Former Marriott timeshare owner grateful for €78,000 compensation award payout

Sizeable Marriott award payout as members move to claim compensation for illegal contracts

Happy owners

Myra Bromfield, 55, and husband John bought their first two weeks of Marriott timeshare around 1998, at the Marriott's Marbella Beach Resort.

"It was still being built back then," smiles Myra. "We bought two Bronze weeks, which were cheaper at the time and would allow us to holiday in winter. There was only a portacabin and a show flat. But we could see the potential."

Over the years, Myra and John, who owned a construction equipment procurement company based in Gibraltar, added to their Marriott ownership. At their peak they owned Marriott timeshare in Paris, Mallorca, Spain and the USA.

"We did have some good holidays," admits Myra. "There were never issues with the quality of the resorts."

Disillusionment

Myra, who now lives back in Wales, says that the Marriott ownership eventually lost its lustre: "The costs involved kept endlessly increasing. By the end we were paying over £7000 a year, which is just too much.

"There were also things we were told by the various salespeople which turned out to be untrue. For example, one of them told us that Marriott would always buy our memberships back if we no longer needed them. When we actually asked to do this, we were told there had never in reality been such a policy."

"Extremely frustrating with such a lot of money involved."

Eventually, the Bromfields had had enough. "We heard through the timeshare grapevine that Marriott had been writing illegal contracts," says Myra. "We got in touch with ECC and they told us we could claim compensation from Marriott. The process was not quick, but ECC never gave up."

Malaga courts. Where many timeshare cases are ruled on

"Our patience, and ECC's resilience was rewarded with an award payout of €78,000. The money was paid a couple of weeks ago."

Myra will keep her winnings in the bank for now. "My motivation was never really about the money, although of course it is welcome. Really we wanted to relinquish the commitment of paying the expensive annual fees, and for Marriott to take responsibility for their illegal contracts and untrue sales promises."

Expert comment

"Many Marriott owners align with Myra's attitude on this subject," explains Greg Wilson, CEO of European Consumer Claims (ECC), the company who achieved Myra's compensation award payment.

"Marriott owners are often people for whom the principle is more important than the financial aspect," continues Wilson. "A frustrating point is that, despite their annual reports listing sufficient funding being placed aside to fund court compensation awards for this exact reason, Marriott have still dragged their heels here."

"Anyone who would like to find out more is welcome to get in touch with our team for a no-obligation consultation, in complete confidence."