Paul

Hello,
Yes, this is another question concerning timeshare tours. My question is: Would you spare 90 min. of your vacation for let's say, 3 free tickets, or even 2 free nights in a luxury Resort? Many people hate those tours, they think is a scam to make you buy those really expensive timeshares. Some even think you HAVE to buy, or that the presentation is all day long or even that the salesman will always be rude no matter what you do. The truth is far from that.
I work as a salesman in one of those Resorts, I am not trying to book anybody, just want your honest (not hostile) opinion on what you folks think about those presentations.
Thank you very much for your feedback, hopefully it will make a difference al least on my point of view and on my work.
Paul..

sure

It's never 90 minutes. It takes much longer to get away. You have to insist on the accomodations or the "free gifts". Ususally turns ugly. I'd rather pay.

Jeff JAnsen

90 minutes doesnt sound like much, but I value every minute of my vacation. I would mind it less if I could sit at home and you try and pitch me a dream. I wouldnt buy since I get my vacations free since I travel 50 weeks a year (upto 52 with vacation).

Oaktown Traveler

Paul:

No. Been there, done that. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me, fool me three times, I am just a fool. No and no and did I say no? Wanted to burn the time share to the ground after the 2.5 hour DETAINMENT.

Happy Travels
(and no happy Sales of this type for me)

Oaktown

Beth

I'm ashamed to admit it but I was fooled one and won't be again. I reeived a all one day asking if I was interested in a carribean cruise and a trip to Orlando in returning for listening to and visiting a tiem share at each location. At the time I had only been out of grad school 2 years and lived alone. I told the person I wasn't interested in buying it and couldn't afford it anyway. He kept needling me saying "at least go for the almost free vacation" It would cost me $300 total for a 3 day cruise and 3day visit to Orlando so I finally gave in. My boyfriend and I went and after the first sales pitch at orlando lasting over 2 hrs we couldn't wait to get out of there. At the second sales pitch just befoe the cruise, I told the salesman politely to ut to the chase, I wasn't wasting another 2 hrs. since I wasn't buying anyway. The lady told me I was a mooch and was just there for the cheap trips (duh remeber the earlier telephoene conversation. she went on to telll me how she was a single mother and I had jsut wasted her time. I again politely responded that I did not want to waste her time and that was why I asked her to cut to the chase and make it short. I will NEVER do one of these again.

chuck

Paul,

I would not spare 90 minutes for this. The whole premise, as I see it, is vacationers succumbing to the something-for-nothing temptation, and sales folks counting on the guilt the vacationers feel to create a more receptive potential customer.

My wife & I experienced this first hand a long time ago. We felt guilty knowing we weren't going to buy anything, and that guilt was a negative part of our trip for much more than 90 minutes.

Cindy

Would I spare a mere 90 minutes for a better overall experience? Absolutely. Would I ever, under any circumstances, submit to the untold horrors of a time share presentation? Nope.

Now I have a question for Paul: Why would you care to have a job hard-selling time shares when you probably could have lots of other jobs that lack the potential for, um, consumer protection issues?

roger

I would do it only if I had another wonderful salesperson that I had in Las Vegas the last time I went on the promotion. He was a god - the 2 hour presentaion spilled over into the the next morning...I will never forget the sunset and sunrise that we shared. All of my senses were delighted and I ended up not even using the free accomodations the tour provided. Thanks for bringing back such a wonderful memory from last November. I am now a permanent LV resident.

Howard

Great answer, Roger!

dan woodlief

It depends on the gift. I have done it for free accomodations plus food, but I kind of knew what I was getting into. The problem is that is so hard to get away, and I know I have no real interest in timeshares. I would likely never do it again. The last time I went, a big storm went through the first two days at the coast, and then on the day of the presentation, the sun came out. Figures.

Kyle

Paul,
If you would provide the kind of experience that Roger found, I would sign up in a flash.

