We are delighted to announce that CBC International has achieved the ISO 9001:2008 accreditation for the 11th consecutive year.  This has again been achieved with no ‘non-conformances’.

12 months ago it was announced that CBC has joined TATOC,  the largest consumer association for timeshare owners in Europe with 92 resort members throughout Europe representing 350,000 timeshare families & the Credit Services Association (CSA), the only National Association in the UK for companies active in relation to unpaid credit accounts, debt recovery agencies, tracing and allied professional services.  We have continued to be members of these associations throughout 2013 and we hope to be members for a number of years.

Our continuing endeavours demonstrate to our clients that our quality standards are immaculately and consistently well maintained.

If you would like to know how our services can assist your business in maximising their collections, please contact us by telephone on +44 (0) 151 515 3014 or email us.

It has come to our attention that a company is using our corporate identity to falsely claim outstanding funds from individuals and companies.  If you receive a letter that you believe is not genuine, please call our office immediately and we will investigate it on your behalf.

Telephone – 0151 515 3014

Our office will be closed from Friday 21st December 2012 and will re-open at 9.00am on Wednesday 2nd January 2013.

Q – I would like to pay my account, what should I do as your office is closed?

If you wish to make payment on your overdue account over the festive period, we will be unable to process any card transactions over the telephone however you can make a payment 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on our online payment system by visiting www.cbc-international.co.uk/pay.

Payments can still be made into our bank account (BACS) using the details provided on the letter you will have received.  Cheques can also be sent to our postal address – CBC International, 7th Floor, Silkhouse Court, Tithebarn Street, Liverpool, L2 2LZ

Everyone at CBC International would like to take a moment to extend their Season’s Greeting and we wish everyone a prosperous New Year.

CBC International has decided to donate money to ‘The ‘British Liver Trust’, the leading liver charity in the UK for all adult liver conditions. The Trust works to pioneer liver health and reduce the impact of liver disease through awareness, care and research.

The Trust is based in Ringwood, Hampshire and has a small but dedicated team tackling a serious and growing public health problem affecting around two million people in the UK.

They have dedicated resources for people with liver disease  such as their website, helpline and publications.  Their  aim is to reach out to as many people as possible by providing information and support, and lobbying for the services people with liver disease need.  They also have strong contacts with professionals in the field of hepatology that enable them to provide the most up to date information.

Our donation was made to Jonathon Mcneil, who has been fundraising on behalf of The British Liver Trust and recently completed a 10,000 foot charity sky dive to raise funds and awareness for liver conditions within the UK. Please take a moment to read about Jonathon’s story by clicking here – Jonathon Mcneil

Please show your support for The British Liver Trust and make a donation today.  Donations to Jonathan can be made online by clicking make a donation All donations made will be matched £ for £ by Barclays Bank.

The British Liver Trust is a registered charity in England and Wales (298858), Scotland (SC042140) and a company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales (2227706).

Roy Caligari is director of CBC International and is a silver affiliate of TATOC through it’s brand Resort Recoveries.  Established in 1959, CBC is a debt collection agency and through Resort Recoveries specialises in the recovery of overdue accounts in the timeshare sector including the collection of outstanding management fees and finance payments. CBC International holds the internationally recognised Quality Assurance Accreditation ISO 9001:2008, is licensed by the Office of Fair Trading and acts for some of the largest resorts in Europe.

Life in the day of Roy Caligari

A typical day begins at around 8.30am by analysing emails sent directly to staff members who are personally assigned to each client case for collection. These emails may be from clients or owners, and are now the most common route for contact. Notifications of payments made via our website are also received by email, and these are advised to the client and recorded for invoicing by the case holder.

At around 9am we hold a brief meeting to decide who will take responsibility for any new enquiries received overnight. We focus on cases where payments are promised but have not been made and ensure that all files are being dealt with appropriately.

