Press release —
Seasons Holidays complaints investigated by Rip Off Britain team
On May 19th 2026 the BBC's multi award winning consumer program, Rip Off Britain, aired a 20 minute section focussed on Seasons Holidays timeshare company
Rip Off Britain
Since 2009 the BBC's Rip Off Britain team has been widely respected for investigating consumer complaints, exposing scams, and fighting for refunds or compensation for viewers. They tackle everyday issues ranging from faulty goods, hidden subscription fees, and banking fraud to holiday disasters and unfair insurance payouts.
Presenters Gloria Hunniford, Julia Somerville and Louise Minchin have gained a sterling reputation over the years for exposing some of the worst and most dishonest operators targeting Brits. These have included: International investment scams, fake bank accounts, courier fraud, rogue tradesmen, home improvement cons and the dangerous Botox black market.
Seasons Holidays
Timeshare company Seasons Holidays were the subject of investigation on episode 15 of the current series (season 18).
The Seasons Keys product has been written about with concern by nationally respected consumer organisations such as KwikChex and Timeshare Consumer Association.
Rip Off Britain spoke to over a dozen Seasons Keys owners but the episode centred on the experiences of Margaret and Alan Eastel, a Scottish couple who in 2007 'won' a free holiday from Seasons (a standard timeshare marketing tactic). One thing led to another and they found themselves buying a series of timeshare memberships, ending up with an '8 Keys' membership which cost them just under £34,000. This was presented to them, they say, as a one eighth ownership in a unit at Brunston Castle in Scotland.
Their claims are backed up by Seasons' original marketing material, which the Rip Off Britain had got hold of.
The words "you own a share of a property" are clearly printed on the slide.
The couple say they were told by the Seasons salesman that they could genuinely expect to make a profit in 16 years, when the Keys product matured.
Again, the BBC investigators presented the Seasons marketing material slide onscreen, which says:
"you can genuinely expect to buy today and sell in the future at a profit,"
Property values occasionally, admittedly, can go down as well as up. It could be argued that properties are very rarely worth less now than 16 years ago. But the Seasons marketing material appeared to promise that even if there was no increase in the value of the property (something the Seasons marketing slide states clearly "has never happened before") then the property would be sold for the "same price it was worth today." As Seasons investigator Katie Saatchi pointed out: "As a potential investor that is going to fill you with so much confidence."
Saatchi spoke with more than a dozen Seasons Keys members and confirmed: "Everyone I spoke to was unanimous on the point that Keys membership was sold to them as an investment, and there was no two ways about that."
Katie points out that "Since 2011 it has been illegal for timeshare products to be sold as an investment under the Timeshare Regulations."
Seasons response
Rip Off Britain always gives its investigation subjects the right to reply. Katie Saatchi says Seasons told her that Margaret and Allen (as Keys members): "do not own any share in the property and have no right to any income from it."
This could be seen by some as being at odds with the written marketing material obtained by the Rip Off Britain team stating: "you own an eighth share of a property."
Seasons stated that they had "never marketed the Keys products as an investment" again, the viewer is likely to weigh those words against the experiences of the Keys members who spoke to Rip Off Britain, and also the marketing material promise of: "you can genuinely expect to buy today and sell in the future at a profit,"
The Seasons statement to Rip Off Britain can be seen in full on the video.
One more statement stood out that seems to contradict the Seasons Keys members testimony to investigator Katie Saatchi that the product was sold to them as an investment and there was "no two ways about it."
The Seasons statement to Rip Off Britain instead asserted that "profit is not promoted as a reason to buy the product."
How much?
Alan and Margaret were looking forward to a profit. Or at the very least their money back minus 3% selling costs, after the Seasons marketing material explanation that if the property did not rise in value, the property would be sold for the same price as it was worth today,
Instead they say that at the end of the contract Seasons told them any sale would dependant on Seasons finding a buyer on the open market, where there are no guarantees.
Margaret said to Rip Off Britain: "Seasons just do not treat their members or ex members properly as far as I'm concerned. Once they've got your money they don't want to know any more."
After waiting for Seasons to sell the property with no sale in sight, just as Rip Off Britain were about to air the episode, Seasons contacted Alan and Margaret to say they had managed to sell the property. Not for a profit, or for the £34,000 that the couple had paid. The payment would be £10,300. A loss of £23,700. Margaret said that the couple were "very happy" with this result.
Expert comment
Greg Wilson is the CEO of European Consumer Claims (ECC) a company who specialises in claiming compensation from timeshare companies, holiday parks and retirement community property developers who have mis-sold to clients.
After watching the Rip Off Britain episode, Wilson commented: "As usual the Rip Off Britain team have done an excellent job in getting right to the heart of the issue.
"ECC is representing multiple current and former Seasons clients, so it would not be appropriate for me to comment publicly on this specific issue at the current time. But I would strongly advise anyone who feels they who have been treated unfairly by any timeshare company to seek expert help.
"There are laws that protect you, and professionals who specialise in getting your money back if you have been treated in a way that contravenes those laws."
Related links
- Rip Off Britain: Seasons Holidays timeshare company
- Rip Off Britain
- European Consumer Claims
- Holiday Park Advice Centre
- Timeshare Advice Centre
- Greg Wilson: Consumer expert
- KwikChex: What we know about SEASONS KEYS
- Timeshare Consumer Association: Seasons Holidays
- Money Saving Expert: Seasons Keys
- Retirement Property Advice Centre
- Timeshare Regulations 2011
- Rip Off Britain investigations
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Relevant websites for this article
www.holidayparkadvicecentre.co.uk
www.americanconsumerclaims.com
www.timeshareadvicecentre.co.uk
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