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Advocate Financial Services
Recommended Timeshare Exit Companies
Advocate Financial Services Review
- October 13, 2021
Table of Contents
Advocate of Financial Services was established in 2011 and is based in Fort Lauderdale. This company, as far as we know, is a timeshare exit company, although it adopts a somewhat unique way in getting timeshare owners out of their timeshare contracts. However, while reviewing the company, there are many things we find confusing.
First, the company claims it is not a timeshare exit company but offers educational program on timeshare issues. Could this claim be true? Was the company set up for just that? There is proof that shows the company helps customers cancel their timeshare contracts on the company’s “testimonials” page.
Another more confusing claim made by the company is that it does not charge any fees for their services to their customers. Really? Does that mean Advocate Financial Services serves its customers for free? This, among many other questions, is one reason we have reviewed this company. This is in a bid to make sure we do not mislead you, our esteemed customers, by handing you over to a wrong timeshare exit company. Sit and enjoy our review of Advocate Financial Services.
4.3
4.3/5
- Highly Rated on BBB
- $50,000.00 Surety Bond
- Offers Timeshare Education Program
- Sate Licensed and Regulated by the Florida Department of Consumer Services
- Won a Couple of Merit Awards
Advocate Financial Services Timeshare Cancellation
Advocate Financial Services does help its customers cancel timeshare contracts. However, the way it helps customers cancel their timeshare contacts is a little bit of mystery. The company claims it does not use attorneys. This could be found on the homepage of the company’s website. The company claims its goal is to help “customers within timeshare community to understand their options and have an educated approach.”
The company goes further by saying that the developers sometimes may not be blamed for the mistakes of most timeshare owners. This is because some salespersons have the habit of tricking customers into buying timeshares without even reading the contract properly before signing. But since no one could be forced to sign a contract, “aggressive, pushy, or manipulative sales practices are impossible to prove.”
According to the company, customers can, however, make a logical argument for early termination. To have that done “legally, ethically, and properly; a timeshare attorney that understands consumer protection law and timeshare law” will be required; “NOT TIMESHARE EXIT COMPANIES.” This claim by the company still makes us ask the same question,” which service does this company really offer? Or does this company mean they have the attorneys who understand customer protection law and timeshare law? But then, the claim that Advocate Financial Services does not make use of attorneys is also confusing.
As far as we know, Advocate Financial Services prioritizes Consumer Protection Laws in a bid to defend customers against “unfair and deceptive sales/ business practices.” This is because the laws will allow timeshare owners to “dispute” their contracts “due to consumer rights violations or breach of contract.” This is why the company claims having a timeshare attorney that knows about customer rights is important. With this claim that we found on the company’s “cancellation page,” we could have concluded that the company only offers to educate customers on their timeshare issues. But the customers’ statements on “testimonials” still give us another reason not to make a hasty announcement.
Advocate Financial Services Cost and Fees
The company claims it does not charge any fee for the services it renders for people. Even if that is not true, there is no page on the company’s website where any fee is displayed. The company does not mention that it uses an escrow payment option, and neither does it mention that it offers a 100% money-back guarantee. But the statement, “insured and bonded; AFS Corp has posted a $50,000.00 surety bond which guarantees clients’ services being rendered” still makes us wonder why such a guarantee is necessary if the company does not charge any fee.
To get the specific information about the fees and cost of hiring the company, if it does charge for its services, our candid advice is that you contact them via the contact links provided on the official website.
Advocate Financial Services Reviews
The page that caught our attention the most while reviewing the company’s website is the “credentials” page. On the page, the company flaunts a couple of awards that it has won over the years while serving its customers. These awards are 2014 and 2015 Financial Service Provider award of the year and 2019 Lauderdale Business Hall of Fame awards respectively.
The company claims it has won the latter award for five consecutive years. It is on this page we also learned that the company is highly rated by BBB. In fact, the company has an A+ rating on the reputable third-party website. Advocate Financial Services is “sate licensed and regulated by the Florida Department of Consumer Services.”
On the homepage of the website are bold writings which give us rather more confusing information about the company. It is on the page we learned that the company does not make use of attorneys, and that it doesn’t charge any fee for the services it renders for its customers. In addition, when going through the “testimonials” page, we saw a number of positive comments of the customers the company has worked with in the past. As usual, they are all positive comments.
Advocate Financial Services Ratings
As stated above, there are only positive reviews about the company on its official website. But while going through some popular third-party websites, this is what we found.
Ratings on Third-Party Platforms
Total Reviews: NIL
- BBB
Total Reviews: 2
Positive Reviews: 1
Negative Reviews:1
- Best Company
Total Reviews: NIL
- Yelp
Total Reviews: NIL
Trustpilot
Total Reviews: NIL
Advocate Financial Services Scam
The company has won a number of awards in recognition of the services it has rendered for its customers in the past. Moreover, the company is highly rated on BBB, one of the most popular third-party rating websites. The company also claims that it doesn’t charge any fee for its services. So, when we consider all those points, together with the claim that there is $50,000.00 surety bond which will guarantee that clients’ services will be rendered; we may be right to say Advocate Financial Services is not a scam.
There are also many publications on the company’s blog section that support the claim that the company is not likely to be an illegal company. You can hire the company for your timeshare cancellation if you find the above information convincing.
Conclusion
By now, you should have decided on whether the company is worth hiring for your timeshare exit contract or not. However, our advice will always be that you hire a company which is on escrow.