First thing you should know is that Gran Canaria Resorts (GC Resorts) – http://gcresorts.com and www.gc-resorts.com – is the latest scheme set up by Eugen Kaiser this year.
This apparent Holiday Reservations Central with a large choice of resorts worldwide is actually just a Fly Buy booking office, feeding timeshare owners into a couple of resorts only where they will be taken to a meeting and introduced to one of the Discount Holiday Club Memberships, paying a lot of money for something like hot air.
With main offices in Gran Canaria there is another office in Tenerife. The contact numbers are:
Tenerife: 0034 922 711 207 & Fax 00 34 922 775822
UK: 0044 0203 4555 301
France: 0033 980 130 547
Holland 0031 457 111 680
How do they work?
Although GC Resorts officially claims at its homepage, NOT to be affiliated in any way with RCI or Interval International, they are now cold calling timeshare owners and identifying themselves as RCI Office in Tenerife, or being the RCI Guide.
The timeshare members, who are being offered promotions like unlimited availability until end of 2013 for all RCI gold crown resorts with 2 free extra holidays, will have an unpleasant surprise, when they receive an email from Gran Canaria resorts, in which they are informed that they can only book accommodation at certain resorts in the Canary Islands, and Thailand resorts! And forget about the “Luxury Defined” the resorts are not Gold Crown or Five Star!
With the above information, and the knowledge that behind all this is Eugene Kaiser, the same person behind Voyager and ReclaimGC (See our latest blog http://t.co/nW592Vv) it gives you a lot to think about before actually booking a “happy holiday” with Gran Canaria Resorts.
Have you visited a resort through a booking of Gran Canaria Resorts? Did you end up buying into a Discounted Holiday Club or signed up for the ReclaimGC Scheme? We are keen to know!
Mindtimeshare 
I paid out 400 euros via credit card to GC resorts in exchange for 3 holidays which due to multiple circumstances I never received. I then received a phone call from a former employee who told me that they had gone into liquidation and I would receive no holidays. I gathered up my contract documentation and receipt of payment and followed as much of a trail on the internet to lodge a claim under section 75 of the credit card act with my bank as the purchase was greater than £100. My bank rejected my claim as I had received no definitive proof that they had been wound up. I was not happy with this and contacted the financial ombudsman service who agreed that in their eyes I had a valid claim. They helped me construct a letter with additional information and asked me to wait for 4/6 weeks for a reply from my bank. No reply was forthcoming so I again got in touch with the financial ombudsman service who agreed to write direct to my bank. Four weeks later I received a letter from my bank stating that although they were still not happy that proof had been produced on the liquidation of GC Resorts they found in my favour on the grounds that GC Resorts where in breach of contract and they refunded my money in full plus an extra £50 for my troubles – Result – Now happy. John
Hi my name is Yvonne and on the 11th August 2011 I purchased a 1 week holiday from a telephone sales with gc resorts. My offer runs out in Dec 2014 and I have emailed them on numerous occasions and tried telephoning them no answer. I paid over the phone and a lady by the name of Marianne Tucker took my payment and photo copied my payment and sent it back to me. I’m not usually so gullible as this but I do believe that I have been co****. Is there anyway I can get my money back?
Yvonne if you read all of our comments you will see that the likelihood of retrieving any money is ziltch. It is a xxx and Eugene Keiser has been arrested but I bet he is back out on the streets doing the same thing to more unsuspecting suckers. We wont see our money again but the more people who know about these xxxxx the better and hopefully more will learn not to part with their money as easily as we did. Once bitten twice shy as they say.
Hi Yvonne, we did the same and you do have to go to a meeting where they will try to sell you a holiday points system, the whole thing is very much like timeshare selling, only difference you own points and not property, not a good scheme in my view. As long as you can be sure you won’t sign anything, then the rest of the holiday is fine and you only have to give up time for that one meeting. You are within your rights to leave after 90 minutes. If you can’t get a response on the phone try completing the form on GC Resorts website. Is this the number you are trying 0044 (0)203 4555301? and this is the email address I had, esther@gc-resorts.com We had a good week in Teneriffe despite the meeting so all is not lost, but I doubt you would get a refund. Good Luck.
