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i think the presentation that i sat in on wasn't as hard of a sell because it was on a disney cruise ship and was more of an informational. i didn't get anything for sitting through it.
i have never sat in on the other ones that give you free stuff because i would probably end up pissing off the sales people who keep pushing me to buy while i try to stay cordial and say no.
i use points on SPG or Hyatt for most of the hotel rooms that i stay in while on vacation. I also rarely spend over $200/night for a hotel room. I also use miles for a lot of my plane tickets or fly with discount fares. I get most of my miles and hotel points via credit card spending. i just don't see a use for a timeshare. if anything, i would consider buying a real condo in a ski resort area or beach area with some friends and just split the cost of the purchase and rent it out on vrbo or airbnb but i don't think i would ever buy a timeshare.
OP also sounds like he was pretty upfront about it. but i would say that 99% of the timeshare salesmen out there are not...they are there to sell and make their commission and that's it.
Some of its dumb, some is hope, some is depsertation some is greed. Watch Dr. Phil sometimes when he exposes these scammers. You have people who are like doctors and lawyers getting sucked into these love relationships with a Nigerian stranger who claims to be a british guy serving in the military or whatever. Accents don't match up, stories don't match up evidence is right in front of them and they refuse to believe it. I don't think its stupidity but wanting to believe something.
I was also selling right outside Disney Orlando, so the property was all high value weeks. If you buy something in the hills of Kentucky, it's harder to trade and get value.
Some time shares are definitely better than others. I've heard that Disney timeshares are better and have a better resale value. If you try to sell your timeshare for a dollar, Disney exercise there right will buy the unit from you. This keeps resale prices, as high as 50% to 70% of the original price. You would be hard pressed to find negative comments against Disney resorts and they are prompt to follow up on complains made with the Better Business Organization. But the vast majority of timeshares out there are little more than legalized scams and extortion schemes.
Some time shares are definitely better than others. I've heard that Disney timeshares are better and have a better resale value. If you try to sell your timeshare for a dollar, Disney exercise there right will buy the unit from you. This keeps resale prices, as high as 50% to 70% of the original price. You would be hard pressed to find negative comments against Disney resorts and they are prompt to follow up on complains made with the Better Business Organization. But the vast majority of timeshares out there are little more than legalized scams and extortion schemes.
While they may not be a good investment for everyone and maybe not the best financial decision, I wouldn't say they're scams.
But, you really have to know what you're getting into before you're sitting in the closing room with a ton of pressure to sign over $10,000 on the spot after a tour and presentation. People do it all the time but then get home and read the fine print and get upset that they caved under the pressure.
Again, if you use it a lot and have high trade weeks, it's a good deal. If not, it's not.
While they may not be a good investment for everyone and maybe not the best financial decision, I wouldn't say they're scams.
But, you really have to know what you're getting into before you're sitting in the closing room with a ton of pressure to sign over $10,000 on the spot after a tour and presentation. People do it all the time but then get home and read the fine print and get upset that they caved under the pressure.
Again, if you use it a lot and have high trade weeks, it's a good deal. If not, it's not.
Went to a time share presentation in Mexico and would rather be kicked in the groin area with a steel toed boot than go to another presentation. High pressure sales techniques and they just don't seem to know what NO means. Honestly never intended to buy anything but was sucked in by the freebies they give you to attend.
Last edited by jasperhobbs; 01-08-2015 at 06:26 PM..
Went to a time share presentation in Mexico and would rather be kicked in the groin area with a steel toed boot than go to another presentation. High pressure sales techniques and they just don't seem to know what NO means. Honestly never intended to buy anything but was sucked in by the freebies they give you to attend.
If you have zero intention to buy, state that upfront (everyone does) and also confirm how long the presentation is. If they say 90 minutes, say " Ok, good, because we have to leave in 90 minutes as we have another appointment to get to. I just want to make sure that we get our (whatever the freebie is) at the 90 minute mark because we have to leave."
You have to be firm, stick to your guns.
The sales people have thick skin, they're used to hearing 'no', but the good ones also have enough experience to know that 'no' sometimes becomes 'yes'. But, if they know that you're definitely not buying, no matter what, they won't waste their time/energy. They'd rather get the next tour going and try again.
the annoying part is that every salesperson is used to people walking in saying they aren't going to buy and they are also using convincing some of them to buy because of their awesome sales skills so they will never just let you leave right away. they will always hound you for a bit and when it becomes clear that you won't buy, only then will they let you go. this is why it gets annoying.
reminds me of a financial advisor that i had back when i was in my 20s. he made the rounds from one of my friends and got some of us to sign up for life insurance policies.
my friend said how annoying the guy was because the conversation went something like:
a: you should get life insurance
b: no. i don't think i need it.
a: but you're married. what will your wife do if you die?
b: my wife works. she will keep working. we don't have kids.
a: but don't you want your wife taken care of?
b: she was able to take care of herself before we got married, works now, and will go back to whatever she did before she got married if i die.
a: but you bought this house together. what about the house?
b: i won't be here so she can sell the house.
etc.
eventually the financial advisor gave up but this back and forth went on and on where my friend felt like that financial advisor was hounding him and questioning his love for his wife, etc.
the annoying part is that every salesperson is used to people walking in saying they aren't going to buy and they are also using convincing some of them to buy because of their awesome sales skills so they will never just let you leave right away. they will always hound you for a bit and when it becomes clear that you won't buy, only then will they let you go. this is why it gets annoying.
reminds me of a financial advisor that i had back when i was in my 20s. he made the rounds from one of my friends and got some of us to sign up for life insurance policies.
my friend said how annoying the guy was because the conversation went something like:
a: you should get life insurance
b: no. i don't think i need it.
a: but you're married. what will your wife do if you die?
b: my wife works. she will keep working. we don't have kids.
a: but don't you want your wife taken care of?
b: she was able to take care of herself before we got married, works now, and will go back to whatever she did before she got married if i die.
a: but you bought this house together. what about the house?
b: i won't be here so she can sell the house.
etc.
eventually the financial advisor gave up but this back and forth went on and on where my friend felt like that financial advisor was hounding him and questioning his love for his wife, etc.
Well, if you sign up for a time share presentation because you're going to get some free tickets, be prepared for a hard sell. They have the right to try and get back their investment and sales people have the right to make a living. As long as they're not lying (which I'm sure some do, but would be in deep crap if caught), they can use a hard sell, soft sell, whatever they need to do.
It's your job as the consumer to not fall for a high pressure sales tactic, which it is.
My Dad has a hard time saying 'no' to people, especially one's that are really friendly and make him feel guilty about saying no.
Well, if you sign up for a time share presentation because you're going to get some free tickets, be prepared for a hard sell. They have the right to try and get back their investment and sales people have the right to make a living. As long as they're not lying (which I'm sure some do, but would be in deep crap if caught), they can use a hard sell, soft sell, whatever they need to do.
It's your job as the consumer to not fall for a high pressure sales tactic, which it is.
My Dad has a hard time saying 'no' to people, especially one's that are really friendly and make him feel guilty about saying no.
yeah i agree with you there. if you sign up to get some free stuff, you really have nobody to blame but yourself.
i actually don't think most of them lie. they simply take advantage of uninformed people. for example, you can focus on the monthly cost and make that really low while jacking up the interest rate and duration of the loan, etc. and the stupid consumer will just think about their monthly cost and think it's a good deal.
that's why at the start of this thread it was about a fool and his money being soon parted.
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