Time Share "Deal" Experience
 

This past weekend we went to a comp weekend at a resort in Rancho Mirage outside of Palm Springs, CA. <BR>It was comp because we had agreed (the key word) to attend a 90 minute talk on time shares the resort was offering. The &quot;talk&quot; started out nicely enough, but then when we weren't showing enough enthusiasm, the talk became a hard sell push. <BR>When I said &quot;if you want an answer right now, then the answer is no&quot;. The man, who was our best friend and confidant just minutes before, turned on us. Then he went to get his &quot;manager&quot; to offer us some more percs if we bought the share right then. Between the two of them, literally, they gave us the squeeze. I felt like I was at a used car lot. Then they turned aggressive and slung insults at us, such as, &quot;this is for high end clients and obviously you aren't one of them&quot;. I said, &quot;I guess not, so the answer once again is no&quot;. Then they got up and walked away. I called after them to ask how we could get back to the hotel proper, they said I am sure someone will take you. We finally found a young woman who was taking a golf cart back to the hotel and she gave us a ride. <BR>This experience left a very bad taste in my mouth and actually turned me against the hotel. It was a very nice resort though, but now I just think of the men in checkered sport coats insulting me.<BR>Just a little report to warn those of you who may be thinking of doing a time share proposal weekend at a resort.

People that sell timeshares are mostly losers anyway.<BR><BR>I'd contact the head office and file an official complaint.

File a complaint?<BR><BR>Surprised by your bad timeshare sales experience?<BR><BR>Man, are you people in the dark.<BR>This is exactly what timeshare sales pitches are famous for.<BR>They are the ultimate in hardcore intmidating (often verbally abusive) salesmanship and anyone who ventures into one of these things better know exactly what they're getting into.<BR><BR>If you know in advance, you can program yourself to tune it all out and be robotic.<BR><BR>Is it really worth it to do that to yourself on vacation?<BR><BR>Timeshares are such scams anyway. I can't believe so few people have them pegged.

Too bad about your experience, Faye.<BR><BR>Robert, how are time shares a scam? Alot of people have them, or did they just fall for the hard sell too?

ttt

Rose, you know what they say,,you can fool some of the people some of the time but....... *S* As for the hard sell....I just tell them up front, I'm only there for the trip. After a couple attempts, they leave us alone and move on to the next sucker...you think that after a couple times they would have a list or something,, but I still get the calls about once a year,,and why pass up a free trip to Vegas or Orlando for a couple hours of my time..JUST SAY NO!!!

I received a call last week from a company called &quot;Global Vacations&quot; telling me I had won a free Orlando vacation. Turns out &quot;Global Vacations&quot; is nothing more than a front for a timeshare sales pitch. They are not even based in Orlando, but in Dublin, Ohio near where I live. I called the Ohio State Attorney General's Consumer Affairs Bureau and low and behold, Global Vacations has had numerous complaints against them. <BR><BR>IMO, there are alot of unscrupulous time share sales companies out there. You definitely need to do your homework if you are thinking of buying one and check with the BBB and the State Attorney General's office of where you are planning to buy to make sure the company doesn't have any complaints against them and are legit.<BR>

Rose, if you want to know how timeshares are a scam, there are plenty of resources you can check.<BR>By 'scam' I mean that people are being misled to believe they're making a smart financial investment, when in truth, in most cases they're not.<BR>The one exception: if you buy a REsale timeshare at a very low rate, you can come out ahead.<BR>But if you look at the upfront cost, annual fees, lost time value of money, limitations on how to use the timeshare, restrictions on when/where you can trade, etc etc....versus simply taking the money and applying it to a standard investment (real estate, CD, bonds, stocks....true that the latter have been abysmal the past 2.5 years, but over the long haul they are superior investments) and using a percentage of the money each year for UNRESTRICTED travel, timeshares prove to be the big losers.<BR><BR>A little common sense will tell you that if there are oodles and oodles of people building and selling timeshares, there's plenty of profit to be made. All that money dumped in by timeshare owners pays for the timeshare unit...but on top of that, there is a ton of profit margin built in for the developers and sellers. That is money the timeshare owner is OUT without any return, and money he/she could have put toward something else.<BR><BR>The biggest reason most people don't wise up to the timeshare scheme is that you have to have a very good grasp of math, accounting and finance to understand how poor the return on investment is. The details are too much for most people to grasp.

