Hotweeks, Central Marketing and Timesharedata.net

Stevebbh · 23 August 2012 at 9:10PM

Avoid these at all costs. :mad:

I have been scammed out of £1,595 for Hotweeks holiday certificates that are impossible to use. I then fell for the new line from Central Marketing that for £195 we will advertise your certificates for you for 6 months and if they don't sell in that time for another 6 months free. My certificates appeared on the Timesharedata.net website. So far no takers. I tried to contact Hotweeks and Central Marketing but both numbers are unobtainable. Looking at the Timesharedata.net site there are dozens of other Hotweeks 'members' trying desperately to off-load their certificates.

These sites / businesses are or were run by Frank Madden. I should have done my research before I parted with my money - not after, as he Googles as a King Scammer.

So take my advice that if you get contacted about having won a hamper or free holiday - BEWARE. They also get round the cooling off law by registering the office they are running the presentation from as theirs because if you sign a contract on their premises, you cannot change your mind.

I am resigned to having lost my money, don't fall into the same trap. Holiday certificates are not the way forward.

Steve

Alan_Bowen · 24 August 2012 at 3:00PM

Did you use a credit card to buy your worthless Certificate? If so, make a claim under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act and get it back from the credit card issuer. If you did a bank transfer, all I can say is 'sorry'!

SaveTheEuro · 24 August 2012 at 4:33PM

Consider too using the small claims track of the county court.

Alan_Bowen · 24 August 2012 at 6:50PM

Frank Madden was sentenced today at Southamton Crown Court for 8 counts of unfair trading! The bad news is he got a suspended sentence and Trading Standards say he is still operating Hotweeks and Central Marketing, so beware!

TonySouthampton · 11 October 2012 at 2:57PM

I did not fall for the sell my hotweek certificates for £195 then they offered to advertise them for nothing allegely Hotweeks were going to pay the advertising. This week had phone call from Central Marketing to say someone was interested in buying my certificates for the advertised price of £1950 and would send the money by bank transfer all I had to do was pay the transferrence cost of transferring the certificatesas the buyer was not prepared to pay this. The cost of the transferrence was £295 payable over the phone.
I said I had paid enough but suggested that the buyer could take the £295 off of the money they were going to pay me, but wonder of wonders this was NOT POSSIBLE AS HOTWEEKS WERE CHARGING THE FEE.
Again Central Marketing were quick to mention they were nothing to do with Hotweeks (if you can believe that) so I still wait to sell my certificates

Stevebbh · 15 October 2012 at 8:38PM

The woman I spoke to from Central Marketing said there was no connection between Hotweeks and themselves. When I asked her if Frank Madden was part of the Central Marketing setup she said yes - so there is the connection.

I had the bit about a new offer to buy back the certificates if I paid the £295 fee. They said I would get £1400 so when I said tell you what I will take £1000 and no fee, it all went quiet. Obviously they were thinking about it. Eventually my offer was turned down with an offer for Frank to phone me. I am still waiting for that call. So I am still stuck with a pile of useless certificates.

I wonder if now he has been found guilty whether a civil case would be easy to make? Hmm I might just explore that one!

Ron_Findlay · 16 October 2012 at 5:03PM

Has anyone been able to contact Hotweeks or Timeshare Data in the last 5 days , I think they have pulled the plug and dissapeared:mad:

Eric_the_Red_4 · 4 November 2012 at 5:46PM

I had a phone call from Claire at Central marketing last week to say that central Marketing could sell my Hotweeks vouchers for nothing as Hotweeks would pay the fees.
Today I have had a call to say the full £3499 has been agreed by probably a Russian buyer on the condition that I pay £295 transfer fee to Hotweeks. She would send me by email details of the offer and a money back guarantee that if the sale did not go through I would get my £295 back. Like the earlier post I did suggest reducing the asking price but this was not acceptable as hot weeks would know.
If Frank Madden is part of both organisations he would know.
I have now googled hotweeks and central marketing and arrived on this page.
Looks like no money for me now.

Alan_Bowen · 5 November 2012 at 9:27PM

Never, ever pay up front for the promise of a sale of anything to do with timeshare or holiday clubs, it is just an opportunity to steal from you a second time. Regretably I suspect these Certificates are completely worthless and the easiest way to get your money back is to claim from your credit card issuer under section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act, assuming you paid with one in the first place

anonymous.26_2 · 7 November 2012 at 9:56PM

central marketing and hotweeks ARE the same company. and if you get claire and lucy call you they are also the same person. its evil what they are doing to people and frank didnt get much of a sentance either. im sorry to hear what has happened to you all and i hope that eventually you get some justice.

anonymous.26_2 · 7 November 2012 at 10:12PM

Ive just treid to upload some links about him but it wont let me, go onto the bbc webstie and type in 'Frank Madden' and also type it in on the daily echo website and everything you need to know will be on there.

Hotweeks, Central Marketing and Timesharedata.net

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