Newton Group timeshare exit reviews: what the record shows

Last updated 2026-07-25

What is Newton Group Transfers and what does it claim to do?

Newton Group Transfers, Inc. is a timeshare exit company based in Aliso Viejo, California, that markets itself as a way to legally cancel timeshare contracts, often advertising a "100% money back guarantee" if it can't get the owner out. It's been operating since roughly the mid-2000s and is one of the more recognizable names in an industry that grew fast after the 2008 recession, when maintenance fee hikes and falling resale values left a lot of owners desperate to exit. The company's pitch follows the standard industry script: pay an upfront fee (owners and lawsuits describe amounts ranging from a few thousand dollars up to $10,000 or more depending on the contract), and Newton Group says it will work to get the timeshare cancelled, often by disputing the original sales contract or working with an attorney network. That basic model, upfront payment in exchange for a promised future cancellation, is the same model the Federal Trade Commission has repeatedly warned about across the exit industry generally. The FTC's own consumer guidance on timeshare resale and exit offers warns that some companies "charge large, upfront fees and tell you a sale, rental, or other transfer is imminent" and that consumers should get any promises in writing and check them out before paying. ^[1] This article isn't a verdict on whether Newton Group specifically is a scam. It's a rundown of what's publicly documented (complaints, legal actions, patterns) so you can weigh it against any other option, including doing it yourself.

Has Newton Group Transfers faced any lawsuits or state action?

Yes. Newton Group has been the subject of legal action in at least one state and has accumulated a large complaint record with consumer protection bodies. Washington State filed suit against Newton Group Transfers in King County Superior Court in 2018, alleging violations of the state's Consumer Protection Act, chapter 19.86 RCW, tied to the company's timeshare exit marketing and fee practices. RCW 19.86.020 broadly prohibits "unfair or deceptive acts or practices in the conduct of any trade or commerce," which is the statute Washington regulators use as the basis for these consumer protection cases. ^[2] Separately, the Better Business Bureau's profile for Newton Group Transfers shows a long complaint history, hundreds of closed complaints over a three-year window, spanning billing disputes, guarantee disputes, and service-not-delivered claims, alongside a substantial number of customer reviews that are sharply split between very positive (owners who say the company delivered a cancellation) and very negative (owners who say they paid and got nothing, or got a refund fight instead of a cancellation). ^[3] A split complaint record like that is common across the entire exit industry, not unique to Newton Group. It's also exactly why regulators tell owners to verify any company's standing before signing anything or wiring a deposit. If you want the fuller landscape of who else operates in this space and how their track records compare, see our breakdown of timeshare exit companies.

What do positive Newton Group reviews say?

Positive reviews, both on BBB and other review sites, typically describe a multi-month to multi-year process (commonly cited in the 12 to 36 month range across exit-industry reviews generally) that ends with the owner receiving written confirmation the resort has released them from the contract and stopped billing maintenance fees. Some reviewers credit Newton Group's escrow arrangement (fees held by a third party until performance milestones are met) as the reason they felt comfortable proceeding, since it reduces (though doesn't eliminate) the upfront-fee risk that pure scam operations exploit. Others note that Newton Group provided regular status updates and, in cases where the timeshare developer was cooperative or already offering its own deed-back option, the process moved faster than expected. It's worth being honest about survivorship bias here: people who had a good experience are motivated to say so, and so are people who had a bad one. Neither side is proof of what happens on average, and no independent third party publishes a verified success rate for Newton Group or any competitor.

What do negative Newton Group reviews and complaints describe?

The negative pattern that shows up most often in complaints: owners paid an upfront or escrow-released fee, months or years passed, and the timeshare was never actually cancelled, either because the company stopped communicating, because the resort refused to cooperate, or because the owner's credit was damaged after Newton Group (or its affiliated legal network) advised stopping maintenance fee payments as a negotiating tactic. That last point deserves its own warning. Some owners in complaint threads say they were told that withholding payments to the resort was part of the strategy. That is genuinely risky advice: unpaid maintenance fees and assessments can lead to the resort filing a collections action, reporting the debt to credit bureaus, or, in some states, foreclosing on the timeshare interest, which can wreck your credit even if the underlying contract eventually gets cancelled. We're not going to tell you whether to keep paying in your specific situation, but any advice to simply stop paying a debt you legally owe deserves real scrutiny, and you should run it past your own attorney, more than the exit company selling you the service. Other complaints center on the money-back guarantee itself: several BBB complaints describe owners requesting the promised refund after the company failed to deliver and describe delays, partial refunds, or disputes over whether the guarantee's conditions were technically met. ^[3]

Are timeshares scams, or is it the exit industry that has the scam problem?

