If you’re in any timeshare owner Facebook group for more than a week, you’ll see the same posts over and over. “Has anyone used [company name]?” “Is this legit or a scam?” “What do they actually charge?” “Did anyone actually get out?”
I get why. You’re being asked to hand over thousands of dollars to a company you found through an ad or a Google search, based on a promise that they can get you out of a contract that felt impossible to escape on your own. That’s a lot of trust to extend to a stranger.
I spent more than 25 years inside the timeshare industry — sales, marketing, contracts, management — working with resorts and developers across the United States, Mexico, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, and the Caribbean. I’m also a U.S. Navy veteran, and I wrote a book called “Everything About Timeshares: Before, During and After the Sale” after I left the industry because I didn’t like some of what I’d seen on the sales floor.
Here’s why I can answer this honestly: I don’t have a financial relationship with Wesley Financial Group, Resolution Timeshare Cancellation, Vacation Ownership Consultants, or any other exit company. I’m not a competitor trying to trash them to steer you toward me. I’m also not going to pretend I’m a neutral third party with no stake in this conversation — I do offer my own lower-cost alternative, and I’ll tell you plainly where it fits at the end. But the pricing facts below are just facts, not sales copy.
Has anyone used Wesley Financial Group and did it actually work?
Wesley Financial Group is one of the most heavily advertised names in this space, so it’s also one of the most asked-about in these groups. What I can tell you with confidence is what they charge and how they operate — I don’t have visibility into individual case outcomes, and I’m not going to invent testimonials I haven’t personally verified.
Wesley Financial Group’s fees typically run $4,000 to $14,000, and they do not publish their pricing publicly. That’s a wide range, and where you land in it depends on your specific contract, resort, and case complexity — which means you won’t know your real number until you’re already on the phone with a salesperson. I’ve written a more detailed breakdown of what Wesley Financial Group actually charges if you want to dig into how that pricing tends to work.
The lack of published pricing isn’t automatically a red flag — a lot of legitimate service businesses quote case-by-case. But it does mean you’re negotiating without a baseline, so ask for the fee in writing before you sign anything, and ask what happens to your money if the case doesn’t resolve.
Is Resolution Timeshare Cancellation worth the money?
Resolution Timeshare Cancellation comes up a lot in these threads too, and the honest answer is that it’s hard to evaluate “worth it” when there’s no published price to weigh against anything. Like Wesley, they’re quote-only — you won’t get a number until you go through their intake process.
I’d approach “is it worth it” less as a yes/no question about the company and more as a math question about your specific timeshare. If your maintenance fees are climbing and you’re paid off, a few thousand dollars to potentially stop that bleeding might make sense. If you still owe a large balance, adding an exit company’s fee on top of what you already owe is a much bigger financial decision, and you should run the numbers carefully. I go into more detail on what Resolution Timeshare Cancellation charges and how their process tends to be structured, which is worth reading before you get on an intake call.
Whatever the quote ends up being, get it in writing, ask what’s included, and ask what triggers a refund if things don’t go as planned.
What does Vacation Ownership Consultants actually charge?
Vacation Ownership Consultants (VOC) is a bit more transparent on price than the two above. Their fees generally fall in the $2,800 to $5,000 range, which is lower than what I typically see quoted for Wesley Financial Group, though still a real amount of money.
That range is a useful data point when you’re comparing offers, but a lower price tag doesn’t automatically mean a better fit for your situation — it just means a different price point. I break down what Vacation Ownership Consultants charges and what tends to be included at that price in more detail if you’re trying to compare it against other quotes you’ve gotten.
As with any exit company, the questions that matter are the same regardless of price: what exactly are you paying for, is any of it refundable, and what’s the timeline they’re committing to.
Should I just try to sell it myself instead?
This comes up constantly, and I understand the instinct — selling feels like it should be simpler and cheaper than paying an exit company thousands of dollars. The reality is more complicated. The resale market for timeshares is weak, and many owners end up unable to sell at any price, let alone recoup what they paid.
Where this gets expensive is resale listing services. A lot of them charge upfront fees to list your timeshare — and they keep those fees whether your unit ever sells or not. That’s an important distinction from an exit company that’s at least attempting to resolve your contract obligation. I’ve written a full breakdown of the real cost of a timeshare resale listing if you’re considering that route, because the upfront-fee-regardless-of-outcome model is exactly the kind of thing owners get burned by.
If your maintenance fees are current and the resort will accept a deed-back or surrender, that’s often worth exploring before you pay anyone — for a sale or a cancellation.
Is there a cheaper legitimate option?
This is the question I can answer most directly, because it’s my own business. Compared to the $2,800–$14,000 range you’ll see quoted by exit companies, I offer lower-cost paths for owners who are willing to do more of the legwork themselves, or who want a lower-cost professional service:
- A $199 DIY course that walks you through the process yourself.
- A $499 DIY document-builder app that helps you generate the paperwork.
- A $1,500 professional document preparation service (up to $2,500 for more complex cases) if you’re paid in full and want a professional to prepare the documents for you rather than doing it yourself.
I’m not telling you these are right for everyone. Some situations — a large outstanding loan balance, multiple deeded properties, complicated title issues — are genuinely more complex, and a full-service exit company or an attorney may be the more appropriate route. But if your case is more straightforward and you’re paid off, it’s worth knowing the lower-cost options exist before you commit to a $4,000-plus fee.
How do I know if a company is a scam?
There’s no single sign that separates a legitimate company from a scam, but there are patterns worth watching for, based on what I’ve seen from inside this industry:
Pressure to sign same-day. Any legitimate service, exit company or otherwise, should be fine with you taking a day or two to review a contract before signing.
No fee in writing before you commit. If you can’t get a specific number, or a specific range with an explanation of what determines where you’ll land, in writing before you’re asked to pay, that’s a problem regardless of the company’s name recognition.
Guarantees of a specific outcome or timeline. Nobody can guarantee a resort will release you from a contract, and nobody can promise you an exact date it’ll happen. Be skeptical of anyone who does.
Upfront fees with no refund policy of any kind. This is especially common with resale listing services, as I mentioned above. Ask directly: what happens to my money if this doesn’t work?
None of these red flags are unique to any one company mentioned above — they’re general warning signs worth checking for with anyone you’re considering, including me.
Where I fit in this
I’m not going to pretend I’m a disinterested bystander in this conversation — I do have a business, and it’s built around lower-cost alternatives to what the bigger exit companies charge. But I’d rather you make an informed decision than a fast one, whether that decision involves me or not.
If you want to start without spending anything, my $39 book covers the industry from the inside — how the sales process works, what your contract actually says, and what your options look like. I also offer a free contract and exit review consultation if you want a candid, no-pressure look at your specific situation before you decide what to do next. From there, the $199 course, the $499 app, and the $1,500–$2,500 document prep service are there if a DIY or lower-cost professional path makes sense for your case. No guarantees, no pressure — just an honest look at where you stand and what your real options are.