When we receive instructions to collect outstanding management fees, the process takes into account the requirements of the resort and the needs of the owners. We need to help achieve maximum income for the upkeep of the resort, while considering the needs of owners and ensuring they continue to visit their accommodation long-term. We want them to realise they are getting a first class holiday experience and value for money. The team needs to be au fait with all the idiosyncrasies of the clients and so our daily meetings allow information sharing and planning so that we can meet individual needs.

After that the process of debt collection begins and continues throughout the day. Collection contact can be by written word or telephone, and of course there are times when owners can become unhappy about paying, especially if their financial situations change

Issues that do arise are not restricted to finance and our involvement can bring out a whole host of reasons for the non-payment of fees.

In addition to achieving maximum settlement of arrears our resort clients want to keep the owner ‘on board’ so we frequently have to adopt a ‘balanced view’ showing a proportionate level of empathy. We make sure that the same person deals with the owner throughout the process so we can build up some degree of rapport.

During a typical day we can encounter issues for withholding payment of fees such as:

• Q – Maintenance fees have risen significantly and there is no explanation as to why.
• A – fees are reviewed by the committee at the annual meeting, which usually includes owner representation, and are increased in line with the expenses of running the resort. It is in your interest to pay the fees so that quality standards can be maintained. You did sign an agreement and are contractually obliged to pay the fees.

• Q – We were mis-sold by sales staff who promised XYZ if we signed-up but the promises never materialised.
• A – Please let us have specific details of the promises you mention. Were these verbal or written? We will investigate and revert back to you with our findings. You have owned and used the timeshare for several years, why has this not been brought up before?

• Q – We were told that the timeshare would be an investment and we would be able to sell anytime. We have tried to sell however we cannot find a buyer as it is not worth the price we paid.
•  A -  you have owned the timeshare for quite some time. At the time of sale it would probably have been true but investments and property values can decrease as well as increase so there are no guarantees. If you still want to sell we can refer you to TATOC and they will be able to advise you of a reputable organisation that can help to sell your timeshare. In the meantime the fees still need to be paid.

• Q – Too old/ill to use and cannot travel
• A – If you let us have details of your circumstances we can inform the resort and they will consider your position. In the meantime, the fees still need to be paid.

• Q – We haven’t been to the resort for years so why should we pay?
• A – Response – contractually you have an obligation to pay the maintenance fees. There may well be a rental programme offered by the resort, which may assist if you wish to enquire.

Quality checks take place throughout the day in order to ensure that efficiency levels are maintained and I am available to respond to any concerns that may arise. I am an accredited mediator, which means that any disputes that arise can be referred to me for amicable resolution if necessary. At the same time as our collection activity takes place we are in regular contact with our clients advising of progress and agreeing a way forward to resolve any issues that arise over payment. We keep them informed by email or spread sheet which provides a complete analysis of collections. This includes category of debt status by value so they know exactly where we are up to.

We operate during U.K. office hours and so as 5pm approaches we ensure that all outstanding emails have been dealt with and payments logged so that we are ready for the following day.

We feel that our success is due to the knowledge and understanding we have attained in the industry over many years. This is backed-up by our specialist division ‘Resort Recoveries’ which shows that we know what we are doing.

In addition, our quality assurance accreditation and membership of the collection services association, together with our affiliation to TATOC, assists clients to decide if we are the right people to deal with

We are able to take instructions on-line through our website, either individually or in volume through the use of our instruction spread sheet template designed specifically for the timeshare industry.

We can also trace owners that have moved without notification to the resort and this allows fee collections that would otherwise be lost.

Roy Caligari

“We feel that our success is due to the knowledge and understanding we have attained in the industry over many years. This is backedup by our specialist division ‘Resort Recoveries’ which shows that we know what we are doing”

This article has featured in the Autumn 2012 edition of Sharetime Magazine by TATOC.  A PDF version of this article and the remainder of the magazine can be found by clicking here – http://sharetimemagazine.com/images/stories/sharetime11-fa.pdf

Our specialist brand Resort Recoveries is to feature in the October 2012 edition of Sharetime Magazine, the official magazine of TATOC (Timeshare Association).  The magazine will be released in the next few weeks and upon release we will publish the article on our website and across each of our chosen social media platforms.