Exit Timeshare Now reviews: what to check before you pay

Last updated 2026-07-26

What is Exit Timeshare Now, and should I trust the reviews I'm finding?

If you're searching "Exit Timeshare Now reviews," you're probably one of thousands of timeshare owners typing some version of a company's name into Google before handing over a credit card number. That instinct is good. Keep doing it for every company you consider, more than this one. Here's the problem with online reviews of timeshare exit companies generally: the space has a long history of praise that turns out to be seeded, and complaints that get buried under years of paid reputation management. The Federal Trade Commission has brought enforcement actions against timeshare exit and relief operations for exactly this pattern, charging large upfront fees and then failing to deliver, or delivering nothing at all. In one case, FTC v. Timeshare Termination Team LLC, the agency alleged the defendants collected millions of dollars in upfront fees from consumers by falsely promising to get them out of their timeshare contracts ^[1]. That doesn't mean every company using "exit" in its name is dishonest. It means the review page you're reading is not a reliable way to find out. The useful move is to stop relying on star ratings and instead pull primary records: your state attorney general's consumer complaint search, the Better Business Bureau file (read the actual complaint text, more than the letter grade), and court dockets if the company has been sued. A company with dozens of five-star reviews and zero mentions in any AG database for years is a different risk profile than one with the same reviews and six open complaints. Star ratings alone tell you almost nothing reliable in this industry. We are not reviewing or endorsing Exit Timeshare Now or any specific exit company here, and we have no relationship with them. This article is about how to evaluate any company using that kind of name, using public records instead of testimonials.

How do I actually verify a timeshare exit company before paying it anything?

Verification takes maybe 30 to 60 minutes and it's the highest-value thing you can do before writing a check. Run these checks in order. 1. Search "[company name] attorney general" plus your state name, and separately search the company name on your own state AG's website. Many state AGs, including Florida's, publish timeshare-specific consumer alerts naming patterns to watch for. 2. Check the Better Business Bureau file directly, not a cached snippet. Read complaint narratives, since BBB letter grades can look fine even with a stack of unresolved complaints underneath. 3. Search the company name plus "lawsuit" or "class action" in a general search engine and in your state's court record portal if it's public. 4. Ask, in writing, exactly what the company will do, over what timeline, and what happens if it doesn't work. Get the refund policy in writing before you pay anything. A legitimate company can answer this in one paragraph. 5. Check whether the company asks for large payment upfront versus milestone-based payment. The FTC has repeatedly flagged this exact pattern in its enforcement actions against timeshare exit companies, describing consumers who paid thousands of dollars upfront for services that were never delivered ^[1]. If a company won't put its refund terms in writing, that's your answer. Walk away.

Are timeshares scams?

Mostly no, the original purchase usually isn't a scam in the legal sense. It's a real contract, disclosed (often poorly) at a high-pressure sales presentation, for a real product whose resale value collapses almost immediately. The scam risk shows up later, in the exit industry that profits from your regret. The developer sale itself is legal in every state, heavily regulated on paper, and comes with a mandatory rescission period specifically because lawmakers know people get talked into buying under pressure. What turns predatory is the add-on industry: exit companies, transfer companies, and "timeshare attorneys" that charge $3,000 to $10,000 or more upfront and then vanish or stall for years. The FTC's complaint in FTC v. Timeshare Termination Team LLC describes a business model built around collecting large upfront fees while failing to secure the promised contract cancellations for most consumers ^[1]. So the honest answer is two-part: the timeshare product is a legitimately terrible deal for most buyers (it's a depreciating, illiquid, fee-generating obligation, not an investment), and the exit industry built around helping people escape it has a real scam problem layered on top. Both things are true at once.

How much do timeshares cost, really?

Average purchase price (ARDA 2023)	~$24,140 [2]
Average annual maintenance fee	~$1,260 [2]
Special assessment (storm/renovation)	$500 to $5,000+ (varies by resort, not standardized)
Typical resale value	Often near $0 to a few hundred dollars on the secondary market	That last row is the one people don't expect. Timeshares are notoriously hard to resell for anything close to purchase price, which is exactly why the exit industry exists in the first place.

