Libel/slander alert: Clarification on false accusations made by unscrupulous "competitors"

The claims industry, like many businesses on the periphery of timeshare is sadly awash with unethical operators. So we thought we would clear up some recent (easily provable) claims being made by cold callers

Reputation takes years to gain, seconds to lose

European Consumer Claims (ECC) have been protecting the rights of timeshare consumers for 6 full years. Our online reviews are excellent, we score higher on all the top review sites than BMW, Rolex or any major bank for example

The testimonials including video reviews (not just written ones) from existing clients on the website are plentiful, evidenced and enthusiastic. We take enormous pride in our sterling reputation and work hard to maintain it with excellent customer service and by delivering on our promises.

Even so, you would expect us to say that, so how do you really know?

Actually there are many ways to confirm the credibility of a claims firm. There are independent consumer associations who will give you their opinion. There are websites that describe giveaway indicators of scam firms, and conversely who can be trusted.

ECC, CLA, Sarah Waddington Solicitors and M1 Legal

It has recently come to our attention that a couple of murky claims firm 'competitors' have been cold calling clients of ours, as well as (ironically) some of the most respected timeshare claims companies and timeshare lawyers, and making outlandish assertions about them.

Many ECC clients who have been targeted in this way sensed that something didn't feel right, and came to us to report the illegal calls.

There was some discussion within ECC and our associate legal partners M1 Legal (who have also been slandered) regarding this matter. It was decided that a clear explanation would be the best way to allay any concerns that our clients may have

For the knowledgeable online researcher, ECC's reputation is easy to confirm. But for those not as comfortable or skilled at research, we made the decision to address the worst examples below. Not just the stories about ourselves, but the other reputable companies involved too.

Below are the specific recent false allegations, together with the easiest way to get to the truth

The lies vs the truth

• ECC/CLA/M1 Legal are under investigation by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Untrue obviously. But to find out, it's as easy as making a phone call to the FCA and confirm this for yourself. Their website is here. Their contact details are here. CLA are actually based in Spain and not even subject to the authority of the FCA
• The owner of ECC and M1 Legal is on bail after his offices were raided by the National Police in Tenerife. Neither ECC nor M1 Legal have offices in Tenerife. ECC office locations are here. M1 Legal office locations are at the bottom of this page. Neither company has ever been raided by police, or had even the hint of legal troubles of any kind. The director of ECC, Andrew Charles Cooper has never been arrested, charged with, or been implicated in any such crimes as alleged.
• Sarah Waddington's Solicitors (SWS) charge clients £6000, then all they do is make a (free to do) online claim to the financial ombudsman. SWS are a UK SRA regulated solicitor, audited quarterly to prove the work they are carrying out. They keep a record of all work done for every client and there is no possibility that they could do something like this and get away with it. If the scam firm making these allegations really had evidence, then an SRA complaint would be made and SWS closed down
• M1 Lawyers are jumping ship as €80 million have been presented incorrectly to the courts. Untrue again. Since inception the M1 Legal has continued to grow and whilst team members come and go (like at any organisation) the majority of the legal team have been with the company for many years and with exciting times ahead, we have no reason to believe any will be leaving anytime soon. The full staff list of lawyers can be seen on the website. The "€80 million presented incorrectly" is fiction and it is hard to evidence a negative. If you look for evidence that purple dinosaurs don't live in caves in Yorkshire after hearing somebody make the claim that they do, the closest you would come to proof is an absence of evidence - which sadly is not an evidence of absence. By the same token searching for evidence of M1 Legal and €80 million of mispresented cases, shows nothing of the kind written about on the internet. It isn't proof, but common sense is enough to tell you that plenty of media would have documented this kind of malpractice
• Sarah Waddington's Solicitors are under investigation and about to be struck off. The trouble with this kind of claim again is that how would you prove something isn't happening? Under investigation by who? If someone claims that a particular company is under investigation, then you should ask the accuser which entity is handling the investigation and then call that entity to ask. One thing is certain. Once you do this, and find out that said investigation does not exist, you can be sure that the cold caller telling you the false information can not be trusted. Especially with your money

That last point is very important. If you catch someone out in one lie, then you know that they will stoop to any depth to secure your business. On no account should you trust them with your business

ECC, and the other targets mentioned in this article are competitors of one another, however maintain a respectful and professional relationship and avoid criticism of honest and reputable competition. It is simply unprofessional.

We explain who we are, for sure. We extol the advantages of doing business with ourselves. We strive to be the best in our field, but there is always room for improvement. We let our work do the talking, and our customers do the reviewing.

For genuine solutions to timeshare problems, contact our team for a free, confidential chat.

Decide for yourself who can be trusted.