Is it worth time-- time share presentation to get a great pkg?
 

While this pertains to a deal I found on Hawaii Talk Board here for Maui, it really can apply to any of these deals, since they are so wide spread.

Embassy Suites is offering: room, car, hot breakfast buffet, free parking, and $100 for 6 days/5 nights in exchange for a 90 minute sales pitch. And the price is $749!! Their rooms go for over $250 a night without this offer. It is at Ka'anapali Beach Vacation Resort on the west side of Maui.

I have gone recently to 1 pitch like this [whcih didn't have any perks] that we were seriously considering and 1 long ago in Orlando to get Disney perks. IF you have gone to these kinds of things in more exotic locations like Hawaii, what is your take on it, insights and would you do it again??

As far as the hotel is concerned..has anyone stayed there recently? It supposedly was recently renovated. I have read reviews on other boards that seem positive for the hotel, just wanted some Fodorite's views.

Thanks for your input!
Deb

I hate these things, but there is no doubt it can be worth it. They count on a high percentage of sales and there is little doubt than many people go KNOWING they aren't going to buy, but end up coming home with the signed contract in hand anyway.

I'd go armed with a copy of your recently "filed" bankruptcy papers and tell them up front that this is a final blowout as your bankruptcy lawyer won't allow you to sign any contracts without him. That should keep them away from you.

You go Neopolitan! As a consumer attorney for 20+ years, I have come across way too many folks who went into these presentations thinking they'll just take the freebie and listen to the presentation and walked away with a lousy contract for 20K plus, plus annual fees. For what you thought would be a cheap trip, you end up with a nightmare.

Not to me - not if the trip were FREE!

I have stayed at the Embassy for full price and liked it very much but that was about 4 years ago.

I went to one of those a few years ago. When the time came to close the deal I asked, "so, can I bring my dogs? You allow children, you must allow dogs." The pressure to buy was off and I walked away with my free gift.

I agree with the above. Beware! They know how to sell. If you do go and buy one, be sure you know the rules re cancellation. I think you have three days in most places, and are allowed to change your mind during that time.

Several years ago, we went to a talk in Whistler with no intention of buying, but were sold on a summer week. We left pretty excited, as we had had a great vacation. But, as we drove home through the traffic of Vancouver we began to have second thoughts. We realized we didn't like going to the same place annually and found there was an additional fee for changing to a place in a different country. We did a lot of thinking, did the math and cancelled after a sleepless night.

We went to one for the Marriot in Palm Desert.

We just put our brain in neutral and said um occasioally,

Didn't buy. He wasn'thappy. Oh well

Neopolitan, in the fine print for these deals, it specifies your annual income must be something like $65K and you must be creditworthy. If you "declare" bankruptcy, it may backfire and you could be charged the full retail price (they do swipe a credit card at checkin for incidentals). Just finished reading a pitch for Hyatt Coconut Point timeshare...

If you do go, it might be best to do what ed said, and murmur your way through.

Um, no...you get what you pay for...or don't pay for, in this instance...

NO... Not me not ever no way not for anything will they get me into a timeshare presentation. I would not waste a minute yet alone precious hours of vacation time. That said, I don't want anything they are offering anyways.

Your time is worth something- esp on vacation and your sanity is worth more. I agree with the poster who said they wouldn;t do this even if the vacation were completely free.

Oh, I love part about the dogs...find out what they DON'T allow and then have that. If it's a Seniors community, say that you're about to get custody of your grandkids and is that okay?

Well, Debit, I'm way outnumbered here, but I think it's a great deal. And, you can keep the presentation to 90 minutes without any problem. We have been on may timeshare presentations and take their free gifts and go. We aren't unkind, but we are not obligated to purchase just because we got a fantastic deal.

A few years back, we went on a presentation at the Marriot's Kauai Beach Club. We were with the sales person for less than 45 minutes. Told her up front, we had somewhere to be, the stock market had us "financially embarrassed" at the moment (and that was true) and we just came to see what the view was like up top! She was anxious to get us moving and out of there as soon as she saw we had no money!!

Frequently, in the winter months we go to Gatlinburg....they will practically drag you in to t/s presentations...they are hungry there in January.....just this winter....we went to 2 presentations....$100 the first time and $125 the next.

What's 90 minutes out of your life. If you have no intention of buying, just keep looking at your watch and tell the salepeople...your time is up!

Also...go to timesharforums.com
and also to tugbbs.com/forums and ask your question. These are timeshare owners and you are sure to get some great advice and ways to bow out gracefully!