Purchase price and ongoing cost are two very different numbers, and both matter. According to the American Resort Development Association's (ARDA) 2023 owner survey data, the average timeshare purchase price is roughly $24,140, and the average annual maintenance fee is around $1,260 ^[2]. Both numbers vary a lot by brand, location, and unit size; a fixed-week studio at an older resort might run a maintenance fee under $700, while a large points-based contract at a premium brand can exceed $2,500 a year before any special assessment. Maintenance fees also don't stay flat. ARDA's own reporting and multiple resort-industry surveys show fees rising faster than general inflation in most years, and special assessments (one-time charges for storm damage, renovations, or litigation costs) can add thousands more in a single bad year. If you inherited a timeshare, this is the number that actually determines whether it's worth keeping: not the original purchase price, which is sunk, but the annual fee plus the realistic chance of a special assessment. | Cost item | Typical range |

How do you get out of a timeshare, step by step?

There's no single universal method, but there is a sensible order of operations. Work through it in this sequence before paying anyone. Step 1: Check if you're still inside your rescission window. Every state gives new timeshare buyers a legally required period to cancel for any reason, no explanation needed, sometimes with a full refund. The length varies by state, so confirm your state's rescission window directly rather than guessing; some states set it around 3 to 15 days depending on the statute, and the clock usually starts at signing or at receipt of required disclosure documents. See our guide on how to get out of a timeshare for the mechanics of sending a proper rescission letter. Step 2: If you're past rescission, contact the resort or developer directly about a deed-back or surrender program. Many major brands now run formal deed-back programs for owners current on fees, and it typically costs little to nothing beyond paperwork and possibly a transfer fee. This is the cleanest legal exit for owners outside rescission. Step 3: Consider resale, but go in with realistic expectations. The secondary market for most timeshares is close to worthless in dollar terms; you're mainly hoping to stop paying fees, not recoup your purchase price. Step 4: Only after ruling out 1 through 3 should you consider a paid exit company, and even then, verify it thoroughly using the checklist above. See our breakdown of timeshare exit companies for how legitimate fee structures typically work versus red flags. Step 5: Never stop paying your maintenance fees or loan as a strategy to force an exit. Missed payments lead to collections, credit damage, and in some cases deficiency judgments, regardless of which exit path you're pursuing.

How to sell a timeshare (and why it's harder than selling a house)

Selling is legal and sometimes possible, but the market is thin and full of scam resale listers. Expect a low price, a slow process, or both. If you want to try, list only through licensed timeshare resale brokers, never through a company that asks for an upfront "marketing fee" with no sale guarantee. The FTC has pursued multiple timeshare resale companies for exactly this pattern, alleging in cases like FTC v. Timeshare Termination Team LLC that consumers paid upfront for services promised, more than delivered ^[1]. Search your state's real estate licensing board to confirm the broker is licensed to handle real estate transactions if your timeshare is deeded (more than a right-to-use contract). Realistic pricing matters more than almost anything else. Search completed sales for your exact resort and week/points on a resale marketplace before you list, and price near the bottom of that range. Many owners are shocked to find comparable units listed for $1, with the seller essentially just trying to transfer the maintenance fee obligation off their books. That's often the market reality, not a lowball insult. If a broker or resale company won't show you comparable recent sales for your specific resort, that's a sign they're selling you hope, not a market.

How to get rid of a timeshare when nobody wants to buy it

When resale isn't realistic, deed-back and surrender programs are usually the next-best legal path, and increasingly the first one to try. Many resort brands (several major hospitality-affiliated timeshare companies among them) now run formal deed-back or "exit" programs specifically for owners current on their maintenance fees, sometimes for a modest administrative fee, sometimes free. These programs exist because resorts would rather take a unit back cleanly than deal with a defaulted, fee-delinquent owner clogging up the HOA rolls. Call the resort's owner services line directly and ask by name: "Do you have a deed-back or voluntary surrender program?" Get any answer in writing. If the resort has no deed-back program and resale has failed, options narrow to donation (rarely accepted, and even then you may owe closing costs), transfer to a licensed timeshare transfer service, or in some cases working with a timeshare-experienced attorney on a negotiated exit. Be skeptical of any company promising an outcome for a large flat fee paid upfront; no legitimate company can promise a result that depends on a third-party resort's discretion. Check your state attorney general's consumer protection page before signing anything with a transfer or exit company; several state AGs, including Florida's Office of the Attorney General, publish specific timeshare exit scam warnings describing the upfront-fee pattern in detail.