I love my timeshares. I bought them at a discount, are in great locations, and are easy to trade. I stay at terrific resorts for about $400 for a one-week stay (my maintenance fees) I don’t know how you can beat that. I can also sell my small investment, and I know it has not lost any value. I could perhaps even make a profit. <BR><BR>Happy Trails,<BR>Paul<BR>

Paul, you are a perfect example of how timeshares succeed. You act like you stay somewhere for $400 a week, ignoring how much money you originally paid which could have been invested and along with the $400 you now spend in addition to it, could have given you a much greater flexibility of vacation options.

Faye, good for you for speaking up. <BR>Paul, do you think you really made a good investment?<BR>Isn't it better to just look for deals on the internet at hotels or condos where you want to stay?

I will never buy timeshare although many people I know own them. Back to the original post, Faye, I guess if that must be your first experience with these timeshare sales pitches. They are usually high pressured because they want people to buy so they can make a huge profit. If you prepare yourselves for that type of presentation and just want the freebies or other offers, go in, say &quot;NO&quot;, ignore their comments! Don't take them seriously or any of the comments personally.<BR>I think the maintenance fees are the biggest turnoff for me. I can find better deals on the internet for the money. I don't even want to buy a timeshare on the Re-sale market, even if it is under $1,000.

Here's how I figure it... I have 2 weeks, for which I paid $6,000 ($3,000 each week). If the resort were to charge $1,000/wk - which would be typical, I would break even at around 5 years of ownership. After that, I am staying at a fine resort for cheap. Think what you may, it works for me. It gets me to some nice places, it is a reasonable expense, and I have deeded property. Our family (my parents) owns several additional weeks and it seems to work for all of us. BTW, they picked up a few weeks cheaper than I did - and it is a high-exchange property.<BR><BR>Happy Trails,<BR>Paul

Paul, I can surmise just from the info you posted that you're missing some key points.<BR>If you'll post the missing details, we can compare.<BR>One week, $3000 up front, plus $400/yr (each week or total for your 2 weeks?), for what kind of hotel/resort set up?

Timeshare on resale can be a stealdeal. Timeshare bought initially is a ripoff. Unfortunately, I am in the 2nd category, but will make the best of what I have. If I had bought at resale, the last place we stayed would have been an incredible deal amortizing the initial price and the maint. fees and taxes. FYI, in January we are going to one of the Ritz' in HA; they call every week to ask what they can do for us. So our tastes aren't cheap/hillbilly, for those who would scoff at people who don't know their math.

Apro for timeshares is the ability to trade as we did into a 3 bd 3ba in a castle built in 1266, renovated interior of course. The exchange fee for one week was 169. It was in Scotland a few miles from St Andrews. We also just traded two weeks on to the Cape , for 129.00 a week. I have rented my units for a fiar price to friends and work associates. We own also just an hour from home, overlooking the Pacific ocean, amortizing the original cost and the annual dues it is still a good deal. Not for everyone, and it is not an investment, as they rarely increase in value. There are things we all pay a great deal of money for that have no intrinsic value, to me cars are one of those, but an expensive automobile is what some people like.<BR>We usually tell the sales people we already own five weeks and that cools the sales pitch immediately.

Yes, it was my first experience with time share dealers. I knew it would be hard sell, but I didn't think they would get personal in their &quot;attack&quot; (actually they said more, but I won't go into it). <BR>I added up in my head the figures they were quoting and it seemed like too much being spent on a week's trip. I can go to Europe for what their prices were and rent a villa with some friends. <BR>I suppose it would be convenient for a quick getaway as we live in Los Angeles, but I can usually find good prices on hotels on my own. I don't want to be tied down with their fees, but maybe I just don't know enough about it.<BR>It was an enlightening experience that I would not want to repeat anyway. It makes me think something is fishy if they have to do a hard sell, if it was a good deal it would sell itself.

