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gary_emac
New Member
United Kingdom
 offline
23 Posts |
 Posted - 22/04/2008 : 19:44:00
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Hi All
Anyone had any dealings with Starting point marketing?
They phoned me to tell me that they have a buyer for my timeshare, any offered me £3000.
But first I'd have to give them £850.
It has been up for sale for over a year at half that price.
Funny their website has only been up a couple of months, they don't appear to have an address.
I wonder could this be a scam? |
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Doggy50k
Senior Moderator & Quiz Master
Supporting Member
1298 Points
United Kingdom
offline
5162 Posts |
Posted - 22/04/2008 : 19:58:53
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If they are offering you a sale (usually for more than it's worth) and want an up front payment - IT IS A SCAM...
If they were honest and above board, they would conduct the sale deducting their finders fee from the final transaction! |
"You know; the very powerful and the very stupid have one thing in common. They don't alter their views to fit the facts. They alter the facts to fit their views. Which can be uncomfortable if you happen to be one of the facts that needs altering." |
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OldBill
Advanced Member
Supporting Member
68 Points
United Kingdom
offline
1677 Posts |
Posted - 22/04/2008 : 20:26:57
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I think that the question may well have been rhetorical. They have done very well to get all those references in two and a half months! This is yet another site registered with the Emeryville address. It is getting more popular with those who do not want to be found. Used by the likes of Global Holiday Services registered on 19th Feb 08 and Realescape.org on 14th March.
Did you get a return phone number for them? |
OldBill |
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gary_emac
New Member
United Kingdom
offline
23 Posts |
Posted - 22/04/2008 : 23:13:17
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quote:
Originally posted by OldBill
I think that the question may well have been rhetorical. They have done very well to get all those references in two and a half months! This is yet another site registered with the Emeryville address. It is getting more popular with those who do not want to be found. Used by the likes of Global Holiday Services registered on 19th Feb 08 and Realescape.org on 14th March.
Did you get a return phone number for them?
Yes an 0844 number |
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marjory carlisle
Junior Member
United Kingdom
offline
162 Posts |
Posted - 22/04/2008 : 23:30:19
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You WONDER if it is a scam?
How long did you spend thinking? IT IS A SCAM!! |
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gary_emac
New Member
United Kingdom
offline
23 Posts |
Posted - 22/04/2008 : 23:38:38
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| Not Long |
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OldBill
Advanced Member
Supporting Member
68 Points
United Kingdom
offline
1677 Posts |
Posted - 22/04/2008 : 23:38:39
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| MC - I THINK THAT HIS QUESTION WAS PURELY RHETORICAL. |
OldBill |
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maandmine
Starting Member
United Kingdom
offline
7 Posts |
Posted - 22/05/2008 : 13:19:25
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I just had a phone call from this company, following a call yesterday from solbookers.com. They are offering £6600 from a client 'who owns the next week to mine and is desparate for another week' he wanted 1200 euros up front. Apparently I gave them some details several weeks ago but didn't get the name. I refused to pay and said I needed to speak to my husband and I asked 'What if I don't have 1200 euros?' His answer was that the sale wouldn't happen. I think that says it all. |
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newuser
Starting Member
Spain
offline
6 Posts |
Posted - 03/06/2008 : 20:19:13
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hi u
sorry to tell u that this is a scam i have a lot of informations about this company i was working in there and i am just tired about this timeshare resale ****
give me a note and i tell u all what u want to know |
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Doggy50k
Senior Moderator & Quiz Master
Supporting Member
1298 Points
United Kingdom
offline
5162 Posts |
Posted - 03/06/2008 : 20:26:19
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Hi newuser
if you have some inside info and wish to dish the dirt, please post all you can on the following forum:
http://www.timesharetalk.co.uk/forum/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=101 |
"You know; the very powerful and the very stupid have one thing in common. They don't alter their views to fit the facts. They alter the facts to fit their views. Which can be uncomfortable if you happen to be one of the facts that needs altering." |
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newuser
Starting Member
Spain
offline
6 Posts |
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newuser
Starting Member
Spain
offline
6 Posts |
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Wally2102
