Crimeshare - Caveat Emptor : Interesting Read
George
Resort Properties
(Palm Beach, Hollywood Mirage, Beverley Hills)
Sept 2 2004
For the information of Richard Fleming: How right you are! This is nothing
like a competition! The only thing you have to do to win is have a credit
card. Why? Because that's what they'll need for your deposit on the
timeshare they want you to buy. Here's the way it works. You get there on
Friday sometime and get shown to your apartment. On Saturday morning all
the reps are in the office at 7.00am to get their list of clients for the
week. Fly-buys (which is what you are) are normally given to Jo Cuthill (if
they're decent prospects) or whoever else is trying to learn timeshare
sales (if they're not).
At about 8.30am everyone is sent out to knock on the apartment doors,
introduce themselves and get an appointment to see them later in the week.
It's easy with fly-buys because part of the agreement for your week's
accommodation is that you WILL have a presentation. At a time that suits
Resort Properties, not you! If you refuse, you will be billed for the
accommodation. On top of all this, it's possible that you didn't arrive
until the early hours of Saturday morning so you're not in the best of moods
to be speaking to a rep anyway.
Jo Cuthill, however is a lazy bitch and quite often, as everyone goes out,
she will have breakfast and telephone the clients to make her appointments
instead of walking round as she should do. This also explains why she is on
the large side! The presentation last two or three hours and you will be
asked to buy timeshare. In case you're half-interested then have a scheme
(and that's a good word for it) called "Buy and Try". You buy it, use it
and if you don't like it Resort Properties will re-sell it for the same
amount you bought it for. Yeah right! But they don't say how long it will
take. Because they've never done it. All the poor sods who fell for it
still own their weeks and are paying the maintenance every year. IT'S A
TOTAL CON! JUST A WAY TO GENERATE FOR FLY-BUY PROSPECTS! - One who knows.
Sept 1 2004
I am writing to inform you of a scam from Resort Properties - shock, horror.
You will see from the link below, the company claims to offer 100 lucky
people the chance to win a luxury holiday on Tenerife. This 'offer' appeared
inviting, so I entered. This was back in April. I then received numerous
phone calls in the middle of May from the following number 0034 9 2275 0282.
Unfortunately, the caller rang off before I could get to my mobile on 2-3
occasions.
I rang the number on May 23rd to enquire, not knowing who these people were.
I was informed that "it was probably as I'd entered a competition" and
somebody would call me back within a few hours - they never did. It didn't
end here. I was called again on June 16, and again missed the call. I
finally managed to speak with a woman called Roxanne who told me I'd got
down to the shortlist and would be entered into the draw - the coming
weekend - for the luxury holiday.
I now know the company to be Resort Properties, but only after calling the
number above, as nowhere on the competition website (Tenerife Resorts) does
it give any indication that they're linked to a company with such a
checkered past. Tenerife Resorts is a Tenerife travel directory - not sure
I'd trust much of this, either, bearing in mind which company is behind it!
Now, a number of things stink regarding this.
* Why had this company been trying to track me down in the middle of May,
long before their 'short-list' of potential winners had been known?
Clairvoyants?
* If there was such a need to contact me so far in advance of any draw, why
was my call not returned, and why the gap between calls? If I was a genuine
contender, surely there was a need to inform the competition entrant as soon
as possible.
* And when I was eventually told that I had won one of ten family holidays -
surprise, surprise - it began to dawn on me that this was nothing more than
a scam to pressure me into buying timeshare points, etc. The literature sent
through to me suggested the itinerary would include "having a personal
representative" on call, who - at some stage during the week - would show me
the many facilities the resort had to offer!
What a load of rubbish! And nowhere on the competition website does it
explain all of this. Only once you've entered, and been drawn into the web
of deceipt do you then realise that it is not all that it seems. As a
genuine holiday competition winner, one would expect just that - a holiday,
free of any outside hassle, pressure or expectation.