Don’t book with GC Resorts, they are not offering luxury holidays and you cannot choose your own destination, they will encourage you to book the one that suits them. The meeting you have to agreed to attend will then try to sell you a package offering holidays with a 40% discount. (You have to buy the discount) Its all very much like timeshare and I believe most the staff have sold timeshare in the past, this is the ‘new’ alternative now they know people are getting wise to their tricks. As it was we were quite happy with our final destination in Tenerife and we had a good time, but the hotel was not a luxury hotel and you get a good deal booking through other online package holidays sites (with no meeting to attend).
Well Doreen we paid £295 in January 2012 for a block of three week holidays to be taken separately over the next three years, guess what, we still have not been on one holiday. Every time we have telephoned to try and book a holiday to ‘our’ destination they just don’t have it, every time we ask ”Is this a timeshare deal” we are told definitely not and there will be no hard sell, when I tell them I know this is a lie they actually get quite aggressive and at one point the lady calling my husband names.
As Eugene Keiser has been arrested for issues with other companies we know we have been duped as well, It is not the money as I am thankful it wasn’t a lot more but it’s the principal of the matter. These people are thi**** and should b treated as such,!!
I am just glad we never went on holiday with them because I would be tempted to do something ‘not very nice’ if the had started a ‘hard sell’ on me.
We live and learn but this thing should be stopped and the Spanish police round the lot up and throw them out of the country, it is not doing the reputation of Spanish Tourism any good.
I agree Christine. The meeting you have to go to is very friendly (too friendly) they are very chatty and give you breakfast, lunch etc. It can take hours before they actually give you a price for the ‘product’ they are selling, but you are within your rights to leave after 90 minutes even if they haven’t finished, although they do get very upset when you do that, but who cares. I did check with the Hotel in Tenerife that our booking was confirmed before we flew out, just in case. But unless you are 100% certain you can resist the hard sell I wouldn’t suggest anybody goes through with it. I’ve tried to contact GC Resorts since but surprisingly they don’t respond to me now I am back. The Eze Group claim to be paying them between £600 & £800 to phone people and get them to their meetings, so they are making a good profit.
Many years ago whilst in Portugal we fell for the scratch card trick and were told we had won a holiday, now remember this was 15 or so years ago. So they put us in a taxi and take us to the resort were we supposedly had won the holiday…….Yep Time Share !!
When after about 2 hours or more of being spoken at, not to we had had enough, also we had our 14 year old daughter and friend with us so they were bored. So anyway we decided enough was enough and asked to leave. Well Doreen I have never had such vitriol thrown at me in my life, we were threatened with wasting time, threatened with the police, asked to pay for the ‘free lunch’ we had eaten and told if we left then we would have to find our own way home, it was disgusting. My husband came close to hitting one chap and told him we would be going straight to the police ourselves ( which we did ). Needless to say we left after waiting an hour for a taxi which cost us £40, had a whole wasted day and then an hour at the police station in Alvor. They were very nice but did ziltch, so I wont be putting myself through any meetings ever again in the future, I would rather lose the £295. What a sad reflection on the human race these people are but we live and learn. I hope Eugein Keiser is sent down for a long time otherwise he will just keep on opening b**** companies and ripping thousands more people off. Nice talking to you by the way.
Muriel, we have tried to email you but the message bounced back.
Please could you contact us at customercare@mindtimeshare.com ?
Regards
Customer Care
Sylvia we were also taken in by this and paid for 2 weeks. We specifically asked for Cyprus and was told that would be fine now to be told that Cyprus is no longer recommended due to the poor cleanliness of the apartments. They could however offer us Tenerife or gran canaria dwhich from the outset we told them we did not want those destinations!!!!!
I got my money back. I made such a nusiance of myself that I think they felt it was easier to simply repay me.