Starting Member
United Kingdom
offline
2 Posts |
Posted - 18/06/2008 : 16:47:17
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| Had an unprompted call from a girl at SPM about 8 weeks ago asking if I wanted to sell my timeshare as they had a number of buyers actively looking. No details given to them but they had all my Timeshare information anyway! Left it with them. About 4 weeks later was contacted (bt a chap this time) to say they had a buyer who would pay £4000 which sounded good to me. Asked for more detail and that's when they said a £950.00 bond would be required placed on deposit until such time the sale was completed. Went along with this and asked for all details to be sent by e-mail which they sent. In the meantime looked at their website and tried to check out some of their 'testimonials' Wae work a lot here with various databases but I could not verify any of the people/addresses listed. One address shown does not even exist! They contacted me to see when I would be proceding with the sale. Told them now way was I perting with any money up front to an account in Spain but I would deposit the required money with my solicitor but they said this was not acceptable. The chap became very abusive - end of call! In my opinion this company should be avoided at all cost! |
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Ray Jackson
Starting Member
United Kingdom
offline
2 Posts |
Posted - 23/06/2008 : 20:23:34
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If you are approached by Starting Point Marketing ignore them. My wife was tricked into giving her credit card number but told no money would be taken from her account as they did not have the three digit security code from her credit card. We were sent a contract we didn't want and returned it unsigned. They said as it had not been received within 7 days we would have to proceeed with the contract. Lo and behold, they have already taken 1200 Euros without authority as they say they did not recieve the unsigned contract within 7 days. It was posted back by registered mail the day it was received. We have signed nothing, will sign nothing so as far as I am concerned we have been scammed. I hope to see them in court.
The message is, don't deal with Starting Poin Marketing.
Ray Jackson |
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mothman
Starting Member
United Kingdom
offline
6 Posts |
Posted - 24/06/2008 : 16:51:13
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Ray,
i would suggest that you actually have a 10 day cooling off period by law and if you are still inside that time period ringem up ans say so. Then get hold of your credit card company and tell them this, argue and argue and write to them giving all the details of the number of times that you rang [yes you did ring didnt you] and get the card co to do a charge back. They will do this if you pester them nicely and this will be less hassle than a court case. Do this asap and ime sure you will get your money back,
Andy |
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Mavo
Moderator
United Kingdom
offline
5159 Posts |
Posted - 24/06/2008 : 20:40:34
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quote:
Originally posted by mothman
Ray,
i would suggest that you actually have a 10 day cooling off period by law and if you are still inside that time period ringem up ans say so. Then get hold of your credit card company and tell them this, argue and argue and write to them giving all the details of the number of times that you rang [yes you did ring didnt you] and get the card co to do a charge back. They will do this if you pester them nicely and this will be less hassle than a court case. Do this asap and ime sure you will get your money back,
Andy
Good advice Andy.
Do not accept being given the brush off. Far too many just give up and walk away as losers.
By the way Andy (Mothman) Do you like Blackpool illuminations - Just a thought   |
tomeluk |
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mothman
Starting Member
United Kingdom
offline
6 Posts |
Posted - 25/06/2008 : 19:42:51
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Hi Mavo,
Starting Point rang me on Monday[23/6/08] and tried the same thing however ime hoping to waste a bit of their time and phone charges as ive no intention of paying them any dosh up front, like playing a fish i supose.
As for the Blackpool illuminations, never seen em in the flesh but ime sure they are fantastic. However, bright lights and low power uv tubes work for me at night.
Andy |
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rovers1875
Starting Member
United Kingdom
offline
2 Posts |
Posted - 23/07/2008 : 18:46:36
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We have been contacted on and off for several weeks by SPM they had all our timeshare details and asked if we wished to sell our timeshare. All this was unsolicited by ourselves. Today they have contacted us with an offer of £3500 for our one week in Malta which seemed too good to be true, We accepted this offer, they then asked me for my mastercard details ??? at which point I refused they then asked for my bank details again I refused. They explaind that these details were needed to hold against legal cost should I pull out of the deal once they had started the transfer. it was at this point I started some basic checks on this company and lo and behold it does sound too good to be true.
