Following the announcement and publication of their signed Undertaking with the UK Office of Fair Trading, DWVC has seen a dramatic upturn in business as consumer confidence in their products and services continues to grow. The use of standard contractual documents and mandatory rights for consumers has proved to be a major step forward for the industry.
In spite of some ill-informed press coverage in which the undertaking was given an enforcement slant, response generally from industry bodies, regulatory offices and from the general public has been very positive. In an effort to stress the voluntary aspect of the undertaking and the importance of this achievement, Mike Haley of the OFT commented……
“…… the OFT welcomed the cooperative attitude that DWVC and its staff have shown to the OFT and its representatives over the last 18 months. The agreement that has been struck with the OFT, as represented in the Undertaking, presents improved contracts and guarantees consumers their statutory rights. DWVC and its marketers have led the way in the holiday club sector with this Undertaking and are in the forefront of ensuring that standards improve across the sector. From the outset of our dealings with DWVC, the company has been open and transparent and has sought to work with us to address consumer concerns, whilst explaining the reality of the business environment in which it operates. The end result is a major breakthrough in the regulation of the holiday club market. DWVC have laid down a marker by which all other holiday clubs will be judged.”
DWVC Director Craig Douglas said “We are delighted with the response that we are seeing from our clients - sales and consumer confidence are up and the interest generally in our company and our products has been heightened. We are very clearly the market leader and we see it as our responsibility to help to move the whole sector forward.”