitled to their money back. They will be given the right to have contracts written in the language of the customer's choice.

UK citizens use timeshare offers more than citizens of any other EU country, and 75% of complaints made to consumer watchdog groups are from UK consumers.

This is coupled with the growing problem of 'holiday club' deals in which people are told that if a company gains enough customers then they will be able to sell holiday properties and timeshares at ultra-cheap prices. Unfortunately all too often once the money is collected the company disappears.

Speaking today Liz Lynne, who is the Vice- President of the Employment and Social Affairs Committee in the European Parliament, said that the new rules would help put a stop to timeshare woes:

"I am very pleased that the Parliament has chosen to deal with this issue, which has for so long frustrated holiday makers from both the UK and indeed the rest of Europe.

"The new rules will not only make it easier for people to get their money back if they change their mind, but will also help make it clearer to people what they are getting into in the first place, through the use of compulsory fax back schemes and by making companies provide detailed, pre-contractual information to prospective customers.

"It is my hope that this will put a stop to the thousands of people every year who find their holiday ruined by unscrupulous timeshare venders, or who find themselves saddled with payments for something they do not want due to complicated legal contracts."

ENDS