As some one once said if it looks and sounds too good to be true then it probably is. |
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Calamity42
Starting Member
United Kingdom
offline
2 Posts |
Posted - 28/07/2008 : 21:49:45
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| Last Friday we had a call from Starting point asking if our timedhare was still for sale, (not sure where they got details from) and that they has a buyer for it. My partner said that he needed to speak to me first and asked "Clive" to call us back today. He did as asked and said how the buyers agent was anxious to finalise today and then hit us with the 1200 euros bond. I asked for the confirmation of our call to be e-mailed to me and for him to call back in an hour. Suprise, no e-mail, in the meantime I put in a search for the name, discovered this forum, and was amazed by the postings about this scam. At the time I felt it was too good to be true, but this was confirmed, which is why I joined this forum. About an hour later, "Clive" phoned back, and I explained I was happy to go ahead but wanted the 1200 euros placed with a Spanish solicitor. He started getting quite aggresive and said that that was not their terms. I told him that if the agent's buyer was a reputable corporate buyer then surely they wouldn't object. Guess what, we didn't do the deal. Many thanks to everyone who took the time and trouble to mention the company here. I hope somebody else can benefit from this posting, the same as I did from other peoples. |
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Andy Simpson
Starting Member
United Kingdom
offline
2 Posts |
Posted - 04/08/2008 : 11:39:39
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| My Father-in-law is beginning to lose his marbles I think. He has given his credit card details to SPM to sell his timeshare and I am in the process of trying to get his money back through the credit card provider. Trouble is this is about the fifth company that he's fallen for. I got involved after he'd been burned a few times by other such companies and have had mixed success in getting his money back. Now he's done it again (told you he was losing his marbles). Difference is that this lot haven't offered him a wildly excessive price for his timeshare and all of the comments on this forum seem to be very sensible advice not to get involved, but no-one as yet has said SPM have failed to deliver their alleged buyer. Possibly this is because they're too new for there to be any evidence that they are like all the others. Has anyone ever paid them money, signed the contract and three or four months down the line not received the promised sum for their timeshare? Personally I doubt it, but it's always possible that there is one company in this diabolically disreputable business that isn't owned and operated by thieves. |
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sensor
Advanced Member
Supporting Member
292 Points
United Kingdom
offline
1125 Posts |
Posted - 04/08/2008 : 17:55:50
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I do not know SPM, and you may well be right that they are too new to have any "feedback"
I would say however, that ANY company that ask's for large amounts of money up front is really ONLY interested in what they can get out of you on the initial contact = SCAM.
OTE and TCA both advise against dealing with a company that asks for upfront money, so I guess they know the ocean does have some sharks in it and they should be avoided at all costs.
Let's face it, once they have your money, the incentive to actually SELL it on your behalf diminishes drastically, as a pose to a resale agent that only get's paid when it is sold !
There are so many timeshares out there for resale, it is a buyers market,and if there was a reason to ask for a deposit or bond, they should be asking this from the buyer, not the seller.
Suggest you purchase good quality restraining jacket for your father in law and monitor him 24/7 before he does away with your inheritance. . . . . |
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OldBill
Advanced Member
Supporting Member
68 Points
United Kingdom
offline
1677 Posts |
Posted - 04/08/2008 : 21:49:28
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| Just look at the Wally and Ray Jackson posts. If you want a track record - that's it. Couple that with a PO Box address and a web site registered anonymously so you have no chance whatever of finding them then they don't seem to come into the category of a "business that isn't owned and operated by thieves". |
OldBill |
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barney trouble
Starting Member
United Kingdom
offline
4 Posts |
Posted - 20/08/2008 : 17:46:53
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| Just had a call from Steve Casey at SPM, who "appeared" open and was happy to tell me where they are based etc. Taking advice from your earlier posters, he also appeared happy to waive the "retainer" if I lodged the deeds with my solicitor. I told him I would under no circumstances be parting with any money. He is sending the contract anyway! Should be an interesting read...I will post anything I discover in it. |
Paul Hagerty |
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haroldatkinson
Starting Member
United Kingdom
offline
2 Posts |
Posted - 26/08/2008 : 13:03:31
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Just had a call from John Wilson of SPM offering a good price for one of my weeks.
