Vacation Ownership Consultants also referred to as VOC, was founded in 2014 and is headquartered in Scottsdale, AZ. VOC is a timeshare exit company that provides clients with timeshare contract termination services. The company specializes in clear attorney-based services that eliminates timeshare agreements, mortgages, and annual fees.
Analysis of Vacation Ownership Consultants’ Website
Vacation Ownership Consultants’ website appears to be a modern layout that allows the visitor to find information quickly and easily.
Personally, and probably like most visitors, we like to review the “About Us” section first so we can see if there is adequate information provided to a potential client about who the company is and why it formed.
The “About Us” section immediately starts with a 2.14-minute animated video that answers the question, “Why hire VOC (Vacation Owner Consultants)?” In the video, the company mentions its “proven method” and that VOC is the low-cost leader of timeshare termination and cancellation in the industry. An interesting claim considering their cost cannot be found on their website.
After the video ends, you will see a list of suggested videos that are listed on their Vacation Ownership Consultant’s YouTube channel so you can watch and learn more about exits, timeshare cancellations and other topics of interest for current timeshare owners.
Beyond the first video on the page, a visitor will find subsequent sections describing more about the VOC company culture, why the company started in the business and more about its founders.
We always feel it is important for a timeshare exit company to show pictures and names of some of their staff as its nice to know “who” you may potentially be working with. The VOC website’s “About Us” section does not disappoint and provides a good summary about the people who work for VOC.
Branching from the “About Us” section, there is a link to more information where you can learn more about Mike Cantrell and Jeremy Russo, owners and co-founders of VOC, and how they became known as the “first” entrepreneurs to develop a timeshare cancellation company that legitimately terminates paid-off contracts and mortgages.
Prior to forming VOC, Mike and Jeremy were both consultants in the vacation rental industry where they witnessed the seemingly endless frustrations owners had with their timeshares. From their experience as consultants, they found that most of these frustrations stem from the fact that when a timeshare owner attempts to get out of their timeshare, they are enticed with upgrades and other manipulative tactics instead of working with them to come to an agreeable solution to allow the owner to be legally relinquished from their contract.
It certainly sounds like the founders have empathy for their potential clients.
As a preliminary step for potential clients, the website offers a form that helps potential clients determine if they qualify for a timeshare cancellation program. We would like to mention that elsewhere on the website, they do state that they “qualify all owners” which is typically a good thing. A timeshare exit company that takes on every client usually does not have the timeshare owner’s best interest at heart.
The “FAQ” web page listed under “How it Works” from the top navigation, is especially informative and features several additional videos made by Vacation Ownership Consultants in addition to “written” answers which are links to additional articles one can read to learn more.
Vacation Ownership Consultants’ services are “attorney-based,” according to the website, which gives credibility to their business. However, VOC is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice nor do the services include a lawyer referral. Instead, the business model is based on consulting, information, and “software only.” It’s not really clear which software the company may be referring to but it could be the informative website including the client portal which we have not seen present on other websites.
The company mentions on its “How It Works” webpage that customers looking to break their timeshare contract should first reach out to their timeshare developer to see if there are any timeshare cancellation options available through them. This is good advice, as some timeshare companies already have programs for timeshare cancellation in place.
VOC also cover the ineffective ways of getting out of contracts such as: resale listings, deeds, or take-backs, transfer or donate and lastly, abandoning contracts which can have long lasting repercussions including collection actions if a timeshare owner believes they can simply “walk away” from their timeshare commitment. We agree that many of these methods are ineffective, but it is possible to resell a small number of timeshares such as the Disney Vacation Club and many timeshares on Hawaii or Aruba.
Regarding reviews, the website offers written and video customer testimonials under their review section.
The website also lays out very simple sections that link to BBB, TrustPilot, Facebook, Yelp and Google along with some reviews that are hardcoded onto the website. From our perspective, when a timeshare exit company links directly to off-site reviews it shows that transparency and encourages potential clients to absorb as much information as possible before going into agreement with a timeshare exit company.
Overall, the website content shows they are knowledgeable about the industry and every attempt is made to provide a wealth of information so potential clients can make an informed decision about taking next steps to get out of their timeshare.
