Is timeshare exit team still in business? what owners find

Last updated 2026-07-26

Is Timeshare Exit Team still in business right now?

Honestly, we can't give you a live yes-or-no answer that stays true after publication, and any article that claims certainty here is guessing. Companies in this industry rebrand, merge, get sued, or quietly stop answering the phone with real regularity. The Better Business Bureau and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's complaint database have both tracked years of complaints against companies across the timeshare exit industry generally ^{[1] [2]}. What you should do instead of trusting a name: check the company's current standing yourself, today, in about ten minutes. Look up the business entity in the Secretary of State database for the state where it's incorporated or headquartered. Search the exact company name plus "attorney general" and plus "lawsuit." Check the BBB profile for complaint volume and whether it's still an active listing versus an alert page. File or search reports at the FTC's fraud reporting site to see the kind of complaint pattern regulators are seeing across the industry. If a company's phone goes to voicemail for days, its website hasn't been updated in over a year, or its BBB page shows a "business closed" flag, treat that as your answer. Don't wait on hold for a company that might not exist anymore while your maintenance fees keep accruing.

How do I check if any timeshare exit company is legitimate and still operating?

Run five checks before you sign anything or send a dollar. This works for any exit company, more than one specific name. 1. State business registry search. Every state's Secretary of State office keeps a free, searchable database of registered business entities. If the company isn't registered, or its registration is listed as "dissolved" or "revoked," that's disqualifying on its own. 2. State Attorney General consumer alerts. Many state AG offices publish specific warnings about timeshare exit companies operating in or targeting their residents. Florida's Attorney General consumer protection division, for example, accepts and tracks complaints tied to timeshare cancellation offers. 3. FTC enforcement search. The FTC has sued and settled with timeshare exit companies for deceptive practices, including cases involving upfront fees and false cancellation promises. One example: the FTC's case against Resort Release resulted in a permanent ban against the company's operators from the timeshare exit business ^[3]. Search the company name against that kind of enforcement history. 4. BBB complaint pattern. Don't just check the letter grade. Read the actual complaint text. Look for a pattern: "took my money, stopped answering," "never filed anything," "said my timeshare was cancelled but I got a foreclosure notice instead." 5. Escrow and payment structure. Legitimate ones (relatively rare in this space) hold funds in a real escrow account released only on completion. If a company wants a large fee wired upfront with no escrow and no refund terms in writing, walk away. If a company fails two or more of these checks, don't move forward, regardless of what their salesperson tells you on the phone about "limited time pricing" or how many other timeshare owners they've supposedly helped this month.

Are timeshares scams?

The timeshare product itself isn't automatically a scam, but the sales process and secondary market around it are loaded with practices regulators call deceptive. The resale and exit market in particular has been a target of FTC enforcement, with companies charging upfront fees for buyers or sellers that never materialize, as seen in cases like the FTC's action against Resort Release ^[3]. What's real: you bought a legal, binding contract for vacation usage rights, points, or a deeded interest. What's often misrepresented: the resale value (most timeshares have little to no resale value and often sell for $1 or less on the secondary market), the ease of exit, and the true lifetime cost including fees that typically rise faster than general inflation. The scam risk shows up heaviest in two places: the original sales pitch (pressure tactics, gifts to attend presentations, exaggerated investment claims) and the exit industry (upfront-fee companies promising an outcome no company can actually promise). Consumer advocates flag upfront-fee exit offers as the highest-risk pattern in the space. So: is the timeshare a scam? Usually no, it's a real contract with real obligations. Is the pitch that got you into it sometimes deceptive? Often yes. Is the exit industry full of scams? A meaningful share of it, yes, which is exactly why checking a company's status matters so much.

How much does a timeshare cost, really?

The purchase price and the ongoing cost are two very different numbers, and the ongoing cost is the one that actually breaks budgets. Average purchase price for a timeshare interval, according to the American Resort Development Association's 2023 State of the Vacation Timeshare Industry report, runs around $23,940 ^[4]. That's the sticker price developers quote, often financed at double-digit interest rates. The bigger number is the annual maintenance fee. ARDA's data puts average annual maintenance fees around $1,120 per interval as of the most recent industry reporting ^[4], and these fees are contractually allowed to rise annually, frequently outpacing general inflation. Add special assessments (one-time charges for roof repairs, storm damage, renovations) and the real annual cost climbs further, sometimes by several thousand dollars in a bad year. Here's the honest math nobody puts in the sales brochure: over a 20-year ownership period, a timeshare bought for $24,000 with fees starting at $1,100 and rising 4-5% annually can cost well over $50,000 to $60,000 in total fees alone, on top of the purchase price and any financing interest. Compare that to booking equivalent vacation weeks on the open market over the same period, and for many owners the math simply doesn't work in the timeshare's favor, especially once travel patterns change (kids grow up, health limits travel, retirement changes the calendar).

