Where are the people who actually exited a time share?

When you look for exit forums to find out real info like... actual people who exited their time share...all you can find are websites promoting an exit or resell of your time share or a review site reviewing such companies. But I am looking for a forum where actual people who actually exited their time share talk and share companies that actually got them our of their time shares. If all you can find are companies using people's stories for their own benefit then you can't trust that they are real testimonies. Even at the BBB they can just be a bunch of "paid for" positive reviewers. I am searching for actual forums where real people just share real information. Like when you saw a good movie you told your brother, hey I just saw this movie, it was great, check it out. If people actually exit their time shares than how they did it would be readily available where people talk about their time shares exit experiences. If it's only on an industry related website than it is not believable to me. A good company that actually gets people out would be known by many people telling everyone they knew about them. Googling this only turns up professional sites. That's what led me here. Has anyone here actually exited their time share? Does anyone know someone who did ? Does anyone know an actual forum where people talk about their stories and share solutions. Not just give advice but can point you to an actual company that got it done for them. People that are not paid to point to a company. No one pays me to recommend a movie, I just do it. Where are the time share people who got it done and can tell others?

There are NO companies, lawyers, or any other entities that can somehow get you out of the contractual obligations of timeshare ownership. NONE. That’s why you cannot find any (truthful) sources or reports indicating otherwise; they simply do not exist.

There are only 3 ways to “exit” the legal obligations of timeshare ownership:

1. Sell it or give it away (or even throw in some cash as an incentive if you have to), but one way or another you will need to find a legitimate, willing new “grantee” to be named on an officially recorded new deed on which you will be the “grantor”. This is only a realistic option if there is no unpaid loan balance and no unpaid fees and no liens, since no one on earth is interested in paying off someone else’s timeshare debts in order to take over an ownership.

2. Contact the resort HOA President (not just a desk clerk answering phones at the resort) to formally inquire if the Assn. accepts “deedbacks”. Most don’t, some do. Those that will accept a “deedback” will first require that all fees be fully paid up to date and they may also require a fee for the preparation and recording of a new deed with the Assn. as the new grantee. Some “chains” (e.g., Wyndham) have established internal “deedback” programs, but not all do. You won’t know unless you specifically ask.

3. Just stop paying and accept that foreclosure will occur at some point (which will be the exact same result if you unwisely pay any so-called “exit company” parasite, who will do absolutely nothing except to wait for foreclosure to occur and then say “See? We helped you to get out” (which is a blatant lie, since foreclosure by any resort is always initiated independently).

The above 3 choices are your only options. Anything and everything else is just smoke and mirrors by some parasitic operation seeking to take your money. Numerous so-called “exit companies” have been prosecuted for their fraudulent practices. The bottom line is that there are no companies, no lawyers, no secret processes and no magicians that can get anyone out of the legal and contractual obligations of a timeshare ownership into which they once voluntarily entered of their own free will and choice. Period, amen.

There is an old saying that “A fool and his money are soon parted”. You are obviously smart enough to recognize that scammers looking to take advantage of people desperate to get out of timeshares are NOT an answer or a solution to exiting the obligations of timeshare ownership. As outlined above, to "exit" lawfully and permanently will take some effort and initiative on your part.

stevew859 wrote:

Has anyone here actually exited their time share? Does anyone know someone who did ? Does anyone know an actual forum where people talk about their stories and share solutions.

I did. As KC pointed out above, it was option # 1. I sold it. I didn't need any exit company, law firm, or charity. I listed it on a reputable timeshare website for a reasonable cost.

As for forums "where people talk about their stories and share solutions", one good one is Timeshare Users Group (aka "TUG"; tugbbs.com). There are many posters there who talk about how they got rid of their timeshares fairly easily and quickly and without using these scam or questionable exit companies.

Hey, my wife and I were looking to get out a couple months ago so we did the google thing, the one place that helped was 'mytimeshareexitreviews.com' who recommended some companies, (i dunno exactly how they rate them) but they show you lists of the best ones (according to them) we signed up w/ one company. We tried to sell it for like a whole year, but no takers :/ - we were put into contact w/ our attorney in 20-30 days and theyre doing a good job w/ communication/protecting our credit etc.

nicb22 wrote:

Hey, my wife and I were looking to get out a couple months ago so we did the google thing, the one place that helped was 'mytimeshareexitreviews.com' who recommended some companies, (i dunno exactly how they rate them) but they show you lists of the best ones (according to them) we signed up w/ one company. We tried to sell it for like a whole year, but no takers :/ - we were put into contact w/ our attorney in 20-30 days and theyre doing a good job w/ communication/protecting our credit etc.

It is said that "hope springs eternal", but...

The simple and irrefutable truth is that there are NO legitimate "timeshare exit" entities anywhere on Planet Earth. NONE. Assuming that you are not a “shill” (unconvincingly) peddling your personal agenda here, know and understand that you are just simply wasting your money by paying any “exit” parasite a single penny.

