As we launch into 2024, we decided to skip our traditional annual review of the last twelve months’ business activity at European Consumer Claims (ECC)/Timeshare Advice Centre (TAC).
Instead we thought we would go right back to the beginning…
…and review the whole eight years.
Timeshare compensation becomes reality
Prior to 2016, timeshare claims were the province of both the ambitious, and the fraudulent. No pathway had been proven to compensation-claim success, and many people were sold a service that was more hope than promise.
The landscape changed when a Norwegian named Tove Grimsbo won €40,000 compensation from Canary Island timeshare giant Anfi Del Mar in January of 2016.
For the first time, a timeshare behemoth with their armies of lawyers, and seemingly unlimited finances had been defeated. The filibustering legal challenges and time wasting appeals had been overcome. The final court had made its final ruling, and timeshare companies were conclusively shown to be liable.
Timeshare compensation was no longer a theoretical point of law.
The floodgates were open.
European Consumer Claims
With this precedent in place the way was ethically clear for European Consumer Claims (ECC) to incorporate, which it did five months later in June that very same year.
An ECC office with 50 highly trained staff was launched on the Costa Del Sol to handle claims against errant timeshare companies, and relinquishments where there was no viable claim.
The inaugural 12 months were spent taking on board new clients and preparing cases for our legal partners (M1) to take to court. The first success came almost exactly one year later with an £11,000 victory against Club La Costa.
2018 brought 50 more wins, totalling £1.2 million. From there, the figures only went in one direction. Up.
With year on year increases consistently ranging from 30% to 110% in the seven years since, ECC expanded to a larger premises in Spain, a US office in Broadway, New York and an upmarket head office in Henley on Thames.
ECC today
Today nearly 180 highly experienced ECC staff now deal with timeshare issues in countries all over the world. The success rate in timeshare related court cases currently runs at 98.6%.
ECC’s services are marketed by associated brands: Timeshare Advice Centre and MyTimeshareClaim UK.
In the USA, we have seen the formation of American Consumer Claims (ACC), which is marketed by corresponding American marketing arms: Timeshare Advice Center US and MyTimeshareClaim US.
Online reviews for ECC on independent sites like TrustPilot and Google are unfalteringly stellar. The company’s activities are covered favourably by internationally respected media. Our clients leave glowing, independently-audited video testimonials, which are published on our website.
Our corporate video, released one year ago, has already clocked up well over 11,000 views. Our radio campaigns in 2023 alone have reached an estimated 48 million people.
To date, ECC has won nearly £26 million in compensation awards for over 1370 clients. Over 2800 further clients have been released from unwanted timeshare contracts.
ECC currently manage a claims portfolio of well over £100 million pounds.
ECC tomorrow
ECC have won compensation awards or relinquished memberships for several thousand grateful (now ex) timeshare owners so far, but even this stellar track record pales in comparison to the work yet to be done.
“There are around 20 million timeshare users around the world, and according to a detailed, academic study undertaken by the University of Central Florida, a staggering 85% of those people are unhappy with their ownership,” explains Andrew Cooper, CEO of ECC. “That extrapolates to around 17 million owners who would rather be free of their memberships, some of whom may even qualify for a financial claim against their resort for mis-selling.”
“By anybody’s standards, ECC’s rise to prominence in this field has been nothing short of meteoric. But despite our success to date, there are millions more people still struggling with a mis-sold timeshare.
“The tens of millions of pounds in compensation awards we have achieved for our clients so far are (relatively speaking) just pebbles on a beach.
“A vast ocean lies unexplored before us.”
Need help?
If you have a timeshare that you are no longer happy owning, get in touch with our team to discuss your options. Generally we can provide the expertise to help free you from an unwanted contract. And in some cases you could even be entitled to financial compensation.