The timeshare product itself generally isn't illegal or a scam in the legal sense: it's a real, disclosed contract for a real, if often overvalued, usage right, and developers are regulated by state real estate and timeshare statutes in every state that permits timeshare sales. What consumer advocates and regulators actually flag as scam-adjacent is (1) high-pressure sales tactics during the original purchase and (2) the exit industry that sprang up to help people leave. Florida, home to a large share of the country's timeshare resorts, regulates timeshare exit and resale marketing directly under its timeshare act; Florida Statutes chapter 721 governs timeshare plans and includes disclosure and cancellation requirements sellers and certain resale marketers must follow. ^[4] A useful distinction: the timeshare contract is legitimate and enforceable; some of the businesses that promise to make it disappear for a fee are not legitimate, or are legitimate but wildly inconsistent in results. Both things can be true at once, and that's really the core confusion behind "are timeshares scams" as a search question. For a fuller rundown of red flags specific to the exit side, see our guide to exit scam awareness.

How much does a timeshare cost, and how much does exiting one cost?

Rescission (buyer's remorse)	$0 (must follow state procedure)	Days to weeks (state-specific window)
Developer deed-back / ARDA program	$0-$500	2-6 months
Resale (private sale/auction)	$0 upfront, often nets $0 or negative	Weeks to over a year
Third-party exit company	$2,000-$10,000+	6 months-3 years (disputed outcomes)
Attorney-led contract dispute	$3,000-$15,000+ in fees	Varies, case by case

Timeshare purchase prices and exit costs are two very different numbers, and both matter if you're weighing whether to fight the contract or just walk through a formal exit process. On the purchase side, industry survey data collected by the American Resort Development Association has previously put the average per-interval purchase price in the low-to-mid $20,000s, with average annual maintenance fees generally in the $1,000 to $1,300 range; these figures move year to year with the survey cycle, so treat them as an order-of-magnitude guide, not a precise current quote for your resort. Those numbers vary hugely by brand, size, and location; a studio-week interval at a budget resort can run a few thousand dollars, while a large branded fractional or fixed-week unit at a premium resort can run six figures. On the exit side, upfront fees charged by exit companies (Newton Group included, per complaint and lawsuit records) commonly range from $2,000 to $10,000+, depending on contract complexity, number of deeded weeks, and whether litigation is involved. ^[3] Deed-back and resort-run exit programs, where the developer itself takes the timeshare back, are frequently free or cost a few hundred dollars in transfer and recording fees, which is why checking deed-back programs before paying a third party is usually the first move that makes financial sense. | Path | Typical cost | Typical timeline |

How do you get out of a timeshare without hiring an exit company?

Start with the free and fast options before paying anyone. There are, broadly, four legitimate paths, and they should be checked in this order. First, rescission. Every state that permits timeshare sales gives buyers a right to cancel within a set window after signing, no reason required, and no penalty. That window is short (commonly measured in days, not weeks) and varies by state, so confirm your state's rescission window with your state's specific statute or your state AG's consumer page before assuming you've missed it or still have it. Florida's timeshare act, for example, sets a 10-calendar-day cancellation period running from the date the buyer signs the contract or receives the last required document, whichever is later, under Fla. Stat. section 721.10. ^[4] Our guide on how to get out of a timeshare walks through how rescission letters typically need to be sent (often certified mail, to a specific address in the contract) to count. Second, ask the developer for a deed-back. Many major timeshare companies now run their own exit or deed-back programs, sometimes for a modest fee, sometimes free, precisely because secondary resale value has collapsed and they'd rather take the unit back than deal with a defaulted owner. This is worth a phone call before anything else. Third, try resale, understanding that most timeshares resell for a small fraction of purchase price, or nothing, on the secondary market; it's common to see fixed-week and non-branded timeshares listed for one dollar because the real value to the seller is escaping the maintenance fee obligation, not recovering the purchase price. Fourth, and only after the first three are ruled out, consider a paid exit path, whether that's a company like Newton Group, an attorney, or a self-directed process using document templates and a call script. If you go this route, our timeshare call list piece covers who to actually contact and in what order.

How do I get out of a timeshare if I inherited it and never wanted it?

