People who purchase timeshares are often attracted to the idea of having a regular, on-demand vacation spot. But then reality sets in and they realize they can’t use their timeshare as much as they’d like or the cost of maintaining the timeshare is more than they bargained for.
When that happens, people usually want out, and companies like Timeshares Only promise to help show them the door. But before a timeshare owner agrees to work with a company like Timeshares Only, it’s important that they understand what they’re getting into.
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What is Timeshares Only?
Timeshares Only calls itself a resort marketplace. It’s slightly different from other timeshare exit companies in that it provides timeshare owners with a place to list their properties for sale.
The hope is that people who work with Timeshares Only will be able to sell their properties, freeing themselves of any further financial obligation. The company also markets timeshares to people who would like to buy or rent one.
Timeshares Only claims to have gotten started in 1994, although a quick look at its Better Business Bureau page reveals that the company was founded in 2009. The company was founded by Bert Blicher, who also happens to be the former chairman of the American Resort Development Association (ARDA).
ARDA is the trade association for the timeshare industry. During his time as the chair of ARDA, Blicher was apparently dedicated to protecting and improving the industry’s reputation. Even after leaving ARDA, Blicher has remained involved in the timeshare industry as an investor and the owner of an affiliate marketing company.
Other leaders at the company also have strong ties to the timeshare industry. Sam Pontius, the company’s president, was the chief operating officer in the timeshare division of a resort company before he started working at Timeshares Only.
Although it’s good for the founders of a timeshare exit company to understand how the industry works, what’s curious about Timeshares Only is that the higher-ups at the company are committed to the ongoing success of the industry. That seems to be the opposite of the stance taken by other timeshare exit companies.
According to the company’s website, Timeshares Only got started to fill a void in the industry. In the mid-1990s, the timeshare industry was booming, perhaps because people had yet to learn how costly the vacation properties could be.
At that time, people who wanted to sell their timeshares didn’t have a way to easily list them. Timeshares Only came online to provide owners with that option. It offers people the option of renting, buying or selling timeshares.
Into the early days of the 21st century, the company used marketing and advertising to spread the word about its existence. Today, the company has split into several divisions. Timeshares Only remains the resale branch while TO GO offers timeshare owners a way to break free from maintenance fees.
How Timeshares Only Works
Timeshares Only provides four services, depending on the needs of a client. The services that are likely to be of the most interest to current timeshare owners are its resale service and its TO GO program.
The resale service seems pretty straightforward. An owner contacts Timeshares Only, either by phone or by filling out a form on the website. From there, Timeshares Only creates an ad describing the property. The property appears as a listing on the company’s website.
Current for-sale listings on the site start at $1 and go up from there. The company apparently helps owners market their property, targeting buyers who would be most interested in it.
Since there can be a considerable gap of time between when a timeshare gets listed for sale and an interested and qualified buyer comes along, Timeshares Only offers a secondary service, TO GO.
The goal of TO GO is to help timeshare owners monetize their properties as they wait for an offer or for a sale to become finalized.
TO GO is described as a membership program. When an owner decides to participate, they convert their ownership in the timeshare into TG Credits. They can then use those credits to get relief from their maintenance fees or to purchase a stay at a different resort or vacation club.
One way to look at the TO GO program is as a timeshare exchange. Members can swap their credits for hotel rooms, resorts weeks or airfare. The program promises that members will get the best rate possible on vacation deals or they’ll get 110% back in cash.
In addition to providing current timeshare owners with a resale listing service, Timeshares Only offers a rental listing service and a for-sale listing service for people looking to rent or purchase a property.
Timeshares Only Pricing
While Timeshares Only promises a 110% money-back guarantee if a TO GO member doesn’t get the best price on a vacation package through its program, it doesn’t make much if any mention of a money-back guarantee for timeshare owners who can’t successfully sell their property.
The company doesn’t specifically state how much it charges on its website, but a look at customer complaints online suggests that there’s a several hundred dollar fee to list a property for sale.
Some timeshare exit companies use an escrow system when collecting payments from clients. With escrow, money is held in a separate account and the company doesn’t officially get paid until they do what they said they would do. In this case, that’s helping a client sell their timeshare.
Timeshares Only seems to charge a listing fee, which doesn’t go into escrow. The company promises to help people every step of the way when selling the timeshare but it’s unclear how much service they actually provide in exchange for the fee.
Working with a company that uses escrow is usually preferable to working with a company that doesn’t. The client has some peace of mind that their money is safe and sound. The company has an extra incentive to deliver on its promises, as it won’t get paid otherwise.
