Preferred Cancellation Services
Preferred Cancellation Services Review
Founder Paul Merk is listed as Managing Member of Preferred Cancellation Services on the Better Business Bureau’s site. In 2014, then in 2018, Paul started Preferred Cancellation Services. Florida was a prime location for this new venture as the sunshine state is also the timeshare capital of the world. Preferred Cancellation Center has two locations listed- Daytona and Orlando.
Free Wesley Financial Survey:
Cancel Your Timeshare!
Website Review
Although the website does have a live chat option, the chatbox keeps popping up, blocking our view of the page.
Home Page
At the top of this page, you’ll see the large 100% Money-back guarantee badge. Also, a 1:20 explainer video from their Youtube page is colorful and does a good job of detailing PCS’s process. A phone number is listed on the page, or fill out the short form, and someone will call you.
Our Purpose Summary
– Transparency
“When using the “Preferred Timeshare Cancellation Service, there will be total transparency throughout the process.”
– Listening
“Our advocates at Preferred Cancellation Services understand what you have been through, are dealing with currently.”
– Advice
“We will supersede your expectations in the first few minutes of speaking to one of our advocates.”
– Reviews From People Like You
This slider section has review snippets whizzing by. The good thing is you can click on any one of these reviews (click the person’s photo) to get to the source of the reviews, Google.
The following section is a paragraph about the company’s origins.
About
Highlights from this page include:
- 100% Money-back guarantee
- Open, honest, and current advice on timeshare cancellation
- Paul Merk wants to earn your trust and your business
“The Preferred Difference is all about Customer Service and Results.”
Our Attorney
Heading over the Our Attorney page, we see that Preferred Cancellation Services works with a single lawyer, Richard J. D’Amico, Esq. The company makes it clear that Attorney D.Amico only represents the business, not individuals. Either way, this lawyer does not have any notable negative reviews that we could find.
Preferred Cancellation Services states Attorney D’Amico works on a case-by-case basis without additional charge to the customer. Still, we know that his cost is calculated into the fee they charge customers in the first place. The company also states, if your timeshare contract is not canceled within six months of signing your agreement contract with PCS, Attorney D’Amico will be available for personal hire by you at his cost. This section ends with a few sentences of legalese.
Client Reviews
This page starts with the three pillars of the company, honesty, integrity, and results. There is an impressive display of 5-star reviews on this page, although a few of them are by employees. Still, it’s nice to see PCS if providing a good work environment for their workers. We love seeing real reviews that are linked to the review site. Click on any one of these testimonies, and you’ll be directed to their Google Reviews page. The company asks clients who have had a successful timeshare contract release to write reviews on social review sites like Google, Bing, or Yahoo or send them directly to their website.
At the bottom is a video of an actual couple giving their account of how Preferred Cancellation Services helped them get out of their timeshare contract. During the process, rest assured you will have your own File Manager keeping you informed of your case as it moves along and updating you with any developments until your timeshare cancelation letter is received.
Locations
While we feel this entire website provides useful information, it’s easy to navigate as well. This is why it’s so disheartening to see two pages on the site seem deceptive. This page, in particular, has a list of locations on the drop-down menu. However, the only thing that changes when you choose a location is the city’s name on the top center of the page; it’s the same website with the same contact information.
They do this to market in different areas and trick people into thinking they have a presence/office in that town. We specifically asked the pop-up chat agent if there was an office in Myrtle Beach as stated on the site, she said no. They only have two physical locations in Florida. This is not 100% transparency, and it’s deceptive and frustrating.
Resorts
This page is the same as the Location Page as it also has a drop-down menu of all the resorts for which they’ve worked. However, it’s still the same site as previously mentioned. There is no need for these pages as Preferred Cancellation Services will help you no matter where your timeshare is located. In fact, these limited locations and resorts may actually encourage people to exit the website if they feel that this company has not worked with their specific timeshare in the past.