How do you get out of a timeshare?

There are really only a handful of legitimate paths, and they depend heavily on timing. Rescission (cancel within your window). Every state gives new timeshare buyers a right to cancel within a specific number of days after signing, no reason required. This is by far the cleanest, cheapest, fastest exit, but the window is short, often measured in days, and it varies by state. Confirm your state's rescission window and follow the exact cancellation procedure in your contract (usually written notice, sometimes certified mail, within the deadline). Miss the deadline and this option is gone. Deed-back or surrender program. Many resorts and management companies now offer a deed-back (also called a deedback or surrender) program where you transfer the deed back to the resort, sometimes for free, sometimes for a fee, sometimes only if your fees are current and the unit has resale value to the resort. Ask your resort directly if one exists before paying a third party. Resale (usually a loss). You can sell your timeshare, but resale value is typically minimal to nonexistent. Some owners give timeshares away for $1 just to escape the maintenance fee obligation. Exception/hardship programs. Some resorts have internal hardship exit programs for owners facing specific circumstances (death of owner, serious illness, financial hardship). These aren't universal and aren't automatic, but they cost nothing to ask about. Third-party exit companies. This is where the risk lives. Some are legitimate; a meaningful number have faced state and federal enforcement action for deceptive practices and upfront fees that produced nothing, as in the FTC's Resort Release case ^[3]. If you go this route, verify the company's standing first using the checks above. For a full breakdown of the exit paths and how to sequence them, see how to get out of a timeshare.

How to sell a timeshare, and does it actually work?

You can sell a timeshare, but go in with realistic expectations about price and timeline. The secondary market for timeshares is thin, and most units sell for a small fraction of the original purchase price, sometimes literally $1 to $100, because the ongoing maintenance fee obligation is the real liability a buyer is taking on, not an asset they're gaining. Options for selling: 1. Resort's own resale or transfer program. Some resorts have a formal resale program and will help facilitate a transfer, sometimes at reduced or no commission, because they'd rather manage the transfer than have you default. 2. Licensed timeshare resale broker or the resort's transfer department. Legitimate resale brokers earn commission only on a completed sale, not an upfront fee. If someone wants payment before listing your unit, that's the classic resale scam pattern the FTC has repeatedly warned about ^[3]. 3. Peer-to-peer marketplaces. Owners sometimes list on general marketplaces or specialty timeshare resale sites. Be transparent about the annual fee obligation; hiding it just gets the deal unwound later or damages your reputation as a seller. 4. Give it away. If you can't find a paying buyer, some owners transfer ownership to a family member willing to take on the fees, or work with the resort on a deed-back instead of a sale. Before paying anyone a listing fee, marketing fee, or "transfer processing fee" upfront, verify their business registration and check for FTC or state AG action against them, using the same steps in the section above.

What red flags mean a timeshare exit company might be a scam?

A few patterns show up again and again in FTC and state AG enforcement actions against timeshare exit companies ^[3]. Upfront fees with no escrow. Legitimate transfer or cancellation work can justify a fee, but paying thousands upfront with no escrow account and no refund guarantee in writing is the single biggest red flag. Promises that sound like a sure thing. No company can promise a resort will release you, cancel your deed, or forgive your obligation. Absolute promises in marketing material are a warning sign, not reassurance. Instruction to stop paying maintenance fees or the mortgage. Some exit companies tell owners to stop paying while the company "works on it." This is dangerous advice. Stopping payment can trigger foreclosure, credit damage, and collections, regardless of whether the exit company ever delivers anything. Never stop making payments you legally owe based on an exit company's instruction. High-pressure timing tactics. "This offer expires today" or "our legal team can only take a limited number of new cases this month" is sales pressure, not a real constraint. Refusal to put fee structure and timeline in writing. Ask for a written contract spelling out total cost, refund conditions, and expected timeline before paying anything. A company that won't do this in writing isn't one you want handling your exit.

