1. It goes without saying that we advise you against answering dubious offers of certain timeshare sales representatives. Consult our black list, which provides a list, albeit incomplete, of firms to avoid, because of their misleading or aggressive sale practices. Whatever the option suggested, always check if the sales representative is officially registered with the competent authorities: in Belgium, for example, you can consult for this purpose the Directorate General for Mediation and Supervision of the SPF Economie XXXX (previously the Economic Inspectorate of the Ministry of Economic Affairs): useful addresses. Also check if they are a member of the OTE This organisation checks to ensure that its members respect the law and their codes of good conduct.
   
   
   
2. If you want to buy a timeshare property, first consider buying a second-hand timeshare, using a specialised company (see the OTE site): prices are often half as little than and, by means of its code of conduct, the OTE supervises the honesty of commercial practices.
   
   
   
3. If your timeshare or the company concerned is in Spain (which is often the case), and if you would like to obtain more information concerning the name of the company, its activities, its head office, statutes, administrators, its real estate or commercial registration, then contact the "Consumer Protection Services in Spain" at the following address: Square de Meeus 19 - 3rd stage - 1050 Brussels - Tel. 32 2 280 14 45 - Fax 32 2 280 16 12 - email: corpme@corpme-bru.com. N.B.: in theory this service will be able to inform you only if your timeshare takes the form of a real legal right (right of joint ownership).
   
   
   
   
4. At the moment, the majority of "holiday clubs" or "package holiday" options are to be advised against (lack of: transparency; legal safety; economic and legal protection; finding loopholes in the European Directive). In Belgium, such packages for periods of time under three years are subjected to the Belgian legislation, as from the end of 2002. With regard to clubs and holiday points, inform yourself about the exact value of the points, the inventory and the property of the projects, units and weeks available (which is important in case of an exchange, annual expenses and how they are set to evolve in the future).
   
   
   
5. If you are the victim of a fraud (for example a fictitious sale where your money has been extorted from you and the company has disappeared), make a complaint with the appropriate competent body (for example the prosecutors office, the Directorate General for Mediation and Supervision of the SPF Economie XXXX ) sending a copy to the personal assistance helpdesk.
   
   
   
6. Even when there is no fraud, do not allow yourself to be blinded by fantastic reductions (for example - 20 % if you sign on the day), or by the fact that exchange possibilities are claimed to be unlimited, etc. Ask for the leaflet, the sales contract and even the notarial act). Read them attentively and ask all the questions which seem necessary to you. Certainly you should not sign a contract on the spur of the moment. Take away all the documents and read them through thoroughly.
   
   
   
7. Ask for details about the situation of the building, accessibility, local infrastructures, facilities, whether it is comfortable, the possibility and expense of exchanging the timeshare, management, whether there is a reserve fund XXXX (for financing repairs and important work), etc. Inter alia have confirmed in writing that the building is actually finished and not still in construction. Better still: before taking a decision, ask to spend a week there, at reduced rent. Try to obtain the addresses of other people with a timeshare at the same place. This can be a useful precaution also if you should need to defend together your rights regarding the management and maintenance of the building.
   
   
   
8. Ensure that all the expenses are clearly enumerated in the contract, as well as the way in which they will increase and how they are controlled (for example the maximum adaptation possible   based on the consumer price index). Do not forget that these expenses, which often come to more than 200  n XXXX per timeshare week, occur each year, even if you do not use the timeshare. In the same way, if you wish to exchange your week or your accommodation using an exchange, you will also have considerable annual expenses.
   
   
   
9. Be wary if someone telephones you to buy back or resell your timeshare at an unrealistic price or if you are told that there is already a potential buyer. This is often a scam which can cost you dearly. Refuse to pay certain expenses in advance and propose that they be deducted from the selling price obtained.
   
   
   
10. Be wary also of the "cash-back" option, which often foresees a payment or an investment spread over a certain period, with the promise to obtain a right to be reimbursed the price of your timeshare after a few years. This is a scam.
    
    
    
11. Be aware that there exist associations for the protection of timeshare owners, such as for example the APAF in France (see our useful addresses or TATOC in the United Kingdom. In the United Kingdom, the Office of Fair Trading intervenes as actively in the event of abuse or fraud. Since 2002, collective trans-border actions can be initiated from all the Member States in the other countries of the European Union (for example in Spain, where the majority of timeshare properties are to be found)., inter alia in order to put an end to certain practices.