Hi everyone
By now most people know that BV aka St Francis Marketing have gone into liquidation but I have been told the same outfit have started up in Taunton under the above name please let any friends etc know that they are so dodgy and not to sign up. The good news is that GE have stopped giving finance.
Regards
Jeanette
Fractional Ownership (The short break company)
25 posts • Page 1 of 3 • 1, 2, 3
by kobieta on Mon Jun 22, 2009 09:45 am
Hi, friend of mine went to a seminar yesterday... shame shizzle as usual(judging by what Ive read on here). But they signed the forms. Can they get out? do they have the 14 day cooling off period?
No Money changed hands.
They offered a shre in a yaught for 17k.
4 weeks a year on it or alternatively some european holidays at very cheap rates.
And 4k return every year on the yaught.
We think either a registered letter or a solicitors letter saying something along the lines of: "we had a look at some internet info and found the company's reputation to be questionable at best..... etc"
what u all think?
No Money changed hands.
They offered a shre in a yaught for 17k.
4 weeks a year on it or alternatively some european holidays at very cheap rates.
And 4k return every year on the yaught.
We think either a registered letter or a solicitors letter saying something along the lines of: "we had a look at some internet info and found the company's reputation to be questionable at best..... etc"
what u all think?
- kobieta
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- Joined: Mon Jun 22, 2009 09:30 am
by jwilton on Mon Jun 22, 2009 14:59 pm
Hi Kobieta
Tell them to get a letter of cancellation off straight away,saying they have thought about it and have changed their minds, send recorded and keep a copy!! Also Block with their bank any direct debit etc going to the company. I have had it on good authority this lot are the same crew as SFM.
Jeanette
Tell them to get a letter of cancellation off straight away,saying they have thought about it and have changed their minds, send recorded and keep a copy!! Also Block with their bank any direct debit etc going to the company. I have had it on good authority this lot are the same crew as SFM.
Jeanette
- jwilton
- Posts: 113
- Joined: Thu Oct 09, 2008 21:03 pm
by Stuart1957 on Tue Jun 23, 2009 11:58 am
Jeanette
You are spot on regarding the ownership of the Short Break Company. Their premises at Creech Castle, Taunton, were leased in February this year by St Frances Marketing which has now gone into liquidation. It seems the lease has been transferred to Short Break which is owned by the same two women who owned St Frances, a Carol Small and a Karen Henthorne, both of Exeter.
Previous to St Frances Marketing, Carol Small was a director and shareholder of a company called Easy Save Finance which traded as, among other titles, Leisure Time Promotions, and operated from Brendon House, Marsh Barton, Exeter. Easy Save Finance went into liquidation in November 2007.
All this and more information is available for a small fee from the Companies House website. I have the information myself, including the addresses of directors and shareholders. Should anyone wish to message me via this site, I will be happy to share it.
I went to a presentation last weekend and the sales tactics and presentation by Short Break was similar to that of other trading names employed by Carol Small and her colleagues, such as Buena Viva and Leisure Time Promotions. I managed to convince the salesman that I really wasn't going to buy anything, so escaped with a £10 Argos voucher and the Sugar Reef Club holiday promise (which I won't be attempting to take advantage of).
I would be interested to know if anyone got to the stage of buying a "fractional ownership" of the boat from Dames de la Mer, how much it was and what the financing arrangements were. Also whether there was a "cooling off" period offered and is that in writing.
I am a journalist with the Exeter Express & Echo and am very interested in the activities of Carol Small and her companies. Please message via this site me if you feel you'd rather not post information on here.
You are spot on regarding the ownership of the Short Break Company. Their premises at Creech Castle, Taunton, were leased in February this year by St Frances Marketing which has now gone into liquidation. It seems the lease has been transferred to Short Break which is owned by the same two women who owned St Frances, a Carol Small and a Karen Henthorne, both of Exeter.
Previous to St Frances Marketing, Carol Small was a director and shareholder of a company called Easy Save Finance which traded as, among other titles, Leisure Time Promotions, and operated from Brendon House, Marsh Barton, Exeter. Easy Save Finance went into liquidation in November 2007.