What does the FTC say about timeshare exit and resale scams?

The FTC has brought multiple enforcement actions against timeshare exit and resale companies, and its case filings are specific about the warning signs. This is the single best free resource before you pay anyone in this industry. In FTC v. Timeshare Termination Team LLC, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, the FTC alleged the defendants violated the FTC Act and the Telemarketing Sales Rule by collecting upfront fees, in some cases thousands of dollars per consumer, while failing to deliver the promised timeshare cancellations ^[1]. The case is a useful primary-source example of exactly what the upfront-fee pattern looks like in practice. Separately, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau accepts complaints from consumers dealing with timeshare-related debt collection and financing issues through its public complaint database, which is useful if your exit situation involves a timeshare loan rather than just maintenance fees ^[3]. If you've already paid an exit company and believe it misrepresented what it would do, file a complaint with the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov and with your state attorney general. These complaints matter: they're part of what regulators use to build enforcement cases, and yours could be the one that tips a pattern into an investigation.

What's a reasonable price to pay for help exiting a timeshare?

There's no single right number, but there is a useful gut check: does the fee scale with actual work, or is it a flat large sum for a vague promise? Companies charging $3,000, $5,000, sometimes $10,000 or more upfront, with the pitch that they'll "handle everything" and get you out, are the pattern the FTC has repeatedly sued over, including in its case against Timeshare Termination Team LLC ^[1]. That doesn't automatically make every high-fee company fraudulent, but it does mean the burden is on them to show exactly what you're paying for, with a written scope of work and a real refund policy, before you pay a dollar. A lower-cost, self-directed approach exists too, and it's worth knowing it as a baseline before you evaluate any paid service. ExitHonest's own $149 one-time Exit Kit is built around this idea: it gives you the letter templates, the state-specific rescission information, and the step-by-step sequence (rescission check, then deed-back inquiry, then resale, then last-resort options) that a $5,000 exit company would otherwise walk you through verbally, minus any promise of an outcome nobody can actually make. You can build one at /exit-kit-builder. We don't contact the resort on your behalf and we don't promise a cancellation; nobody can honestly promise that, since the resort or lender ultimately controls that outcome. Whatever path you choose, treat any company demanding a large upfront sum with no milestone structure as a yellow flag worth a hard second look, not a reason to panic, but a reason to verify.

What should I do if I think I've already been scammed?

Stop paying that specific company any further money, but keep paying your actual maintenance fees and loan to the resort or lender if you owe them, since stopping those payments creates a separate and worse problem (collections, credit damage, possible deficiency judgment). File a complaint with the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov, and separately with your state attorney general's consumer protection division. Many state AGs track these complaints specifically by company name and have opened investigations based on complaint volume. If you paid by credit card, contact your card issuer about a chargeback; under the Fair Credit Billing Act, you generally have 60 days from when the first statement showing the charge was sent to you to dispute it in writing, so act quickly if the charge is recent ^[4]. If you paid by wire transfer or ACH, recovery is much harder but not always impossible; contact your bank immediately and ask about a reversal request. Keep every email, contract, and payment record. If you decide to pursue your exit through a different route afterward, our timeshare cancellation guide and timeshare call list resource cover who to actually contact next, in order, without paying anyone a large upfront fee again.

Frequently asked questions

How to get out of a timeshare fastest?

The fastest legal exit is rescission, if you're still inside the window. Every state gives new buyers a short cancellation period, no reason required; confirm your state's exact window and send a written rescission letter by the method your contract specifies. Miss that window and the fastest remaining path is usually a resort deed-back program, not a paid exit company.

How do you get out of a timeshare after the rescission period ends?

