Timeshare Defense Attorneys Review

Timeshare Defense Attorneys is a relatively new timeshare exit company that claims it can help you get rid of your timeshare. The company is owned by a relatively new lawyer named Richard Fonbuena who passed the bar exam in May 2019 according to the Nevada state bar website.

Although Richard Fonbuena is a relatively new lawyer, there are a few things on the company’s website that we like. To start, Timeshare Defense Attorneys mentions that the first step to get rid of your timeshare is to contact your resort developer. This is absolutely correct. Some timeshare developers have introduced “deed back” programs where they will take back the timeshare for a low fee.

Timeshare Developer’s Deed Back Program vs Timeshare Exit Company

Some timeshare exit companies won’t tell you that the resort has a deed back program. Instead, they’ll charge you thousands of dollars up front, and then use the resort’s deed back program themselves. If the resort offers a deed back program, there is absolutely no reason to use a timeshare exit company.

Some timeshare exit companies will tell you that they may be able to get your money back from the timeshare developer, but this is rarely the case. Again, if the resort offers you a way out of your timeshare through its deed back program, you should use that option. The timeshare exit company will always be more expensive than the resort’s deed back program and won’t provide any additional benefits.

Timeshare Defense Attorneys gets a +1 from us here at TimeshareExitCompanies.com for its transparency.

In House vs Outsourced Attorneys

Moving further down the homepage we see that the company claims to offer a “fixed fee.” If true, this would be a good sign because some timeshare exit companies will charge one price, and then later down the road asks for more. This typically happens with timeshare exit companies that outsource the work to lawyers outside of their company.

When an exit company outsources the work to lawyers outside of its company, it loses all control of the process. The lawyer that the exit company outsourced the work to could stop working on the case or fail in its pursuit to get the owner out of the timeshare. These outside lawyers don’t care about your case because they weren’t the ones that signed you up to the program. If your case is too difficult, they’ll just stop working on it because it doesn’t reflect badly on them.

When an outsourced lawyer stops working on your case, the exit company typically hires a new lawyer and passes the additional cost on to the timeshare owner. Timeshare Defense Attorneys appears to do most of the work in-house, but the disclaimer at the bottom of its website does state the following:

“Timeshare Defense Attorneys has contractual agreements with licensed lawyers throughout its network that specialize in timeshare and consumer protection law.“

This indicates that some of the work is outsourced to outside lawyers. This is a slippery slope and something you should keep in mind when hiring any timeshare exit company.

Furthermore, if the timeshare exit company is going to outsource the work to an outside attorney, what is the purpose of the timeshare exit company being in the middle? Why not just work with a lawyer directly and save on cost? When the exit company outsources the work, the exit company doesn’t really serve any purpose anymore unless it’s going to attempt to protect or clean up your credit during the exit process. Then again, why would your credit be affected if the lawyer is going to get you out?

100% Client Satisfaction Guarantee vs Escrow Payment Option

We also see a mention of a 100% client satisfaction guarantee on the homepage. We typically like to recommend working with exit companies and lawyers that do not charge up-front or offer a low up-front escrow payment option because a “100% satisfaction guarantee” or a “100% money-back guarantee” doesn’t really mean anything at all. The exit company could take your money up-front and never resolve your timeshare issue and not refund your money despite its claims of a money-back guarantee.

Learn more about escrow and why it’s important here.

The only thing better than a low up-front fee escrow payment option is a no up-front fee payment option, but this doesn’t really exist in the timeshare exit industry.

If you’re attempting to sell your timeshare through a real estate agent you won’t need to pay the real estate agent up-front because it’s illegal in most states for real estate agents to charge up-front. However, real estate agents work on commission and most timeshares can’t even be sold for $1, so most real estate agents don’t want to work with timeshares.

If your timeshare is located on Hawaii or Aruba or you own a Disney Vacation Club you can likely find a timeshare real estate agent that will be happy to take you on as a client. Disney Vacation Club points and timeshares on Hawaii or Aruba typically hold their value quite well.

FAQ Page Analysis

Heading over to the FAQ page and we see a series and questions that Timeshare Defense Attorneys has answered. Most answers are accurate, but one that stands out is the time frame of 3 months to 36 months to get owners out of their timeshare. Most timeshare exit companies quote about 12 months to get out, so this is quite a bit longer than average.

Timeshare Defense Attorneys Reviews

This is a newer company so reviews online are few and far between. We did find one five star review on Google, but there was nothing written to go along with the review. We’ll update the Timeshare Defense Attorneys review section when more reviews come in.

Timeshare Defense Attorneys Cost

Like most timeshare exit companies, the Timeshare Defense Attorneys cost is not available online. The company mentions that it is a customized service so it can’t provide a cost without a free consultation. This is understandable as most timeshare exit companies do not provide their cost online.

Summary

Overall, there a few things we like about Timeshare Defense Attorneys and a few things we don’t like.

  • We like that they’re actual lawyers, but dislike the outsourcing of work to other lawyers outside of their firm.
  • We like the transparency on their website of telling you to contact your timeshare first, but dislike the time they’ve quoted to get you out of your timeshare.
  • We don’t like their lack of time in business and how new of a lawyer Richard Fonbuena is.

The company may be an ok choice for timeshare cancellation, but there are several companies that have been doing this much longer and with a stronger track record. Take a look at our recommended companies here or give us a call at 833-416-8796 for a free consultation.