Tourism must be on the slide in Tenerife, if this company has to offer this
competition almost every month - or should I say timeshare must be on the
slide! Because that is all this is. It doesn't appear to be a genuine
competition, as there are too many inconsistencies regarding the methods
used. It appears to be a crafty, sneaky way of getting families over to
Tenerife cheaply, off-peak, and then going hard-sell on the timeshare.
http://www.teneriferesorts.com/english/competition/default.asp
Kind regards, - Richard Fleming
June 24 2004
Looks like Bob Trotta is heading for another accolade as Crimeshare Sh*t of
the Year 2004 - Cyn
June 23 2004
I am amazed that Resort properties have even the nerve to take legal action
against this website,dont they realise that its the very honest people that
THEY have lied and cheated that have put up the entries on the site?
I have been through the talk at the Resort properties office in 'The
heights', and walked the walk around all the various timeshare available, I
have spoken to everyone around the pool at the Hollywood Mirage only last
November,and Resort Properties are NOT innocent by any means.
I think at last everyone is becoming aware of the scams that are running in
the 'Timeshare'industry, and thanks to Websites such as this, and word of
mouth to other holiday makers,we are becoming more knowledgable.
After all what are they worried about?if they were selling a dream like they
say they are, no one would complain, its the nightmare that most of us end
up with , that they are now worried they wont be able to sell anymore.
its your turn now'resort properties'!!!You can have the sleepless nights
that we have had!!!! - Honest ordinary person
June 21 2004
[Our ISP received the following letter from a law firm in England - Ed]
Dear Sirs
Resort Properties Limited
We act on behalf of Resort Properties Limited as well as Mr Bob Trotta. Our
enquiries reveal you to be the administrative contact and registrant of the
Internet website, crimeshare.net as well as the associated mirror websites,
crimeshare.com and crimeshare.org.
Our clients are mentioned numerous times within the crimeshare.net website.
As you will no doubt we aware, the number and scope of entries relating to
them are too numerous to list and a cursory glance by you at the site will
clearly reveal the nature and extent of the references. By way of example
however we refer to:-
a.. "Resort Properties must be the biggest con in the Canaries"
b.. "Resort Properties past history of dishonesty
c.. "Resort Properties in Tenerife are the biggest cheats that I know"
d.. "Resort Properties - Grand Larceny"
e.. "Bob Trotta - running the longest series of frauds in the industry"
Our client's complaints are of course not limited to these but to each every
example of defamatory, degrading and insulting material contained on the
site. We have advised our clients that these various comments are clearly
defamatory and are actionable. They are wholly untrue and are made without
any justification whatsoever. Our clients are suffering loss of business and
reputation as a result.
You will be aware that an action in defamation can take place in any place
where the defamatory material is accessible and hence it is our client's
intention to commence proceedings in the UK. You will no doubt be aware that
under the electronic commerce (EC Directive) Regulations 2002, an Internet
service provider cannot escape liability once it has been and made aware
that libellous material is appearing on a web page it is hosting.
We are writing to put you on notice that website contains false and
defamatory material and that our clients will take whatever steps necessary
to protect their livelihood and reputations from such heinous and damaging
allegations. If necessary this will include seeking immediate interlocutory
injunctions. Quite frankly, our clients are not prepared to allow such false
and harmful accusations to be published and to continue to be published on
this website hosted by you.
In the circumstances we require you to:
(a) immediately remove the said publications from the
www.crimeshare.net website and/or your service provider.
Failure to do will result in us issuing proceedings and seeking
aggravated and special damages as a result.
(b) give an undertaking not to repeat the same or similar allegations
defamatory of our clients.
(c) submit suitable proposals for compensating our clients for the
damage and distress caused by the publications hosted on your service
provider
(d) reimbursement of our clients' legal costs.
If we do not receive a satisfactory response to the above, our clients will
be left with no alternative but to issue proceedings against you without
further notice. Please can you notify us of the name of any solicitors who
are instructed to accept service of proceedings in this jurisdiction on your
behalf.
In the meantime our clients reserve all their rights.
Yours faithfully
Feb 23 2004
We were stupidly conned into buying a week of timeshare at Palm Beach by
Resort Properties in order to aid the sale of a week we want to get rid of.
