First, don't pay any MFs. Second, make every effort to give them away. If unable to give them away and he/she already has a home loan and car loan and can get by with a bad credit score for a couple of years, walk away and let the chips fall where they may...
A timeshare cannot be given away (or its' ownership successfully transferred at the resort level) with a loan balance outstanding or maintenance fees in arrears. Accordingly, the above advice to (first) don't pay any fees and (second) try to give them away is frankly a bit backwards. A "giveaway" should be (i.e., can
only be) attempted while the owner account is paid up and current.
Also, fwiw a negative credit report entry will have a lifespan of 7 years. For some people, particularly younger folks, this time frame may very well be regarded as more than just "a couple of years".
I agree that if a timeshare cannot be given away for free if paid off (and paid up), then walking away is an option. Paying a single penny to any so-called "exit / relief / escape/ rescue" entity, on the other hand, would be an expensive (not to mention completely ineffective) waste of money and the very definition of a fool's errand.
The OP needs to realize and accept the indisputable fact that a valid, legally binding contract cannot just be unilaterally and / or magically "cancelled" --- not by
anyone. Accordingly, the notion of paying
any money to
any so-called "exit" entity in a futile and misguided attempt to achieve the impossible would only prove the old adage to be true that "A fool and his money are soon parted".