All this and more information is available for a small fee from the Companies House website. I have the information myself, including the addresses of directors and shareholders. Should anyone wish to message me via this site, I will be happy to share it.
I went to a presentation last weekend and the sales tactics and presentation by Short Break was similar to that of other trading names employed by Carol Small and her colleagues, such as Buena Viva and Leisure Time Promotions. I managed to convince the salesman that I really wasn't going to buy anything, so escaped with a £10 Argos voucher and the Sugar Reef Club holiday promise (which I won't be attempting to take advantage of).
I would be interested to know if anyone got to the stage of buying a "fractional ownership" of the boat from Dames de la Mer, how much it was and what the financing arrangements were. Also whether there was a "cooling off" period offered and is that in writing.
I am a journalist with the Exeter Express & Echo and am very interested in the activities of Carol Small and her companies. Please message via this site me if you feel you'd rather not post information on here.
Last edited by Stuart1957 on Tue Jun 23, 2009 14:17 pm, edited 3 times in total.
- Stuart1957
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- Joined: Sun Jun 21, 2009 14:55 pm
by Stuart1957 on Tue Jun 23, 2009 12:30 pm
Devon County Council issued this press release in May 2008, it can be read on its website:
Devon County Council's Trading Standards service receives frequent complaints about 'Holiday Clubs'.
In a recent investigation, two directors of a Devon based holiday club, Easysave Finance Ltd, gave trading standards officers binding undertakings not to misrepresent their products to potential customers. They promised not to breach the Trade Descriptions Act or to make misleading statements about so called 'free holidays' where customers had to pay additional charges.
The company, trading as Leisure Time Promotions and World of Holidays based at Brendon House, Sigford Rd, Marsh Barton, Exeter, is now in liquidation. They offered a Holiday Club service, selling points to customers, which could then be converted into holidays at timeshare resorts.
Trading Standards received a large number of complaints from people who had phone calls from a connected marketing company inviting them to a presentation.
Some were told that they would be attending to pick up details of a 'free holiday award'. When they arrived, the company tried to get them to sign up for a Holiday Club. The 'free holiday' also carried an administration charge.
Directors Marc Herbert and Carol Small have now promised to abide by the terms of the Misrepresentation Act 1967, and not to induce consumers to enter contracts by making false representations to them.
The undertaking, given under Part 8 of the Enterprise Act 2002 regulates their future conduct in any business they may engage in.
If the undertakings are breached, Devon Trading Standards can seek a court injunction. Failure to obey a court injunction can result in proceedings for contempt of court.
Councillor Brian Berman, Devon County Council Executive Member for Communities, said: "Members of the public should be wary of inducements such as offers of free holidays from businesses seeking to persuade consumers to enter into expensive 'holiday club' agreements.
"The activities of this holiday company and its directors led to a large number of complaints from members of the public about misleading statements and additional charges in relation to holiday offers. The undertaking we have received should ensure that the named individuals do not engage in this type of practice in the future. If they do, they risk further enforcement action and possible heavy penalties."
A Holiday Club usually offers accommodation for a fixed monthly fee. Members are often tied in for several years to payments made under a loan agreement. Membership fees do not usually include flights and other transport costs and may cost more in total than an equivalent holiday bought through a travel agent.
A phone call out of the blue offering a 'free holiday' in return for answering a short survey on holiday habits is often the way many people are initially contacted. An invitation to a presentation about a new holiday product usually follows.
Attendees of the presentation may then be subject to hard sell techniques for a club package costing in excess of £10,000.
The Timeshare Act 1979 allows purchasers of timeshare products a two week cooling off period. However, a Holiday Club is not subject to the same legislation and therefore a period when people can change their minds is not always available.
Devon Trading Standards recommend that unless people are seriously considering purchasing the product, they do not to attend presentations and should not be tempted by promises of 'free holidays'. They also advise shopping around, disregarding 'today only offers' and rejecting any offers when the company will not allow the paperwork to be taken by people who want more time to consider their options.
