Anonymous

Speaking of winning things, my daughter went to a bridal fair, filled out a bunch of contest entry forms, and we got a call from a condo timeshare place on Cape Cod. If we sit through the 90 minute presentation, we get 4 free airline tickets. Catch is, we have to book the hotel stay through the agency. It's through First Priority Travel, which seems to be real and checks out OK with the Florida BBB.

http://www.firstprioritytravel.com/products.html

I have a vague recollection of reading about a win like this ages ago and the hotel rooms were substandard. Even with throwaway reservations, this could be worthwhile. Anybody out there know anything about this particular outfit or their "rewards"?

We're going to the presentation tomorrow AM regardless, it sounds like a hoot, it's just 90 minutes from home, and we at least get a coupon for a "free" lunch. We're actually looking for a place like this to rent units for a family wedding next year; our family is mostly local, and his will be coming in from Washington DC.

Waldo

Before you go to this presentation, try to find someone who will sell you a bridge between Brooklyn and Manhattan. I hear it's for sale cheap. As a reward for attending this presentation, you will get a trip package that will cost you substantially more than if you booked it separately by yourself. The hotel will be a wreck, and you will be paying an exhorbitant amount for this lodging. These scoundrels look for trusting and unsuspecting people, and then apply REAL high pressure tactics to get your name on a contract. I know, because I was once such a sucker. I got out of the deal by sending a telegram to those crooks, cancelling the deal. The law says you have 72 hours to be able to nullify the contract. Let the buyer beware.

Cassandra

Sorry, you haven't won anything other than the chance to be bombarded and bullied by the timeshare people.

Just because they use a travel agent to book the trip doesn't mean it isn't just a trap to pull you into Hard Sell Land.

DON'T let them talk you into signing ANYTHING, even if you have some future plans that might be relevant.

And in the future, stay away from putting your name, address, and phone number on any slip at a thing like a bridal fair -- it's never "just" a contest or raffle; it's always a collection of new prospects for sales, AND they can sell your information to anyone who wants to compile a telemarketing or junk-mail list.

Marginal

Never fill out any of those cards at any fairs- bridal fairs, home fairs, etc. They are just a way of getting you on their advertising list. If you write your phone call on the list, they can spam your phone and it won't be in violation of the No-Call list policy, because you made your phone number available to them and all their junk-mail friends. You can expect a barrage of new junk mail and unsolicited telephone advertising.

BTW- You didn't win anything except an advertising pitch.

Anonymous

Thanks for your replies. My daughter who filled out the forms will be moving in a few weeks, so she doesn't care how many mailing lists she gets on. Of course she knew that the lists are marketing ploys. We do consider ourselves immune to any hard sell, thankyouverymuch.

AAFrequentFlyer

The main point is that your "free" tickets will end up costing you more than if you just purchased the tickets from the airline. By making you book your hotel reservation through their agency, they will get their money by charging you ridiculous prices for some flea bag hotel/motel.

The tickets will probably be very restricted with blackout dates and only usuable on the 3rd Tuesday in October (the last part is a joke, but I would not be surprised if it was somewhat true)

but if you believe that you will come out ahead, then go the the presentation.

Good luck!

Anonymous

I have seen the blackout dates (a couple of weeks around holidays) and hotel prices ($80 - 250), hence my comment about "throwaway reservations" since the hotel names are easily searchable online. We are going to the presentation.

I'm just asking if anybody has any actual information about this particular organization, First Priority Travel.

NeoPatrick

Some very strange replies here. I can't answer your specific questions either, Anonymous, and I'm one of those who would rather poke nails in my eyeballs than do one of these time share presentations. And I'd just as soon light stacks of money and burn it as to think I'm going to invest in a time share. But those here who insist that you're going to have a crummy, cheap hotel, or you won't get your money's worth, are very likely completely off track. I do know people who do these -- fairly often -- as they consider the presentation a minor irritation for a trip they couldn't begin to pay for on their own. They often end up with palatial and spectacular hotel suites (hey the time share people are trying to woo them, don't forget), and yes, they have total choice of when to fly, and the tickets can be free. Sometimes they even "whine" about the hotel prices to the time share agency, and end up with reduced prices on those as well.

The only really good advice I have is that you need to be able to say no, which is what these high pressure sales people are good at preventing. Have you googled the name of the company to see what you find?

Anonymous

Hi Patrick, thanks for your response. It's consistent with what I learned in the other site where I posted my query (related to a hobby, not to travel).

Googling turned up the company's own site and the BBB, but no matter what I tried, I couldn't dig up any other comments on them.

My daughter is immune to the sales pitch because the just barely scraped together the first/last/security for an apartment rental in another city. I'm immune (but attractive to them) as a retiree who's downsizing, just sold my house and plan to hit the road in my RV. The last thing I want to think about is real estate!

The gal that called to remind us of the appointment had us in stitches. It's basically a girls' lunch outing before my daughter moves.

