Let’s get a few things straight… We don’t hate the timeshare industry, we genuinely love timeshares. And frankly, what’s not love: dazzling destinations, spectacular scenery and amazing amenities. What we are opposed to is the rampant misrepresentations and unethical sales practices that are used by timeshare developers. It comes as no surprise that there is zero advocacy for timeshare owners who have legitimate grievances against developer misconduct. This usually comes in the form of unethical sales practices, developer misrepresentation, high-pressure sales tactics and increasing developer maintenance fees. Do any of these sound familiar?
So what options are available for you to get out of your Diamond timeshare contract? Unfortunately your “exit options” are few and far between.
For a start, you can try the resale market by listing your timeshare on eBay or other online timeshare resale platforms. The downside to this is that there are hundreds, if not thousands, of listings.
Try contacting your timeshare developer directly to see if they would be willing to work with you. Just remember, they’re not in the business of losing money, so you must be prepared to handle objections.
There are several ways a timeshare owner can explore to terminate their timeshare contract. The bottom line is that it costs money and takes time to do so. That’s where our area of expertise as a timeshare advocacy group comes into play. With our timeshare resolution process we can help you terminate your timeshare and find resolution towards being timeshare-free.
Former NFL player & Timeshare Compliance client
DOJ Lieutenant & Timeshare Compliance client
We recommend that you first contact your developer and ask about available exit programs that they may offer. We recommend that you both call your developer and follow up with written correspondence, always keeping a copy of any correspondence for yourself. Explain to your developer why you want to exit your timeshare, and provide as much detail as possible, including any misrepresentations or high-pressure sales tactics that you may have experienced.
In writing your letter, you may want to consult an attorney. Although there are few attorneys out there with extensive timeshare exit experience, we can provide recommendations.
Every case has specific characteristics and circumstances. As a general rule, and based on our experience, our team requires between 6 and 36 months to resolve a timeshare contract.
In writing your letter, you may want to consult an attorney. Although there are few attorneys out there with extensive timeshare exit experience, we can provide recommendations.
TSC has maintained a very high rating from the Better Business Bureau for several years. Our BBB rating is A+ and accredited. We pride ourselves on our customer service. There are no perfect companies, but what separates us is that we do our very best to resolve any issues.
Every company has some bad reviews, including us. And every company has challenges, including us. For example, there are now a few lawsuits pending against us where developers are trying to use court cases to put us out of business. In addressing these cases, we are defending our right to provide important services to the public, and at the same time trying to address criticisms by giving our clients more information about how we do our work. We hope that this will enhance our offerings. And while these challenges are real, so too is our outstanding BBB rating, in which we take great pride. We care greatly what our clients say about working with us.
Another reason to consider working with us is that TSC has the expertise of those who have worked in the timeshare industry, collectively, for over 75 years. We know the timeshare industry from “both sides of the fence” and we follow developments in the industry so as to benefit our customers.
We have helped thousands of owners exit their timeshares.
We pride ourselves on customer service. So, once you begin working with us, a dedicated member of our client services team will be assigned to you. You will be able to reach out to your client services representative whenever you wish.
Because TSC only works with timeshare owners who believe that their developers have failed to deliver promised services. This includes owners who feel that they have been lied to or deceived by their developer or who feel that their developer made misrepresentations to them during the sales process, perhaps tricking them into buying a timeshare. Many of our clients report experiencing high-pressure sales meetings where they are kept in developer sales presentations for up to 6 hours, sometimes with no breaks, and ultimately agreeing to sign a developer contract simply to escape the sales presentation. Because TSC works with these types of clients, we consider ourselves consumer advocates.
It depends on the specifics of your timeshare contract (or contracts, as many people have more than one timeshare contract). Our average fee range is always a fraction of what you will spend for your timeshare. In making your decision, you should calculate the total savings from exiting, including not having to pay maintenance fees, special assessment fees, facility fees, or high interest rate monthly payments if you are paying monthly on a note.
TSC provides many services for the fees that it charges. We use our decades of experience and knowledge of the timeshare industry and our best efforts to help you try to exit your timeshare. TSC will recommend an experienced attorney for you to consult with, one who has experience working with clients in your situation. TSC will also recommend an experienced credit management firm for you to consult with, one with experience in enforcing your rights under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act, the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rules, and certain state credit reporting laws, depending on where you live.
TSC also works with you to develop a complete list of the factual reasons as to why you want to exit your timeshare, including any misrepresentations by the developer, and then gives those facts to your attorney for their use. TSC also helps you identify the necessary documents and information to assist your attorney. If your attorney needs more information from you, we will let you know, and coordinate between you and the attorney. Of course you can always reach out to your attorney directly. We may also recommend various government agencies to help protect your rights as a consumer.
In addition, TSC tracks key developments and changes within the timeshare industry, including trends within individual timeshare developers. We make this information available to the credit management firms and attorneys to whom we recommend clients, so that they can use that information to better help you or others. By way of example, if TSC sees a trend whereby a certain developer’s salespeople have a pattern of telling clients that their timeshares will increase in value just like owning a home (which is simply not true), we will make sure to ask our clients if they were told this lie and relay this information to the attorneys to whom we recommend clients. Because TSC works with hundreds of owners each year, we are often able to recognize such trends, including at the developer level.
TSC has also served as a resource for clients whose credit is harmed by a developer reporting negative items. We have communicated with financial institutions, educational institutions, and businesses on behalf of our clients, to describe the facts of their situation, including that timeshare ownership is not the same as home ownership. We have also paid for the legal defense of owners when a developer sued our client, though this service is discretionary and provided on a case-by-case basis. Based on our experience, developers do not typically sue owners, but when that has happened, TSC has paid for the defense of certain of these actions in the past.
TSC also counsels clients by talking to them about their bad experiences with developers. In fact, we spend many hours doing so. Many of our clients believe that their timeshare experience is unique. Many feel ashamed or angry that they purchased a timeshare because they feel that they were tricked into doing so. Because we have spoken with thousands of dissatisfied timeshare owners, we have heard many such stories. We may be able to help put your situation into a broader context, all as a part of our service offerings.
If you choose not to engage TSC, you have other options to try and help you exit your timeshare:
• You can contact your developer directly and seek an exit. Some developers have their own internal exit programs and policies. Others have policies or practices whereby they will cancel or terminate a timeshare if the owner does not pay for a certain period. You can contact your developer and ask them about this option as well.
• You can consult an attorney.
• You can file a complaint with several places, including but not limited to the Better Business Bureau, your state’s Attorney General, or the Federal Trade Commission.
TSC can never advise you to stop paying on your contract. That is a decision that you must make on your own, or in consultation with a lawyer. We note that several national publications such as the AARP magazine (Dec. 2020/Jan. 2021) have run articles that describe this as an option. Also, certain developers have policies or practices whereby they will cancel an owner’s timeshare if the owner does not pay for a period of time. You may also want to consult your developer to see if this is an option.
Developer misrepresentation is not uncommon. We can help you terminate your timeshare contract if you legitimately feel as though you were taken advantage of by your timeshare developer.