[ 2023 ] Timeshare exit company TimesharesOnly - legitimate?

[davmar1975]

I'm trying to get rid of a timeshare week I bought with my parents (now deceased) at Orange Lake/Holiday Inn. They have a 'responsible exit' that costs $1,200, but also referred me to a company known as TimeshareOnly that they say can help me sell my timeshare. I called them and they charge a little over $700 up-front to list the unit. Has anyone had experience, good or bad with this company? I did a TUG forum search but didn't find any posts more recent than 2009. Thanks!

 

[RX8]

@davmar1975 My suggestion is pay the $1200 to the resort and be done with it. Your timeshare has no value. My opinion is that most of the marketing/advertising listing companies are a complete waste of money. Once they have your upfront fee they have zero incentive to do anything else. They will likely suggest a high sale price to justify their $700 fee and then your timeshare won’t sell because it isn’t going to be worth the asking price. Many of the marketing companies, especially those that are new, outright lie on the cold calls to obtain upfront fees and don't intend to really market the timeshare at all (they just want to scam for upfront fees). I wouldn't put Timeshares Only in that category (they have been around for many years) but that still doesn't make their upfront fee a value by any means.

If they want $700 upfront you are better off putting that towards the $1200 the resort wants.

Edited: Here are a couple of threads on Timeshares Only. Appears most decent reviews are related to buying, not selling. BTW, I looked at their website and prices are all over the place. The lowest Orange Lake was $500 but it went all the way to $200,000. Taking $700 to market that resort for $200,000 is complete larceny. I also looked at eBay's completed sales and the three sales ranged from $1.29 to $610. The $610 included all closing costs paid by the seller. In summary. your timeshare has no real value. Lastly, @jasontugaccount has an excellent suggestion to list for free on TUG. Doesn't cost you anything to try that first. However, if you end up having to pay for closing costs then you would need to weigh that versus just paying $1200 to the resort and walking away free and clear as quickly as possible.

Be Careful With Timeshares Only

This morning I went onto the Timeshares Only website. I found 2 weeks that I was looking for at a reasonable price. Since there was no contact information from the seller I had to call Timeshares Only. When I called they transferred me to their broker which was a GMAC International. I spoke to...

tugbbs.com

I want the members' thoughts on "timeshares only"

Hey folks: Before finding about "TUG" i foolishly paid an upfront fee to www.timesharesonly.com what are your thoughts on that company. i've listed with them for 10 months and i have had no leads. and my pricing for my property was very competitive. would you happen to know if refund is...

tugbbs.com

Timeshares Only

:doh: Has anyone had any experience with this company? Are they a pcc? Do they really have all the inventory they show on there website? How have they been to deal with? Paul:wave:

tugbbs.com

 

[jasontugaccount]

Why don't you list it here as a freebie to start?

Free Timeshares

Timeshare ownerships offered completely free by owners! Rehome an unwanted timeshare at no cost! Timeshares listed here must be offered completely free!

tugbbs.com

You could sweeten the deal and offer to pay closing costs.

The general wisdom I see shared here is to never pay large upfront listing fees.

 

[dioxide45]

Timeshares Only is a high upfront fee listing company. They just put your week up on their website and do nothing else to really promote it. Weeks with any value get listed and sold through their sister company Fidelity Real Estate. I agree with the above poster, try and list it for free first. Even offer to pay the closing costs. Not much more than $250 through LT transfers. If that doesn't work then do as @RX8 indicated and put the $700 toward the $1200 for the deedback. THe $700 will be money down the toilet when the week doesn't get sold as there are probably hundreds of listings out there on Timeshares Only for Orange Lake.

Does anyone else remember the Timeshares Only commercials from the early 2000s? At least that is when I think they ran them.

 

[Fido Chuckwagon]

I'm trying to get rid of a timeshare week I bought with my parents (now deceased) at Orange Lake/Holiday Inn. They have a 'responsible exit' that costs $1,200, but also referred me to a company known as TimeshareOnly that they say can help me sell my timeshare. I called them and they charge a little over $700 up-front to list the unit. Has anyone had experience, good or bad with this company? I did a TUG forum search but didn't find any posts more recent than 2009. Thanks!