No "exit company" entity can do anything for you that you can't just as easily do for yourself --- but you'll certainly come to that conclusion on your own at some point (after ponying up and losing some serious money to learn that hard lesson). Timeshare ownership is a contractual obligation that you cannot just “exit” by magic or by divine intervention, or by attorney involvement --- or by paying money to any sleazy and useless "exit company" . It’s just that simple.

Some (...but not enough) of these so-called “timeshare exit” entities actually end up being prosecuted for their fraudulent practices by various state Attorneys General. Others just quietly disappear on their own at some point after taking people’s money, some returning later with a different name — but with the same game.

"A fool and his money are soon parted", as the old saying goes. Enough said.

Hey, I totally feel you! It's such a bummer that all you can find are those phony-looking review sites and company promotions when looking for real opinions about time share exits. I mean, who can you really trust these days, right?! It totally makes sense that you wanna connect with some actual people instead of shady paid influencer types. I don't have any first-hand experience with exiting a time share, but what if you tried joining some owner groups on Facebook or something? That way you could possibly find some actual peeps to shoot the breeze with and get some real talk answers. Just a thought.

nicb22 wrote:

Hey, my wife and I were looking to get out a couple months ago....We tried to sell it for like a whole year, but no takers.

Do you see the inconsistency here? You say you "were looking to get out a couple months ago" but then say that you "tried to sell it for like a whole year, but no takers."

And what efforts did you make to sell? Did you list it on a reputable web site or was it one of those scam upfront fee companies? Also, did you list it for a reasonable, competitive price or did you ask for an unrealistically high resale price?

**EXIT UPDATE ** It was absolutely fair that Westgate Resorts was ruled against in the Tennesee case. This particular resort failed in integrity, in non-compliance with federal and state timeshare laws, and have willfully deceitful business practices! I was a victim with their Florida resort, requested to cancel based on the untruths told to me, was told No, and I found legal counsel (a social justice team Called @Royalbladeworks on Telegram, dedicated to results not $$)who fought and got my contract canceled. I also got my money back that they’ve refused to return, including their ‘Westgate MasterCard’ given me to cover the ‘downpayment.’ Counsel ( Royalbladeworks ) used the Tennessee Case as the base for my demand, and went the full extent for recovery and punitive damages. I had ALL documents and communication updates of actions and findings between my legal counsel and Westgate. They can ‘lose or burn’ whatever they choose to get rid of the evidence. My firm sent me the entire file. I was led to believe I was ‘buying’ a Vacation Home for my family, as advertised by the ‘sales hooker’ at Disney World in Florida while on family vacation. I had a ‘mortgage’ payment each month just like a home purchase! It was misrepresented as a Vacation Home but later I found out it was a Timeshare. I don’t DO Timeshares because I know that drill. When they reported Canceled on my Credit Report they lied, saying it was due to default. My law firm discovered they never filed the ‘sale’ with the Florida Court of Records and Deeds in the required time, and a laundry list of other violations including RESPA Law. The only reason they canceled and paid me was because my law counsel brought the Feds into the picture, who demanded documents Westgate could not produce. At risk of the wrath of the Feds, they canceled. I recommend you reach out to Phil +14752150057for help if you need.

Any information other then selling them back to Marriott would be helpful.

These posts are an interesting read.

Like others who have opined, I am also interested to hear those experiences and how the process worked for them.

From my reading, it really seems as though there is no means to exit escape except death…just like taxes. :)

jayw219 wrote:

From my reading, it really seems as though there is no means to exit escape except death…just like taxes. :)

Not really an accurate conclusion; there are always exit options.

1. "Deedback" to the resort. That being said, not all resorts will accept "deedbacks" and some "chains" that do accept deedbacks charge serious money for the "privilege" (Westgate being a prime example). Wyndham accepts most deedbacks without charging any fees at all. With independent (not associated with any "chain") timeshares, the individual resort HOA's decide for themselves whether or not they will accept deedbacks. Most don't, quite frankly. Some that do will sometimes require pre-payment of a year's worth of maintenance fees as a condition for deedback acceptance --- and none will accept a deedback if the owner account is currently in arrears.

2. You can try to give it away for free, perhaps "sweetening the deal" by paying all closing and transfer costs, maybe also throwing in a gift card of monetary value, or pre-paying a year's maintenance fee amount for the willing new "grantee". You can advertise any such free giveaways (at no cost to you) on the Timeshare Users Group site, clearly specifiying all of the details of whatever you own and are seeking to give away for free.

3. Last but not least, you can simply stop paying anything further, which will ultimately result in foreclosure, although that result might actually take a few years in some instances. If there is an unpaid loan balance on which you default, there will also be a credit score / report "hit" that will remain in place for 7 years.

The bottom line is that ANY AND ALL third party "timeshare exit / relief / escape / rescue" operations that charge an upfront fee are basically scams, preying upon desperate people who don't know what to do and / or are just looking for an "easy" way out. There is no "easy" way out. Those "exit" parasites charging money to "help" you cannot do anything for you except to gratefully take your money. Numerous of them have been shut down and / or successfully prosecuted in various different states in recent years; a fact which speaks for itself.