Well I had a long chat with the lady who telephoned and ran all the concerns through with her, she said that the reason they just put 2 adults & 2 children on the initial contract is because they only have two names but once you book with the number of people in your party they will match the accomodation accordingly, you dont have to wait 6 months between holidays this is just protecting themselves as a lot of people misused the facilty by booking their own TS + theirs back to back??. Asked about leaving credit card details at reception, she said you have to do this when booking hotels in Uk, which is true we have had to do this many a time in the past but we did inform her we dont have a C/C …..just dont use them, dont like them and keeps you out of debt. She said our Debit Card was ok as it was just another form of identification, as they do in hotels anywhere.
They monitor this site and she made a point of telephoning me back to reasure me that we will not get a ‘hard sell’ timeshare pitch but they would like us to go to the meeting to hear what they had to offer in the resort vis-a-vie trips, restaurants, tours, bars etc. Well we shall have to see because we will go on one holiday and hopefully all will be OK , I will let you …and anyone else who needs to, know when we have our first trip.
In all honesty I hear all your comments but I have not heard one from anyone who has ”actually” been to one of their resorts with first hand information, we could then make more positive comments if we had this info.
Oh ****. I now think I have been the victim of misrepresentation tonight. The offer was 2 weeks at their resorts for £350 to be taken over next 4 years. I asked like a thousand questions, such as is it timeshare? Holiday ownership? Rental club? Any presentations on site? He denied it all, but as this is the first chance I have had to google GC-resorts, now I have that sinking feeling. I can call the credit card company as try to cancel the payment, but I fear it will be too late.
Unfortunately my husband has just parted with £295 for 3 weeks to be taken over the next five years. He did say if it was timeshare he was not interested and would cause a fuss if they tried to get him to meetings. It started off as 1 week for £149 and then £295 for 2 weeks when we sounded interested, as we do travel a lot they then said they would give us 3 weeks for our £295. My husband did say it sounded to good to be true but they said they are only trying to put bums on seats in these resorts that would normally have struggled in these hard times?? Have we been well and try conned…………….cant believe it, we are not youngsters but thought hey – ho if its true then ok but if not then we have not lost a fortune. Can anyone truthfully tell us if they have been with this company and all was well????
I was offered 3 weeks for £295 with free breakfast thrown in, also to be taken within a 5 year term. I told them as a previous time-share owner, I would be upset if it really was a time-share scam, but I was assured it was a genuine deal. Her name was ‘Alvera’ and i was tempted, but you know the saying, ‘If its too good to be true – it usually is’, so I declined. I feel as if I have just won £295.
I have just had a similar offer but was offered a further discount for being 60,entry to vip lounge,and all transfer fees.I am not nieve and have had plenty experience with timeshare sales having owned at the Paradise Club in Tenerife then stupidly changing to points when CLC bought over the Paradise Club.After my husband had a serious accident the last time we were in Tenerife I stopped paying my maintanance,and CLC have never contacted me despite it now being 3yrs since I made a payment.I;m wondering if GCResorts are targeting people who have stopped their maintanance.
Dear Olive,
Thanks for your comment.
At least you recognized the pitch! That always helps.
Where do you think GC Resorts got your details from? Do you think they would know about your current status of maintenance fees?
Regarding CLC, I would suggest you speak to them as their Customer Services staff will be able to help you further.
Kind regards
Customer Care
These clowns have just tried to con the mother in law out of £200 for a week in a 5* resort of her choice. Giving her one hour to make her mind up before the deal runs out. She booked it with them & then she phoned us with the news! Luckily we phone the bank & cancelled the transaction. Stay clear of these c****s & warn your loved ones. Lady named Sarah Bravender is doing the COLD CALLING 0203 455 5301
how shocking did you manage to get your money back? i have had a call from these people offering me a week for £295 although if i was to make the booking today they would put in another week free of charge.
something doesnt ring true about this company, the noise in the background is unbareable but the office sounds like it is full of youngsters, and the girl i spoke with sounded like she must have only just left school has her conversational skills were very basic.
i said i would speak with my husband and contact them if we decided to take the offer – needless to say we didnt and my advise would e to stay away from this company
I foolishly it seems have already booked and paid for a 1 week holiday with GC resorts and paid for the air fair but after reading all these comments it appears all is not what it seems.. I am beginning to wonder what I am getting myself into. I think it would be best to just sit through the meetings if I have to,and be very careful not to commit myself to anythingo or part with another penny, and use the holiday as a nice break or would it be wiser not to go at all. Mel
Dear Mel,
Thanks for your comment.
