Seaside Consultants Group Ratings and Reviews: Check It Before You Exit Your Timeshare

For many people, the financial burden of owning a timeshare far outweighs the benefits. Timeshares routinely decrease in value even as their maintenance fees increase. A lot of timeshare owners don’t end up using their timeshare as intended, so they’re stuck paying annual fees without getting anything in return. Plus, a timeshare contract is a lifelong commitment that can extend even to one’s descendants.

That’s where timeshare exit companies come in. These companies promise to help get timeshare owners out of their contracts, but not all are trustworthy. If you’re looking for a well-rated, reputable timeshare exit company, Seaside Consultants Group is a solid choice. That said, here’s everything you need to know before choosing them for your timeshare exit needs.

Who is Seaside Consultants Group and What Do They Do?

Seaside Consultants Group is a reputable timeshare exit company based in Encinitas, Calif. It was established in 2014 by Chris Dougherty under the umbrella company, High Rise Marketing, LLC.

Since its founding, Seaside Consultants Group has successfully helped many timeshare owners get out of expensive timeshare contracts. It does this by using a proven timeshare exit strategy that involves a dedicated team of experts and experienced attorneys.

Not only that, but Seaside Consultants is also committed to minimizing the damage done to their clients’ credit during the process. This, along with their exceptional customer service and straightforward process, sets the company apart from competitors.

Seaside Consultants Group is fairly selective with who they work with, meaning they don’t accept all client requests. In general, they will work with clients who:

• Were unclear on the financing terms of their timeshare contract.
• Purchased a timeshare due to high-pressure sales tactics.
• Did not receive information about the true costs of their timeshare. This includes things like special assessment fees and annual maintenance fees.
• Did not receive information regarding their right of rescission (right to cancel the contract within a certain period of time).
• Were lied to about their timeshare or told it was an investment opportunity.
• Suffered from any other form of fraud, misrepresentation, or breach of contract.

In all, Seaside Consultants Group offers three main services:

• Timeshare mortgage cancellation. They provide timeshare relief and contract cancellation, whether the mortgage is paid off or not.
• Timeshare tax preparation. Within Seaside’s legal team is a tax attorney who can help timeshare owners handle next year’s taxes after canceling the contract.
• Credit protection services. Seaside Consultants helps protect their clients’ credit during the timeshare cancellation process. It also works with clients to help them repair any damage the timeshare has already done to their credit.

Seaside Consultants Group’s Process

Seaside Consultants Group’s process for timeshare cancelation is fairly simple and, for many timeshare owners, highly effective.

To begin the process, you will need to fill out a basic contact form requesting a free consultation. Once you’ve done this, it’s simply a matter of waiting for them to reach out or schedule a phone call.

During the free consultation, Seaside Consultants will determine whether or not you qualify for their services. They will typically request specific information and documentation such as:

• The timeshare loan information
• The process of getting the timeshare (including any illegal practices like high-pressured sales tactics)
• All purchase dates for any timeshares you want to cancel
• Timeshare point values

Once you provide this information, a professional analyst will look over everything to make sure all the facts and details are in order. If any key facts are missing, they will request additional documentation.

After that, the analyst will send your case off to the company’s senior leadership team for consideration. This team is the deciding factor in whether or not they can help you get out of the contract. If you do qualify, the analyst will reach back out to explain your options.

The next step in the process starts with a phone call from client cervices. During this call, a representative will welcome you and disclose all the details about their services, costs, and expected timelines. They will also assign you an attorney and disclose information about their credit protection program. The attorney will then contact you directly and request any other necessary paperwork or information before they get to work.

On average, the entire process takes between eight and 12 months. In rare cases, it takes as little as six months. In more complex cases, such as when there are multiple timeshares to cancel, it may take up to 24 months.

Seaside Consultants Group Timeshare Exit Costs

Seaside Consultants Group offers an escrow payment option to its clients. With this option, the client puts a termination fee in a holding account. This money remains in the account until Seaside Consultants successfully cancels the timeshare. If the company fails to perform the service as promised, they never receive payment.

