You've finally made the decision to get out of your timeshare. The maintenance fees are crushing. The booking blackouts make it impossible to use. And the thought of passing this financial burden to your children keeps you up at night. So you start calling around, looking for help.
Then you see it: a company advertising timeshare exit services for $2,500. Another says $3,500. Your heart jumps. Maybe this won't be so bad after all.
Stop right there. What you're about to step into isn't a deal. It's a trap. And by the time you realize it, your credit will be destroyed, your money will be gone, and you'll still own that timeshare.
Our founder has spent over 13 years in this industry. We've seen thousands of families come to us after being victimized by these so-called "bargain" exit companies. And we're going to show you exactly how their scam works, why it's mathematically impossible for them to deliver on their promises, and what real timeshare cancellation actually requires.
The Math That Exposes the Lie
Let's start with simple arithmetic that the cheap exit companies hope you'll never consider.
A qualified timeshare cancellation attorney charges between $300 and $500 per hour. This isn't a negotiating position—it's what experienced legal professionals command in this specialized field. Some timeshare contract reviews alone can take 5-10 hours of legal work. Add in correspondence with the resort, legal research, document preparation, and negotiations, and you're looking at 20-40 hours minimum for straightforward cases.
Do the math: 20 hours at $350 per hour equals $7,000 in legal fees alone. That doesn't include title transfer costs, estoppel certificates, recording fees, or administrative overhead.
So when a company tells you they can get you out for $3,000 total, ask yourself: how exactly do they plan to pay for the legal work? The answer is simple. They don't.
Inside the "Slow Scam": How Cheap Exit Companies Really Operate
The timeshare exit industry has a name for what these budget companies do. It's called the "Slow Scam," and once you understand how it works, you'll never fall for it.
Step 1: The Price Trap
They charge just enough to seem credible ($2,500 to $4,500) but low enough that you don't feel the need to have their contract reviewed by your own attorney. They know that a lower price point triggers less scrutiny. You think, "It's only a few thousand—what's the worst that could happen?"
Step 2: The "Stop Paying" Lie
Almost immediately, they'll tell you to stop paying your maintenance fees. They'll claim they're "protecting your credit" or that this is part of their "proprietary strategy." This is a lie. They cannot stop a resort from reporting your default to credit bureaus. They have no legal mechanism to do so. What they're really doing is buying time.
Step 3: The Dispute Clock
Here's where the scam becomes mathematically elegant in its cruelty. Credit card disputes typically must be filed within 60 to 120 days of a transaction. These companies know this. Their strategy is to give you vague "updates" and generic status reports for six months or longer. By the time you realize nothing is happening, your window to dispute the charge with your bank has closed. They've run out the clock on your ability to fight back.
Step 4: The Vanishing Act
According to the Better Business Bureau, since 2016, consumers from 46 states have filed more than 700 complaints against Missouri-based timeshare exit companies alone, with reported losses exceeding $2 million. The BBB's investigation found that many of these companies simply disappear once complaints mount. They close down, rebrand, and start the cycle again under a new name.
Real Horror Stories From Real Victims
These aren't hypotheticals. These are real people who trusted cheap exit companies and paid devastating consequences. We've anonymized the company names, but every story comes from verified consumer complaints on the Better Business Bureau and Trustpilot.
The $4,000 Credit Score Collapse
Source: Better Business Bureau Complaint
A consumer paid approximately $4,000 to a "budget" exit company to handle their Wyndham contract cancellation. The company advised them to stop paying their resort fees, promising protection. Two years later, they still owned the timeshare, and their credit score had plummeted into the low 500s.
"My credit score took a nosedive from rockstar to dumpster fire... DO NOT DO IT, IF YOU HAVE A TIMESHARE YOU ARE JUST STUCK WITH THAT DECISION."
What really happened: The company collected $4,000, told the client to default on their payments, and then did nothing while the resort reported the delinquency to all three credit bureaus. The client lost their money, destroyed their credit, and still owns the timeshare.
The $3,300 Six-Year Nightmare
Source: BBB Review
A consumer signed up in February 2019 after being promised a 12 to 18-month exit timeline. They paid $3,300. What actually happened? The process took six years, finally completing in February 2025.
"It finally got done in Feb 2025... I do NOT recommend this company."
The hidden cost: During those six years of waiting, the client likely paid $12,000 to $18,000 in ongoing maintenance fees. Their "bargain" $3,300 exit actually cost them $15,000 or more when all was said and done.
The $3,800 Credit Destruction Special
Source: BBB Complaint
A consumer paid $3,800 and completed the company's "program." But the company never followed through. The result? A $12,000+ debt appeared on their credit report, and the damage prevented them from purchasing a home.
"I have been dealing with this fraudulent company for 5 years, trying to get them to give my money back and release the 1 delinquent item on my credit report which is causing harm in purchasing my home."
The real damage: This person's dream of homeownership was derailed because they tried to save a few thousand dollars on their timeshare exit. They lost $3,800, took on $12,000 in collections debt, and still can't qualify for a mortgage.
The "Bait and Switch" Tax Trap
Source: Trustpilot / BBB Complaint
A family paid around $3,000 upfront to a cheap exit company. Months later, they received a call claiming a "settlement" was ready. But there was a catch: they needed to pay thousands more in "taxes" upfront. When they refused, the company threatened to drop them as a client.
"We figured we had been taken advantage of at this point."