Inherited timeshares are one of the fastest-growing categories of exit questions, and the honest answer is: you may not be obligated to keep it at all. If the timeshare was in a deceased relative's name and passed through a will or intestate succession, the estate (not you personally) generally owes any outstanding fees, and heirs can typically disclaim (formally refuse) an inheritance under state probate law before accepting title. The Uniform Disclaimer of Property Interests Act, adopted in some form by many states, sets out the general framework for how and when an heir can file a qualified disclaimer; the timing rules are specific and state-dependent, so this is a question for a probate attorney, not a general article. Once you've accepted a deed or started paying fees as the new owner, though, you've generally accepted the obligation along with it, which is why acting before signing anything or making a payment matters. If you've already been made the owner of record, the same four-step order above applies: check for a rescission-style buyer's remorse window (rare for inherited property since you didn't just sign a purchase contract, but some states extend limited protections), ask about deed-back, try resale (harder with inherited units since you may lack full sales history), and only then consider a paid exit service. This is genuinely a probate law question as much as a timeshare question, so if there's real money at stake, a consultation with an estate attorney in the state where the timeshare and the estate are located is usually worth more than anything an exit company can offer.

How do you sell a timeshare, and does it actually work?

Selling is legally simple but practically difficult: you list the timeshare (through the resort's own resale program if it has one, a licensed timeshare resale broker, or a marketplace), find a buyer, and execute a deed transfer, often through a title or closing company that handles timeshare transfers specifically. The practical problem is demand, not process. Median resale prices for timeshare intervals run dramatically below original purchase price, and a large share of listings on secondary marketplaces sit for months or years without a buyer, particularly for older fixed-week or non-branded properties. Some owners do sell successfully, especially for well-located, well-maintained, points-based products from major branded systems (Marriott Vacation Club, Disney Vacation Club, Hilton Grand Vacations), where secondary demand is real. A critical warning specific to selling: resale scams target sellers, more than people trying to exit. A common scam pattern is a "buyer" or "broker" who claims to have a guaranteed purchaser lined up, then asks the seller to pay an upfront "closing fee" or "transfer tax" before the deal closes. The buyer and the fee both vanish. Florida's timeshare resale statute, Fla. Stat. section 721.20, specifically regulates resale service providers and prohibits collecting an upfront fee under certain conditions without meeting disclosure requirements, which is the kind of state-level rule this scam pattern runs into. ^[4]

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

Run the same five checks on Newton Group, or any competitor, before signing or paying anything. One: search "[company name] attorney general" plus your state and the company's home state. Newton Group's Washington lawsuit, for instance, is tied to the state's Consumer Protection Act, chapter 19.86 RCW. ^[2] Most state AG sites let you search enforcement actions directly. Two: check the Better Business Bureau profile, but read the actual complaints, more than the letter grade; a company can carry an A rating while still showing hundreds of unresolved service complaints underneath it, which is close to the pattern Newton Group's own BBB profile shows. ^[3] Three: ask specifically how the fee is held. Legitimate escrow means a licensed third party holds your money and releases it to the company only after specific, contractually defined milestones, more than "we started working on it." If a company wants the full fee wired upfront with no escrow and no milestone conditions, that is the single biggest scam red flag in this entire industry. Four: get the guarantee in writing, and read the conditions. "100% money back guarantee" phrases often carry conditions (you must make all fee payments during the process, you must not accept a settlement offer from the resort, you must provide specific documents within a deadline) that, if unmet, void the refund. Five: never let anyone tell you to stop paying your maintenance fees or loan payments as part of the strategy. That advice can trigger collections, credit damage, or foreclosure regardless of what happens with the exit company, and no legitimate consumer protection agency endorses it as a negotiating tactic.

What should I actually do this week if I'm facing rising fees or buyer's remorse?

If you're still inside your rescission window: stop reading reviews and send the cancellation letter today, following your state's exact procedure (method of delivery, address, deadline). Every day matters here because these windows are short and firm; Florida's is only 10 calendar days under Fla. Stat. section 721.10. ^[4] If you're past rescission and just tired of rising fees: call the resort's owner services line and ask, directly, if they have a deed-back or exit program. It costs nothing to ask, and it's increasingly common that they say yes. If the resort says no and you want structured help building your own file, that's the gap our $149 one-time Exit Kit is built for: contract review checklists, dispute letter templates, and a state-specific call list, without a four- or five-figure fee held by a third party for a year or more. It's not a guarantee of cancellation (nobody can honestly promise you that, including us), but it's a fixed, small cost compared to what companies in this space typically charge. If your situation involves potential fraud in the original sale (undisclosed fees, false resale value promises, high-pressure tactics that violate state timeshare law), that's when a consumer protection attorney or a formal complaint to your state attorney general's consumer protection division is worth more than any exit company's phone call.

Frequently asked questions

Is Newton Group Transfers a legitimate timeshare exit company?

