The timeshare exit business is notoriously sketchy. Many companies market their services aggressively and make promises they can’t keep. Some are outright scams. We’ve collected a short list of credible players.
Many timeshare exit companies do not quote prices online. Costs will depend on your situation. Some companies do charge fixed fees, which removes the possibility that a company may charge more to customers they think are able to pay more.
1.
Vacation Ownership Consultants
- Escrow Account or Money Back Guarantee: No
- Average Cost: $3000-$6000*
- BBB Rating: A+
- Based in: Scottsdale, AZ
Vacation Ownership Consultants follow a fairly standard procedure. They will review your contract and the conditions under which you signed it and recommend ways to escape your obligations. The company stands out for its use of in-house attorneys and for its strong customer reviews. Read more
*Based on customer reviews, variable with case specifics.
2.
Resort Victory
- Escrow Account or Money Back Guarantee: Yes
- Average Cost: Unknown
- BBB Rating: A+
- Based in: Costa Mesa, CA
Resort Victory is a relatively new company that has earned high marks from customers for service and effectiveness. They say they can get you out of a timeshare contract in six to 12 months, with complete transparency throughout the process. Read more
3.
Newton Group
- Escrow Account or Money Back Guarantee: Yes
- Average Cost: $3000 to $9,500*
- BBB Rating: A+
- Based in: Grand Rapids, MI
Newton Group has been active since 2003 and is one of the older timeshare exit firms. They offer multiple services and a money-back guarantee. Like most quality firms, they are selective and will not accept your case if they are not sure it’s winnable. Read more
*Based on customer reviews, variable with case specifics.
4.
Cancel Timeshare
- Escrow Account or Money Back Guarantee: Yes
- Fixed Cost: $249/month for 12 months
- BBB Rating: A+
- Based in: Myrtle Beach, SC
Cancel Timeshare has been in business for only six years, but the company offers a compelling package with the same fixed fee for all customers and a commitment to avoid hard-sell techniques. They won’t take all cases, but the ones they do take seem to be handled efficiently. Read more
5.
Timeshare Compliance
- Escrow Account or Money Back Guarantee: Yes
- Average Cost: $4000-$10,000*
- BBB Rating: A+
- Based in: Aliso Viejo, CA
*Based on customer reviews, variable with case specifics.
Timeshare compliance has been in business for 11 yeas and claims to have helped over 7500 timeshare owners escape their contracts. Based on customer reviews, costs can run on the high side, but reviews are also overwhelmingly positive. Read more
6.
Resolution Timeshare Cancellation
- Escrow Account or Money Back Guarantee: Yes
- Fixed Cost: $3,700 if your timeshare has a mortgage, $2,700 if it doesn’t.
- BBB Rating: A+
- Based in: Madison, NJ
Resolution is a small company with an excellent reputation. Fees are fixed, which means the company won’t jack up the price if they see that you can pay. One downside: they are selective about the clients they accept and won’t work with all resorts. Read more
The 6 Best Timeshare Exit Companies
Here’s a closer look at some timeshare exits that will work to separate you from your timeshare instead of from your money.
1. Vacation Ownership Consultants
Founded in 2014, this exit company has been around for nine years as of this writing.
In an industry where companies frequently charge tens of thousands of dollars, Vacation Ownership Consultants is positioned as a low-cost leader. They offer a no-cost consultation where they tell you how feasible a timeshare cancellation is as well as what their fees will be. Once you are quoted a price, the company will charge you that one-time fee with the explicit promise of no hidden fees later down the road.
Vacation Ownership Consultants relies on attorneys and other strategic partners to help you get the best service for your dollars. They boast a 100% success rate, largely because they will only take your case if they know they can win it.
Ratings and Customer Reviews:
2. Resort Victory
With eight years of experience, California-based Resort Victory is one of the younger companies on our list.
Resort Victory asserts that it can get you out of a timeshare within 6 to 12 months, depending on the particulars of your case. They promise to be fully transparent with you throughout the entire process.
Their main strategy is to attempt to persuade the developer or company that sold you the timeshare that it might be more prudent to let you exit the contract. To that end, they build a case against the developer, trying to highlight areas where the facts may have been misrepresented or where the sales team leveraged unethical sales practices.
They are happy for you to place your fee in escrow till you are free of your contract. If they don’t get the work done, they don’t get paid. Like most credible timeshare exit companies, they won’t take your case unless they believe that it’s winnable.
Ratings and Customer Reviews:
3. Newton Group
With 15 years of experience under its belt, Newton Group prides itself on being the oldest timeshare exit company in the nation.
The company provides different options to help you get out of your timeshare contract. For instance, it can charge you a flat fee or low monthly installments, depending on your preference.
Newton Group also has a dual approach to its services: Not only does it provide exit services, but it can also offer you legal representation if the need arises.
The company is happy to offer you a free consultation to better understand your circumstances and the costs of exiting your contract. After the consultation, they will tell you whether or not they think your case is winnable and quote you a fee.
Ratings and Customer Reviews:
4. Cancel Timeshare
Hailing from South Carolina, Cancel Timeshare is the youngest company on our list, being only 6 years old. Regardless, don’t let the company’s young age fool you, as it boasts a few benefits that other exit companies don’t offer:
- Standardized pricing: Cancel Timeshare offers clear standardized pricing. You pay $299/ month for 12 months. This amounts to a total that is just under $3,600
- Money-back guarantee: If the company fails to cancel your timeshare, you can get a refund thanks to their money-back guarantee. However, seeing as Cancel Timeshare has a 98% success rate, you will more likely get rid of your timeshare than have to ask for your money back.
