Original research · 9,000+ timeshare owners

The Timeshare Exit Study

Rampant unfair and deceptive sales practices in the timeshare industry — documented at scale for the first time.

Before this study, nobody had compiled and analyzed timeshare-ownership experiences on a large scale, which let resorts dismiss aggressive, misleading pitches as one-offs. Newton Group's study, based on 9,000+ recent consumer questionnaires, provides a framework for the scope of the problem.

9,000+

Owners surveyed

100,000+

Documented instances of unfair or deceptive practices

97%

Experienced deceptive practices

88%

Experienced unfair practices

100+

Legal actions filed

A · Motivation

Why owners wanted out

The reasons owners gave for wanting to leave their timeshare, by share of respondents.

61%

Financial reasons

46.4%

Dissatisfaction with the timeshare

31.6%

Health reasons

B · What owners tried

How owners tried to leave — before Newton Group

Most owners had already tried, often more than once, to exit on their own.

Tried going back to their resort65.5%

Listed it for sale38%

Hired a bad exit company26.9%

Tried giving it away13.9%

Tried donating to charity5.4%

C · Duration

How long they'd wanted out

By the time owners reached out, most had wanted out for years.

18.4%

23.2%

26.3%

31.1%

For the past year — 18.4% 1–2 years — 23.2% 3–5 years — 26.3% More than 5 years — 31.1%

57.4% had wanted out for three years or more.

D · Deceptive practices

97% experienced deceptive sales practices

60,098

Total instances

6.5

Per questionnaire

The salesperson or presentation deceived them as to…

Investment value of the property60.3%

Length of the sales presentation59.1%

That a timeshare would be the only way to afford a similar vacation56.8%

Rising maintenance fees56.4%

Ease of reselling the unit51.5%

Ease of renting the unit51.2%

Ease of exchanging the unit at other locations47.2%

Appreciation value of the unit46.7%

Availability of dates43.8%

Unexpected fees (exchange, rentals)31.3%

Willingness of the resort to buy the unit back29.5%

E · Unfair practices

88% experienced unfair sales practices

41,443

Total instances

4.5

Per questionnaire

The sales representative…

Pressured them into buying immediately65.9%

Referred them to multiple salespersons53.9%

Told them the offer would expire if they didn't sign immediately48%

Rushed them through signing the documents40.4%

Refused to take no for an answer39.4%

Did not give them a chance to read everything38.8%

Used tactics that made them feel discomfort34.4%

Prevented or discouraged them from leaving the location23.9%

Took them offsite to another location17.9%

Failed to review portions of the contract with them17.9%

Temporarily took personal items (license, keys)14.4%

Separated them from their party7.5%

Served them alcohol5%

Covered parts of the document with their hands4.5%

F · The response

Newton Group and our partner law firm are fighting back

100+

Arbitration demands and lawsuits filed against timeshare entities and debt collectors.

✓No outrageous retainer fees. Access to justice shouldn't be gated behind a five-figure retainer.
✓No compounding billable hours. Owners aren't nickel-and-dimed by the clock.
✓A fiduciary and ethical duty to the owner. A law firm whose obligation runs to the consumer, not the resort.

G · Methodology

How we know

Results based on 9,000+ recent Newton Group consumer questionnaires. Figures represent the share of respondents reporting each experience and the total documented instances across all questionnaires. Individual experiences vary; this study is intended to describe the scope of reported practices across owners, not to characterize any single resort or transaction.

End your ownership — and see if you have a legal claim.

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