You are right, you go, sit through the meetings and don’t commit to anything you didn’t want in the first place.
Enjoy the holidays!
Kind regards
Customer Care
I was contacted by GC Resorts by telephone offering me 3 weeks at £125.00 per week to be taken over the next 3 years. Need to give 6 weeks notice but can be taken any time of the year. Guaranteed 5*. Can be long haul or European. Is this OK or do I stop my CC payment.
Hi…. We have just been offered a week at one of gcs 14 resorts for 295 pounds. They claim they had nothing to do with timeshare but were simply trying to get more bums on seats at these 14 resorts in order for the resorts to attain 4-5* status. They said we would have to spend an hour once at the resort talking to someone about the other excursions the hotel/ resort offers an that the hour chat was nothing to do with timeshares. Sadly for the caller they wanted upfront payment which I was unwilling to give and told me that today was the last day for te offer and tomorrow it would be £445! What is this all about?????
Dear Ami,
Thanks for the comment.
They have nothing to do with timeshare? Well that’s a new angle to the pitch.
And the meeting is about excursions?
Thanks for the information!
Kind regards
Customer Care
Hi… Gc have just called us back offering us two weeks at 295 instead Of 1!!!! We have an hour to decide. They still are adamant that they have nothing to do with timeshares – that’s the other part of their comPany who are currently suing Hollywood mirage etc….. Is this a scam? Is this deal too good to be true?
Dear Ami,
Of course it has everything to do with timeshare as the accommodation they offer is at a timeshare resort, and they have already told you that you will have to sit in a presentation. This won’t be a presentation for excursions and local restaurants, believe me!
Nothing wrong with visiting a timeshare resort, understand me well, but as they are so insisting you are not and neither are they clear on the reason for the presentation….it makes you wonder.
Ask them for the terms and conditions before you decide.
Kind regards
Customer Care
I was also offered two weeks at £295 in a 4/5* plus an extra £75 secured me an additional VIP week which I could transfer into anyone’s name and would also entitle me to upgrade on the two weeks that I had purchased. I was told that I could use the two weeks together if I wished and also the holiday was for a party of up to six people. I got my confirmation and it is only for 2 adults and 2 children under 16, one week can only be taken at any one time and their has to be a six month gap between booking the first and then the second week. No reference whatsoever has been made about the VIP week. I have asked for my money back but am having problems.
A lady called me from GC Resorst company today about reclaiming my £25000 loan that I took out to finance my Silverpoint time share that I purchased.
They want me to pay 295 pounds to stay in thier villa to seek legal advise and with a consultant. Is this a scam? Has anyone else dealt with this company on the same matter?
Hi Ruby,
Thanks for your comment.
Sounds like a new one to us.
Be very cautious and don’t pay them any money.
We will be sending you more details by email.
Kind regards
Customer Care
I’ve also been contacted by someone from GC Resorts about the same thing as Ruby above. Is there anyone who’s gone with them, consulted their legal consultant & the outcome? I’m now conscious that this is another s***.
HI I also have been called by G C Resorts who have offered us the same as you, legal help to claim back our lost £15000.00 if we come over to Tenerife for £370.00 which will pay for our accommadation and our appointment.
What did you find out and have you taken them up on their offer.
leslie
Hi, we have just been offered the same! Pay £370 and go over for a week and stay in1 of the few apartments and they will help us get our money invested with Resort Properties back, guaranteed! and will not try and get us to buy from them!!!