The exit company also promises to uphold best ethical practices. For instance, it assures you that it will never cold call you or use pressure tactics to close a sale, both of which are hallmarks of a timeshare exit scam. Instead, they promise to be fully transparent throughout the entire process and to keep communication channels open at all times. Online reviews suggest that the company has been true to its word.
Ratings and Customer Reviews:
5. Timeshare Compliance
Based in California, this timeshare exit company dedicates itself to customer satisfaction and has been doing so for almost 11 years.
To begin with, it provides a free consultation to better understand your situation and highlight a recommended course of action.
The company also explains that as much as they would like to rid you of your timeshare quickly, the process may take up to 2 years, especially when confronted with a very intransigent resort that refuses to release you from your contract. Nevertheless, the two-year time frame is a worst-case scenario, and things usually move along much faster.
Timeshare Compliance provides a satisfaction guarantee along with an option to put their fee in escrow if you choose to.
Ratings and Customer Reviews:
6. Resolution Timeshare Cancellation
Resolution is a relatively small family-owned company that has broken a number of traditions in the timeshare exit industry. They have no salespeople on staff, and their free initial consultation is purely a consultation, not a sales pitch.
They charge flat fees, the same fee for all customers, and there is no upfront fee: your payment goes into escrow and is refunded if you do not get out of your timeshare contract.
Resolution will not offer to sell or transfer your timeshare. They work by exploiting exploitive or manipulative practices in the timeshare sales industry that can be used to invalidate contracts.
Expect the cancellation process to take 12 to 14 months. It can be shorter if you don’t have a mortgage and longer for complex cases.
Resolution Timeshare cancellation will not work with timeshares from Disney, Massanutten, or Club Land’or.
Ratings and Customer Reviews:
- BBB Rating: A+
- Rating of customers on BBB: 4.58 (12 reviews)
- Number of complaints over the past 3 years: 35
- Trustpilot rating: 4.5
How Do Timeshare Exit Companies Work?
Timeshare exit companies offer three main strategies, and the strategy they provide can tell you a great deal about the company and your prospects for success.
- Sell your timeshare. Many companies will offer to find a buyer at an attractive price. They may even tell you that they have buyers lined up and waiting. They will then charge an exorbitant listing fee, and there will be no sale. This offer is almost always a scam: nobody is paying big bucks for used timeshares.
- Donate or transfer your timeshare. Other companies will offer to donate your timeshare to a charity or transfer it to a dummy LLC. These are also signs of a scam. These methods are ineffective and could place your credit at risk or expose you to legal action: most timeshare contracts have clauses allowing the company to come after you if you transfer ownership to an entity that subsequently fails to pay.
- Challenge your contract. This is the only legitimate method, and all reputable timeshare exit companies use it. The loophole is that your contract can be invalidated if the timeshare resort used deceptive or manipulative means to get you to sign the contract. Almost all timeshare sales presentations use these techniques, meaning that these contracts can be challenged.
Beware of any timeshare exit company that advises you to stop making mortgage or fee payments. This will breach a valid contract and risk credit damage or legal action.
Credible timeshare exit companies will always review your contract and case history very carefully before accepting you as a client. If a company is willing to take you no such review, that’s a bad sign.
Most timeshare exit companies offer a free consultation. Some will use this as an honest assessment of your case. Others turn it into a sales pitch. If you feel that you’re being pressured to sign up, look for a different company.
How to Choose a Timeshare Exit Company?
Having gone over some of the best exit companies out there, you might be mulling over which company to actually go with. The answer is it depends on your unique situation, but here are some factors to consider.
Cost
How much an exit company will charge you often varies on a case-by-case basis. For example, a case with a mortgage balance will typically cost more than a case involving a fully paid timeshare.
Different timeshare exit companies will charge different rates for the same case. So, while one company may charge you a flat fee, another one may assign a dollar amount to your case based on the particulars. And a third one may opt for a pay-as-you-go scenario. Over and above, a company like Cancel Timeshare or Resolution Timeshare Cancellation will do the rare thing and offer you a standardized fee, one that is cheaper than the industry average.
On average, you can expect to pay somewhere in the range of $3,000 to $10,000.
When hiring an exit company, you should ask them for a clear fee proposal after they review the particulars of your case, and that is assuming that they don’t already do this on their own. You should also ask for transparency, i.e., what is it exactly they are going to do for you and why their fee is structured the way that it is.
Guarantees
Many timeshare exit companies offer their customers a guarantee of sorts. Some provide a money-back guarantee: if we don’t rid you of the timeshare, you get back everything you paid us.
Another option that exit companies provide is placing your money in escrow. Simply, this means that you would place the company’s fees with an impartial third party until your case is resolved. Once you are no longer stuck in the timeshare contract, the third party will release the funds to the exit company. Alternatively, if the exit company fails to rid you of your timeshare, you can go to the escrow company and reclaim your fees.
Reputation
There are several ways to gauge an exit company’s reputation.
To begin with, you can check out the Better Business Bureau’s site. When the Better Business Bureau, also known as the BBB, accredits a company, it tells the world that the company in question is working hard to resolve customer complaints. The BBB will also rate companies, but the ratings are based on the company’s response to complaints, not necessarily on customer reviews.
You might also want to check out review sites, such as Trustpilot. Try to read through the reviews, both the good and the bad.
Another marker of reputation is how long the company has been in business. The longer the period, the more the exit company has withstood the test of time.
Putting It All Together…
While there are many exit companies to choose from, you need to be careful. Many of them are scams, and you need to know how to spot them. This means being diligent and doing your research.
Getting out of a timeshare contract isn’t easy. There are real risks. You could pay a great deal and end up with no results. Your credit could be damaged or you could face legal action. Doing effective research and choosing a reputable partner is one way to avoid these outcomes!
