Just had an awful but educational timeshare presentation experience

[aschen]

Timeshares, insurance as an investment, High fee/cost mutual funds...........


Part of me is a bit curious and can see the sport in arguing with sales pitch, but would never go on principle. Is getting free chit from a low class near criminal enterprise that compelling? Rather pay my own way and not share the same air with these fols

[Z-man]

Originally Posted by look 171

W...We were young and dumb but I pulled out in the last minute...

Wait..wut? We're still talking about timeshares, right?

Many. many years ago, my parents dragged us to a timeshare presentation. My sister and I had a fun time playing Space Invaders in their gaming area. (Yeah, it was many years ago!)

My dad would never throw money into such a foolish scam, but he went because they promised a projection TV if they sat through the presentation. And we did get that projection TV. It turned out this projection TV was just a flimsy plastic dome you would place on your own tube TV that needed to be pointed upward towards the ceiling. Even in my pre-teen years, I knew that was a total piece of garbage.

Live and learn...

[3rd_gear_Ted]

Instead of a 30 yr deal a 5 yr deal can be a way to stay in a couple of nice places.
Like IN & OUT, know the options not on the menu.

[Arizona_928]

Originally Posted by KevinTodd

Yeah, that's almost as bad as having a wife that refuses to tip in restaurants.

Almost as bad as cuckold that tips no matter what. Bad service. Bad food. 18% tip.

[cantdrv55]

By the way, you can buy into timeshares through the reseller market and pay pennies on the dollar. Some of those “I’ll get you out of your timeshare” ads on tv actually get their inventory from people feeling stuck and desperate. They buy them out real cheap then resell them for a mere fraction of what the builders charge. The annual maintenance fees will be the same as buying from Marriott, Wyndham, Westin, etc but cost of entry is minimal. That way you can buy then rent it out as an Airbnb and make some extra cash.

[john70t]

Had a buddy in SF, Ca who could sniff out any deal on the planet. Three hours of hard-sell he** and emotional psych experiments. This fish didn't bite. We got round trip airfare and two nights to Vegas a couple times. Won another free night at a casino while we were there but they tried to jerk him around. Rented a car and saw everything just about free in the area. Donkey rides at the petting zoo. Red Rock bars. Watching precise landings at the base. etc. The desert is beautiful at certain times. Those were low cost vacations.

Going into it, the numbers did not add up. Successful sales are ballpark 10%closed but that might be more or less for those presentations. Only a few people signed paperwork and were probably plants. Huge overhead for that advertising model. Someone has to pay for it...i.e...existing owners of the pyramid scheme. I felt sorry for the staff, pulling out pictures of kids. "How much do you have in your wallet to put down right now". etc. Independent contractors.

The sales pitch for the cattle-car perspectives is based on someone taking monthly vacations with full family and staying in $400/night hotels. The availability for using this purchase was entirely at the company discretion which could be any 1-bed condo squatter joint anywhere in the third world. A definite maybe. I'd rather take my chances swimming with real sharks in chummed waters.

[Tobra]

Originally Posted by Jolly Amaranto

Back in the 1980s my wife and I sat through a sales presentation at a timeshare on Lake Conroe, just north of Houston. Some annoying, hot shot 20 year old kid had the high pressure routine down pat. The most miserable hour of my life. The bait was a "stereo sound system" that turned out to be little more than a cheap battery operated portable radio with a flimsy head set.

How long ago was this? Good chance that guy was my wife's cousin.

[Jolly Amaranto]

Originally Posted by Tobra

How long ago was this? Good chance that guy was my wife's cousin.

That was about 1982.

[Tobra]

Probably not him, he would have been too young.

If it were him, you probably would have bought. That guy could sell ice cubes to an Eskimo

[porsche tech]

Once (Marriott)…salesman was my best buddy until I said “no” then he immediately got up and led my wife and me down the hall to the elevator in silence. Off to get the next sucker. I’m sure they’re trained that if the guy says no, don’t waste any more time on him. What a way to make a living!

[Norm K]

^^^ It's a numbers game to them.

