TIMESHARE= LIES AND BROKEN PROMISES

Praetorian Legal have recently become aware of adverse online comments that have been
proliferated by the timeshare industry and its envious competitors. We want to address these
unsubstantiated, untruthful, defamatory comments made about our organisation.

The background to Praetorian Legal’s work within timeshare is a good starting point in
understanding why we are subject to these sustained attacks. Praetorian legal was incorporated on
14 November 2014 after being consult by an organisation that offered timeshare termination
services and were looking to outsource the work to a company who specialised in consumer law
matters. The Directors of Praetorian Legal have practiced in consumer law since 1999 undertaking
work in Personal Injury claims, Cost Law and claims for financial mis-selling, since 2006. Timeshare
was a new area of law for us but after seeking the opinion of expert legal Counsel it was considered
a viable area of practice for Praetorian Legal.

The organisation to whom we refer to above was a company called Eze Europe Limited (otherwise
known as Eze Group). Eze Group classified themselves as a lifestyle concierge company who sold
lifestyle solutions and one of the services offered by them was timeshare termination. They looked
to outsource the timeshare termination element of their services because they did not have an
effective solution to assist timeshare owners resolve their timeshare issues. Praetorian Legal agreed
to provide a service to Eze Group clients and this was the extent of the agreement entered into with
Eze Group, no more and no less. The important point to note here is that the Eze Group clients
where provided with Praetorian Legal’s contact details and were not referred to us by Eze Group but
made a consumer choice to contract with Praetorian Legal directly, which many did after being told
about us by Eze Group.

From the start of the Eze Group/ Praetorian Legal relationship, Praetorian came under attack from
the timeshare industry by way of online warnings being sent across the internet and resorts writing
direct to clients warning them about us, with both resorts and the industry at large referring to
Praetorian Legal as a ‘SCAM’. There followed adverse online publicity being published by the likes of
Kwik Chex, the company behind The Timeshare Taskforce operated by a Mr Christopher Emmins;
TATOC, a quasi timeshare consumer champion who are now bankrupt and not functioning; and,
lastly, the Resort Development Organisation (otherwise known as the RDO), who profess to act in a
self-regulatory capacity controlling resorts and how they do business with timeshare owners. Suffice
to say ALL of the aforementioned organisations are heavily funded by the timeshare resorts and,
therefore, can hardly be considered as ‘independent’ and acting in the interest of timeshare
owners. Their primary objective is to safeguard the income of the timeshare industry and it can be
seen by the fact that they do NOT report or punish the misdemeanours, mis-selling or unethical
systematic misrepresentation by timeshare resorts. Anyone who has had any dealing with
Silverpoint, Club La Costa or Diamond Resorts International will fully appreciate our comments, yet
all of the aforementioned companies have heavily funded TATOC, Timeshare Taskforce and the
RDO.

An important and noteworthy observation here is that whilst these timeshare stalwarts have tried to
discredit and defame Praetorian Legal over the last three years or so, on no occasion have they ever
evidenced consumers complaining about the services, misdemeanours or the short comings of
Praetorian Legal. All of the adverse publicity has been warnings based upon opinion; their own
opinion. The adverse publicity that we have seen, which is being distributed about Eze Group,
mentions Praetorian Legal and one of its Directors Gary Smith. Whilst Praetorian Legal nor Gary
Smith have been accused of any wrongdoing or impropriety, the articles strongly imply that both
Praetorian Legal and Gary Smith stand accused of some impropriety or wrongdoing and are ‘Guilty
by Association’. We can confirm that this is untrue and defamatory and there is no principle in
English law of ‘Guilt by Association’. Not once have any of these organisations ever produced
evidence of consumer complaints against Praetorian Legal. This also goes for any other government
agency or law enforcement agency. Comments that came out of the investigation involving Eze
Group were that the timeshare owners who contracted with Praetorian Legal and who were Eze
Group clients too, received what was promised to them and, but for the service performed by
Praetorian, owners may have been even more disadvantaged financially had Praetorian not kept to
their promise and performed a proficient timeshare termination service for them.