What should I do if a timeshare exit company I paid has gone silent or shut down?

First, document everything: contract, payment receipts, emails, call logs. You'll need this regardless of what happens next. File a complaint with the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, which feeds into the FTC's consumer protection database and can support future enforcement action even if it doesn't get you an individual refund. File a separate complaint with your state Attorney General's consumer protection division; many states track patterns of complaints against the same company and have pursued civil actions based on aggregated consumer reports. If you paid by credit card, contact your card issuer about a chargeback. Timing matters here: most card issuers have a dispute window, often 60 to 120 days from the statement date depending on the card network and reason code, so don't delay. Check whether the company filed for bankruptcy; if so, you may need to file a claim in that proceeding to have any shot at recovery, though unsecured consumer claims in bankruptcy often recover little or nothing. Meanwhile, keep paying your actual resort obligations if they're still valid and owed. A collapsed exit company doesn't cancel your timeshare contract or your maintenance fee obligation; it just means you're back to square one on finding a legitimate path out. See timeshare exit companies for how to vet a replacement, and timeshare cancellation for the rescission-window basics if you're still inside your window on a newer purchase.

What are the real alternatives to hiring an exit company?

Before paying anyone, run through the free and low-cost options first. Call the resort directly and ask about a deed-back or surrender program. This costs nothing but a phone call, and a growing number of resorts and management companies now offer this as they've realized foreclosures and defaults cost them more in the long run. Check your state's rescission rules if your purchase is recent. This is genuinely free and, if you're still inside the window, the fastest path by far. Consult a real estate attorney licensed in the state where the resort is located, especially for deeded (real property) timeshares. An hour of attorney time, often a few hundred dollars, can clarify your actual contractual obligations and options far more reliably than a sales call from an exit company. Use a self-directed toolkit if you want structure without paying a company thousands to "work your case." This is the gap our $149 one-time Timeshare Exit Kit is built for: state-specific rescission letter templates, a deed-back request script and checklist, and a scam-check framework, all without ongoing fees, without anyone contacting the resort on your behalf, and without any promise we can't honestly make. We're not a law firm and we don't promise cancellation; we give you the same documents and checklist a careful owner would build themselves, just faster. For a broader menu of exits beyond hiring anyone at all, see alternatives and how do you get out of a timeshare.

How to get rid of a timeshare you inherited

Inherited timeshares are a specific mess because you never chose to buy in, but you may still be on the hook for fees depending on how the estate was handled. First, don't assume you automatically owe anything. If the deed hasn't been formally transferred to you through probate, you may not yet be the legal owner, and the obligation may sit with the estate rather than you personally. Check the state's probate process and consult the estate's executor or an estate attorney before paying any maintenance fee bill that arrives in your name. Some heirs have successfully disclaimed (formally refused) inherited timeshare interests through the probate process, which can avoid taking on the fee obligation at all, though disclaimer rules and deadlines vary by state and this needs to happen correctly and often quickly. If you've already accepted the deed or started paying fees, you're generally treated as the new owner going forward, and your options narrow to the same set every owner has: deed-back request to the resort, resale, or (rarely) a hardship exception program. Don't let anyone rush you into signing an exit contract before you've confirmed your actual legal status with the estate. This is one of the areas where exit companies most aggressively target confused, grieving heirs.

How much time does the whole exit process usually take?

It depends entirely on which path you use, and anyone promising a specific fast timeline for a deed-back or third-party exit is guessing or overselling. Rescission, if you're inside the window: days to a couple of weeks for the cancellation to process once you've sent proper written notice. Resort deed-back or surrender program: commonly a few weeks to a few months, depending on the resort's backlog and whether your account is current on fees. Resale: highly variable, from a quick sale at near-zero price to months or years unsold if there's no buyer interest at all. Third-party exit company: claimed timelines in marketing material often range from a few months to over a year, and delivery against that promise is inconsistent industry-wide, which is exactly why checking a company's track record and current business status matters before you pay anything up front.

Frequently asked questions

Is Timeshare Exit Team still in business?

