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Hi Vincent
Brian is correct about your options.
If Anfi send you a new contract you must email them and specifically reject it otherwise they will claim you cannot book. If you do this and then have any issues, please contact me and I can raise it with Anfi management. Signing a new contract does (probably) bar you from taking legal action, so you do need to think about this if that is a route you are considering.
All cases are frozen by the current administration. That does not mean you cannot initiate legal action but it is likely to take longer than ever. JLCA https://new.jlcalawyers.com/en/emma-belgum-2/ can give you some idea of time, cost and likely recovery amount.
However, given that you have a 2 bedroom fixed week, that is rentable and saleable. You should easily cover your maintenance fees and guest certificate cost while you wait to see how the situation at Anfi develops. You can advertise it for sale, but I am not sure there will be much interest until the future becomes more settled – although I could be wrong.
Roger
Can I raise your case directly with Anfi, Paul? I would need to mention your name in order to get any traction.
Resale weeks are not invited to sign a new contract. Anfi are concerned that they will be unable to deny us the same rights as direct sales if they do that, at least that is my interpretation.
At the top of the page once you have signed in go to the ‘My Club’ then ‘My Timeshares’ option. Either register the weeks you own if you have not done it already or select the week(s) you want to advertise. There is an option to advertise the week. This then fills most of the key information into the advert (although can amend it yourself as you wish, even adding photos). When you click on the option to advertise your week you will then be taken to the payment page. Once Steve has checked your advert it will go live.
Hi Christine
The options that are available to you will vary depending on whether you bought direct from Anfi and you are a member of Anfi Vacation Club or not.
Anfi’s position is the same as most tourist businesses: if flights are available and the resort is open then it is down to a discussion between you and your travel insurers. However, earlier in the summer Anfi were able to move my arrival date slightly to allow me to go when lockdown ended. While things are quiet in Gran Canaria that might be a discussion worth having. I understand that Anfi have also looked sympathetically on requests to ‘bank’ or ‘reschedule’ weeks when owners have been happy to sign the new style contracts (these are at no cost).
Even supposing nothing can be negotiated, you will not have ‘lost’ your money. The light occupancy means that we are likely to see savings made on the 2020/2021 budget which will result in lower fees for 2021/2.
Hi John
That does not sound correct to me either. Do you want me to raise it with Anfi management?
Roger
I am really sorry to learn of your issue. If your flights were cancelled by the airline then you had a right to be rebooked on a different flight, even if that was with a rival. I am not sure where you live, but flights were running to Gran Canaria on those dates. I had a friend who was there from 1-14 August and his flights were cancelled by Ryanair but he rebooked with Easyjet. The only circumstances in which you will qualify for and rebate from Anfi is when they are closed and, as you said, they re-opened on 31 July. Therefore you need to claim on your Travel Insurance. Anfi can give you a ‘non arrival letter’ to prove you did not go. If your flights were cancelled at the last minute and you were not offered an alternative then you may have a claim under EU Consumer Protection law for the whole of the lost holiday, but you should expect to have to make a formal complaint to the relevant Ombudsman. You will find the start of the information you need here: https://ec.europa.eu/info/live-work-travel-eu/consumers/resolve-your-consumer-complaint_en
Hi John
I can escalate this for you if I have permission to use your name.
Roger
Letters are being sent out informing members officially that the OGM is postponed. I received mine on 3 October. The existing committee will have their terms extended. There will need to be a new round of nominations in 2021 in case any of the current nominees cease owning or no longer want to stand for election.
Personally, I find it frustrating that Anfi cannot hold a ‘virtual OGM’ but, apparently, only physical attendance counts towards a quorum.
To update this: at the moment it is unlikely that Anfi Beach Club, Puerto Anfi or Anfi Emarald Club will reopen anytime soon due to the low occupancy. We have been told that none of the clubs will open until occupancy in Gran and Monte exceeds 50%. That is the point when social distancing becomes harder and also when it is likely that the supply of the 2 bedroom plus size apartments will exceed demand.
Have you heard from Anfi now? What was the outcome?
Hi Sheila
Are your weeks in the period when Anfi was closed (weeks 11-30)? If so, the deal negotiated by the Liaison Committees were that all owners were treated exactly the same. You can opt for a credit against your 2021 fees of about 60% of the fees paid or you can book a replacement week up to the end of 2022.
If your weeks were in the period 31-52 then you are right, there is no refund because the clubs were open. Also, the fee is for maintenance not occupation. However, Anfi will issue you with a non arrival letter upon request (of course, only after your week has passed so they can confirm you did not arrive!). Whether you can get anything from your insurer depends on whether they cover timeshare or self booked holidays. The cheaper insurers will only cover package holidays. That is why owners need to check their travel insurance carefully as these rules apply just the same if you are ill or an airline goes bust.
