22 May 2011 12:00 AM:

I mentioned in my last posting that we had paid 150 euros to Snra de Castro of this website, to pursue bank gurantees under Law 57/68. I also said we had not heard from her since July 2010 when we paid her the money. Well we have now, basically nothing has been done, we even asked her for our money back and had no reply. However we have had another contact from her which has left us wondering if we are on the same planet.

Snra de Castro claims that her company has entered into special arrangements with various banks and promoters to offer discounted alternative properties to clients who have lost deposits on unfinished developments. Isn't that exactly what Gotardo Rodriguez of Palmera properties was trying to do? Having already lost thousands of pounds/euros in investing in Spain, are there still people out there gullible enough to put more money into Spain? Isn't this an almost open admission that Spanish lawyers will never be able to recover our deposits?

Beam me up Scotty!

Forum thread: Am I on this planet?

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05 May 2011 10:50 PM:

I've followed this thread on and off for 7 years, having put a deposit down on a property in the Alpujarras. Done all the things everyone else has done, even meeting Gotardo with a view to switching property but as with most people, did not like the deal being offered. Tried the legal routes and used the lawyer favoured by Eye on Spain, Maria de Castro, to whom we paid 150 euros to do a bank gurantee search back in July last year. This lady who regularly posts on this website and advises that she can help to recover deposits and help through the legal Spanish minefields, has, like most of the Spanish legal system utterly failed to help and we have not heard a word from her since we paid her the money.

Forum thread: Palmera Properties

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29 Aug 2008 6:37 PM:

Hi Rhones, not seen you on the m/b before but have a look at all the other postings on this and the las alpujarras m/b. Re. PP yes we've all made our criticisms and some of us have made them quite loudly and sought legal advice. Rightly or wrongly PP are a promoter, all our contracts were with PTX the builder. This is the guy that has p'eed off with everyone's money.

However see PP's website they are desperately trying to help people from problem developments such as El Zoco. They are offering to transfer deposits. Speak to them, it really is worth it. We've been in touch with them, met them and now found 
an alternative development. 

El Zoco? I was confident that one day it would be finished but I now believe it won't be. As well as PTX owing money to Spanish Tax and suppliers (it is understood Phase 6 is embargoed by a court order raised by a supplier to PTX). The Mecina Town Hall are chasing him for uncompleted civil work including damage to road to Golco. Spanish building is in crisis, can't see any bank lending to complete the site.

Good luck


This message was last edited by avf on 8/29/2008.
Community thread: driving from uk to spain

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30 Oct 2007 12:00 AM:

I have made mention on previous postings that we had bought and sold previously in Spain. Up to the fiasco with this development, I had always placed great faith in the Spanish legal system, sadly no longer. Many of you like me will have read the postings on the Las Alpujarras m/b and you could be asking why don't I just post there? Well I think the problems of El Zoco are a salutory lesson to anyone buying off plan in Spain, and before anyone comments, we do have a correct Spanish Contract, but with a clause that has been breached now.

We have written to Palmera Properties, they accept no responsibility. We have written to their legal dept. they accept no responsibility. We have written to the builder, we have had no reply. We have phoned the builder's lawyer, they have not returned our calls. So we then went down the final resort and sought the advice of a Spanish lawyer, namely the one recommended by this website.

We were told quite confidently after copying the lawyer with all the paperwork, that they, and I quote " have enough documentation for action and reimbursement of money plus interests" Excellent we thought, so we wrote back and asked how long it would take and how much? On 11/7/07 they told us that before starting court action they would contact the other parties to see if there is a possibility of an "an amicable settlement" out of court. We allowed several weeks to go by and having not heard anything we emailed again, and again, and again. In September we finally received an email. No attempt had been made to write to the other parties, and in fact we were simply sent an outline of the legal procedure and a request for 4000 euros (£2,800 at to-days rate) to fight the action.

Referring to the information I found and outlined in my previous posting, we can't even be confident the builder has assets enough to refund deposits, let alone start expensive action.

In reality, the Spanish lawyers won't even do so much as write a simple letter until we stupid Brits part with even more money. Don't they understand that many people have already spent a great deal of money to get to this sad stage. One would have thought that a simple effort to start the ball rolling could be made, without a demand for money, to at least give us some renewed confidence in the Spanish system.  

Reading in to-days press regarding the probable decision by the Spanish Government to provide billions of euros towards the cost of bulldozing hundreds of properties, many of whom will have been bought by Brits, then sadly the answer to my question above is a definite NO, and we will never, ever consider or recommend anyone to invest in Spain again

This message was last edited by avf on 10/30/2007.
Community thread: Wood burning stoves

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24 Sep 2007 12:00 AM:

nI haven't posted for some time because there was nothing positive to say, plus in June, Palmera appeared to take responsibilty again for EZ by putting updates and photos on their website. However I have been following the Alpujarras M/B and the latest bleak reports. Unfortunately a trawl through various Spanish websites seems to concur with the worst fears.

There are several sites that include Proturex listed correctly with their CIF number (Co. reg no.) They are such sites as "Buletino Oficial" and "Buletino Estado" This particular one shows PTX in tax administration. I have emailed Palmera to-day and asked for clarification. They can only confirm their lawyer last spoke to PTX in July and everything appeared to be OK, but they have not been able to make contact with them since the return from the August holidays and so they are attempting to send another Bureaufax (registered letter). They have promised to keep me informed and other clients as well.

Anyway, before we all get our hankies out, perversely if PTX are in liquidation it could be the best news we've had for a while. Assuming the Spanish receivership system is similar to the UK, then the liquidators will be looking to realise assets asap for the creditors. We idiots I guess will be fairly low down in the pecking order but the biggest creditors will be the Banks. Logically either the Banks will appoint another bulder or the site will be sold. Either way I can't imagine for one moment that The Sierra Nevada National Park, Junta de Andalucia, Junta de Alpujarras or the Ayuntamiento de Mecina want a ruinous crumbling eyesore on their doorstep. I assume they then will be pushing buttons somewhere.

How all this leaves our contracts is impossible to say, but at least a new builder/developer will have a ready made client base. The overall problem is we will still be waiting for some time yet for a result. If anyone else can investigate further I'm sure we would appreciate what you find, so may be it isn't quite RIP El Zoco.

This message was last edited by avf on 9/24/2007.
Community thread: Deeds of sale signed in the presence of a non Spanish Notary

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