All upfront fee exit companies are a scam. If they were legitimate, they would charge the fee only **after** they successfully sell your timeshare.

 

[pedro47]

The selling points of a Timeshare Exit Company sound good on paper, on the television and on the radio.

Then there atomic bomb is dropped ; you must pay them huge upfront fees / dollars to exit your timeshare and when all the dust have settle nothing have happen.
You have loss money to that scam exit company and you still own that timeshare.

 

[kanerf]

I'm trying to get rid of a timeshare week I bought with my parents (now deceased) at Orange Lake/Holiday Inn. They have a 'responsible exit' that costs $1,200, but also referred me to a company known as TimeshareOnly that they say can help me sell my timeshare. I called them and they charge a little over $700 up-front to list the unit. Has anyone had experience, good or bad with this company? I did a TUG forum search but didn't find any posts more recent than 2009. Thanks!

The first thing you might try, assuming that the resort is now in your name, is to make a reservation at the resort and either use it yourself or rent it out (which you can do here on TUG). If you stay yourself you might find you like it and might keep it. If you rent it out, you could use the funds towards the responsible exit fee.

 

[RX8]

All upfront fee exit companies are a scam. If they were legitimate, they would charge the fee only **after** they successfully sell your timeshare.

Don’t disagree with you about exit companies but Timeshares Only is not an exit company. They are a marketing company charging an upfront fee. They may be one of the oldest marketing companies out there so they are not a scam like most of the other marketing companies. That said, they still charge hundreds of dollars to simply place an ad on their website but you at least get a real ad.

What is the difference between Timeshares Only and true scam marketing companies?

Both charge an upfront fee to market your timeshare. Both have a website. This is where the similarities end.

Timeshares Only lists specific ads for sale or rent on their website that is fairly easy to navigate. Their website is established and easy to find on the internet. Timeshares Only also provides closing services if they are needed.

The scammers begin with a cold call and start lying immediately about renting your getaway weeks or that they have corporate renters willing to rent your timeshare. They collect hundreds or more likely thousands of dollars upfront. The scammer marketing companies have a website that was created only to make it appear that they market your timeshare. Their website is hard to find on the internet, sometimes having to Google the exact web address to even find it. They may claim that they attend corporate events around the country to promote your timeshare. Their “ads” are general descriptions of resorts, no real ads at all as to what they might have available. Just a “click for more details” to inquire. Everything about the marketing aspect is a lie. They do nothing at all for your supposed ad except sit on the phone and keep dialing for dollars.

I am not endorsing Timeshares Only but I did want to make the point that they are not a scam. If you have a $1,500 timeshare and you price it right you will likely find a buyer through Timeshares Only and still make a profit of $800. The scammer will convince you that your timeshare is worth $20,000, promise you that they will find a buyer through the events they attend, charge your $2,000, and then do absolutely nothing else but keep cold calling to scam other timeshare owners.

 

[pedro47]

Don’t disagree with you about exit companies but Timeshares Only is not an exit company. They are a marketing company charging an upfront fee. They may be one of the oldest marketing companies out there so they are not a scam like most of the marketing companies out there. That said, they still charge hundreds of dollars to simply place an ad on their website.

Thanks for the clarification.

 

[davmar1975]

Thanks all for your advice! I kind of figured using Timeshare Only would be a gamble at best. I'll either pay the $1,200 to Orange Lake or maybe try listing it first.

 

[TUGBrian]

Does anyone else remember the Timeshares Only commercials from the early 2000s? At least that is when I think they ran them.

and all the billboards in and out of orlando....

 

[goaliedave]

How do people still get scammed by these exit companies?

 

[dioxide45]

How do people still get scammed by these exit companies?

The same way they got scammed into the timeshare. The pitch is very similar. Exit scammers know the best people to target are those who are desperate and those who were taken advantage of once before.