Aloha......have fun.....((r))i'2

btw, where did you find this deal?

I don't like them.

My brother does. He has no intention of ever buying a time share, but he and his wife have attended many presentations over the years and had many great deals on trips.

If you go - beware. There are not likely to be 2 people less interested in timeshares than my husband and me - we both think they are ripoffs, etc. But sitting thru these presentations on 2 occasions had us almost ready to whip out our checkbook - they are that persuasive - or maybe they drug the free coffee and food they always serve.

Remember that "6 days/5 nights" actually means 4 full days, 5 nights, unless you can check in very early and check out very late! So, it's more like $190/day.

sylvia...5 sleeps is 5 sleeps no matter how you calculate.....and that's also 10 breakfasts.

So...$749/5 is $149.80. If you check in at 2 pm or 10 pm....you still will get charged for the night! By the same token, if you check out at 6 a.m. or noon, they won't charge you more or less.

Much of it depends on how these types of presentations effect you. The "hard sell" makes me feel anxious and upset for much more than the actual 90 minutes involved. (I am one of those people who hate confrontations anyway.) So, for me, it can ruin a whole day of my rare and precious vacation. Plus, even 90 minutes is worth a fortune to me - can't be bought back at the end, if you know what I mean. BUT, if you're one of those people that can shrug the whole thing off, then it may not be such a big deal. I would pay someone NOT to have to listen to this mess...LOL!

Thanks for all the input..can't decide...hubby isn't sure. Me, I think it sounds pretty good.

iceeu2 --
There is a post on Hawaii about a mom going to HI for first time with her 2 daughters in May as a graduation trip. Someone who replied left this info. And I went to website and found it. 1 catch is that you have to reside in certain states to get this exact deal { I do}. If not, there was a similar one for $949. http://www.mauiembassy.com/minivac/s...p;Countries=US

Without being real specific, I told the timeshare guy that I wasn't sure how much longer I had to live (It came to me on the spur of the moment), and therefore the future benefits may not be applicable to me. My wife got the strangest look on her face, but the presentation ended pretty quickly.

My wife and I still chuckle over the guy's reaction and we saved $400 on a weeks activites.

We agreed and prepaid a similar deal at the Hilton Waikaloa Resort two years ago. It was $699 for 5 nights (we already reservations there) and they beat the military rate PLUS $100 to spend on the resort. I readily agreed with three provisions; 1. they would confirm the dates we would be there. 2. They would refund our money if my husband was activated to Iraq. (they sent a written confirmation) 3. We didn't have to attend the timeshare. I couldn't believe that they agreed to that! ha ha. They did, we had a great time for much less than we were prepared to spend and enjoyed spending their money. On check in at the Marriott Ocan Club in Ka'anapali, I was offerred one free night including parking for the one bedroom time share suite I had rented. That came to over $400. $400 for 90 minutes of my time? You betcha. Particularly at 8 am when everyone else in the family is just getting up and breakfast is included. We told him up front that we don't buy time shares but if we did, we wouldn't buy this one. No full kitchen. It doesn't matter what it is, just find fault with it, don't be impressed and they will show you the door. My husband has a harder time at that than I do. I believe in putting them out of their misery quickly instead of leading them on.

I just called the toll free number listed on the offer and it sounds really tempting. The $749 includes taxes & resort fees. It is a "garden view" which could not be upgraded [but IF an upgrade was available at checkin...then maybe]. Can add up to 2 extra nights @ $250 per night [still below their regular rate] and all the amenities extend for the extra night[s]. The only extra cost was tax on car. Car is from Avis, is picked up at airport and you have to pay tax on car {$7 pr.day}.

Oh my...decisions, decisions!

iceeu2: duh, 5 nights is, yes, 5 nights, but "6 days" is NOT 6 days. it is at best 4 1/2 days(3 p.m. check in arrival day, 10 a.m. check out leaving day); I was merely pointing out misleading wording in the offer.

sylvia, I'm not sure who counts the days as part of it anyway. Everytime you see a deal, it is always 7 days/6 nights, etc...and I do mean every package. Just sounds better that way!

I so appreciate your comments! Any others??

If it is a place you would really like to vacation, and both of you are good at standing firm in your resistance, why not go? I have been to a number of these, always at ski resorts, and felt like I got a lot of nice free lodging and skiing for my kids, in exchange for 90 minutes of sitting through the presentation (while I daydreamed about other things). Since I was single at the time, it was easier to say "no thanks"---they couldn't try the game of playing one partner off the other.