The same applies to our competitors, who often pick up on the defamatory stories put out by the
timeshare industry and they try to capitalise upon the adverse publicity to gain business. The
timeshare industry and the less scrupulous cold callers, often ex timeshare reps, who seek to
confuse timeshare owners in an attempt to gain their trust and win their business, are the real
nemesis of the timeshare owner and not the likes of Praetorian Legal, who carry out their work
diligently and stand by their clients. We do, however, understand and sympathise with timeshare
owners who contact us with concerns and suspicions, after being contacted by our competitors or
read something put out by the timeshare industry and resorts. The unfortunate thing about
timeshare owners is that they are being unknowingly manipulated by what they hear and are often
totally confused and do not know what, or who, to believe. The timeshare industry know this and
look at timeshare owners as easy pickings, whilst often asking for money up front from owners. This
is a practice that Praetorian Legal never partake in and, because we act with integrity, we will never
ask a client to pay money up front and any owner who has used our service will know this.

Having now explained what we have done, we backtrack to where we began, with adverse online
publicity being proliferated by the timeshare industry and competitors all the time. We do not deny
that we have been involved in obtaining business from companies that are under investigation. We
have also been involved with those investigations and fully complied with the investigating
agencies. There has been no allegations or accusations of wrongdoing or misappropriation levelled
towards Praetorian Legal whatsoever. It has also been confirmed by the investigating agencies that
the only complaints received by them have been related to the companies being investigated NOT
Praetorian Legal. It has also been confirmed in writing that they have never received a single
complaint about the service provided to a timeshare owner about Praetorian Legal.

We can also say that, where it is widely reported that Praetorian Legal are and unregulated paralegal
company, this is totally and utterly incorrect and, again, defamatory. Praetorian Legal can confirm
that they are authorised and regulated by the Claims Management Regulation (Ministry of Justice),
as defined under the Compensation Act 2006 and the Courts and Legal Services Act 1990, amended
2007. Praetorian Legal’s regulation under the MOJ can be verified here>
www.gov.uk/moj/cmr. Our legally qualified staff, who conduct matters, are Fellow members of
both the National Association of Licenced Paralegals and the Institute of Paralegals and have current
practicing certificates to undertake legal work related to those qualifications and practicing
certificates. This can be confirmed by visiting the following websites:

National Association of Licenced Paralegals: http://www.nationalparalegals.co.uk/

Institute of Paralegals: http://www.theiop.org/

 Please note that the membership to both organisations relates to the individuals who
work for Praetorian Legal and NOT Praetorian Legal because it is the individual who holds
the qualification NOT the company. This is the same in all law practices, it is the solicitor
who holds the qualification not the law firms. We are happy to give any enquirer the
names of the people who work for Praetorian Legal who hold a qualification under both of
these organisation for it to be verified, if required.

In addition to the MOJ regulation and the membership of the various institutes and associations,
what comes with this is a requirement for us to have in place Professional Indemnity insurance to
cover negligent advice or actions in respect of legal work entrusted to ourselves. Praetorian Legal
have £ 2,000,000.00 worth of professional indemnity cover.

The detriment to any timeshare owner is the belief and credibility they afford to the untrue
defamatory online publicity put out by the timeshare industry, whose only interest in keeping
owners locked into paying maintenance to the resorts who fund their existence. As for our
competitors, their interest is in gaining business on the back of regurgitating unsubstantiated,
adverse publicity. What we would say to timeshare owners is this: throughout this article we have
been totally transparent, as we always have been. As a regulated and insured company, Praetorian
Legal can assure timeshare owners of professional and trustworthy timeshare termination service
that we are convinced they cannot find anywhere within an unregulated industry, such as timeshare,
where there is so much misrepresentation, confusion and lack of trust.

Our final thought to timeshare owners is: why would you believe or trust in organisations who are
supported and heavily dependent on funding from the timeshare resorts, who mis-sold,
misrepresented and in some cases have consistently sold you timeshare products that have not only
not lived up to your expectations but in some cases has taken away from you money that is much
needed into to your retirement years?

Gary Smith F.NALP. F.Inst.PA

Fellow of NALP
gws@praetorianlegal.com

Praetorian Legal Limited is regulated by the Claims Management Regulator in respect of regulated claims management
activities. Registration Number: CRM42354. Our registration is recorded at www.gov.uk/moj/cmr
Registered Under the Data Protection Act 1998. Registration Number: ZA108810

Praetorian Legal, Fort Dunlop, Fort Parkway, Birmingham. B24 9FE

Tel. 0121 272 3100 Web. Praetorianlegal.com

Praetorian Legal Limited Registered in England & Wales Reg Number: 09311368 Registered Offices at Onyx House, 12
Phoenix Business Park, Birmingham, B7 4NU