Toronto

'I would just like it to be over': Thornhill woman remains stuck in timeshare contract

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Pat Foran Consumer Reporter

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A Thornhill woman said she can’t get out of her timeshare agreement more than three years after she paid a company over $4,000 to break the contract.

Judy and her husband George Langfield bought the timeshare north of Barrie in 1999.

She said they initially enjoyed the timeshare and used it each year to celebrate their anniversary. But she said each year the annual maintenance fees would go up and now they are more than $1,000 annually.

In 2016, the Langfields decided they would try to get out of their timeshare contract.

“With the maintenance fees and we weren't using it so we thought we should try and get rid of it if we can," Judy Langfield said.

The Langfields went to a company called Timeshare Exit Team and paid them $4,521 to help them get out of their timeshare contract.

The correspondence from the original timeshare company stopped for a while, Judy Langfield said, and the company is now seeking past annual dues as she remains locked in her contract.

“I feel stuck. I’ve lost both the $4,521 and now I owe them another $3,000 for maintenance fees. I just want to get rid of it," Langfield said.

When CTV News Toronto contacted Timeshare Exit Team the company's CEO Brandon Reed said that, “upon reaching out to Judy Langfield, we realized there had been some misunderstandings…we have apologized…and we provided her with a full update on the status of her case.”

Months after the couple reached out to Timeshare Exit Team, George Langfield passed away.

The Timeshare Exit Team said it sent a hardship letter to the Langfield's timeshare noting that her husband had died and said she can no longer afford the timeshare. But Timeshare Exit Team said "they unfortunately chose to disregard her personal hardships and her requests to be relieved from this ongoing burden.”

The company blamed the timeshare industry for allowing lifetime contracts that are a burden to people as they get older. Timeshare Exit Team said it will continue to work with Langfield and she remains hopeful that somehow she will be able to exit her timeshare in the near future.