There are a couple of key advantages to the escrow payment option.

• First, it motivates the company to perform the service as promised and without unnecessary delay. After all, they don’t receive payment until after they cancel the contract.
• Second, it gives clients the peace of mind that the company will not scam them out of thousands of dollars.
• Third, it protects the clients in case the company suddenly goes out of business or declares bankruptcy.

Not all timeshare exit companies offer an escrow payment option. Instead, they may have a “100% money-back guarantee” and require payment upfront.

While this isn’t a problem by itself, it can become one when it comes to timeshare exit scams. Many people end up losing thousands of dollars to scam companies promising (and failing) to cancel their contracts. These companies don’t have a specific deadline for canceling the contract, so they could potentially keep the money indefinitely with a “100% money-back guarantee.”

As for fees, Seaside Consultants Group does not list its fees online. This isn’t uncommon in the industry. After all, each case is different, so the total cost of the service varies based on such factors as:

• The details about the timeshare contract
• How many timeshares a client has (and is trying to get rid of)
• How much money the client owes on their contract

Based on online reviews from past customers though, Seaside Consultants’ timeshare cancellation fees range from around $4,000 to $8,000. This is fairly standard among other timeshare exit companies.

Can You Trust Seaside Consultants Group?

Many websites online rate Seaside Consultants Group highly. This includes the Better Business Bureau (BBB), Yelp, Facebook, and BestCompany. Most of these positive reviews are related to the following:

• Superior customer service
• Clear and transparent process
• Effective, straightforward timeshare exit strategy
• Prompt exit from their timeshare
• Consistent updates along the way

By the site, Seaside Consultants has:

• An overall score of 7.4/10 on BestCompany with 4.9 stars out of 25 customer reviews.
• An A+ rating on BBB with nearly a 100% customer satisfaction rate. It’s also BBB accredited and has 4.52/5 stars on BBB with 21 customer reviews.
• 4/5 stars on Yelp with 3 reviews

What’s Good About Seaside Consultants Group?

As a timeshare exit company, there are far more positives to Seaside Consultants Group than there are negatives. Here are the main ones:

• Transparent practices and proven timeshare exit strategy.
• Free resources online (ex. timeshare statistics and a full page dedicated to providing info on every state’s timeshare exit laws).
• A real person (online agent) is available to chat during business hours.
• Timeshare actual cost calculators. There’s one for both mortgage and maintenance fees and one for just maintenance fees. Simply input the monthly and annual fees for the timeshare to get the real cost.
• Escrow payment option rather than a vague “100% money-back guarantee.”
• Each client is assigned a qualified timeshare attorney who specializes in real estate and consumer protection laws related to vacation or timeshare ownership.
• Option to consult a tax attorney to help with filing taxes to the IRS after the contract is canceled.
• Exceptional customer service and high overall customer satisfaction.
• They offer bilingual services in English and Spanish.
• Simple process that typically results in a prompt timeshare exit.
• Free initial, obligation-free consultation.
• Competitive costs (starting at $4,000) and timelines (8-12 month average completion time).
• Well-established company with a highly responsive team that’s there every step of the way.
• Works with timeshare owners who are victims of fraud, high-pressure sales tactics, and misrepresentation.
• Able to help those who are behind on their payments or have a timeshare in collections or foreclosure.
• Offers credit protection during the process and helps repair credit damage caused by the timeshare.
• Dedicated to getting clients at least a partial refund for their timeshare.
• Full timeshare cancelation. No relisting, buying, transferring, or selling.

What’s Bad About Seaside Consultants Group?

Here are the main drawbacks to choosing Seaside Consultants Group for your timeshare exit needs:

• They’re selective about who they’ll work with, so not everyone qualifies for timeshare cancelation.
• They will not work with clients who’ve inherited a timeshare or who’ve purchased one on the resale market.
• The company does not cancel timeshares with too low of maintenance or annual fees (unclear minimums).
• Timeshare cancellation fees are not clearly listed on their website.
• The length of time to cancel the timeshare contract varies on a case-to-case basis.
• The escrow protection costs extra.
• The company has limited weekend hours.