Good Luck!

Bankruptcy

I was able to get rid of my timeshare. It was hard and took a lot of time, but I successfully canceled my timeshare contract. I even created my story at https://timeshareescape.us to give hope to other people who are looking for a way to get rid of a timeshare, cancel a timeshare agreement, or find a real timeshare exit solution.

We did this some time back! We printed a blank Warranty Deed very similar to the one we received from TS company when we first bought. We pencilled everything from our TS deed; reversing the Grantor, grantee & all the mumbo jumbo to the clean "trial form" . Then Printed a new blank one & copied everything from our "trial form" to it. Signed & notorized with all required witnesses. Sent it to the developer & Timeshare company where we were deeded. Kept copies. Sent notorized deed to the county recorder in the state where we were deeded. Sent a "request letter to Recorder of Deeds" asking for it to be recorded & paid the fees. Also asked for a copy of the new Deed to be sent to us showing the date,time, book & page # of the actual recording. Sent everything by certified mail & requested return certified mail. Kept all copies & notes of names & phone #'s of I talked to & where. You can do it yourself .

Feels like people like KC are just equally other type of shills for other services that aren't exits. Probably a shill for a resort of sorts himself to convince people that they must keep paying their timeshare There are timeshare exit companies that work well. Not everyone is some irredeemable evil spawn of satan to say 'there are no trustworthy exists on planet earth'. It's simply up to you to decide which company you'd put your trust into.

sonnym20 wrote:

It's simply up to you to decide which company you'd put your trust into.

sonnym20 wrote:

Feels like people like KC are just equally other type of shills for other services that aren't exits. Probably a shill for a resort of sorts himself to convince people that they must keep paying their timeshare There are timeshare exit companies that work well. Not everyone is some irredeemable evil spawn of satan to say 'there are no trustworthy exists on planet earth'. It's simply up to you to decide which company you'd put your trust into.

The above quoted content is truly a bizarre bit of unhelpful and baseless nonsense.

It is an indisputable fact that there is simply NO SUCH THING as a “legitimate timeshare exit / rescue / escape / relief” entity. Period, amen. That is not a personal opinion; it is an objective and irrefutable fact that anyone with sufficient knowledge and experience with the timeshare industry clearly knows and understands, without any doubt or question. Some (but not enough) of these so-called “timeshare exit” entities have ended up being prosecuted by various state Attorneys General for their deceitful practices. Hopefully, even MORE of them will be successfully prosecuted in the future.

For the record, I am just a timeshare owner and user of a few fixed weeks (...for over 35 years now). My occasional input into these discussion forums is offered ONLY to share some (hopefully useful) observations from those several decades of timeshare knowledge and experience, in the hope that some of it might help under-informed and / or desperate people avoid getting scammed --- particularly those folks whose desperation to “get out” of their timeshare obligations makes them vulnerable to the empty promises and blatant lies of the (far too many) “timeshare exit company” parasites looking to take their money. I have no affiliations or associations or any personal agenda of any kind here and I am certainly NOT a shill for ANY entity, person or cause.

In the final analysis, there are three (and ONLY three) ways to get out of the obligations of timeshare ownership / membership:

1. Sell it or give it away in order to lawfully transfer it to a willing, valid new recipient / grantee. However, this is often "easier said than done", since so many timeshares have no real market value and are of little or no demand. ALL timeshares have the ongoing burden of maintenance fees. Unfortunately, timeshares of little or no value or demand will usually not elicit any interest from anyone, even if / when offered for free.

2. Deed it back to the resort or “chain”, an option which may or may not be available. “Deedbacks” ALWAYS require the willing and voluntary participation and acceptance of the resort or “chain”. It’s not something that can be done unilaterally; it takes two to tango, as the saying goes. You cannot legally transfer a timeshare to anyone (including back to a resort or chain) without their willing acceptance. If they do not want it, they are not obligated to accept it. Some "chains" have internal "deedback" programs, but most resort HOA’s and / or chains don't offer any such deedback option. Those that do accept deedbacks usually require that all maintenance fees first be paid up to date and most also charge additional money to accept a deedback.

3. If both of the above two options prove fruitless, a timeshare owner can always choose to simply STOP PAYING their fees. At some point, this option will result in a foreclosure (or membership termination, in the case of vacation clubs). If there is also a default on an unpaid loan balance, there will almost certainly be a credit report “hit”. If there is no unpaid loan balance involved (i.e., just unpaid fees), foreclosure will usually be the end of things (after some annoying collection efforts that can be ignored), but there will likely be no other post-foreclosure consequences.

Those are the true facts, like it or not. Anyone unwisely considering getting involved with *ANY* so-called “timeshare exit company" should take to heart the old saying that “A fool and his money are soon parted”. Don't be a fool; forewarned is forearmed. The ridiculous post above by Sonny M is a lame and unconvincing effort to convince people that there is any such thing as a "legitimate timeshare exit" company, but no such thing actually exists (there is no Easter Bunny or Tooth Fairy either). This is the plain, simple and honest truth, but believe whomever you choose to believe.