Devon County Council's Trading Standards service receives frequent complaints about 'Holiday Clubs'.
In a recent investigation, two directors of a Devon based holiday club, Easysave Finance Ltd, gave trading standards officers binding undertakings not to misrepresent their products to potential customers. They promised not to breach the Trade Descriptions Act or to make misleading statements about so called 'free holidays' where customers had to pay additional charges.
The company, trading as Leisure Time Promotions and World of Holidays based at Brendon House, Sigford Rd, Marsh Barton, Exeter, is now in liquidation. They offered a Holiday Club service, selling points to customers, which could then be converted into holidays at timeshare resorts.
Trading Standards received a large number of complaints from people who had phone calls from a connected marketing company inviting them to a presentation.
Some were told that they would be attending to pick up details of a 'free holiday award'. When they arrived, the company tried to get them to sign up for a Holiday Club. The 'free holiday' also carried an administration charge.
Directors Marc Herbert and Carol Small have now promised to abide by the terms of the Misrepresentation Act 1967, and not to induce consumers to enter contracts by making false representations to them.
The undertaking, given under Part 8 of the Enterprise Act 2002 regulates their future conduct in any business they may engage in.
If the undertakings are breached, Devon Trading Standards can seek a court injunction. Failure to obey a court injunction can result in proceedings for contempt of court.
Councillor Brian Berman, Devon County Council Executive Member for Communities, said: "Members of the public should be wary of inducements such as offers of free holidays from businesses seeking to persuade consumers to enter into expensive 'holiday club' agreements.
"The activities of this holiday company and its directors led to a large number of complaints from members of the public about misleading statements and additional charges in relation to holiday offers. The undertaking we have received should ensure that the named individuals do not engage in this type of practice in the future. If they do, they risk further enforcement action and possible heavy penalties."
A Holiday Club usually offers accommodation for a fixed monthly fee. Members are often tied in for several years to payments made under a loan agreement. Membership fees do not usually include flights and other transport costs and may cost more in total than an equivalent holiday bought through a travel agent.
A phone call out of the blue offering a 'free holiday' in return for answering a short survey on holiday habits is often the way many people are initially contacted. An invitation to a presentation about a new holiday product usually follows.
Attendees of the presentation may then be subject to hard sell techniques for a club package costing in excess of £10,000.
The Timeshare Act 1979 allows purchasers of timeshare products a two week cooling off period. However, a Holiday Club is not subject to the same legislation and therefore a period when people can change their minds is not always available.
Devon Trading Standards recommend that unless people are seriously considering purchasing the product, they do not to attend presentations and should not be tempted by promises of 'free holidays'. They also advise shopping around, disregarding 'today only offers' and rejecting any offers when the company will not allow the paperwork to be taken by people who want more time to consider their options.
- Stuart1957
- Posts: 13
- Joined: Sun Jun 21, 2009 14:55 pm
by Stuart1957 on Tue Jun 23, 2009 13:13 pm
From the Exeter Express & Echo, Monday, June 15, 2009
A JUDGE has criticised the “pressurised sales technique” used by an Exeter-based holiday club operator, ruling that customers were misled into parting with thousands of pounds.
The judgement brought to an end a three-year ordeal for a couple who faced having to pay out £12,785 after signing up to a holiday club run by Leisure Time Promotions.
Benny Goodman and his partner, who did not want to be named, attended a presentation at Brendon House in Sigford Road, Marsh Barton, in July 2006 after receiving an unsolicited phone call.
After a three-hour sales pitch they signed a contract to buy points in a holiday club, and a finance agreement to provide credit to pay for the points, which could then be converted into stays at timeshare resorts.
They subsequently changed their minds but were unable to cancel the contract, so refused to pay, resulting in Mr Goodman’s partner being taken to court by finance company Asset Link Capital over the £12,785 debt.
She defended the claim, arguing that misrepresentations made by sales staff at the meeting in Exeter led her to sign the contract.
District judge Kathryn Major accepted this defence, dismissing the finance company’s claim and ordering it to pay the defendant £3,428 in costs.