The scam explained: This is a classic "bait and switch" tactic. The low upfront fee gets you in the door. Then they manufacture reasons to extract more money—"taxes," "closing costs," "special assessments." Each new fee has a deadline. Each refusal risks losing everything you've already paid.
What Regulators and Attorneys General Are Saying
This isn't just consumer paranoia. State attorneys general across the country are actively prosecuting these companies.
In January 2025, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced settlements with three different timeshare exit companies for violating debt settlement laws by charging large upfront fees and failing to obtain proper licensing. His office noted that these companies use misleading scare tactics about children inheriting maintenance fees, then "arrange for the consumer to stop paying the debt and force a foreclosure that can create more costs and harm the consumer's credit."
In November 2022, the Federal Trade Commission and Wisconsin Attorney General filed a lawsuit against timeshare exit companies for using misrepresentations and high-pressure tactics to collect more than $90 million from consumers—mostly older adults—for services they never delivered.
One major exit company was required to pay $2.61 million to the State of Washington after failing to honor its "100% Money-Back Guarantee." The company has since closed, leaving thousands of clients with no refunds and no exit.
The pattern is clear: cheap fees, false promises, destroyed credit, and companies that disappear when the lawsuits come.
The Volume Model: Why Cheap Companies Can't Succeed
Let's think about this from a business perspective. If a company is charging $3,000 per client, how do they stay in business?
Volume. They need hundreds of new clients every month just to keep the lights on. They're not carefully analyzing each case. They're not spending hours on legal research. They're not personally negotiating with resort legal departments.
Instead, they're sending out mass-produced template letters that resorts throw directly in the trash. They're betting that 80% of their clients will simply give up and walk away. By the time you realize nothing is happening, they've already collected their fee and moved on to the next batch of victims.
This is why the BBB reports that these companies often promise 12 to 18-month timelines but deliver nothing for years—or ever. They're not working on your case. Your file is sitting in a "dead pile" because they've already exhausted the 6-8 hours of actual work your $3,000 fee could cover.
The Double Jeopardy: You Lose Twice
Here's the cruelest irony of the cheap exit scam: if you follow their advice to stop paying maintenance fees, you might eventually "get out" of your timeshare. But not in the way you wanted.
When you default long enough, the resort will foreclose. That means you'll lose the timeshare (which is technically what you wanted), but you'll also have a foreclosure on your credit report for seven years. You'll have collection accounts. You may face lawsuits for the outstanding balance.
You effectively paid the exit company $3,000 to destroy your credit score and hand you a foreclosure. You could have done that yourself for free—not that you would ever want to.
What Real Timeshare Cancellation Actually Requires
Legitimate timeshare cancellation is not simple, and it's not cheap. Here's what's actually involved when you work with a reputable company that gets real results:
- Comprehensive contract analysis: Your timeshare contract is a legal document, often 20-40 pages of dense legal language. A real exit requires attorneys or trained professionals to identify leverage points, misrepresentations during the sale, and potential legal violations.
- Title research and transfer preparation: Timeshares are deeded property interests. Exiting requires title searches, estoppel certificates, and proper recording with county offices. Each of these has real costs.
- Professional correspondence and negotiation: Resorts don't respond to template letters. They respond to properly documented claims backed by legal expertise and the credible threat of consequences.
- Credit protection strategy: A legitimate exit company will never tell you to recklessly destroy your credit. They use legal leverage, not financial suicide.
- Clear milestones and communication: Unlike the "slow scam" operators who ghost you for months, reputable companies provide regular updates and defined stages of progress.
Why Bridge Transfers Is Different
At Bridge Transfers, our team has watched this industry's chaos for over 13 years. We've helped countless families who came to us after being burned by cheap exit companies. And we made a decision early on: we will never race to the bottom on price because we refuse to race to the bottom on results.
Here's what makes us different:
- Law firm backed services: The owner of Bridge is the non-attorney owner of a law firm that handles the legal work when needed. This isn't a "we'll send a letter" operation. This is licensed attorneys providing real legal muscle.
- Realistic pricing: We price for reality, not fantasy. We calculate the actual cost of title transfers, estoppel fees, and legal review. We don't quote a number just to get your credit card. We quote a number that ensures the job gets finished.
- Our $1,000 Guarantee: We stand behind our work with a unique guarantee that puts real money on the line—ours, not yours.
- Credit protection first: We will never advise you to recklessly destroy your credit.
- Transparency at every step: We don't string you along for six years. We provide clear milestones, regular communication, and execute the plan we agreed to.
- Nationwide service: Based in Colorado Springs, we help timeshare owners across the entire United States cancel their ownership—properly and permanently.
The Bottom Line: Cheap Price = Cheap Result
When someone offers you timeshare cancellation for under $5,000, they're not giving you a deal. They're selling you a fantasy. A fantasy that will cost you your money, your credit, and years of frustration—all while you continue paying those maintenance fees you so desperately wanted to escape.
The BBB has documented it. State attorneys general are prosecuting it. And thousands of victims are living with the consequences of it.
Don't become another cautionary tale.
If you're serious about getting out of your timeshare—actually getting out, not just hoping—it's time to talk to professionals who understand what it really takes. It's time to work with a company backed by a team with over a decade of experience, law firm backed services, and a track record of actually delivering results.
It's time to talk to Bridge Transfers.
Ready to End Your Timeshare Nightmare the Right Way?
Contact Bridge Transfers today for a free consultation.
Colorado Springs, CO | Serving Timeshare Owners Nationwide
Don't let price shopping cost you everything. Let the experts help you exit—for real.