You guessed it they haven't sold either week and we are a few grand
down.Resort Properties must be the biggest con in the canaries - fed up
Feb 4 2004 [updated Feb 6]
I sent you an e mail, but as I don't want my name published, I thought I'd
send this via your secure server. What I have to say relates to that old
diamond of a company in Tenerife.......You got it.....Resort Properties!
Somewhere on your site, it says Barry Fox has left the company - He hasn't,
he is still there, larger than life, and looking more like Jim Royle every
day - He is a manager now, so it seems that the more people you rip off, the
better your promotion prospects become with this organisation. Resort
Properties is run by Mark Cushway, He who drives an expensive array of cars,
and lives in a huge house in Golf del Sur - and every penny has been
dishonestly earned! Resort Properties now have a product, already mentioned
on the site, called the Holiday Investment Portfolio - It works like this -
they will tell an unsuspecting client that they have weeks of distressed
stock available, that has been returned to them through reposessions - they
are therefore able, as an investment, to sell 9 weeks of this stock to you
at 40% of the market value. They then list it for "Priority 1 resale", add
15% to the price, which represents the investors return, and a further 25%,
representing the companies commission on the deal. They can then sell these
on quickly, because they will still be listed at 20% less than the market
value - Now, we all know that the market value for a timeshare is only what
someone is prepared to pay for it, not what Resort Properties decide it is.
That's the 1st point. The 2nd point is this, if this is distressed stock,
which it isn't, then they have an awful lot of it, because last year they
sold over 2000 weeks in this manner - they must have more reposessions than
all the mortgage companies put together! and they can come up with any
number of these "distressed weeks" at any time. Suspicious? read on! Built
into the contract these investors sign, is a clause stipulating that they
cannot use the weeks they have just purchased, because they are for resale
only - Reality is they cannot sell these weeks on, because they have been
owned already by owners for many years - essentially, they are double
selling the weeks, without permission of the existing owners - How do they
get out of this? Simple, when after some time, nothing has been sold on the
investors behalf, and then they get billed for 9 weeks of maintenance, at
around 300 quid ( or 450 Euros ), this adds up to pretty near 3000GBP, many
owners will refuse to pay this, giving RP their ideal get out - they snatch
the weeks back for unpaid maintenance, no one knows the scam existed, and
some people ( clearly those who can afford to ), simply write the loss off.
Others, who will pay these fees, are lining RP's pockets again, they will
come back next year, and be met by some other rep, who will persuade them to
spend some more money to sort it all out - the initial rep must have sold
the wrong kind of stock - somewhere in this myriad process, they will manage
to get these double sold weeks back, and sell them some available weeks at
"discount" - they will then be saddled with them until they don't pay the
maintenance - or, if they are really unlucky - or maybe gullible, whatever
term you want to use, they will come back the third year and be taken again!
These people should be locked up, but they won't be - at least, not by the
Spanish authorities - for whatever reason - and there is little the UK
authorities can - or will - do. I have no idea how the RP reps ( for REP
read REPTILES ) sleep at night, perhaps it with comfortable eiderdowns
purchased on the back of innocent peoples misery! As an afterthought - has
anyone heard of their new development? It's called Club Paradiso, located
just down from Calle Rodeo Dve in Los Cristianos - Pure luxury, and a snip
at 55,000GBP for one week! have a look - www.theparadiseexperience.com -
This seems to be selling in a straight manner right now, although
exorbitantly priced - but they must be rubbing their hands at the thought of
the resales potential here when it's finished - Out of Tenerife (
Thankfully )
Jan 13 2004
we have just returned from tenerife & make the following observations
resort properties are now trying to steal all the Palm Beach Club owners
time by changing their certificates from owners to users
also OASIS radio obviously dont no or turn a blind eye to resort properties
past history of dishonesty as they continually promote them on air as (THE
GOOD GUYS )
pity the PLOD in UK wouldnt grip B T,s arse - curious
Jan 6 2004
Ran across your CRIMESHARE information while doing a GOOGLE search on Resort
Properties. We are in dire need of some direction of whom to contact
regarding this bogus resort. Purchased several units in 2000 and are
continually dumping money into it. We learned too little, too late but need
some serious legal direction if anybody can point us in that direction? We
live in the USA and understand that we will have to go abroad legally.