Newton Group is a real, operating company, not a fly-by-night scam that vanishes overnight, but it has faced a 2018 Washington state consumer protection lawsuit and carries hundreds of mixed complaints on BBB alongside positive reviews. Check the Washington AG's case record and BBB complaint details yourself before paying anything, and confirm any escrow terms in writing.

How much does Newton Group charge to exit a timeshare?

Public complaint and lawsuit records describe fees commonly in the $2,000 to $10,000+ range, depending on contract size and complexity, though the company doesn't publish a fixed price list. Always get a written quote and ask specifically whether the fee is held in escrow until milestones are met.

How do I get out of a timeshare?

Check your rescission window first (short, state-specific, and free to use). If that's expired, call the resort and ask about a deed-back or exit program. If neither works, weigh resale against a paid exit service, and verify any company through your state AG and the BBB before paying upfront.

How do you get out of a timeshare contract legally?

The only fully guaranteed legal exit is rescission within your state's cancellation window, done exactly per that state's procedure. After that, legal exits include developer deed-back programs, negotiated settlements, or a court-ordered cancellation if the original sale involved fraud or statutory violations, which usually requires an attorney.

How to sell a timeshare fast?

List through the resort's own resale program first if it has one, since it screens buyers already familiar with the property. Licensed timeshare resale brokers and marketplaces are the next step. Be realistic: most timeshares resell far below purchase price, and "fast" and "good price" rarely go together in this market.

Are timeshares a scam?

The timeshare contract itself is a legal, regulated product, not a scam in the legal sense, though original sales pitches are frequently high-pressure. The bigger scam risk sits in the unregulated exit industry, where some companies collect an upfront fee and never deliver a cancellation.

How much does a timeshare cost to buy?

Industry survey figures have generally put the average purchase price per interval in the low-to-mid $20,000s, with average annual maintenance fees around $1,000 to $1,300, though these shift year to year and vary widely by resort. Actual prices range from a few thousand dollars for older fixed-week units to well over $100,000 for large branded fractional properties.

How much are timeshares on the resale market?

Dramatically less than original purchase price in most cases. It's common for fixed-week and non-branded timeshares to list for one dollar on resale marketplaces, because sellers mainly want to escape the maintenance fee obligation, not recover their investment.

Can I get rid of a timeshare by just not paying?

Not paying triggers collections, credit bureau reporting, and potentially foreclosure on the timeshare interest in many states, and it doesn't cancel your legal obligation on its own. Some exit companies have been criticized in complaints for suggesting this as strategy; treat that advice with real skepticism and check with an attorney first.

What happens if I inherited a timeshare I don't want?

If the estate hasn't been settled, heirs can typically disclaim an inheritance under state probate law before accepting title, avoiding the obligation entirely. Once you've accepted the deed or started paying fees, the same exit options apply: check for developer deed-back first, then resale, then a paid exit service if needed.

Does Newton Group have a money-back guarantee?

Newton Group has advertised a money-back guarantee in its marketing, but complaint records show disputes over whether specific conditions were met when owners requested refunds. Get the guarantee's exact conditions in writing (payment requirements, timelines, required documentation) before relying on it.

How do I check if a timeshare exit company has complaints against it?

Search the company's name plus "attorney general" for both its home state and yours, check its Better Business Bureau profile and read individual complaints (more than the rating), and search your state AG's consumer complaint database for prior actions.

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

Rescission is a short, state-guaranteed window right after signing where you cancel with no reason and no penalty, and it's free. A deed-back is a separate, later process where the resort developer voluntarily takes the timeshare back, sometimes for a small fee, and it's only available if the resort chooses to offer it.

Sources

1. Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Advice: Timeshares, Vacation Plans, and Cancellation Scams: FTC consumer guidance warning that some exit companies charge large upfront fees and promise a sale or transfer is imminent
2. Revised Code of Washington 19.86.020, Consumer Protection Act: Washington's Consumer Protection Act statute prohibiting unfair or deceptive acts in trade or commerce, the basis for the state's 2018 action against Newton Group Transfers
3. Better Business Bureau, Newton Group Transfers Inc. profile: BBB complaint history and customer review record for Newton Group Transfers
4. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, foreclosure and debt collection consumer guidance: Explanation of foreclosure risk tied to unpaid secured debt obligations, relevant to unpaid timeshare maintenance fees and assessments
5. Uniform Law Commission, Uniform Disclaimer of Property Interests Act: Framework many states have adopted allowing heirs to formally disclaim an inherited property interest, including inherited timeshares, before accepting title