A COUPLE who have fought a four-year battle with a timeshare company are urging others to learn from their experience.

Kimbra and Alan Johnson, from Hanley Swan, near Malvern, claim they have been threatened and bullied since buying a timeshare unit on the Isle of Wight from Carleton Holidays, in 1997.

They bought the unit in Hazel Green for £5,700 after attending a presentation in Birmingham. But the annual maintenance charges have shot up from £129 in the first year to £313 last year - despite claims the charges were linked to inflation.

The couple claim they were then told their unit had become an "old style" one. They say they were told unless they upgraded to a "new style" unit, their maintenance fee would rise to more than £700.

"This appears to be extortion," said Mr Johnson. "They're also refusing to disclose how the maintenance fees are spent and are further refusing to have their accounts audited."

In the meantime, Carleton Holidays ceased trading and the resort was bought by a new company called Hazel Green Village.

The Johnsons claim there was no evidence of the high maintenance fees being spent on refurbishing the units.

When they threatened to expose the situation, they claim the company suspended their club membership.

The firm also refused to buy back the unit, which left them with the options of paying to upgrade, paying much higher maintenance fees, or leaving Hazel Green Village to repossess it.

In a letter to the Johnsons last month, Hazel Green Village managing director Steve Catton said: "I will now expedite the removal of you from Hazel Green Village once and for all, as you are both a nuisance and a troublemaker."

Dissatisfied owners of Hazel Green timeshare units have set up a Concerned Owners Group - membership of which is growing fast.

Sandy Grey, of the Timeshare Consumers' Association, said some timeshare owners had had their memberships terminated simply for talking to the media.

"The annual fees have gone up by much more than they should've done - they should only go up with the Retail Price Index," he said.

"We think this is only the tip of the iceberg."

He said people should not buy into a timeshare resort which does not have an owners club or association, and advised against buying if the management fees appeared too high.

He also said potential buyers should never rush their decision - and should never buy at a presentation.

No one from Hazel Green Village was available for comment as the Evening News went to press.