Thanks! - B
Jan 5 2004
Cant understand why Bob Trotta got away so lightly in TSY 2003 - perhaps
Palm Beach owners havnt yet worked out what fate he has in store for them
yet - ITK
July 17 2003 Re: Resort Properties. Pig Sick is correct. Barclays in the
Isle of Man is a good place to look. Try the account with the title "Ebony
Marketing". That should be a good start.- jp
July 14 2003 what is H.I.P HOLIDAY INVESTMENT PLAN
IT IS AN EASY WAY TO SCAM YOU OUT OF 10,000 TO 80,000 POUNDS. IF YOU DONT
BELIEVE THIS. THEN HOW CAN A COMPANY CONTINUE TO WRITE IN EXCESS OF 30
MILLION POUNDS WORTH OF BUSINESS EACH YEAR WHEN THE RESORTS WERE SOLD OUT
YEARS AGO.
SIMPLY TAKE ALL REPO WEEKS ALSO WEEKS THAT HAVE BEEN BROUGHT BACK PERSONALLY
BY SENIOR MANAGERS FROM DISGRUNTLED CLIENTS WHO ARE JUST HAPPY TO DUMP THEIR
TIMESHARE WEEKS.
THEN GET SOME POOR PUNTER TO PART WITH AN AMOUNT OF MONEY FOR EXAMPLE 20,000
POUNDS . THE REP SAYS YOU CAN BUY 6-8 TIMESHARE WEEKS FOR THIS AMUONT OF
MONEY , THE REP WILL THEN STATE THAT HE/SHE WILL SELL THESE WEEKS AT AN
AVERAGE OF 4-5000POUNDS PER TIMESHARE WEEK .NICE PROFIT IF IT WORKS. FACT,
LESS THAN 5% OF THESE DEALS ACTUALLY WORKS.OBVIOUSLY A FEW NEED TO WORK SO
REALISTIC PRINTOUTS CAN BE SHOWN TO THE NEXT LOT OF POOR UNSUSPECTING
CLIENTS . WHEN THE CLIENT REALISE THAT THEIR INVESTMENT IS NOT WORKING THEY
WILL DEMAND TO SEE ANOTHER SALESPERSON .THIS SALESPERSON WILL THEN CONVINCE
THE CLIENT THAT THEY WERE SOLD THE WRONG STOCK LAST TIME,BUT IF THEY SPEND A
LITTLE MORE THEY CAN SWAP AFEW WEEKS AROUND AND HAVE A FEW MORE WEEKS OF
TIMESHARE. ANOTHER YEAR PASSES NO WEEKS SOLD MAINTENANCE IS DUE AGAIN. YOU
THEN GET OFFERED EXTREME DEALS SOME POOR PEOPLE GET TAKEN AGAIN. AND SOME
OPT OUT . TO OPT OUT YOU MUST SEEL YOUR WEEKS AT A LOSS SO THEY CAN BE SOLD
, AND GUESS WHAT THESE WEEKS THEN GET SOLD ONTO SOMEONE ELSE. IF THIS SOUNDS
LIKE A FAIRYTALE JUST REMEMBER SOME OF THE BEST SCAMS ARE RUN BY ORGANISED
CRIME AND HOLLYWOOD MIRAGE IS ORGANISED.CHECK SOME OF THE OFFSHORE ACCOUNTS
BARCLAYS CHANNEL ISLANDS IS A GOOD PLACE TO START.END THESE SCAMS
PS MARK AND PAUL DONT LAUGH YOUR ON BORROWED TIME
SOUNDS UNBELIEVABLE - pig sick
June 17 2003
I ran across this site and am totally sick. Last year in June my three
friends and I (all women) went to the Canary Islands and stayed at the
Beverly Hills Heights. While we were there we were approached by an agent
for Resort Properties. We were scammed into buying into their resale program
with the promise that they would be able to sell the property before we
could get home. All together we invested about $50,000.00. A year has passed
and nothing but us paying mainetance fees and now they want more money to
keep trying to sale. Can you please help us recover some of this money or at
least make it where these people can never con another person again. Any
help would be appreciated. Thank you.
