CLC Resort, Free Holiday?

[DSB SL AMG]

Hi All,

SWMBO got a call today...few questions, are you a homeowner, income etc then the ''you have won a free holiday'' jargon after she entered a prize draw Anyway the company is CLC resorts, Mr Google tells me its a legit company but timeshare points based scam were they get you into resort and grill you until you sign up...which looks like anywhere between £5-20k...

Wondered if anyone else had been called, used, or stung by this company?

 

[whitenemesis]

We went on our free w/e last Jan. Very nice hotel in Cornwall (Trenython Manor). Free B&B and dinner (had to pay for drinks) only requirement was to attend a one to one chat with sales rep for CLC. No hard sell at all, just explained their business model, how it all worked and the costs to sign-up. Seemed a very reasonable outlay for what one could get. We didn't join as the resorts offered by the company were not our preferred holiday accommodation, rather too large a complex or hotel. The destinations were good though and the accommodation/hotels/villas appeared well maintained.

If it's your type of thing and you can afford the time for 3-5 holidays a year it could well be a cheap way to go.

 

[DSB SL AMG]

This was a free overseas holiday (you get the flights) costa del sol / florida / tenerife....mixed stuff on the net about them, i think the overseas resorts are 4* and pretty good quality....

We went on our free w/e last Jan. Very nice hotel in Cornwall (Trenython Manor). Free B&B and dinner (had to pay for drinks) only requirement was to attend a one to one chat with sales rep for CLC. No hard sell at all, just explained their business model, how it all worked and the costs to sign-up. Seemed a very reasonable outlay for what one could get. We didn't join as the resorts offered by the company were not our preferred holiday accommodation, rather too large a complex or hotel. The destinations were good though and the accommodation/hotels/villas appeared well maintained.

If it's your type of thing and you can afford the time for 3-5 holidays a year it could well be a cheap way to go.

 

[Deleted member 6183]

Years ago we were offered loads of these 'freebies', the sting in the tail was that in order to receive the free accommodation we would have to book flights through the firm and they were so expensive that the freebie cost the same as a holiday.

I thought that timeshare had died, I knew a bloke who made himself very rich in the Canaries doing this and he freely admitted that it was poor value (in private).

 

[DSB SL AMG]

I also thought timeshare had gone away...tbh i don't think i have ever met anyone who was happy with the timeshare deal they had signed, although there must be someone

Agreed, big money must have been made over the years by the owners...

Years ago we were offered loads of these 'freebies', the sting in the tail was that in order to receive the free accommodation we would have to book flights through the firm and they were so expensive that the freebie cost the same as a holiday.

I thought that timeshare had died, I knew a bloke who made himself very rich in the Canaries doing this and he freely admitted that it was poor value (in private).

 

[whitenemesis]

If one expressed an interest in joining the company would give you 3 free 14 day holidays to any of it's European resorts. These had to be taken in the first year.

The whole thing was solely accommodation, flights were always at your own expense. Yes it was all 4 or 5 star.

An interesting twist on the timeshare where one purchased a share in a villa but one actually never had to holiday there, one could 'swap' weeks with others to go just about anywhere CLC had accommodation.

 

[Deleted member 65149]

I don't know this company, but I have used another timeshare company. As far as I can tell from the 15 years I was with them, most of these companies are pretty much the same. If you're the sort of person/family who wants to return to the same place every year, then in the main they seem to be pretty good value.

Most timeshare companies are registered with a broker that handles timeshare exchanges, easily the largest being RCI. You'll be told that membership of RCI, or whoever, gives you access to thousands of other timeshares around the world for just a small handling fee. In theory you do, but in practice it can be difficult to find something you want where and when you want it. The quality of timeshares varies a massive amount so you can easily end up disappointed with the exchange you make. The charge for arranging the exchange is typically around £90 - £120 depending on where in the world, plus an annual membership fee for the broker.

Whether you use the exchange facility or not, you will always have an annual management/maintenance fee. This will vary a great deal from company to company and from location to location. In some ways I was fortunate with the timeshare that I had because the management fee annual increases were limited to 5% in the contract. I've heard of companies that don't have such a limit and the owners have faced massive increases. My company did apply the maximum increase every year however, with my last payment being $570. I've heard of people being charged over $1000 per annum. When trying to get you to sign up you will get all sorts of reassurances as to how this will be negligible, but they mean diddly squat.

Our villa on a Thai island was idyllic at first, but small issues became greater as time went on. After getting messed about once too often we decided to just cut our losses and drop out. The contract said we couldn't just stop, but they didn't meet their side of it so I figured it was the easiest way. I calculated that in the 15 years we'd about broken even compared to what we'd have had to pay if we rented equivalent holiday accommodation in the normal manner, so we didn't really lose out financially. Where we did lose out however was with flexibility. We went to some very nice places and some very ordinary places, so it was an interesting experience. But we won't be doing it again. Timeshare isn't for us.

 

[Piff]

Got sucked into a similar thing while in Tenerife about 15 to 20 years ago. They were after us signing up for an open ended direct debit arrangement to "buy" annual weeks at that resort which could also be swapped for other locations worldwide.

The sales people couldn't be specific on costs to swap locations, nor could they explain how we could get out of the deal in the future. We walked.

 

[AMGeed]

^ Fortunately, by law these companies have to give a minimum 7 day cooling off period for anyone who changes their mind. I bet its a law that is frequently used when thinking about what you just signed up for.

 

[gr1nch]

My wife (can't bring to call her SWMBO yet! ) had a timeshare with Worldmark, which operates mainly in the Australasia region, also a few places in the US. You pay a one of fee, eg $10k, then an annual "maintenance" fee, which worked out about the same as paying a rental in the same area!

The advantage was it was annual points to spend in any of their time share properties, so not restricted to one place. We had stays in Cairns and New Orleans.

The disadvantages (yes more than one!) are imo.
* borderline expensive, accommodation generally is getting more plentiful and cheaper. They have a captive audience so charge (the points to rent and the costs to rent) are fixed by them with no redress or competition.
* you could only accumulate points for a couple of years, after that you lose them!
* Selling the points. Poor direct market. Dealers will buy them at around 20% cost. As the product doesn't deteriorate naturally over time like a car, it kind of shows their true intrinsic value.

Now that is a well-organised, relatively popular outfit, nothing shady. But for value for money, it's just not worth it.


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