European Consumer Claims: Timeshare Compensation Cases Now Averaging 18 Months
Claims management firm European Consumer Claims says timeshare compensation cases in Spain currently take around 18 months on average, with holdout operators running out of legal delay tactics.
European Consumer Claims (ECC), a UK based claims management company, has published an update on timescales for Spanish timeshare compensation claims, stating that cases now take an average of around 18 months to resolve.
According to the firm, this represents an improvement on the early years of the timeshare litigation wave. Spanish consumer protection legislation covering timeshare contracts dates back to 1999, but ECC says many timeshare companies continued to issue contracts that breached the law for roughly 16 years afterwards.
Origins of the claims wave
ECC traces the surge in litigation to a 2015 case in which a Norwegian claimant, Tove Grimsbo, secured €40,000 in compensation from a Canary Islands resort. The firm says this case triggered a wave of subsequent claims that has significantly affected the timeshare sector in Europe, with several major former sales operators ceasing trading or entering administration or liquidation in the years since.
Why delays occur
ECC says the complexity of the Spanish legal system has previously been exploited by some timeshare companies facing legal action, given that their customer base tends to be elderly. By contesting claims regardless of merit, the firm argues, some companies increase the likelihood that claimants give up or, in some cases, die before proceedings conclude.
The firm notes that in the earlier stages of the litigation wave, around 2016, individual British claimants faced particular difficulty, needing to navigate the Spanish language and legal system and travel repeatedly to Spain, sometimes only to have hearings postponed. ECC says this dynamic has shifted since claims management companies began handling cases, as legal delays now simply add to costs without deterring pursuit of claims.
Current outlook
ECC says some timeshare companies now settle claims quickly, in some cases paying court ordered compensation within weeks, while a small number continue to contest claims extensively. The firm’s chief executive, Greg Wilson, commented on one Costa del Sol based timeshare company currently in liquidation, saying it had “already used all their good excuses and tactics, and now most of the bad ones too,” suggesting the company’s options for further delay are running out.
ECC advises that not everyone who has had a negative timeshare experience qualifies for compensation, and recommends that individuals considering a claim seek professional advice on their eligibility.