Mixed Results But Eventually Successful

After 3 years of paying $1,400 annual maintenance fees on a timeshare I never used, I decided to exit. My experience with this company was bumpy but ultimately successful. Initial Contact (Month 1): The sales rep was very optimistic about getting me out quickly. Red flag in hindsight - they promised 4-6 months, but later I learned my resort is notoriously difficult. Document Phase (Months 1-2): Standard document collection. They were thorough but slow to respond to my questions during this phase. Negotiation Phase (Months 3-9): This is where it got complicated. My resort (Westgate) apparently has a policy against third-party exit companies. My case manager had to pivot strategies multiple times. We went from negotiation to potential legal action to finally finding a deed-back program the resort quietly offers. Resolution Phase (Months 10-12): Once we found the deed-back program, things moved faster. I had to pay my maintenance fees current (about $2,800 in arrears) plus a $500 deed-back processing fee to the resort. Total cost: $3,500 to the exit company + $3,300 to catch up and transfer = $6,800 total. Total time: 12 months.