This is a general warning about making payments to any resale company!

Of course we will always insist that an upfront payment is illegal and against what is established in the Timeshare Directive but sometimes resale companies do charge a fee for example for publicity costs, or a small admin fee.

Please keep as a guideline that a genuine and legal company will NOT ask for any payment to be done through MoneyGram, Western Union or other payments to individual’s bank accounts.

Stay away from any company asking an upfront fee calling it retainer, security bond, liability, insurance, etc.

Stay away from those requesting Notary fees, translation costs or tax payments supposedly to the Spanish government but to an account under an individual’s name, which most of the time is an English name as well!

Payments by credit card are protected by the Consumer Credit Act 1974, but please be aware that requesting a refund is not like picking up the phone to your bank and getting the money transferred back to your account. Banks will ask for proof of mis-representation or breach of contract, and the companies who took the money will also be asked for their site of the story. So if anybody cold calls you and uses as part of the pitch that paying with credit card is not a problem as you are “protected” do not take this lightly and as a guarantee you are not taking any risk!!

Payments by debit cards can be claimed in a time period of 120 days of when the financial transaction took place. Debit Cards do not fall under the Consumer Credit Act 1974!

If you are about to make a payment, or the company you are dealing with is requesting a second or third payment for whatever reason, please check first!

Better be safe than sorry!