Teresa Fonseca
Nov 19 2002
Resort Properties...seem to be beyond the law.....
I have a friend working in Tenerife for a timeshare company whose job it is
to ring all owners, (from a stolen list)!!! offering them a deal...which she
admits is a con!....However they are under instructions NOT to contact any
owner of Resort Properties managed resorts!!!!....
This stinks!!!!
takenforaride
Sept 2 2002
resort properties in tenerife are the biggest cheats i know and i have
dealt with timeshare and owned and sold my timeshares i owned for over 20
years.resort properties wanted to know the price we paid and i said that was
of no consequence to them and would they please just get us the best present
going price they could.i knew that whatever they said they would offer us a
small profit and the difference would be theirs and our timeshare is in
demand and fetching good prices.they would have consired it maybe if we had
invested £6000 in a mythical apartment for their paperwork and then we would
make a profit on the £6000 as well as them.this was diabolical treatment of
a member &owner of the club who actually employs them and although most of
the committee has complained about them they still get away with it.
mitzi
Mar 23 2002
It must be a coincidence.
A "Colin Collins" is now Chairman of the Palm Beach Club.
Can this be the same Colin Collins I knew at RCI back in the 90's? The
very same Colin Collins who arranged for Bob Trotta (crooked controller of
Palm Beach) to become the very first recipient of the RCI "Hall of Fame"
award?
The Collins I knew at RCI was a large slab of lard, with an even larger
opinion of himself; brains well hidden close to his C-of-G and a
willingness to accept any form of currency (alcohol included) to say
anything his briber wanted.
Are we talking about the same man?
truthman
Feb 7 2002
RE RESORT PROPERTIES
LP PLEASE CONTACT ME AT THE FOLLOWING E-MAIL ADDRESS, I CAN
HELP..............
cons...@legalemail.com
Ben
Feb 6 2002
I have been in an investment programme with Hollywood Mirage.I lost £15,000.
Then manager John Exley advised us to keep units held they would "turn them
round 2-3 times a year" until we got our cash back. We had no choice and
have just got a maintenance bill for £2000, as there are several small units
and guess what none have been sold .We cant bank the units with RCI because
we don't hold the deeds as they are investment properties which should keep
being resold and our maintenance refunded' isn't happening!
To add insult to injury , we can never get our phone queries answered ,they
have a Doberman on switchboard!
John Exley has left, as have Barry Fox, and Dave Taylor
Seriously worried LP
Feb 6 2002
Anybody who wants to complain about RP, needs to get in contact with Sam
Gunasekera at BBC, she is with Watchdog, and would be interested in the HIP
program or other scams they have pulled on the public.
Contact her on, sam.gun...@bbc.co.uk
anon
Feb 4 2002
Yes I am fred elliott and I do not hide under some mysterious name.
No I have nmot got a R.P. Cresit Card. Are there any about.
I do not take my friends ( How many do I have) and family on holiday to
Tenerife or anywhere in the world.
In fact I only go to PBC BHC and HMC for holidays in my own weeks.
I do not receive any money from R.P.
I always have and always will fight for our owners against any wrong
doing whatever or whoever the company.
To MirageOwner. Why do you not contact me direct or are you afraid of
the truth and are unable to stand by your statements.
Waiting for your reply.
Fred Elliott
Jan 11 2002
BS, appropriate initials. Resort Properties resold over 6000 weeks for more
than 4000 owners last year. Are you seriously suggesting, that each of those
owners had to go to the newspapers to get their week sold ? What planet are
you on ?