We can't confirm a specific company's current operating status in a static article, since standing changes over time. Check the Secretary of State business registry in the company's home state, search for FTC or state Attorney General enforcement actions, and read recent BBB complaints before assuming any exit company, regardless of name, is currently operating and reliable.

How do I get out of a timeshare without paying an exit company?

Confirm your state's rescission window if the purchase is recent (this is free). If that's expired, call the resort and ask about a deed-back or surrender program, which many resorts now offer directly. Consult a real estate attorney for deeded properties. These free or low-cost paths should be exhausted before paying any third party thousands in fees.

How do you get out of a timeshare legally?

Legal exits include rescission within your state's cancellation window, a resort-facilitated deed-back or surrender, resale (often at minimal value), or a hardship exception if your resort offers one. Third-party exit companies can be legitimate but carry real scam risk; verify business registration and check for FTC or state AG enforcement action before paying anyone.

How to sell a timeshare fast?

Contact the resort's own resale or transfer program first; some facilitate transfers at low or no cost since they'd rather manage it than risk default. Expect a low sale price, often near $0 to a few hundred dollars, since resale demand is weak industry-wide. Never pay a large upfront listing fee to a broker before a sale is completed.

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

If nobody will buy it, ask the resort directly about a deed-back or surrender program; many will take the deed back for free or a modest fee rather than chase you for unpaid fees. Some owners transfer to a willing family member instead. Avoid paying an upfront fee to any company promising to find you a buyer that doesn't exist.

Are timeshares scams?

The contract itself is legally real, but sales pitches often exaggerate resale value and investment potential, and the exit industry has a documented pattern of upfront-fee scams pursued by the FTC and state Attorneys General. The product isn't automatically fraudulent; the marketing around buying in and getting out frequently is.

How much is a timeshare, on average?

The American Resort Development Association's 2023 industry report puts the average purchase price around $23,940, plus average annual maintenance fees around $1,120 that typically rise each year. Special assessments for repairs or renovations add further unpredictable costs on top of that baseline.

How much do timeshares cost over the life of ownership?

Beyond the roughly $24,000 average purchase price, rising annual maintenance fees (starting around $1,120 and typically climbing several percent yearly) plus occasional special assessments can push total lifetime cost well past $50,000 to $60,000 over 20 years for many owners, according to ARDA's published fee averages.

Can a timeshare exit company guarantee cancellation?

No legitimate company can promise with certainty that a resort will cancel your contract or release your deed. The FTC has taken action against timeshare exit companies, including a case against Resort Release that resulted in a permanent ban from the business, for making unsupportable cancellation claims. Treat any absolute promise in marketing material as a red flag, not reassurance.

What happens if I stop paying my timeshare maintenance fees?

Stopping payment can lead to late fees, collections calls, credit score damage, and eventually foreclosure or deed transfer proceedings initiated by the resort, depending on your contract and state law. Never stop paying fees you legally owe based on advice from an exit company; confirm your actual obligations with the resort or an attorney first.

How do I check if a timeshare exit company is legitimate?

Search the company name in your state's Secretary of State business registry, check for FTC press releases or state Attorney General lawsuits against the name, and read recent BBB complaint text rather than just the letter grade. If two or more checks raise concerns, don't pay anything upfront.

What is a timeshare deed-back program?

A deed-back (or surrender) program lets you transfer your timeshare deed back to the resort or its management company, sometimes for free, sometimes for a processing fee, typically only if your account is current. Ask your resort directly whether they offer one before hiring a third party to negotiate an exit.

Sources

1. Better Business Bureau, Timeshare Resale and Exit Industry complaints: years of documented complaints across the timeshare exit industry
2. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Consumer Complaint Database: consumer complaints database used to track patterns against companies
3. Federal Trade Commission v. Resort Release et al., Case No. 2:19-cv-00080, FTC Press Release: FTC enforcement actions against timeshare exit companies for deceptive upfront-fee practices
4. Federal Trade Commission, "Are You Being Pressured to Buy a Timeshare?" consumer advice article: resale and sales pressure patterns the FTC warns consumers about
5. American Resort Development Association, State of the Vacation Timeshare Industry: United States Study, 2023 Edition: average timeshare purchase price around $23,940 and average annual maintenance fee around $1,120
6. Federal Trade Commission, "Buying a Timeshare" consumer advice article: state-specific rescission window allows cancellation within a set number of days after signing