Timeshares Only Qualifications: Who does Timeshares Only Work With?
Timeshares Only claims to work with people who want to sell, buy or rent a timeshare. The company doesn’t specify if it works only with owners from certain resorts or if certain types of timeshares are off-limits. It also doesn’t say whether a timeshare owner needs to own their property outright or if there can be a mortgage on it.
Browsing the for-sale and rental listings on the company’s website reveals that it has timeshares available for rent or purchase from across the U.S. and in the Caribbean.
Online Reviews
The best way to describe online reviews of Timeshares Only is “mixed.” There are many one-star reviews of the company sprinkled across the internet with several five-star or relatively positive reviews in the mix.
When reading reviews, it’s important to look closely at what people say. The more detailed the review, the more likely it is to reflect someone’s genuine experience. Reviews that are vague or that don’t give much in the way of details are likely fake or paid for by the company.
Better Business Bureau Rating of Timeshares Only
Timeshares Only is a Better Business Bureau (BBB) accredited company and has an A+ rating from the BBB. At the same time, it has an average review rating of one out of five stars.
How can that be? It helps to understand what criteria the BBB uses when assigning ratings to businesses. As it turns out, reviews don’t affect the rating at all.
What matters instead is how the business responds to customer complaints. The company’s age and its industry also influence its rating. Timeshares Only has eight customer complaints on the BBB’s site from the past three years.
The complaints are marked as resolved and in many cases, the customer was happy with the solution provided by the BBB.
BBB accreditation also doesn’t rely on reviews. It’s an optional program from the BBB that uses a company’s track record to determine eligibility. Companies that make good faith efforts to be honest and transparent with customers are likely to qualify for BBB accreditation.
If Timeshares Only is so highly rated by the BBB, why are there so many negative reviews about it on the site? In fact, customer reviews are sparse. Between 2018 and 2021, there are just eight reviews of the company.
Many of the reviews have the same complaint: the client paid Timeshares Only to list their property. In some cases, years later the property hasn’t sold.
That’s admittedly a frustrating experience but given the reputation of the timeshare industry, shouldn’t be surprising. Timeshares lose value the minute someone buys them. They are notoriously difficult to sell, even for the bargain price of $1.
It’s difficult to say how much the lack of movement the unhappy timeshare owners is seeing is due to actions taken by Timeshares Only or the state of the timeshare resale market itself.
Other Online Review Sites
Timeshares Only has reviews across the web, on Yelp, ConsumerAffairs and Trustpilot. The reviews on Yelp aren’t exactly rosy. Most people left one-star reviews, for similar reasons as the reviews on the BBB. Interestingly enough, the reviews on Yelp are all several years old, with the most recent dating to 2019.
ConsumerAffairs reviewers also paint a less-than-appealing picture of Timeshares Only. One-star reviews on the site far outnumber the five-star reviews. The people leaving one-star reviews have similar complaints to those on Yelp or the BBB.
Timeshares Only looks much better on Trustpilot, where nearly three-quarters of its reviews are the five-star variety. But a closer look at those reviews shines a light on their validity.
Many of the glowing reviews are vague and could have been written by anyone. A few come from people who have just started working with the company and who don’t have any experience to talk about just yet. In short, the four- and five-star reviews don’t tell much about what a person’s actual exp
Review Summary
Based on the content of online reviews, Timeshares Only seems to suffer from over-promising and under-delivering. This isn’t much of a shock, considering the state of the timeshare industry. People get pulled into timeshares through high-pressure sales presentations and often end up buying properties they don’t want or can’t afford.
In the clear light of day, it can be difficult to see the appeal of a timeshare, which can make it difficult to sell one. Clients who want to sell their property are justified in feeling frustrated that a company that promised to help them do that failed to deliver on that promise.
Timeshares Only Lawsuits
Lawsuits are pretty common in the timeshare industry, with resorts suing timeshare exit companies and dissatisfied timeshare owners suing resorts or timeshare exit companies.
So it’s perhaps surprising that there haven’t been any lawsuits against Timeshares Only.
Who is a Good Fit for Timeshares Only?
If you have a timeshare you want to sell, it can be worthwhile to list it with Timeshares Only. Before you do though, it’s important to go into the process with clear eyes. Timeshares usually don’t have the best resale value. You might have paid thousands for yours and might have to list it for a measly $1.
It’s also important to realize that you might be in for a wait when you list your timeshare with Timeshares Only. How long it takes to sell depends on how attractive your timeshare is in the first place. If it’s in a place people want to visit, then it might seller faster than a timeshare in a more far-flung, less desirable vacation spot.