Thanks for the tip about whining about hotel prices; that sure wouldn't have occurred to us.

xrae

We got a "free" cruise when we sat through a timeshare presentation. We never did take the thing because we were required to pay a cash deposit to "reserve" our tickets, and then the hoops we had to jump through to get the cruise were ridiculous - it involved filling out postcards and mailing them to the cruise agency to see if the one date we wanted was available. We could only choose one date each time we sent a postcard. We had only three chances to pick an available cruise. If by the third time we picked an unavailable date, we lost the deposit and the chance at the cruise. It was like playing the lottery.

Don't waste your time.

Jean

Just wondering... Do you have to pay taxes on the fair market value of the "free" tickets?

Jean

Or perhaps better stated, "Is the fair market value of the 'free' tickets considered income and will you receive a 1099?"

NeoPatrick

I should backtrack a little on some of my earlier comments. In retrospect this is a little different from what friends of mine do. They are usually going somewhere for the presentation and the hotel and flight is tied in with that. You seem to be talking about sitting through a presentation and THEN they give you the trip somewhere else. I'm not so sure they have as much reason to make your trip special. In the first case, they want to impress you with the facility and give you the royal treatment so you will buy. But if the presentation is already done and you didn't buy, I'm not so sure they will knock themselves out for your trip as a gift for "not buying".

Genevieve207

So did you go? What was the result? I've found a lot of reviews online but not from anyone who has followed through. We're going to check out the same offer next weekend. They offered us two free nights at their resort before our "tour." It seems to me that although they are a timeshare promotion company, they're fairly legitimate. I mean you've got to sell timeshares somehow right? We plan on traveling anyway and if we get free airfare I don't mind paying a little more for a hotel. I think to make it really pay off you'd have to pick one of the longer distance trips. We live in Maine so airfare to Hawaii is over $1000 but Florida is $89 on sale. I figure worse comes to worse we'll get a free weekend in a resort close to home in a seaside town we love to visit anyway! I'll update after....

Placename

spam

RoamsAround

This thread is 4 years old (2008) - the type of "scam" however has been around for decades.

mikeraps

Hi All,

Unsure if anyone has visited the Innseasons session lately but have not heard any feedback on ability to use the 4 "free RT Tickets". Genevieve or others, can you share the stipulations and costs associated to in trying to use those tickets?

Thanks!

Tomsd

As somebody pointed out - there is a big difference between going to a resort timeshare presentation (if you ARE already at a resort area) - v. going to one in your hometown - where they promise you airfare and two or three nights hotel stay somewhere else.

I/we have probably been to 20 different timeshare presentations over the years - because in such places like Las Vegas and Hawaii - and Cabo San Lucas - they actually give you cash and/or real restaurant vouchers or show tix, whatever.

Since I am in Commercial Real Estate - I don't mind listening to the pitches (and enjoying their snacks) - and seeing what's going on in the area and also what's new with their particular group (such as Marriott, Hilton, etc) - and then telling them No - No again (and sometimes No again) - and finally - standing up and with finality - rather firmly repeating: I/we are not buying today.

Then sometimes you have to say no again to a manager, or no again during an "exit" interview - where they want something (several hundred $ on up) - to lock in the great deal/price - whatever - with free weeks to use, etc - but eventually - you do get to leave with your promised perk.

Now having said that - my wife is ready to go waay before I am when we attend these.

And since we own a couple timeshares - the first purchased in Princeville - during our honeymoon/vacation to Kauai in '86 (hey - I had a very good year - what can I say - and it wasn't that much back then - annual homeowner dues were low -and I was an "easy sell" on the Honeymoon ) - and we actually used it a lot - and I went over several times free as an advisor to the Timeshare Homeowners Board.

The other timeshare is up by June Lake/Mammoth, CA - which we inherited from my in-laws - and both they and we have also used it (or traded it).

Ergo - while I would never today buy a "new" timeshare (there plenty of REO's - or FSBO's (For Sale by Owners) out there available for a fraction of the "new" sales cost) - I/we are always on some list and have gone to some local presentations here in SD where they promise you the fabled get-away - free airfare plus two or three nights in a hotel.

Have even been promised tickets (RT airfare) to Hawaii - but usually when you check with the travel agency they use - the restrictions are almost impossible to get around - such as waiting 60-90 days, too many blackout dates, only certain days of the week you can fly - and on and on.

Hope this helps explain a bit more about the different marketing "programs" used in the timeshare "industry".

nytraveler

Don't know why to bring up this ancient post abuot a Scam.

What they do is:

1) Never have flights available when you can use them
2) Put all sorts of fees on the flights - so it would be cheaper if looked for bargain fares yourself
3) Put you in hotels and wildly increased rates
4)Oftne hotels no one at all wants to stay with

Do this ONLY if the presentation is at the sight you are to travel through - after you get there. And only them i fyuo don;t mind going through a very high pressure session.

sf7307

>>

I've been to a couple in the local area (Kauai and Maui) and they weren't high-pressure at all - we got a nice free dinner or massages out of it. We've also been (once and never again) to one at home and it was the scam nyt refers to.