I hope that helps. If you need any more advice, please contact one of the committee directly.
Let us know how you get on.
Roger Byatt
Hi Richard
I am sorry to hear you are in this situation.
Are you a member of Anfi Vacation Club? Are they in the points or floating systems? If any of these are true, then you may be able to ‘bank’ your weeks for use later this year or next year. That is what I did earlier in the year. That way you do not lose them.
The situation is unfortunate, but correct from Anfi’s perspective. The clubs are open and the flights are running so owners have the ability to get to Gran Canaria. The fact they are not going is, as they see it, a matter of choice. Now there is free insurance for arrivals provided by the Grana Canaria government is is not as if people who travel will be uninsured. The problem is the UK Government’s requirement to quarantine when returning from any part of Spain. That, clearly, is something the Gran Canarian authorities cannot control and, of course, it could be lifted at a moment’s notice in the same way it was imposed.
The other point is that our fees are for maintenance not use of our apartments. Therefore delaying payment changes nothing as you will then be barred from going until the fees are paid and, if you do not pay them two years in a row, it is likely your ownership will be cancelled.
I hope this is of help. I will be interested to see how you get on. If you do go, please let us know what it is like out there at present. My current understanding is that Anfi is much emptier than normal, which could be nice!
Roger
The current situation is that Anfi is open and flights to the Canary Islands are running. Therefore there is no reason why your holiday on 10th August cannot go ahead. Anfi are only providing (partial) refunds for weeks up to 31st July. If the week is a fixed week then the owner will not be able to ‘bank’ it for future use or get a refund.
The good news is that the Canary Islands government are providing free Covid19 insurance to all tourists from now:
I hope you enjoy your holiday.
I have just received an official notice from Anfi. They apologised for the delay but this was caused by the sudden change in UK government guidance.
“As you all know Anfi opened its’ doors once again on Friday 31st July.
The previous weekend, however, came the devasting news that the UK Government were disuading people from travelling abroad and that if anyone spent time in Spain they would have to complete a 14 day quarantine period. This has caused a good many extra cancellations for the clubs and has affected particularly the smaller clubs, Anfi Emerald Club and Club Puerto Anfi.
Due to the cancellations of accommodation, it was decided to reallocate members from Anfi Emerald Club into Gran Anfi and members from Club Puerto Anfi into Club Monte Anfi.
We envisage this to continue during a very short period only until the UK Government lift the quarantine period and flights are fully operational once again, therefore making sense to re-open these 2 smaller clubs.”
At the same time I have reports from a Gran Canaria resident that a number of the restaurants, notably El Poncho and Bella Pasta, have delayed their re-opening. Occupancy in Gran Anfi and Beach Club is reported to be about 25%.
There has been a problem on the Anfi site. Mine were zero there and correct on the phone based App. Check it again and let me know if there is still an issue.
I think it is certainly that, and I note that CLA are stirring things up again:
This is the information Anfi are sending regarding changes to the clubs from 31st July’s re-opening. It sounds pretty hopeful:
Upon re-opening on July 31st, we expect all Anfi services to be up and running as before, with a few exceptions regarding the Spanish social distancing laws. The beach is already open, and we expect the pools to open on time also.
You will be required to wear a face mask in all public areas, except the pool and the beach. Please bring a sufficient amount with you. You will be checked on this at the Airport.
The restaurants and shops, all plan to reopen, although it depends on them meeting the guidelines from the government.
I hope this information helps, and we look forward to welcoming you back.
I have raised these concerns directly with Anfi management. Will post their reply here when I receive it.
Anfi have told me that some things, like the maintenance activity, will not be updated until the staff can all return to working on site and can really review the stages of each project.
Hi Vee
I know the app is currently down and the webcams are offline until closer to reopening. The website does also seem to be out of action. I certainly got onto the site on Thursday but haven’t tried since then. I will contact Anfi and ask about it.
Roger
Anfi Reopening:
The clubs are set to reopen from week 31, starting on Friday 31 July 2020.
Official announcement on 24 June.
This is, of course, subject to Spain not reimposing restrictions.
There will also be a compensation scheme announced for members who had bookings from weeks 11-30 inclusive. They can receive a credit of 60% of their maintenance fee against their 2021 fees or book another holiday up to the end of 2022 through AVC. It could mean that you could go next year for two weeks instead of one by booking the week adjacent to your own.
This applies to all members, regardless of how weeks were purchased.
Assuming you are happy with Anfi and the weeks you have, then there is no problem with signing. It is also a good chance to add relations who may want to take over your weeks.
If you are thinking of taking legal action to get out of your contract then you should not sign.
I should stress this is my personal view.
Roger
Anfi Reopening:
The clubs are set to reopen from week 31, starting on Friday 31 July 2020.
Official announcement on 24 June.
This is, of course, subject to Spain not reimposing restrictions.