I have also been to one that made so much sense that my brother, sister and I talked it over, and we went back later (under no pressure) and bought a summer week at the resort. That was in 1999, and we have met there almost every summer since for a family reunion and a week of hiking, swimming, and tennis. Our teenage kids love the place. On the other years we traded for places in Colorado and in the Dolomites. We've been quite happy with it, and did not buy because of sales pressure.

But read all the fine print before you decide to do it.

How bad can it be? I'd go in with a stop watch, push the button, and say "go". It would not bother me at all to say no. And when the clock hits 90, tell them to stop.

I've done two timeshare deals to Hawaii with Marriott and never bought either time. The sell was not that high pressure and we just simply told them we are not interested in buying right now.

DebitNM

Just answered you on another site I think :)

Be prepared to say no, be aware Embassy advertises in local tourist coupon books ("Get $100 for taking the tour") so might be a bit more pushy than others, but it's still a good deal and the "pitch" needn't last longer than you want it to.

As I said, go for it ;)

ttt

Bumping for weekend viewers :o)

I'm one of those "nightmare" cases, LOL. Go and just say no! You do have 7 days to get out of it. Be careful of people who pretend to be your best friend. Alert, alert!

If you want to go on this trip, I'd say go and after the presentation ask them this--why would I pay full price when I can buy a resale (check out tug2.net). We bought a Marriott resale and I'm glad we did--it forces DH to take vacations--but I really like L84SKS's reply and plan to use that next time!!!

Careful not to go to the same ones too many times if you are interested in taking advantage of the deals. I was reading my fine print in one of the Marriott timeshares, which said that I would not be allowed to attend more than 3 in my lifetime within the Marriott group.

I would definitely do a timeshare presentation as long as they take up time in the early AM. I mean like 8am. They claim they want to do it at your convenience, right? It'll give me time to think about it, whereupon, I will conveniently forget about it, then need to sleep on it. ;)

We did several time share presentations
in our *leaner* years and it was
a good *value* for us at the time.
However now, our *time* is of
greater value than any money
saved, so won't be doing them any
time soon.

I found some useful info from another posting...
Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs for Hawaii has a "Time Share Bill of Rights" and in it, it says that "you have the right to receive any promotional device promised prior to the sales presentation". And you have "the right to say NO".

http://www.hawaii.gov/dcca/areas/rico/r_brochures


Anyone considering doing a timeshare presentation in Hawaii MUST read this!

My husband and I went to a wedding in Maui last year. During our stay, we went to the Embassy Kaanapali Beach time share presentation, mostly to get $$ off activities the wedding party was attending.

We did not buy a unit, but at the end of the presentation, they offered us a deal. The deal was about $1200 for a week at an Embassy properties- our choice of four locations: Maui, Kauai, Lake Tahoe, or Orlando. The catch was we had to go sit through another presentation at the resort we chose.

We took the deal fully intending not to buy ANYTHING. It was a great way to get a fairly cheap vacation. I'm happy to say that we just returned from a lovely week in Kauai, wihout buying a timeshare.

The Embassy sales people were not very pleased with us, a young couple, that we would be so stubborn when we just kept saying "NO." They tied to shame us and even turned on the cold shoulder. But, we started at 8:00 a.m. and we made it to our 10:00 a.m. SCUBA lessons.

I have been buying and trading time shares with my family for almost 15 years. I now know to buy resale!!

Just tell them you have a tee time and have to leave at x:xx pm. Then get up and leave.

I go to these presentations all the time. I know up front that I'm not going to buy but by attending it has worked well for my family. When the kids were young, I used to attend the ones in Florida to go to Disney World (would get free park tickets, free dinners) also because I live in Maryland, I have gotton wonderful deals to Busch Gardens for the weekend as well.

Once in St Thomas, I attended a presentation and got a certificate for 4days 3 nights to come back and when I mentioned that I wanted my sister and her husband to join us, they gave me 2 certificates. So the following year the 4 of us went back to St Thomas using our free certificates, we each upgraded to a 1 bedroom 2 bath condo from the studio and we purchased 3 additional nights. We each paid less than $400 for our 1 bedroom condo for the entire 7nights.

In Hawaii, I use the free gifts for the attractions and $$$ off the green fees, we got a buy one get one free for an airplane tour of the Big Island and saved more than $120 plus a big discount on the green fees at a nice golf resort.

If you go in and stick to your guns and not buy the timeshare, it can definately work to your advantage.

well, i hear they spend your entire stay accosting you. they find you in the lobby, wait for you after your meals, track you down at the pool. i hear it ruins your attitude the enitre vacation because they are so aggresive. has anyone experienced that?
corwin