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Square One Development Group, Inc., a timeshare exit company located in Des Peres, Missouri, continues to be the subject of complaints to Better Business Bureau (BBB) from consumers who say the company failed to deliver on promised timeshare releases and failed to issue refunds.
BBB advises consumers to use extreme caution if doing business with Square One Development Group, Inc., and its affiliated companies -- Consumer Law Protection and Consumer Rights Council.
Square One Development Group, Inc., and Consumer Law Protection have “F” ratings, the lowest on BBB’s scale. Combined the businesses have more than 130 complaints from consumers reporting payments of more than $1.5 million to BBB. Consumer Rights Council has no rating at this time and has received several negative customer reviews. Consumers from 39 states have filed complaints against the businesses.
Michelle L. Corey, BBB St. Louis president and CEO, said the problems consumers have reported about these companies is typical for those in the industry, but the growing number is alarming.
“If you’re looking to exit a timeshare, paying a third-party thousands of dollars up front to do the work could lead to more problems,” Corey said. “Deal directly with your timeshare company or resort first to see if it has an exit plan.”
Since a July 2020 BBB warning about Square One Development Group, Inc., BBB received nearly 50 additional complaints about the business. BBB issued a consumer warning about Consumer Law Protection in January 2021and since then received 10 additional complaints. Many of the complaints have gone unanswered.
A woman from Tucson, Arizona, told BBB she paid Square One Development Group, Inc., $24,701 in October 2019 to get her out of a timeshare. She told BBB the company failed to live up to a money-back guarantee she believed she was eligible for since the company failed to get her free of the timeshare within a year.
In the meantime, the woman worked with her timeshare company. She said she would have been eligible for that company’s exit program, but it couldn’t let her out because she had signed over a power of attorney to Square One Development Group Inc.
“I’m stuck,” the 78-year-old said. “There’s no way out. I can’t use (the timeshare company’s) program because I signed on with Square One. I just want to exit gracefully.”
A Chicago woman told BBB she paid Square One Development Group, Inc., $13,000 in March 2020 to get her out of three timeshare holdings. The 67-year-old said she wound up working with her timeshare companies to get out of two of the holdings and a separation with the third is pending. She said Square One Development Group, Inc., was not helpful.
“I’m not sure what they have done for me,” the woman told BBB. “I got out of these things on my own.”
She said the business has not responded to her requests for a refund.
According to Missouri secretary of state records, LouAnn Reed is listed as the president of Square One Development Group, Inc. George Reed is listed as the manager of Consumer Law Protection. Square One Development Group, Inc., works out of an office building at 1610 Des Peres Road in Des Peres. Consumer Law Protection and Consumer Rights Council are located in a building at 8600 Daniel Dunklin Blvd. in Pevely, Missouri.
BBB offers these tips on how to exit a timeshare holding:
- Research any business and its owners carefully before paying any money. Check the company’s BBB Business Profile at BBB.org or by calling 888-996-3887.
- Contact the resort that originally sold you the timeshare to see if it has an exit program.
- Before paying anything, make sure you have a signed contract outlining what is to be done, a timetable and an explanation of what happens if the business or the consumer doesn’t comply with the agreement.
- Be wary of anyone claiming that they have a buyer for your timeshare or who promises to rent your timeshare, especially if they ask for an upfront fee.
- Pay with a credit card in case you need to challenge the purchase later.
- If you feel you have been misled, file complaints with BBB and the state’s attorney general’s office.
- For more information about the timeshare exit industry, refer to a study BBB released in June 2019.
