Timeshare Consumer Association (TCA) deceptions

Please note: Updates from 15th May & 17th June 2020 below

12/05/2020

The now infamous Timeshare Consumer Association website, often known as the ‘TCA’ has been taken over once again by people connected to scams against timeshare owners.

Concerns have been rightly raised by consumers that the TCA is not by any means an independent ‘watchdog’.  Until recently it was owned by Mark Rowe, who was arrested and is currently on police bail regarding the activities of his Monster Travel and SellMyTimeshare.tv businesses. It was recently taken over (along with other trading names and websites previously owned and operated by Rowe, including ABC Lawyers and Timeshare.Lawyer) by European Consumer Claims (ECC), a business controlled by Andrew Cooper, who was previously one of the principal figures behind a number of businesses closed down by the UK authorities and civil actions by consumers, these included Club Class Concierge and ITRA.

The latest deceits by ECC follow exposure of similar practices when the site was controlled by Mark Rowe, with the Daily Mirror producing an article in December 2016, titled “The Timeshare Consumer Association claims to be an independent consumer champion, but is it?” – see details on this link https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/timeshare-consumer-association-claims-independent-9367808

KwikChex is advising any consumers that are contacted with information about the TCA or who see online information about the TCA, to exercise extreme caution – and ideally report the matter to Citizens Advice and the Advertising Standards Authority.

Update 15/05/2020

Following complaints made by consumers and information provided by KwikChex, European Consumer Claims (ECC) have now published the following information on the TCA website.

“TCA is sponsored by European Consumer Claims Limited, registered in England and Wales under registration number at Companies House: 10243428 ECC is registered as a data controller with the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) under registration number: ZA291149
All content on this website is dependent on the opinion of the author. – Privacy Policy”

This ‘part-admission’ confirms that information provided to the TCA is shared with ECC. More information will be provided shortly.

Update 17/06/2020

Since control of the TCA website passed to ECC, at the end of 2019,  ownership details have varied.

• Originally no ownership details were published
• This then changed to a statement saying that the TCA was sponsored by European Consumer Claims Ltd (ECC)
• On 11 June 2020, a new company was incorporated – The Timeshare Consumer Association Ltd. and this information currently (information provided 17 June 2020) appears on the TCA website
• The registered office address is given as Artemis House, 4a Bramley Rd, Milton Keynes, United Kingdom, United Kingdom, MK1 1PT
• The sole director of the company is a Keith Graham Dewhurst, stated to reside in Spain.

As of 17 June 2020, the TCA site remains under the control of ECC.