_

[LWJ]

I am 100% in agreement that timeshares suck. Don’t want one. And, have even refused a “free” one from family.

But, I have an uncle who is an actuary. Smart guy who does know numbers. He has at least two. And he believes that his timeshare is a good thing. And? He is a tightwad.

I didn’t want to suffer through hearing his explanation. So I have no idea why he believes this.

[Rick Lee]

I hate resort vacations anyway, so I've never been tempted by the time share thing. I just got back from bumming around the CZ Rep. on my own and that's my kind of vacation.

Anyway, I did go to a trade show for the time share industry association - ARDA - American Resort and Development Assoc. This was when I was in software sales. The booth next to ours belonged to a company that designed software to weed out bad salespeople. The industry knows exactly what it takes to succeed and they don't want to hire anyone who will take the job. So they use that kind of software to weed out the ones who just won't cut it in that biz. I'll say this about that biz - those folks are sharp dressers. None of this company logo golf shirt and jeans BS. They were all in suits with flashy colored ties and handkerchiefs, very shiny shoes, etc.

Even if I were remotely interested in the kind of vacations time shares offered, I'd not ever deal with any business that has to offer so much stuff just to get you to listen to their sales pitch. That's all the red flag I need.

[fintstone]

My grandparents had several weeks that they had owned since time began. They used them and claimed they were a good deal. They "traded" theirs on an exchange to go wherever they wanted. When they died, my mom took them over and used them. She recently died...and none of her kids or grandkids want them and will just give them up. Why tie yourself to anything that you have so little control over the costs of (maintenance, etc.)?

But the Marriott Timeshare folks did give us one of our best vacations ever with a week in Hawaii when we were young and poor. We could have never afforded to have gone on our own (or would have rented a convertible, dines so well, etc.). All we had to do was listen to a presentation and get a little bit of a hard sell. Best compensated half hour ever. Well worth the price.

[Vipergrün]

Saturday I leave on my 3rd trip to Hawaii in 9 months, twice to Maui, Kauai up next. All 3 are Marriott/Westin Vacation Club trips, 6 days, 5 nights for a really good price. Kauai is 699, Maui was 1199 for an ocean front room both times at the Ocean Club. Fly free on Southwest and have my companion pass. Yeah, I have to sit through a presentation. I actually like the way Marriott does it, based on points, rather than a fixed week. Regardless, I say "no", take another package if they offer, and be on my way.

[cantdrv55]

Yes! Great job using their system

[cockerpunk]

i dont think ive ever been bored enough to listen to timeshare pitch for $150.

and i sharpen bolts for fun.

[p911dad]

Anyone sucked into this situation is by definition "prey" in a small tank and in the company of a hungry predator and escape is a miracle. We did this once long ago on vacation in Myrtle Beach, SC (and slowly became worn down with a great sales pitch with no escape). We got back to our hotel and said "what did we just do?!" It was just after SC passed the 3 day escape clause for any sales contract. We called the SC attorney general office and they gave the time share office a call. We had to return the gift (a cheap camera and dinner coupon) and that was the end of it.

[gregpark]

How much is the annual "maintenance" fee? only 6 or 7 hundred dollars per year? How many nights do you have it for per year? 6 nights? So that's $100. a night. There is no maintenance involved, that money goes to
the hotel every year. Your assigned week is usually during the off season and the hotel is happy to fill a room for a third of what they normally charge (better than getting nothing for an empty room). Every time share I've heard of does not include a maid to make your bed and clean the bathroom daily. The time share salesman wants you to give him 20K for this special deal but because it's your lucky day they're willing to cut that almost in half! So you're only coughing up 12K for being locked in to a certain date at a specific place once a year and save a few hundred bucks on the week (with no maid to tidy up the room). Oh, but you can change the date or hotel (for $250.)
"You are now one of our special owners!" (but actually own jack squat). The owner of the time share company throws the hotel a couple grand then splits the the rest with the salesman so the sales guy just earned 5 thousand bucks for an hour and half of fast talk. Not a bad wage but not much as his boss is making with several sales people workin it.