Jefferson City, Mo. – Attorney General Chris Koster
today announced that Welk Resort Sales, Inc., a California corporation
that sells timeshares in Branson, has entered into an agreement to pay
$18,000 in restitution to Missouri consumers who purchased timeshares
from Welk. This money will be refunded to 15 Missouri consumer victims.
In addition, any agreement between these consumers and Welk has been
terminated.
The Attorney General’s Office had received consumer complaints about
Welk, including being misled about the benefits from their timeshare
ownership and how they could use, cancel or sell their timeshares.
Under the agreement, Welk will be required to ensure that its
employees are complying with the laws of the state of Missouri,
including the assurance that consumers are getting everything that they
pay for, and that there are no material misrepresentations being made.
Failure to meet the terms of this agreement could result in further legal action being taken by the Attorney General’s Office.
“Timeshare purchases are a big investment on the part of consumers,
who trust that they are being treated fairly by the sellers,” Koster
said. “I am pleased that we were able to obtain restitution for
consumers and release them from unwanted contracts.”
Missourians who had a similar experience with Welk, or who suspect
timeshare fraud in general, should contact the Attorney General’s
Consumer Protection Hotline at 800-392-8222 or file a complaint online at ago.mo.gov.