Exactly.<BR>If it was that good a deal it would sell itself.

The merits (or not) of timeshare aside, what do you expect??? You get offered a &quot;free&quot; weekend, and then what do you do? Compalin about how they talked to you?? Did you ever consider that YOU are the rude one, taking something for &quot;free&quot; that you have no real intenetion of buying? Did you think this was some hotel giving you a nice weekend on the house just because you are great people? Your last line is a beauty too, &quot;if it was a good deal it would sell itself&quot;!!! Yeah, then YOU wouldnt have your &quot;free&quot; weekend, now would you? And then what would you complain about? Having to pay??? Ever heard the saying: there is no free lunch?

I have been on many time share promotion deals over the years. If you attend ones affiliated with big names such as Marriott, Hilton, etc you decrease the chances of &quot;abusive&quot; and terribly hard sells because they have a reputation to uphold. They can't afford to upset you or they will likely lose your patronage at their hotels. Of course, there can be a bad apple in every bunch.<BR><BR>Tip - If you go into the sales meeting knowing you have absolutely no interest in buying there, do not ask questions. Let them know you love the idea, it makes sense to you (do not challenge the concept) so they don't have to keep trying to sell you. You just tell them clearly you wished you could buy there but there is absolutely no way because financially you are in no position to. You can also at that point tell them that there is nothing they could do to make it more attractive to you from a financial standpoint - you just DO NOT have the money to buy. If they say, &quot; so why did you even bother to come here today&quot; simply tell them that you never know in the future if your financial picture changes and quite frankly you thought the give a way was a great offer. Do not waver and they will spend the 90 required minutes with you and want to get on to the next potential sale. Don't expect to get away before the 90 min.<BR><BR>You might ask why go thru this? My answer is that people who love to travel but are not well off financially do look for ways to save or get a bargain. I think this is a great way in some situations if you have the time to participate. It has been worth it to me to sit thru this on occasion to come away with say 4 free tickets to the theme parks of my choice in Orlando.

My time is too valuable to sit through a 90 minute hard core sales pitch, freebies or no freebies.

Judy, you're right on the money!

Free weekend complainer sounds like he is one of those loathsome time-share salespeople.

I can feel for you, Faye! I went to my one and only &quot;freebie&quot; timeshare hard sell about 15 years ago. At a time when I was in no position to buy anything! (only 22) I only got a free answering machine, though. And a terrible one at that. <BR><BR>I am in agreement with a previous poster: if timeshares were all that, they would sell themselves. I know a few people to bought into them and are happy. I've looked into it, and it just isn't my thing.<BR><BR>And to &quot;FreeWeekend&quot;: Hey, if some one calls me, unsolicited, and offers something &quot;free&quot;, yes, I expect to sit through their little speech. But I'm also &quot;free&quot; to simply get up and walk away and still enjoy the weekend or freebie or whatever. I didn't call them, they called me, they made the offer. Free is free. If there is an obligation (other than the 90 minute sales pitch), then they need to be upfront about it. Besides, it sounds like Faye did what I had done - wanted time to think about and research the timeshare, and they only wanted a hard sell. That is a turn off. <BR><BR>But I should still get the freebie they offered, and without the attitude.

Hi <BR><BR>As some posters were saying old sayings &quot;You can fool some of the people....&quot; you need to remember one other &quot;You get what you pay for&quot;... and these timeshare &quot;SALE COMPS&quot; are just that. You're paying them with your time. Their commissions depend on getting you to buy. Why do you think the price is what is it?<BR><BR>If, however, you question most timeshare owners you will find that most do not buy their shares at these scams - they buy them later at lower prices and at resorts that do NOT do business in that manner..<BR><BR>I've owned great timeshares in super resorts and have no trouble selling any of them. If you do your homework and buy in an upscale resort it will work for you.<BR><BR>But &quot;You get what you pay for&quot; covers a multitude of sins. Primarily you don't get a free vacation without some insults to boot.

