About 50 victims of a timeshare holiday company flagged by the Consumer Council for high-pressure sales tactics collectively lost some HK$1.88 million, a Democratic Party lawmaker claimed yesterday.

Andrew Wan Siu-kin, who represents the New Territories West, accompanied 10 of those who were allegedly forced into buying timeshare memberships by Great Time Universal (HK) to file complaints at the Customs and Excise Department’s headquarters in North Point.

The Consumer Council last month named Tsim Sha Tsui-based Great Time Universal for employing high- pressure tactics to sell memberships that went from HK$50,000 to HK$160,000. Since September about 50 people - who had collectively lost some HK$1.88 million - had approached the party for help, Wan said.

While a 20-year-old female owner of the company was arrested earlier this month on suspicion of violating the Trade Descriptions Ordinance, Wan said the two other owners were companies registered in the British Virgin Islands. “Who owns the two BVI companies - we cannot know,” he said.

A young man calling himself “Fish” said he borrowed HK$90,000 from a bank to pay for the membership. While he has stopped paying for it, about HK$60,000 is already gone.

Prior to signing the contract, he said he had been in the company’s office in Tsim Sha Tsui for close to four hours and was not allowed to go to the toilet alone. He was also told that his membership covered costs for flights and hotel, and it would only cost him a couple of thousand Hong Kong dollars to travel in Australia.

But when he approached the company after signing the contract, he was told that only the hotel cost was covered, and he would also have to pay a few hundred dollars of “management fee” each month. “What they said in the sales pitch and what was written in the contract were completely different,” he said.

The Democratic Party said the customers were told by Great Time employees that they “lacked common sense,” when they went to the firm after reading the watchdog’s report. Customs said it received 36 related complaints, but 26 had been withdrawn. It is investigating the remaining 10, a spokesman said yesterday.

“No Win No Fee” Compensation Claims Please contact Mrs Glynn on 01253 208482

Monster Credits/ ABC Lawyers Claims Please contact Miss Ali on 01253 208488

Club La Costa compensation Claims Please Contact Miss Jenkinson 01253 208 483

Terminations of your Timeshare Please Contact Mrs Trippier 01253 729683.

Accounts jacqueline@tesslimited.co.uk>

Exits and Terminations: dianne@tesslimited.co.uk

Compensation: rachel@tesslimited.co.uk

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Posted on: 1st November 2017