MacDonald News

MacDonalds and ITRA Preying on the Elderly

Again, another case has emerged of companies preying on the elderly and vulnerable.

InsideTimeshare have reported an update on a case they are working on involving ITRA and the more worrying involvement from TATOC member, MacDonald Resorts.  One would hope that as TATOC member, MacDonald Resorts would be more regulated on their behaviour, but it seems not.

The worried consumers that InsideTimeshare are helping are two elderly sisters which own/owned at Dona Lona, owned by MacDonalds Resorts and Oasis Lanz at the time when they were approached by ITRA and enticed to join their RCI class action.

2 years ago an ITRA representative visited the sisters in their own home, a practice which the TCA vehemently disagrees with after hearing first hand from many consumers the intimidating pressure this puts them under, and this is from middle aged couples, but imagine if you are in your late eighties, living alone and finding someone knocking on your door uninvited, then coming back – uninvited yet again. This sales process to the TCA is unnecessary.

The sisters paid ITRA £5,965 to join the RCI class action which would also extricate them from their timeshares.

According to ITRA they have fulfilled their contract and “sold” the timeshares and even sent the sellers written, notorised confirmation stating the buyers name, address and purchase of the timeshares for £1.

However, MacDonald Resorts do not recognise this sale are still chasing for unpaid maintenance and have escalated the matter to National Credit Services based in Lanarkshire.

The new owner (the buyer named by ITRA) does not appear on the electrol at the address stated, this wouldn’t be the first time the TCA have heard of a “Strawman” con where a company uses a fake identity to con the seller into parting with money – but they usually do transfer the timeshare with the home resort to buy them time before anyone is alerted to what is going on.  The ultimate looser in these schemes,along side the unnecessary outlay made by the seller, are usually the resorts as no one is paying the maintenance, perhaps this is what has happened in this scenario and MacDonalds have now reverted the ownership back hoping that the original clients will part with yet more money for the outstanding maintenance with the threat of court action.

TATOC members like MacDonalds Resorts should know better than to set their debt collecting hounds on an 87 year old.

The Timeshare Consumers Association. Dated: April 25, 2016.

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