Also had call from Key Properties Town Advisory S.L claiming the have Lawyers "investigating the various crimes that have been perpetrated in the area of timeshare...". They list the solicitios who they claim are from the "Illustrious College of Law Malaga" Has anyone heard of this yet? |
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OldBill
Advanced Member
Supporting Member
68 Points
United Kingdom
offline
1677 Posts |
Posted - 26/08/2008 : 14:37:49
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KPTA is one of the oldest scams around with three separate threads on this forum. There is even a special note about them on the Spanish consumer protection web site
cec.consumo-inc.es/
"The Illustrious College of Law" is the local Law Society equivalent. I think that they have a real lawyer working for them - but I seem to remember that there was other information about him last year which suggested that he had gone broke - so perhaps they are the only people that he can work for. |
OldBill |
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sensor
Advanced Member
Supporting Member
292 Points
United Kingdom
offline
1125 Posts |
Posted - 27/08/2008 : 07:45:29
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Old Bill is correct, KPTA are a bunch of scammer's who have been crawling out from under their stones for many years.
There is a respectable organisation called " The Illustrious College of Law" but I would bet you all my next months salary, that if you contacted them direct, they would tell you that they have nothing to do with KPTA and would advise you against doing business with them.
Bottom line; DON'T have anything to do with them or you will lose a lot of money. They are very practised at robbing people ! |
'It has been said that politics is the second oldest profession.
I have learned that it bears a striking resemblance to the first.'
- Ronald Reagan
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AlanB
Starting Member
United Kingdom
offline
2 Posts |
Posted - 17/10/2008 : 11:05:10
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quote:
Originally posted by barney trouble
Just had a call from Steve Casey at SPM, who "appeared" open and was happy to tell me where they are based etc. Taking advice from your earlier posters, he also appeared happy to waive the "retainer" if I lodged the deeds with my solicitor. I told him I would under no circumstances be parting with any money. He is sending the contract anyway! Should be an interesting read...I will post anything I discover in it.
Hi , did u hear any more from this contact , i had a phone call last night from him with almost exactly the same story , they have found a buyer who is prepared to pay £3000 and have paid a 30% deposit non refundable BUT they want us to pay €600 as a retainer until deal is complete , I said i wanted to think about this as not happy to give credit card details and pay anything upfront, he then said if i wanted to continue to call him back on the 0844 number . |
Alan |
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sensor
Advanced Member
Supporting Member
292 Points
United Kingdom
offline
1125 Posts |
Posted - 17/10/2008 : 19:36:00
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| I hope you are not even considering paying this bunch of rogues up front ! |
'It has been said that politics is the second oldest profession.
I have learned that it bears a striking resemblance to the first.'
- Ronald Reagan
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Angieanco
Starting Member
United Kingdom
offline
4 Posts |
Posted - 20/10/2008 : 17:15:11
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Has anyone heard of International Holiday Ownership Consultants?
they have offered me nearly £10,000 per timeshare week when a company recommended by TCA valued them at only £1,000 each?
When challenged have given me some very interesting allegations against TCA and this site and two people who are supposed to be in cahoots?
Very confused who to trust in this game! |
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OldBill
Advanced Member
Supporting Member
68 Points
United Kingdom
offline
1677 Posts |
Posted - 20/10/2008 : 18:31:01
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If you want to know about IHOC why post on this thread? Better yet - look for an appropriate one
http://www.timesharetalk.co.uk/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=10186
- and ask yourself - why do you suppose that they are rude about TCA? Why do you suppose that they are offering silly money for your timeshare when no-one has to these days? Confused? Never respond to a cold-call and you are halfway there. |
OldBill |
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innes329117
Starting Member
United Kingdom
offline
2 Posts |
Posted - 20/10/2008 : 19:30:37
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| Had a phone call today from Steve Casey at SPM saying he had a buyer for my {banned word/phrase} membership and had taken 30% of £6000 from the buyers. In case i changed my mind after the sale I would have to pay £750 by credit card but this wouldn't be taken if the sale goes through OK. Needless to say I did not give him my CC details. Is there anything we can do to get back at them ?. |
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