You may have had an unsatisfactory experience, but that happens in all
businesses. Mercedes Benz have unhappy clients, Walt Disney have unhappy
clients, some of them even make it to the newspapers. That doesn't make them
bad companies !
truthdrug
Jan 8 2002
Having been lied to on several occasions by Resort Properties and made all
sorts of wild promises by them about reselling our timeshare weeks I would
advise anyone wanting to do business with them to avoid them like the
plaque, and I would advise you to contact a National newspaper newdesk with
details of any cons, lies or scams you have endured from them as this seems
to be the only thing that works.
BS
Dec 21 2001
I cannot think of anything that will do more harm to the excellent
reputation of the Christel House charity than being associated with that
arch rogue, Bob Trotta.
He has the effrontery to include on the maintenance fee invoices a "request"
for a contribution to Christel House so worded that it is very difficult for
owners to avoid paying it.
Or is it an unsubtle way of getting more maintenance fees?
Perhaps, Mr Ed, you would invite Christel House to comment.
OxFord
Dec 13 2001
The question on everyone's lips is "How much does Fred Elliott get paid to
tell lies for Resort Properties".
Fred, for those of you who do not know him, has been an owner at, and
Secretary of, Hollywood Mirage for donkeys years. In exchange for Fred's
public support of the actions of RP - which are almost entirely
nti-owner - Fred is handsomely rewarded.
Free holidays for family and friends, not only in Tenerife, and unquestioned
use of a RP credit card.
Fred probably earns more from RP than from his ice cream business in
Blackburn.
Perhaps someone in the Resort Properties empire might, ever so quietly,
enlighten us?
Mirage Owner
Oct 19 2001
Dear Sir.
I am seekign ny information you may have regarding a Mr Anthony Christopher
Petty an associate of Bob Trotter dating back to 1995 he was involved in
Resorts Properties and the Palm Beach club in Tenerife.
Regards Tony Davies
Aug 28 2001
Good old Hollywood Mirage is at it again. Bob Trotta has decided to build
again. What has prompted this? Lack of money? No, he's got plenty. The
Tenerife timeshare market showing times of recovery? No, it's still in the
toilet. So why? It's so he can give his crew of lying, thieving bastards
somewhere else they can buy-sell people into because the poor sods that
actually went for the non-existent Holiday Investment Pack are getting
angry. Twenty thousand quid is a lot of money. Of course the rep takes over
two thousand of that and the other eighteen thousand pays liars like Mark
Cushway and Paul Stewart or drug addicts like Dave Taylor. Salesmen (or con
men really ) like John Exley (if you can catch him on a day when he's
neither drugged nor drunk) and Steve Marginson and Shane Marcel Walsh ( who
gave the poor guy that name) will all be explaining that it's all going to
be OK if only they go for this. AND IT'S NOT TIMESHARE. Well OK, it's
timeshare by another name - F!
ractionals. Please everyone BEWARE!!!! YOU WILL NEVER SEE YOUR MONEY!!!!
JP
Sept 10
A little bird suggests that Resort Properties will soon get the tv treatment
a la LBC.
RT
Like jd (below) I 'invested' with Resort Properties a year ago and now
they are saying I must pay a further GBP300 if they are to continue trying
to sell my investment weeks. I paid over GBP13,000 and need the money. When
I telephone they are very nice, but nothing actually happens. What do I
have to do to get them to keep their promise to sell the weeks I bought?
Derek.
I 'invested' £20,000 with Resort Properties of Tenerife in February 99.
The deal was that they would purchase timeshare at the Hollywood Mirage and
Beverly Hills Club on my behalf and resell them at profit.
The indication from their salesperson was that 'it would take a few weeks'
to get things happening but from then on all I had to do was bank the
cheques.
By June I was concerned that I had heard nothing so I contacted them
directly by phone. Since then I have been given all sorts of 'comfort'
stories of sales coming but to date nothing!
I started to investigate if there were others in my position and there are
lots. I have spoken to two other 'investors' and they have horror stories
far worse than mine and they also know of others that would not be
identified as they were embarassed. In some cases figures of £35,000 were
involved over periods of 30 months. My advise to any would be 'investors
is don't do it! If anyone can help me and others to recoup our losses we
would appreciate it.
jd
