State laws offer consumers who have purchased timeshares some built-in protections from deceptive practices. Timeshare purchasers are usually legislated a certain amount of time—a minimum number of days—in which to rescind (or cancel) the contract they have signed. This time period ranges from three days to fifteen, depending on the state in which the contract is signed—and the legislatures have so far on the whole ensured that these cancellations are “nonwaiveable,” which means the timeshares can’t make a consumer sign away this right.
In Florida, the home of The People’s Advocate (and the state with by far the largest number of timeshares in the nation), Florida Statute Title XL, Chapter 721, Section 10 provides consumers with the right to cancel the timeshare contract by midnight on the tenth day after the contract is executed, or after the consumer has received all required paperwork associated with the sale—whichever comes later.
But cancellation is no simple procedure. And the timeshares count on that.
For one thing, you must send what is known as a “cancellation letter,” which is required to include certain information—the lack of which can cause the letter to be considered ineffective. That means the contract will still go into effect, leaving you stuck with the timeshare. If the letter is sent (and received) in time, any and all money a purchaser has put toward the sale must be returned.
Of course, here at The People’s Advocate, we know these procedures inside and out, and can ensure you get out of that timeshare contract—so long as you contact us in time.
But what if you don’t?
We can take a look at the process that was gone through to get you into a contract—and we can examine the contract itself, to see if there are any illegal or invalid elements applied within it. Every case is different, and only analysis can help us know if perhaps the courts would support declaring a contract invalid—whether because of breach, or fraud in the inducement, or some other cause of action.
Contact us today—as you can see, time is of the essence!—if you are having second thoughts about that timeshare you just bought. We will look at the specifics of your case; we can draft an unassailable cancellation letter to ensure your freedom from the sale if we are given enough time—and we can look into the details of the sale if the cancellation period has passed. At The People’s Advocate, we are passionate about helping consumers fight back against the timeshare scam industry.