If you’re interested in getting a timeshare for dirt cheap or are looking for a good deal on a vacation rental, Timeshares Only might be worth checking out.
Pros and Cons of Timeshares Only
Every company has its pros and cons, its reasons to work with, and reasons not to. The same is true of Timeshares Only. While the bad outweighs the good for some companies and the good outweighs the bad at others, Timeshares Only seems fairly balanced. Here’s the good and the bad.
The Good
- Lists timeshares for resale
- Has a credit program
- Can be effective
Lists Timeshares for Resale
Timeshares Only gives people who want to sell their timeshares an easy option for listing their properties. Since the company has ties and connections to the timeshare industry, a listing on its website might be more visible than a listing on a non-timeshare-specific site, like Craigslist or eBay.
The company also promises to help clients create listings that are the most likely to attract buyers.
Has a Credit Program
Selling a timeshare means that the owner is no longer responsible for fees and other expenses. But in the meantime, they still have to pay those costs. Timeshares Only TO GO program helps to make maintenance fees more affordable by giving timeshare owners credits for their unused timeshare weeks.
Owners have the option of cashing in their credits to pay down maintenance fees or using them to take other vacations, as part of an exchange program.
Can Be Effective
While there are some owners who never see their property sell, others do have success on the listing site. For those owners, the flat fee paid upfront can be well worth it.
The Bad
- It’s only as good as the timeshare industry
- You might not see results
- There’s little detail on how worthwhile the credit program is
It’s Only as Good as the Timeshare Industry
Depending on who you ask, Timeshares Only seems to operate on a false premise. It’s powered by the belief that the timeshare industry is booming and that there’s a lot of demand for timeshare properties.
Many timeshare owners would be all too happy to say that isn’t the case. When someone buys a timeshare, they should go into the purchase with the understanding that it’s more like a car than a house. The timeshare is going to lose value rapidly.
That means that if someone wants to sell a timeshare, they aren’t likely to get as much as they would like for it.
Supply and demand also matter. If there are few, if any, timeshare buyers, the value of the property is going to drop. This is one reason why there are so many timeshares for sale for just $1.
The company can market a person’s timeshare relentlessly but if there’s no market interest in it, it just won’t sell.
You Might Not See Results
Similar to the point above, it’s possible for a client to list their timeshare with Timeshares Only and not see any action. Maybe someone comes along to rent it, but it’s possible and based on reviews, even highly likely, that the timeshare won’t sell.
That can be a frustrating experience for a person who wants to get free from their timeshare. It’s an experience that the TO GO program seeks to alleviate, but how successful it will be in doing that can vary from person to person.
There’s Little Detail on How Worthwhile the Credit Program Is
Speaking of the credit, or TO GO program, offered by Timeshares Only, there doesn’t seem to be much information about it beyond the page on the company’s website.
Few reviewers mention it and it’s not exactly clear how it works. Timeshares owners apparently have the option of trading their timeshare value for credits, but what determines the value of the credits?
Final Verdict: Is Timeshares Only a Legit Timeshare Exit Firm?
Should timeshare owners bother to work with Timeshares Only? It really depends on their overall goals. The company can be a worthwhile way to list a timeshare for sale, but it’s important that a person realize exactly what that means. It can take years for the property to sell.
For people looking to get rid of their timeshares quickly, there are likely better options available, depending on the situation. It might be better to work with a company that offers an escrow option and that will take definite action to transfer or otherwise free a person from the burden of timeshare ownership.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who owns Timeshares Only?
Timeshares Only is owned by Bert Blicher. Blicher has a long track record in the timeshares industry and was once the chair of the American Resort Development Association.
Where is Timeshares Only located?
Timeshares Only is based in Orlando, Florida, which some consider the heart of the timeshares industry.
How is Timeshares Only rated online?
Reviews of Timeshares Only are mixed but lean negative, with many people complaining that they have listed their property with the company for years without results.
How is Timeshares Only different from other timeshare exit companies?
Timeshares Only is more of a listing service than an actual timeshare exit company. While many other timeshare exit companies take a hard stance against the timeshare industry, Timeshares Only seem to profit from it by encouraging people to buy or rent properties.
Is Timeshares Only Worth it?
The best advice a person considering working with Timeshares Only might get is to manage their expectations. Things are rarely what they seem to be in the timeshares industry and that’s definitely the case with this company. It might list a person’s property but it might not be for the price that person wants and it might take months or years to sell.