Lawsuits Against Seaside Consultants Group

Seaside Consultants Group does not have any current or past lawsuits. In fact, this timeshare exit company abides by the laws of each and every state. It is also licensed to operate in all 50 states.

Online Reputation

Here are some recent customer reviews about Seaside Consultants Group from BestCompany:

• Pamela Estrada wrote: “This is the first company that actually did what they said they would do! We had been trying to get rid of the awful burden of a timeshare for years! All you have to do is call. They ask you some questions & determine if they can help. You then provide them with the timeshare information & they start working. They take payment over the time it takes to handle the claim & then it’s done. They took care of everything! We would highly recommend Seaside Consultants to rid you of your timeshare burden!”
• Tori Murphy wrote: “Seaside got me out of my timeshare. They stuck by my side every step of the way. Everyone I communicate with was professional, caring and extremely friendly. Their main focus was getting me out of my timeshare ASAP and they delivered what they said they would do. I highly recommend Seaside Consultants if you have a timeshare you need to get rid of it.”

Here is a positive review from Yelp:

Here is a negative review from Yelp:

Here’s a positive review from BBB:

Here is a negative review from BBB:

For negative reviews and complaints, Seaside Consultants Group has a quick response time and is informative, professional, and friendly. On average, they respond within 1 to 2 weeks.

Seaside Consultants Group’s Website

Seaside Consultants Group’s official website looks very professional. They do not make any false or exaggerated claims about their process or their success rate. The information about their process, services, and terms is all very clear. Everything appears to be on par with other legitimate timeshare exit companies.

While some timeshare exit companies cherry-pick the reviews and testimonials they display, Seaside Consultants does not. The customer reviews they do list are consistent with the reviews on other reputable sites like BBB and Yelp.

Finally, the company has plenty of helpful resources throughout its website. This includes:

• Clear information about how the process works and what to expect.
• State-by-state laws page.
• The types of clients they’ll work with.
• Timeshare mortgage and maintenance calculators for the true costs of timeshare ownership.

Social Media Presence

Seaside Consultants Group is not very active on social media. In fact, they only appear to have a Facebook and a Twitter page. By the numbers:

• Facebook: Seaside Consultants has 149 followers and a 5-star rating. The latest posts were in April 2019 with limited engagement. These posts are all about timeshares with information about the company’s services.
• Twitter: The company has 9 followers on Twitter. The official Twitter was last updated in April 2019. The content here is similar to that on Facebook and has limited engagement.

While there is a company operating under a similar name on LinkedIn, Seaside Consultants Group doesn’t appear to have its own LinkedIn page. It also doesn’t show up on other popular social media platforms like Instagram or TikTok.

Although engagement and overall activity are low, there also aren’t any negative comments on the company’s social media platforms.

The Bottom Line

Finding a reputable timeshare exit company can be tricky, especially with so many timeshare exit scams out there. Seaside Consultants Group, however, is a reputable timeshare exit company that is legally allowed to permanently cancel timeshare contracts. They use a tried-and-true timeshare exit strategy to help timeshare owners get out of their contracts. Plus, they employ a dedicated team of experts, including tax and timeshare attorneys, and have a hands-on process.

Seaside Consultants does have a thorough screening process, so not everyone will qualify for their timeshare mortgage cancelation service. However, if you have been pressured or misled into signing a timeshare contract, Seaside Consultants may be able to help.

Along with timeshare cancellation, the company also helps protect its clients’ credit during the process. The help does not stop there though. Once the contract has been successfully canceled, the company also offers credit repair and tax preparation help.

Seaside Consultants Group is committed to customer satisfaction, and it shows through the many positive reviews online. The company is known for its exceptional customer service, straightforward and effective process, transparency, and responsiveness. Plus, with an escrow payment option, it offers clients the added benefit of knowing their money is being used as intended.

These factors helped it land on our recommendations for the top timeshare exit companies.

So if you are ready to stop paying endless maintenance or other associated timeshare fees on a property you no longer want or can’t afford, it may be worth contacting Seaside Consultants Group for an obligation-free consultation.

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