We have gone to a few timeshare sales pitches, just to get the prizes. If you have the time, and are set against buying anything, you can make out ok, and have something to laugh about on the way home. We took signed up for a 90 minute tour at a local condo/ski area. After about 45 minutes our salesman 'friend' realized he wasn't getting anywhere with us, and gave us the free dinner cupon just to get rid of us. We had a great dinner on them at our favorite restaurant and had a good laugh! If you have even the slightest interest in what they are selling, they can smell blood, and you are in for it. However, if you are very negative and disinterested, they will give up.

Here's another interesting catch. Friends owned a time share for 12 years at which point, the management assessed every unit owner $8,000 to &quot;update&quot; and &quot;refurnish&quot; the units.<BR>Do you realize that 52 weeks worth of $8,000 is $416,000? How much updating can you do to a small two bedroom apartment for that kind of money? They had been unable to use theirs much and unable to find decent trades when they wanted (over school vacations), so they just gave theirs up, as did a number of owners.

Hey Faye,

My husband and I go to them all the time, and our response to salespeople who make those types of snarky insults is simply to laugh at them, loudly and hysterically!

The real deals on timeshares are in the resale market, where you can save a minimum of 50% to 90% or more overr the presentation price! Last timeshare presentation we attended, they were asking for $20,000+, for properties that were going for $800 to $1,000 on the resale market. That's where the true bargains in timeshares can be found.

I strongly urge anyone considering a timeshare to research the resale market first! Why would anyone up to pay 20 times as much, just to line the pockets of the resort's employees? I'm sorry if anyone here disagrees, but I do consider the prices these properties are sold for at presentations to be a total and complete scam.

For my husband and I, yes, it absolutely is worth putting up with those slimey tactics, we don't mind! Every minute they spend on us, is one less they have to take advantage of anyone else. Aside from which, we really enjoy touring the properties, and crunching the numbers. The real truth is we often stay at timeshare properties, without having to "buy in" or even attend any presentations, and we can get a week's stay for far LESS than owners pay in annual maintenance fees and taxes alone.

We either just rent directly from owners--many of who offer to rent their unused timeshares, just to recoup even a small portion of their annual fees and taxes. We also often stay at timeshare properties which have "excess inventory" which RCI autions off for as little as $1, plus a cleaning fee between $195 - $295, and that's not per day, but rather for an entire week's stay. The most we've ever paid was approx. $400, for a week stay in a beautiful luxury oceanfront condo in Key West.

We have a timeshare in Cozumel. We've had it for nearly 20 years. The key is (1) never go to a presentation for the freebies. You are in for a horror ride. (2) Dont buy timeshares to trade. The fees associated with trading nearly always make it a bad deal. (3) READ the contract! Read every detail and get everything you want IN WRITING before you sign the deal. (4) Make sure the fees have caps. Our maintenance fees have an annual cap and we can not be assessed upgrade fees. (it cost us nothing when the condo had to be rebuilt after hurricane Wilma)

We spend a month in our condo every Feb, but with our contract we could go any time we want. The TOTAL cost --- including the initial cost, the contract fees, the maintenance -- brings our stay to $100 per night for a full one bedroom, ocean front apartment with full kitchen and an awesome balcony.

There are good timeshares, but you have to be smart about getting them.

FYI: This thread was started in 2002.

Sure fire way to stop the hassle & get your gift....Tell the salesman you're interested, but will not sign anything until your attorney has reviewed the paperwork.

I find it hard to believe that you didn't know this was the scenario for these. We did it one time to get free ski lift tickets. Just say no. simple. I like the lawyer idea also. But no money.
Good time shares in good places "can" be "good", but you have to know how to work them--and you still have to pay to get there.

Let's face it -- you took a free trip knowing you weren't going to go for their offer, looking to get something for nothing. And you're surprised they treated you like cheapskates? Sure you can and did get something for "nothing" but it's understood they don't do this without giving you a hard time.

Yes, this thread is 9 years old. But nothing has changed in the past 9 years with time share presentations -- except maybe they've gotten even more brutal.