Timeshare owners in protest

HUNDREDS of people are expected at a meeting near Coventry tomorrow to discuss grievances against the timeshare company Club Riviera, writes Maria Scott.

Club Riviera plc, a holding company, was a major seller of timeshare holidays in Spain and Tenerife. It was wound up in the High Court in February this year on the petition of a company called Collective Insurance Agency (Travel), which said it was owed pounds 147,000.

However, other subsidiary companies of Club Riviera continue to exist. The organisation has been the subject of a number of complaints from consumers.

Last July the Office of Fair Trading revoked the consumer credit licence of Club Riviera Sales and the licences of five other companies believed to be connected with it.

In April this year Simon Clarke and Laurence Werner, present or former executives of Club Riviera Sales, gave the OFT written undertakings that they would refrain from certain actions, including inducing consumers to enter into contracts by knowingly or recklessly making false or misleading statements.

Tomorrow's meeting will be attended by people who have bought timeshare properties from Club Riviera. Unhappy owners are expected to air a number of grievances, including complaints about the way their properties are managed and disputes over management charges.

The meeting is due to start at 10.30am at the New Exhibition Hall in the National Agricultural Centre, Stoneleigh Park, near Coventry.