 

[TUGBrian]

Its easy to sell someone when you tell them exactly what they want to hear vs the truth!

 

[LannyPC]

How do people still get scammed by these exit companies?

It's also the same way they get scammed by the upfront fee resale/rental scam companies. Not knowing (ignorance) is one main factor.

 

[TheTimeTraveler]

How do people still get scammed by these exit companies?

Because they don't belong to TUG at the time of the transaction......

But, on the other side of the coin, TUG has higher membership activity every year due to scamming activities (and desires of folks to "get out").








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[montygz]

How do people still get scammed by these exit companies?

People are being scammed by all sorts of things every day.

Woman sent ‘Stranger Things’ ‘star’ $10K over 1 year, divorced husband in wild catfishing saga

Although they never met in person, McKayla says “Montgomery” was always complaining to her about his relationship issues.

nypost.com

Sadly, timeshare owners apparently represent a deep well of potential victims. Just because a scam is obvious to you or me doesn't mean someone else will believe it.

When anyone can create a call center in some third-world country and robocall or email1 million people a day, all it takes is a 1% success rate to cash in. It makes it a lucrative business.

 

[goaliedave]

People are being scammed by all sorts of things every day.

Woman sent ‘Stranger Things’ ‘star’ $10K over 1 year, divorced husband in wild catfishing saga

Although they never met in person, McKayla says “Montgomery” was always complaining to her about his relationship issues.

nypost.com

Sadly, timeshare owners apparently represent a deep well of potential victims. Just because a scam is obvious to you or me doesn't mean someone else will believe it.

When anyone can create a call center in some third-world country and robocall or email1 million people a day, all it takes is a 1% success rate to cash in. It makes it a lucrative business.

But this is why i don't understand. Romance scams, fake bank scams, timeshare scams, grandson needs bail money... these are in the media daily for decades, who doesn't know that YOU DON'T SEND MONEY TO STRANGERS !!

 

[goaliedave]

I'm trying to get rid of a timeshare week I bought with my parents (now deceased) at Orange Lake/Holiday Inn. They have a 'responsible exit' that costs $1,200, but also referred me to a company known as TimeshareOnly that they say can help me sell my timeshare. I called them and they charge a little over $700 up-front to list the unit. Has anyone had experience, good or bad with this company? I did a TUG forum search but didn't find any posts more recent than 2009. Thanks!

Why would you ever, for anything in life, send money to someone you don't know? No never do it

 

[dioxide45]

But this is why i don't understand. Romance scams, fake bank scams, timeshare scams, grandson needs bail money... these are in the media daily for decades, who doesn't know that YOU DON'T SEND MONEY TO STRANGERS !!

We don't know why, scammers however have honed their craft and there is always someone out there who will fall for it. Probably some people you think are intelligent in most other regards, but they still fall for it.

 

[TUGBrian]

Not knowing (ignorance) is one main factor.

doesnt help the actual timeshare industry promotes upfront fee resale companies as legitimate options to "help" owners....i count at least 4 on this page alone.

Timeshare Resale Providers Directory | Responsible Exit

Find reliable timeshare resale providers with our directory. Explore safe and trusted options to sell or exit your timeshare smoothly.

responsibleexit.com

 

[JohnnyO]

Timeshares Only is a high upfront fee listing company. They just put your week up on their website and do nothing else to really promote it. Weeks with any value get listed and sold through their sister company Fidelity Real Estate. I agree with the above poster, try and list it for free first. Even offer to pay the closing costs. Not much more than $250 through LT transfers. If that doesn't work then do as @RX8 indicated and put the $700 toward the $1200 for the deedback. THe $700 will be money down the toilet when the week doesn't get sold as there are probably hundreds of listings out there on Timeshares Only for Orange Lake.

Does anyone else remember the Timeshares Only commercials from the early 2000s? At least that is when I think they ran them.

Since Timeshares Only is a scam wouldn't that make their "sister" company Fidelity Real Estate a participant in their scam? I was considering listing one of my timeshares on Fidelity but when I searched the threads I found this post and their association with scam artists Timehares Only.