XXX

i have been to three different tours, free carriage ride in the french quarters- new orleans, free dinner for 2 sanibel island, deeply discounted condo in orlando for a week. not interested in buying at all. we tell sales people up front were not buying and only alloting so much time for tour, have to be stern with sales people in this regard. stayed in dominican republic resort, thought we were getting a tour of the grounds to see what was available for our personal use , when we
realized it was a time share we ducked out of the tour right away.
never felt pressured to buy,and wouldn't if i was. schedule tour during down time of vaction, early am when kids are sleeping, afternoon when its to hot to be out ect. people do buy these time shares.

Mike

I have found most represantives in similar industries to behave in fraudulent activity. Ex:

I was left a voice message that my free vacation would expire on a certain day, let's say Monday. Well, I'm not interested and I get a call back on Tues saying that my vacation is ready and waiting. I said "I thought it expired Monday", they said something like "Well, we've been able to make an extension especially for you and extend the deadline one day". Needless to say I told them to get lost. How can you trust and industry built on lies?

beenthere

Paul, we have done that many times since buying our first t/s...just for the *free* stuff, and to see the resorts. Some have been a couple of hours and not too bad, but most have been way too long, and NONE just 90 minutes. Some have had very, very pushy and obnoxious sales persons, or sales managers who won't take NO for an answer..but have to take a no from us. Some have also realized that we are there for the free stuff and know that we are already owners, so don't have to do the full story on exchanges, etc. Now we know that we can go into a resort and ask to *see the units* for possible exchanges there. And most times we are allowed to look, with or without an escort. Most tours that are advertised put you up in a hotel/motel and not the resort unit, so the non t/s person has no idea what it would be like to stay in a very nice condo. Many have learned to buy resale and not pay the horribly high developer prices. I think it's a pity that some of the salesmen have to hold people captive to get them to buy. We have enjoyed our timeshares and the exchanges we have made with them, allowing us to vacation in places we didn't think we could afford.

Jon

I have been on several timeshare tours with my significant other. The free stuff was never worth the time, but we did meet some really interesting people and learned a few things we didn't know b4.

D.B.

You know once they leave the seminar, they won't be back -- you never let them go in just 90 minutes -- keep at them until they are tired, worn down, and can't think straight anymore. The more they say no, then they just need to see ONE more person before getting those free-bees. Oh, sorry, didn't tell you about the surcharge or co-payment for the free stuff -- oops, sorry. Say, while your filling out that paperwork for the "free" stuff -- we just need your address, PH# and ID, you did bring your check book, right? -- let me show you this option over here.... by the way, the weather outside doesn't look very good right now, so why not have some more coffee and another doughnut?

Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, nor hell a fury like a salesman scorned.

Duke

Why thank you, roger.
After all this time I thought you'd simply dismissed our evening of indulgence as a mere dalliance, lost among countless others.
You, too, were spectacular, dear.
Wish I could say that timeshare hawking was always so rewarding, but more often it's those little old weeble-shaped widows from Iowa that I end up bedding in order to close the deal.
Sometimes makes me wonder whether it's worth it all.

Roger

To Duke, D-man
Finally I have now found you via email!! So many sleepness nights wondering how to contact you and find you to rekindle the moments we had. Hope we can timeshare tour on and on.........
Roger

mytime

Paul,
Your question makes the assumption that the "free" stuff that the time share organizations offer would in any way improve my overall vacation experience. Hey, only if you can get my employer to give me more time off could you actually better my overall experience. Using accomodations and free stuff to define my vacation experience misses the basic point of a vacation which is getting away to do what I WANT TO DO.

dan woodlief

In my post above, I described an experience at the Outer Banks of NC (Nags Head). I did find it worthwhile despite the weather. We stayed free in an ocean front hotel for two nights (in October I believe), got a free meal at a very nice seafood restaurant (must have been close to $40 for both of us) and a coupon for dinner (we ate a very nice moderately priced pizza spot). In my other experience, I got a $50 gift certificate to Outback Steakhouse and the chance to get four free airline tickets. The catch was that to use the tickets we would have to spend so many nights at expensive hotels that we could almost do the trips as inexpensively ourselves (Hawaii and Cancun were two of the destinations). The second one wasn't worth it, but most of it wasn't all that bad.