FAQ
Heading over to the FAQ page and we see 11 questions. Under question 6, the company states that getting money back after a timeshare cancellation is a rarity. We agree with this statement. Sometimes timeshare exit companies claim they can get you the cashback from the developer after canceling your timeshare, but this is almost always NOT the case.
Contact
A video showing you the safety procedures of their Orlando office and what you can expect is good to watch. The pictures of people stacking hands in an office, not so much. Nowhere on the page shows the founder, Paul, or any office staff or the team of representatives. This is a big negative for us. Potential clients like to connect with the people in the company, not just a bunch of well-placed stock photos.
Midwest Seminar
We were interested in learning more about this seminar. Lately, we’re seeing more exit companies have gatherings where people who are interested in getting out of their timeshare contracts can come and talk with exit experts in person. However, we noticed a few odd things on this page right off the bat.
- While, the seminar, dated September 14th-16th, has no year listed.
- After asking the live chat agent which year this seminar is pertaining, she informed us that this was an old seminar from a few years ago.
- That was obvious when we clicked the register link, and it was broken.
May we suggest deleting this page?
News
This is the Blog page. The articles here are well-written and informative. Grab a coffee and read a few blog posts; we’re sure you’ll learn something.
Footer
Surprisingly, there is quite a bit of information on the website’s footer. This makes it easy to find contact information on any page, we appreciate that.
– Left column
- Social Media site icons
- Three phone numbers, an email, and two office location addresses.
- Se Habla Espanol! We appreciate any company that provides Spanish-speaking agents.
– Middle Column
- The Preferred Guarantee: “If we do not get you released within one year, you will receive a full refund from escrow upon certified request.” Since they have an Escrow where your money will sit until they fulfill their promises, receiving a full refund is more likely than an exit company that demands payment upfront with no escrow.
- Another Preferred Difference is that PCS only takes on clients that they know we can help! This is standard practice with several timeshare exit companies.
- The company belongs to a few different Chamber of Commerce organizations, but oddly, its BBB badge isn’t listed on the site.
– Right Column
- Call Now button
- Two blocks with colored logos that have 5.0-star ratings. But neither of them is clickable, so we’re not entirely sure where this information is coming from.
The Merk Brothers
In 2014, Paul lived in New Jersey with his brother Danny, producer of the infamous reality show, The Jersey Shore. But as far as we can tell, Windham Venture, LLC, the DBA of Preferred Cancellation Services, is all Paul. In addition to founding the timeshare exit service company, the Merk brothers own and operate the seasonal novelty store chain, Halloween Mega Stores.
What is a DBA
Registering your new business as a DBA name, si the same as creating a sole proprietorship. Having a ‘Doing Business As’ name helps companies create consistent branding across platforms as well as opening business banking accounts and qualifying for business loans. Having a DBA means a business owner’s personal assets are protected from lawsuits and creditors. It’s a good thing to do.
This section, “Looking at How to “Exit My Timeshare,” isn’t about exiting your timeshare. Instead, it’s a paragraph explaining a bit about Preferred Cancellation Services origins and references the fact that Windham Venture, LLC is the DBA for Preferred Cancelation Services.
“Windham Venture LLC. (DBA) Preferred Cancellation Services has always been the same company from the start.”
We assume the founder deemed this explanation necessary as Windham Venture, LLC is the primary name on their Better Business Bureau website.
BBB Page
- Preferred Cancellation Services is under its DBA Windham Venture LLC
- Not accredited with the BBB
- They have one very lengthy complaint to which Preferred Cancellation Services answered.
Summary
All in all, we feel that Preferred Cancellation Services is a reputable company. Although they’ve not been around as long as some other exit companies, the fact that they provide an escrow to protect your money is one of the most important things this company does right. We’re not sure how many staff they have, but providing a personal advocate to your specific case earns credibility points with us. We feel that it’s definitely worth giving them a chance to earn your business.