The judge ruled the salesmen had been guilty of “fraudulent misstatement” in telling the couple that the company would buy back the points. She also found four other instances of misrepresentation, including that the customers were told the product was covered by ABTA, that documents would be sent to them in the post and that they would be entitled to reduced fares on flights and ferries.
In her judgement, she said: “I have concerns about what I find to be a fairly pressurised sales technique, specifically the lack of opportunity to consider a document away from the meeting or in the absence of a sales person on the day.”
She also observed that the contract contained “an onerous clause biased against the consumer [that] effectively gives carte blanche for anything to be promised by the marketer during the course of pre-contractual negotiations”.
At the hearing, Alex Fry, of Devon Trading Standards, told Truro County Court the service had received multiple complaints about Leisure Time Promotions.
Mr Goodman, who lives in Cornwall, said he and his partner had been left £1,300 out of pocket because the order for costs did not cover all their legal expenses.
“Since October 2006 this has cost us sleepless nights, a whole lot of worry and now £1,300 I don’t think I can get back,” he said. “That’s even after a judgement of fraudulent misrepresentation.”
Leisure Time Promotions was a trading name of Easysave Finance Ltd, which is now in liquidation. In May last year, its directors Marc Herbert and Carol Small gave binding undertakings not to misrepresent their products to potential customers, following an investigation by Devon Trading Standards officers.
A JUDGE has criticised the “pressurised sales technique” used by an Exeter-based holiday club operator, ruling that customers were misled into parting with thousands of pounds.
The judgement brought to an end a three-year ordeal for a couple who faced having to pay out £12,785 after signing up to a holiday club run by Leisure Time Promotions.
Benny Goodman and his partner, who did not want to be named, attended a presentation at Brendon House in Sigford Road, Marsh Barton, in July 2006 after receiving an unsolicited phone call.
After a three-hour sales pitch they signed a contract to buy points in a holiday club, and a finance agreement to provide credit to pay for the points, which could then be converted into stays at timeshare resorts.
They subsequently changed their minds but were unable to cancel the contract, so refused to pay, resulting in Mr Goodman’s partner being taken to court by finance company Asset Link Capital over the £12,785 debt.
She defended the claim, arguing that misrepresentations made by sales staff at the meeting in Exeter led her to sign the contract.
District judge Kathryn Major accepted this defence, dismissing the finance company’s claim and ordering it to pay the defendant £3,428 in costs.
The judge ruled the salesmen had been guilty of “fraudulent misstatement” in telling the couple that the company would buy back the points. She also found four other instances of misrepresentation, including that the customers were told the product was covered by ABTA, that documents would be sent to them in the post and that they would be entitled to reduced fares on flights and ferries.
In her judgement, she said: “I have concerns about what I find to be a fairly pressurised sales technique, specifically the lack of opportunity to consider a document away from the meeting or in the absence of a sales person on the day.”
She also observed that the contract contained “an onerous clause biased against the consumer [that] effectively gives carte blanche for anything to be promised by the marketer during the course of pre-contractual negotiations”.
At the hearing, Alex Fry, of Devon Trading Standards, told Truro County Court the service had received multiple complaints about Leisure Time Promotions.
Mr Goodman, who lives in Cornwall, said he and his partner had been left £1,300 out of pocket because the order for costs did not cover all their legal expenses.
“Since October 2006 this has cost us sleepless nights, a whole lot of worry and now £1,300 I don’t think I can get back,” he said. “That’s even after a judgement of fraudulent misrepresentation.”
Leisure Time Promotions was a trading name of Easysave Finance Ltd, which is now in liquidation. In May last year, its directors Marc Herbert and Carol Small gave binding undertakings not to misrepresent their products to potential customers, following an investigation by Devon Trading Standards officers.
- Stuart1957
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- Joined: Sun Jun 21, 2009 14:55 pm
by Stuart1957 on Tue Jun 23, 2009 13:39 pm
The Short Break Company has been advertising for staff on the Exeter University Guild of Students' website:
*************************************
Short Break Company ltd. are looking for students to work in their call centre in Marsh Barton, with free transport home in the evenings!
