The Role of Reviews in Choosing a Timeshare Exit Company

One of the common reasons that timeshare owners cite for their purchases is that they were rushed into signing a contract via high-pressure presentations from pushy salespeople. This too-common tale reinforces the idea that one shouldn’t rush into important decisions. That is just as true of timeshare exits as timeshare sales agreements. When using due caution and care, the role of reviews in choosing a timeshare exit company is critical.

Online reviews can be extremely helpful in determining if a timeshare exit company is for you. They can also be misleading. This article will take a look at this particular part of the timeshare exit company vetting process and give tips about how you can spot fake reviews and sort out the helpful reviews from the unhelpful ones. We’ll also give you some tips about sites where you can find reviews to help you in your search.

What Should I Look for When Reading Customer Reviews of Timeshare Exit Companies?

When searching for the best timeshare exit company, you’ll want to look at the following factors as you do your research on the company’s website and via customer reviews:

• The variety of exit services the company offers: Some companies specialize in making referrals to lawyers or law firms, and they do little else. While hiring a lawyer can be helpful in complicated legal cases, it can also be expensive and unnecessary in most others. Ideally, you want a company with experience in a variety of exits, including not only legal cases but timeshare cancellation within the rescission period, timeshare resales and transfers, and negotiation. Also consider whether a company has an escrow option or some way to handle maintenance fees and other costs during the exit process.
• The people who run the business: Is a timeshare exit company run by experienced professionals or neophytes? The latter happened, and many people were scammed, when Timeshare Exit Team took them on as clients without having the proper experience. Many people lost money and did not get the exits they deserved, and the Attorney General of Washington sued the company. Be sure you’re choosing a company with years of hands-on experience.
• How the company treats its clients: Everybody is busy, and no company can respond to all clients immediately. But if reviews show that a company makes a habit of disappearing when its clients try to call, that is a huge red flag. A reputable timeshare exit company prioritizes its clients and makes sure they feel taken care of.
• Whether the company is really a timeshare exit company: There are so-called “resale companies” out there that promise to make a quick real estate sale to a ready and willing buyer. These sound too good to be true, and they are. Typically, they take your upfront fees and disappear. Reviews can help you suss these bad actors out before you get scammed into a fictional “timeshare resale market.”

There will be more factors that you should consider based on your unique situation. What if your timeshare contract is not with an American company but one located in Mexico? In that case, you need a company like Centerstone Group that has a proven track record with Mexican timeshare law.

Or do you need tough negotiators for a deed-back? Then the company should have experience doing that. This is another area where Centerstone Group can help.

How Can I Spot Fake or Unreliable Reviews When Researching Timeshare Exit Companies?

The internet is full of charlatans and pretenders, and online reviews are often a place where they set up shop. The problem is intense and widespread, with The Guardian newspaper describing “a huge international ecosystem of inflated scores.”

Fortunately, you can train yourself to be more savvy about which reviews are genuine and which are scams. Here are a few things you can look for to tell the difference:

• Long periods without reviews: Sometimes, a company might not have that many clients and wants to drum up business. Less scrupulous companies will pay to get a flurry of reviews, even as many as a few dozen. This shows up as long periods — months or even years — with no review activity. Then, suddenly, a glut of new users are all gushing about the company and its services. This is a suspicious pattern.
• Reviewers who only review this one company: A person who writes genuine reviews doesn’t usually just write one and stop. They should have a history of other testimonials, both positive and negative. “One-and-done” reviewers might have been paid to leave that review.
• Vague language: A trustworthy review, either positive or negative, will give facts. They will say who they dealt with at the company and where things went right or wrong. A review that just says, “Everyone was so helpful!” or “Nobody listened to me!” without further detail may not have the facts to support those conclusions.
• Wild promises: On the other hand, reviews that claim any company has a 100% success rate or offers a 100% money back guarantee in all cases might be specific, but they are also too good to be true. If a review makes an outlandish claim about a certain company, it might be false.
• Too good to be true: No matter how good a company is, it can’t please everybody. If all you see are four-star and five-star reviews, those reviews are probably not genuine. You should be able to find at least a little negativity in any company’s reviews — you just don’t want to find too much.
• Reviews that don’t seem like they were written by customers: Customers of timeshare exit companies are focused on processes and results. If a review gushes about “vibes” or how nice everybody is, it may have been written by a company employee, not a customer. And those types of reviews don’t help anybody.

No one factor will tell you if a single review is fake or not. But if you see many different reviews making these errors, chances are you’re reading fiction.

Are There Any Trusted Third-Party Sites for Reading Unbiased Reviews of Exit Companies?

Yes, there is a trusted third-party site for reading unbiased reviews of exit companies: the Better Business Bureau (BBB). While there are some third-party sites that you can use for reviews, some are better than others. While it’s not foolproof, this site has set the standard for other review sites.

The BBB takes multiple steps to minimize misuse. They verify that the reviewer and the company had a business interaction. They also validate the reviewer’s email address or phone number and don’t allow anonymous reviews.

If a member of the public has a complaint about a business, the BBB steps in to mediate the complaint, and it posts responses from the business itself. The BBB website is, therefore, a useful tool for doing research on any timeshare exit company.

Even when you have a great site like the BBB’s to rely upon, you should still take each review on its own and look at the indicators to see whether you think it is trustworthy. In no event should you put your faith completely in one review or website.

Google isn’t a bad choice for reviews, either. This is largely because it is not a for-profit review company. For-profit review companies, like Trustpilot, are being paid by the reviewed companies, so the question is raised: Who are they loyal to? This situation stands in stark contrast to Google, which isn’t paid a fee by reviewed companies.

Check Out Centerstone Group’s Customer Reviews

Once you have sifted through the reviews, we are confident you will find that Centerstone Group is the most dedicated team with the ability to handle almost any kind of exit strategy. We also have years of experience in both the timeshare industry and in the exit business. From our transfer program to our proprietary pressure campaign against timeshare developers, we have an exit strategy that can work for you. 

You will also find Centerstone Group to be one of the best-reviewed companies in the industry. We have an outstanding A+ BBB rating and a client rating of 4.79-out-of-5 stars.

If you have questions about your specific case, we offer a free consultation to help you in your search for a timeshare exit company. Contact us today to set it up and get started on the path to freedom from your timeshare.