11/30/2010 9:42 AM (PST)

William & Diane,

Above you will see links to both the BBB Report and Reviews for Timeshare Relief.

Here are links for the same for Transfer Smart:

http://www.la.bbb.org/Business-Report/Transfer-Smart-LLC-100092294

http://www.trustlink.org/BusinessProfile.aspx?ID=206079205

Both companies are in good standing with the BBB.

There are legitimate title transfer companies that will actually purchase a timeshare, and the benefit to the timeshare owner is that when closed, it gets them out from under the continuing obligations for common area fees. But the whole industry is hot with scams and fraud.

Be aware of a sequence of slick sales tricks - here are some scenarios:

1) The timeshare company offers to list your timeshare and you pay them a marketing fee, but after a few months when it doesn't sell they try to upsell you into an upgraded marketing package of some sort for more exposure (and more money) with so called guaranteed results.

2) After a few months of it still not selling they then offer to do you a favor and take it off of your hands for free so that you don't have to pay the monthly maintenence fees. The monthly expenses are a cost burden to many people who become desperate to get out from under these. These companies know that and use it against you.

3) They try to convince you to turn over the timeshare and "take it off of your hands" for free - now they really start marketing your timeshare, which they now own, and they sell it at a profit. The point is that the only timeshares they are actually selling are the ones that they themselves own through their process of psychologically wearing down so many timeshare owners and convincing them to give up their timeshare properties.

12/3/2010 3:48 PM (PST)

Timeshare Relief is the largest of the "pay us to take your timeshare" companies. Their business model is based on generating traffic to local seminars, where a well designed presentation is given to convince timeshare owners that they must pay a high fee in order to have the company take over their timeshare ownership. Currently, I'm not aware of any proven instances where a consumer stated that the transfer process was not completed, although there have been numerous reports that owners have "fallen through the cracks" and had to repeatedly complain before the transfer was completed. The other main complaint about their business model is that at times, the sales people running the seminars appear to push the envelope of truth during their presentations. You can find some of these discussions on the timeshare bulletin boards www.tugbbs.com and www.timeshareforums.com. What I would strongly urge you to consider before paying any type of large upfront fee to liquidate or give away an unwanted timeshare week, is to fully research the secondary market to ensure you make an educated decision and don't simply react on impulse. A consumer should never make an impulse or emotional decision to buy or sell a timeshare! It is a very specialized form of luxury purchase that can either be a tremendous enjoyment to the owner, or can be a major financial commitment that offers very little financial value over time. Always take your time and do as much research as possible. Other options you may have are to relinquish the ownership rights back to the developer or timeshare owners association, give away the ownership via a low cost or free classified venue or newspaper, list the property with a respected licensed brokerage who does not require any type of upfront fee and only earns a commission at closing, or even give the ownership to family or friends who may enjoy using the luxury vacation villa. You can learn more about the timeshare industry in general at either of the two bulletin boards mentioned earlier in the post. You can also subscribe to the free online magazine www.vacation-times.org for articles and advice. Plus there are many other free venues with helpful information. Always remember to take everything you read with a grain of salt, and always verify information with more than one source. Good luck and God bless..

6/22/2011 5:10 PM (PST)

Based on BBB info, they are, for all practical purposes, the same company. Along with 4 others listed at the same street address. Same officers. http://www.la.bbb.org/BBB-Accredited/Find/Time-Shares-6267/Torrance Not clear to me why a company would choose to build so many 'faces' for the consumer.

5/17/2012 12:16 PM (PST)

In 2/2011 Igave Transfer Smart a good amount of money. They were suppose to transfer my timeshare out of my name within 120 days. It is now 15months later and i am still waiting. I have made several calls and been given a bundle of reasons why this has not happened. I also faxed a maintenance bill to them in January of this year to be paid since they are suppose to accept the responsibility of all maintenance fees. This bill has not been paid as of this date and also had finance charges attached to it. My husband and i never make foolish mistakes like this and cannot beleive that we fell for the sales pitch that was handed to us by EV the sales representative. I would not recommend this company or any of the the others to any one. Keep the timeshare it is less of a hassle than trying to get out of it. I am sick over this and I am about to hire an attorney which will cost more money but i will make sure in the end. Transfer Smart is liable for what they gauranteed. Do not hire this company or any of their counterparts to take your timeshare off you hands.

5/17/2012 4:22 PM (PST)

Barbara, I'm sorry to hear this has happened. I would urge you to call and ask for any of the following individuals who are shown on the BBB listing: - Robert Podlesni (Account Administrator) - Rosalind Andres (Customer Service Manager) - Cindy Martin MacMillan (Principal) If you are unable to reach them in a timely manner, you can file a complaint with the BBB and they will also contact the company on your behalf. Their BBB listing shows that 17 consumer complaints were successfully resolved with BBB assistance. You can file a complaint at http://www.la.bbb.org/business-reviews/Time-Shares/Transfer-Smart-LLC-in-Torrance-CA-100092294 Hopefully, you will be able to resolve your situation without resorting to any type of lawsuit or legal action.

7/29/2012 11:06 AM (PST)

Is Time Relief company the same as Transfer America? If yes, you are for a long journey. They have been transferring my timeshare since November 2010 and it is still not transferred. They have promised to pay maintenance fee and they did not for the year 2012. I have complained to BBB and they are trying to mediate, but responses from Transfer America are pure lies. I am planning to meet with attorney and open a court case

4/28/2014 10:02 AM (PST)

Timeshare Relief is a company based on Torrance, California. They claim to have successfully helped over 85,000 timeshare scam victims, and to provide their clients a 100% guaranteed solution. They help their clients, by removing their names from the contract and by transferring the title to someone else. Timeshare relief is, per se, a timeshare transfer company. According to the BBB, there is an alert the business and a total of 17 complaints since March 10, 2013. The company is NOT BBB accredited. Due to the infraction of several laws, in 2012, Timeshare Relief had to pay a penalty of $13,950 USD. http://www.timesharescam.com/blog/174-timeshare-relief/