Vacation Ownership Consultants Reviews
Online and outside of their website, the Vacation Ownership Consultants reviews are overwhelmingly positive. We recommend that anyone who is considering a timeshare exit company to read through reviews as one can often find additional information about VOC’s services including cost and duration.
Starting with the Better Business Bureau (BBB), as of 2/19/2021, the Vacation Ownership Consultants rating is an A+ and has a 4.99-star rating (out of 5) stars based on 73 reviews.
Currently, VOC has no complaints or open cases. We were able to find one review that mentions the “100% money back guarantee” that other companies offer and how they were not able to get their money back.
At the time of this review, VOC’s rating on Trustpilot was a 4.9-star rating (out of 5) stars out of 85 reviews. VOC’s lowest ratings was still a great rating of 4 stars and the reviewer did not provide any explanation as to why only 4 stars and not 5.
See one of them below.
98% of the reviews were rated at 5 stars.
Yelp shows 5-star rating out of 5 stars and 7 reviews.
And like the other sites, Google also shows a 5-star rating out of 5 stars with 28 reviews.
We did notice one review that mentions “legal” although we are not sure in what context. On the VOC LinkedIn page, the company describes itself as, “…a timeshare consumer services firm. Our company works with real estate attorneys and brokers who specialize in this field.”
Either way, the client successfully got rid of their contract.
Vacation Ownership Consultants Cost of Services
The Vacation Ownership Consultants cost does not appear online, which is like other timeshare exit companies that charge various fees on a case-by-case basis.
The company reviews mention basing fees off the amount of the timeshare’s yearly or bi-yearly maintenance charges and this appears to be consistent with some of the reviews we have read as well.
The reviews also compare VOCs fees as being an affordable, one-time flat rate and less than what one would pay for expensive attorney’s fees.
On Vacation Ownership Consultants’ BBB page, one customer did mention paying $3,000 for their services and the same mentioned on a Google review.
On TrustPilot, one reviewer mentioned they paid 4 to 5 times the cost of the annual maintenance fees. These amounts are not verifiable.
Other reviews state that services were reasonable and affordable, but of course what is affordable for one person may be exuberant for another.
It also seems that the fees are charged up front, at least according to another BBB reviewer. We typically like to recommend working with exit companies that offer a low up-front fee escrow payment option so the exit company doesn’t get paid until after the timeshare has been cancelled.
Learn more about escrow and why it’s important here.
We would encourage any potential client to take advantage of their “no-cost consultation” to help get more information about their situation. During the no-cost consultation, VOC will provide a quote, according to their website.
Vacation Ownership Consultants Process Time
VOC does not mention how long the overall process will take, which is odd considering many other timeshare exit companies quote around 12 months. Like costs, all cases are different so costs and duration of your case will all depend on various factors such as ownership type, the total number of contracts and financial liability.
However, we were able to get a glimpse into potential duration after reading through a few reviews. The shortest time frame we were able to find was “116 days” while the longest duration mentioned was 12 months.
Of course, we do not have the specifics so only consider any mentions of timeframes and costs as a guideline.
Concluding Thoughts
Overall, Vacation Ownership Consultants appears to have a positive reputation as a legitimate timeshare exit company.
However, Vacation Ownership Consultants also alludes on their website to customers paying up-front for their service, which is not recommended.
Too often in the timeshare exit company industry, scams occur where businesses charge a client money up-front then disappear with the funds or go out of business and never refund the money.
With such high customer and third-party ratings, we do not suspect this company to be a scam however, we like to recommend that our readers work with a timeshare exit company that offers a low up-front fee escrow payment option, where clients can first pay the service charge to a third-party holding account that only releases the money to the business itself upon the cancellation of the timeshare. This is especially true if a company promises 100% satisfaction guarantee or has a 100% client satisfaction rate. This is the best way to protect yourself from scams.
Learn more about escrow and why it’s important here.
To find out more about low up-front fee escrow payment options or get more advice about timeshare exit companies, please reach out to us via our contact form or our live chat. Or call 833-416-8796.
