A hard truth for many timeshare owners is that timeshares are easy to get into and hard to get out of. There are a lot of reasons for this, from the costly annual maintenance fees and assessments to the lack of a good resale market for timeshares. There are also some things that developers do to make sure you stay stuck. In this article, we’ll look at how timeshare companies try to keep you locked into your timeshare contract while continuing to bleed you dry.
To start, we’ll look at the most common ways that timeshare developers keep you in your timeshare, from legal documents to passive aggressive neglect of their customers. Then, we’ll turn to the legality of the various tactics these companies use.
Finally, this article will discuss the options you have when your timeshare company won’t let you out of your contract. As the top timeshare exit company, Centerstone Group has decades of experience in the timeshare industry and has successfully helped thousands of timeshare owners get out of their oppressive contracts. We are happy to use our expertise to give you the resources you need to fight back against developers.
Once a timeshare developer gets you to sign that contract, its business is to keep you bound to that contract for as long as possible — ideally, your entire life. The profits of timeshare companies depend on keeping a steady stream of annual maintenance fees and other payments from timeshare owners.
They couldn’t sustain that business if it were easy to get out of timeshare agreements. Therefore, these companies use some clever (and some-not-clever-but-still-infuriating) methods to keep you where you are. Some of those methods are discussed below.
Timeshare contracts are long, complicated legal documents written by huge companies with armies of lawyers. Not only are these documents enforceable, but they are also often fiendishly clever, in that they stop you from taking the simplest or most direct routes to ending your timeshare ownership.
Some common examples are:
Though it is possible to use a timeshare contract to rescind or cancel your membership within a limited amount of time based on state law, you will find that, overall, the contract favors the company much more than timeshare owners.
Timeshare companies can’t hear or respond to your complaints if they don’t listen to you. In a Washington Post article about businesses cutting down on call centers, one company admitted that using chatbots or other non-human customer service options “eliminates the customer’s ability to negotiate.”
Your timeshare company likely gave you a contact list filled with phone numbers. When you try those numbers though, you might find it hard to actually speak to a human. Those long call wait times where you can’t seem to speak to a person are a feature, not a bug. Simply, your timeshare company is using poor customer service as a way to keep you chained to a timeshare you don’t want.
Even assuming that you can speak to a human and have the ability to move forward with a cancellation, timeshare companies have one weapon they know will work, because it worked to get you to sign in the first place. If they know you are thinking about leaving, they can put a salesperson in front of you to simply promise you more points/timeshare property/stuff if you stay.
Of course, nothing will change, but remember that these are professionals who are excellent at selling you a product that is extremely expensive and difficult to use. It’s important to remember that if you are trying to leave your timeshare, you should not agree to any more meetings or sales pitches with the company.
This question is hard to answer with a simple “yes” or “no.” The bottom line is that your rights are almost always determined by the contract that you signed when you bought a timeshare.
Timeshare companies cannot stop you from exercising your legal rights to get out of a contract. For example, if you are within your state’s legal rescission period and you cancel your contract in the right way, the company cannot legally prevent you from leaving.
However, if you have no legal right to exit under the contract, timeshare companies can stop you from selling or renting your timeshare. Many contracts require approval by the resort or developer, and if you don’t have that, a timeshare company simply may choose to not allow you to exit.
Regardless of the reason for a timeshare company’s refusal, you have several options.
If you think your timeshare company broke the law, you should consult with consumer protection agencies. In the United States, that would be the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at the federal level or your state attorney general at the state level. Many attorneys general, like California’s, have specific websites set up and devoted to timeshare issues.
If you think that your timeshare company is breaking the law, another option is hiring a timeshare attorney or law firm. Legal action is most appropriate where you have been victimized by scammers signing you up for timeshare products or credit cards you didn’t want, or even defrauding you into signing a contract.
Keep in mind, though, that most lawyers bill by the hour, and it would likely cost several thousands (or even tens or thousands) of dollars to go this route. Plus, it may be possible to exit without a lawyer, so this option should be saved as a last resort.
Timeshare exit companies provide expertise in getting out of contracts — and can often do it in a faster and more economical way than other options. For example, Centerstone Group’s team of professionals specializes in finding the right options in every situation.
Sometimes, the best answer is to negotiate with a timeshare developer for a transfer, sale, or even just to take a timeshare back, whether through a deed-back or general release agreement. Though this can often be difficult for owners acting alone, Centerstone Group uses its knowledge of the industry and these companies to mount a proprietary pressure campaign that eventually ends with the company agreeing to terminate a contract.
And since Centerstone Group can look at your individual case and advise you on the best way forward, they’ll be able to determine if a lawyer is necessary, which is why it’s a good idea to start here first.
As time goes on, we find that there is really no limit to how timeshare companies try to keep you locked into timeshare ownership. Fighting against that kind of persistence and money can be intimidating. Fortunately, Centerstone Group has the experience and the tools to do the hard work for you and get you the results you need.
We have a sterling reputation, with an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and a star rating of 4.81-out-of-5 in customer satisfaction. If you’re struggling under the weight of a timeshare contract, contact us today for a free consultation so we can see what we can do for you.
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