Marriott Vacations has asked a judge to limit the amount of damages it has to pay to timeshare owners.
In the ongoing case of Marriott versus some 200 timeshare owners, the timeshare giant is attempting to mitigate their losses by asking a judge to put a limit on the amount of compensation it might have to pay them.
This giant class action started back in April 2018 when Ritz Carlton Club members issued proceedings against Marriott claiming they caused the value of their deeded timeshare units to drop. Members say that they lost up to 90% of the value of their units when Marriott Vacations Worldwide and Ritz Carlton Destination Club joined forces allowing other Marriott members to trade in their points to use the Ritz Carlton resort. Ritz Carlton Club deeded units were sold to members as an investment and owners paid anything from $200,000 to $500,000.
Owners also say that Marriott actively engaged in fraudulent behaviour and breached all financial responsibilities to owners buy allowing the value of their units to sink when they introduced a points based system.
However as the case continues, Marriott are now claiming that although they do not dispute the owners right to bring a liability claim, their losses were far less than they say. Marriott says the affiliation between the two resorts, did not start until December 2014 and shortly after that owners could swap a week at the Aspen resort for points to use at any Marriott resort.
Earlier in the year, owners won a partial judgement which claimed Marriott Vacations failed to provide owners with a copy of the affiliation agreement and the condo association was not consulted on the deal. The case continues and with millions of dollars at stake is surely set to do so for some time.
People who enter into Timeshare agreements often find it difficult to keep up with the mounting maintenance fees and simply cannot afford it any longer. They may also find that the Timeshare no longer suits their needs and simply want to end the contract. There are too many individuals who are willing to take advantage of Timeshare owners and offer fake products, along with Timeshare exit schemes. Before agreeing to any Timeshare termination or exit procedure with an individual or company, seek independent advice and fully research any company you are thinking of working with.
It is also important to remember that purchasing a Timeshare should NEVER be viewed as a financial investment. Timeshare is an investment in lifestyle, in future holidays and family time together. There is almost no resale value to a Timeshare.
The mis-selling of holiday products is, unfortunately, common practice within the holiday industry and these type of crimes often go unreported by the most vulnerable in our society and criminal convictions are few and far between.
If you have purchased a Lifestyle / Concierge Service, a Timeshare or a ‘Holiday Points’ based product from a resort or company and feel unhappy with the service, or feel you have been mis-sold this product, please get in touch with us to discuss how we may be able to help you with a possible Money Back Claim.