They are looking for people who are confident on the phone as you will be conducting a marketing survey...no selling is involved!! Good communication skills are essential and full training is provided.
Shifts are between 4 and 8pm weekday evenings and 10am-2pm at weekends. you need to commit to at least 3 evenings although these are negotiable.
Pay is £7.00 per hour. (plus weekly bonus) you could gain up to £900 commission should you reach your targets!
To apply call Gina on xxxxxx or email her on xxxxxxx
*********************************************
Should anyone want the phone number or email address, please message me.
Given that the ad states "no selling involved", one wonders how they can earn a weekly bonus of up to £900! Profitable business or what?
I haven't yet established the address they are working from but I suspect it will be Brendon House.
My invitation for the presentation at Creech Castle, Taunton, came from a Mecca Marketing, a trading name of the Short Break Company, and the address given for them was Elizabeth House, Alber Court, Emperor Way, Exeter Business Park, Exeter EX1 3QS, which is the other side of Exeter from Marsh Barton.
I photocopied my invite for reference and should anyone want the phone/fax numbers from that, again please message me.
*************************************
Short Break Company ltd. are looking for students to work in their call centre in Marsh Barton, with free transport home in the evenings!
They are looking for people who are confident on the phone as you will be conducting a marketing survey...no selling is involved!! Good communication skills are essential and full training is provided.
Shifts are between 4 and 8pm weekday evenings and 10am-2pm at weekends. you need to commit to at least 3 evenings although these are negotiable.
Pay is £7.00 per hour. (plus weekly bonus) you could gain up to £900 commission should you reach your targets!
To apply call Gina on xxxxxx or email her on xxxxxxx
*********************************************
Should anyone want the phone number or email address, please message me.
Given that the ad states "no selling involved", one wonders how they can earn a weekly bonus of up to £900! Profitable business or what?
I haven't yet established the address they are working from but I suspect it will be Brendon House.
My invitation for the presentation at Creech Castle, Taunton, came from a Mecca Marketing, a trading name of the Short Break Company, and the address given for them was Elizabeth House, Alber Court, Emperor Way, Exeter Business Park, Exeter EX1 3QS, which is the other side of Exeter from Marsh Barton.
I photocopied my invite for reference and should anyone want the phone/fax numbers from that, again please message me.
- Stuart1957
- Posts: 13
- Joined: Sun Jun 21, 2009 14:55 pm
by jwilton on Tue Jun 23, 2009 20:26 pm
Stuart
Ive got to say good on you for what you have written, you might get some threatening mails as I did but keep going to stop these con artists as we will do, I believe David has emailed you!!! Anything you can write will help everyone who like all of us were conned and apart from us all fighting and we will keep fighting we want to stop anyone else being taken in!!!!
Thanks Stuart
Jeanette
Ive got to say good on you for what you have written, you might get some threatening mails as I did but keep going to stop these con artists as we will do, I believe David has emailed you!!! Anything you can write will help everyone who like all of us were conned and apart from us all fighting and we will keep fighting we want to stop anyone else being taken in!!!!
Thanks Stuart
Jeanette
- jwilton
- Posts: 113
- Joined: Thu Oct 09, 2008 21:03 pm
by Stuart1957 on Tue Jun 23, 2009 20:43 pm
Hi Jeanette
The story was actually written by a colleague of mine, the Express & Echo's business editor... I'll pass on your kind words!
Yes, I've spoken to David and will hopefully be doing a follow-up story in the next few days once I've done a little more research and spoken with my editor about the situation.
I'll keep you and David up-to-date with any developments on here or by email.
The story was actually written by a colleague of mine, the Express & Echo's business editor... I'll pass on your kind words!
Yes, I've spoken to David and will hopefully be doing a follow-up story in the next few days once I've done a little more research and spoken with my editor about the situation.
I'll keep you and David up-to-date with any developments on here or by email.
- Stuart1957
- Posts: 13
- Joined: Sun Jun 21, 2009 14:55 pm
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