Like so many other timeshare owners, Mike and Jenny Reeves are desperate to offload the investment that’s turned into a millstone.

Having bought into the timeshare dream, they are now trapped into paying escalating maintenance fees for points they rarely use and can’t give away.

So they’ve paid a company called International Timeshare Refund Action to take the points off their hands.

ITRA claims: “Our objective has always been to support consumers in timeshare disputes.”

But behind this admirable sentiment there’s the notorious figure of Peter Utal and his lieutenant Andrew Cooper.

I reported last October how their dodgy Club Class Concierge was shut down. Well, some of it – the bits in the UK.

Victims were enticed by the promise of off-loading timeshares and lured to meetings that turned into hard sells for membership of Club Class, costing up to £15,000.

Far from being released from timeshare maintenance, Club Class just handed the points back to the resort owners – who continued to demand the annual fees.

Club Class and five connected companies were put into compulsory liquidation, though this didn’t put Club Class in Spain out of action, nor did it effect offshore-based ITRA.

Mike and Jenny were at first delighted to hear from ITRA, being in the unfortunate position of owning not one but two timeshares, one in Benalmadena, Spain, and the other in Lanzarote, Canary Islands.

“We were cold-called two years ago when we were trying to get rid of our two timeshares,” said Mick.

“ITRA pointed to a way out and how to get rid of continual maintenance charges.

“However, we had to pay upfront which stupidly we did, issuing two cheques to the value of £7,824.

"After a few months they actually got rid of our Lanzarote timeshare so we were quite happy.

“However since then they have not moved on. I speak to one of their reps most weeks and it is all flannel.

"The contract stated that the maintenance fees will be paid by ITRA but we still receive the charges for the Benalmadena timeshare.

“ITRA are liable for all fees but they don’t pay them.”

The last set of maintenance fees were £514 but when the couple didn’t pay, a debt collection company got on their case and, after adding on its own charges, demanded £706.

Mick said: “My wife and I are pensioners and would be grateful for any help, quite frankly we don’t know which way to turn.

“It seems we have paid for virtually nothing.”

I took this up with ITRA and heard from Andrew Cooper, who insisted that they’re on the side of the good guys, saying: “ITRA, as you are aware, are organising claims on behalf of many thousands of timeshare owners.”

He blamed the problems experienced by Mick and Jenny on timeshare club rules that made handing back points difficult, but added: “We are today arranging payment of the outstanding maintenance fee.”

This episode now looks like it could be that rare creature, a timeshare story with a happy ending.

“Due to you and the might of the Mirror it very much looks like the transfer of our timeshare has gone through,” said Mick.

“A big thank you from my wife and myself.”