Contact the resort directly and ask about a deed-back or voluntary surrender program; many major brands offer this for owners current on fees. If that's unavailable, try resale through a licensed broker, and only consider a paid exit company as a last resort, after verifying it against your state attorney general's complaint database.

How to sell a timeshare without getting scammed?

Use only licensed timeshare resale brokers and never pay a large upfront "marketing fee." The FTC has sued resale companies for collecting upfront fees without delivering sales. Check comparable completed sales for your exact resort and week before listing, since many timeshares resell for very little.

How to get rid of a timeshare with no resale market?

Ask the resort about a deed-back or surrender program first; several major brands run these for owners current on maintenance fees, sometimes at low or no cost. If that's not available, a licensed transfer service or timeshare-experienced attorney may help, but avoid any company demanding a large fee upfront with no written refund policy.

Are timeshares scams, or just bad investments?

The original purchase is legal but usually a poor financial decision: values depreciate fast and fees rise most years. The scam risk concentrates in the exit and resale industry, where the FTC has sued multiple companies, including in FTC v. Timeshare Termination Team LLC, for charging thousands upfront and failing to deliver promised cancellations.

How much is a timeshare on average?

ARDA's 2023 owner survey data puts the average purchase price around $24,140, with average annual maintenance fees near $1,260, though both vary widely by resort, unit size, and whether it's deeded or points-based. Special assessments can add hundreds to thousands more in a single year.

How much do timeshares cost per year in fees alone?

Annual maintenance fees average around $1,260 according to ARDA's 2023 survey data, but fixed-week studios can run under $700 while large points contracts at premium resorts can exceed $2,500. Fees typically rise most years, and special assessments for repairs or storm damage can add significantly more.

Is Exit Timeshare Now legitimate?

We haven't reviewed this specific company and don't endorse or condemn any named exit company. Before paying any company with a similar name, check your state attorney general's complaint database, read BBB complaint narratives directly, and get the refund policy in writing. Never pay a large sum upfront for a promised cancellation.

Can I just stop paying my timeshare maintenance fees to force an exit?

No, don't do this as a strategy. Unpaid fees typically go to collections, can damage your credit, and in some states can lead to foreclosure on the timeshare or a deficiency judgment against you. Pursue rescission, deed-back, resale, or a verified exit path instead, while staying current on what you owe.

What's the difference between a timeshare exit company and a deed-back program?

A deed-back program is run by the resort itself, usually for owners current on fees, and often costs little beyond paperwork. A paid exit company is a third party charging a fee, sometimes thousands of dollars upfront, to negotiate or facilitate an exit; verify these thoroughly since the FTC has sued several for non-delivery.

How long does a timeshare rescission period last?

It varies by state and is usually short, in the range of a few days to about two weeks, starting at signing or at receipt of required disclosures. Always confirm your specific state's statute rather than assuming a number, since the deadline is strict and missing it forfeits the automatic cancellation right.

What should I do if a timeshare exit company already took my money and disappeared?

File a complaint with the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov and with your state attorney general's consumer protection office. If you paid by credit card, request a chargeback promptly, generally within 60 days of the statement date under the Fair Credit Billing Act. Keep all contracts, emails, and payment records as evidence.

Sources

1. Federal Trade Commission v. Timeshare Termination Team LLC et al., Case No. 9:23-cv-80530 (S.D. Fla.), FTC press release: FTC sued timeshare exit companies for charging large upfront fees and failing to deliver promised cancellations
2. American Resort Development Association (ARDA), 2023 Owner Survey summary: Average timeshare purchase price around $24,140 and average annual maintenance fee around $1,260
3. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Consumer Complaint Database: CFPB accepts and publishes consumer complaints related to timeshare loans and debt collection
4. Federal Trade Commission, Fair Credit Billing Act guidance on disputing credit card charges: Consumers generally have 60 days from the statement date to dispute a credit card charge under the Fair Credit Billing Act
5. 15 U.S. Code Section 1666, Fair Credit Billing Act correction of billing errors: Federal statute establishing the billing error dispute process and time limits referenced under the Fair Credit Billing Act