Looking for honest opinions on Timeshare presentations...

[busy mom]

We are considering signing up for a Timeshare offer to make our travel more affordable.

Are they are bad as I have heard?

There is ZERO chance that we would sign up.

 

[hhisc16]

We are considering signing up for a Timeshare offer to make our travel more affordable.

Are they are bad as I have heard?

There is ZERO chance that we would sign up.

I would recommend the DVC presentation.
We are DVC owners and bought resale to make it cheaper to purchase.

 

[Marionnette]

We are considering signing up for a Timeshare offer to make our travel more affordable.

Are they are bad as I have heard?

There is ZERO chance that we would sign up.

Some can be brutal and a serious drain on precious vacation time. The pressure to buy can be very intense with the salesperson repeated presenting lower, more attractive offers after each "no" until they run out of ammunition. Then they will slow-walk any incentives that you were offered in order to sit thru the presentation. You will be there far beyond the one hour that they advertise.

 

[MillauFr]

Ditto on doing the DVC presentation. I would skip the others as they will hold you hostage and often to refuse to deliver on the perks they promise. They know there is nothing you can do but complain if they screw you over.

 

[Lewisc]

DVC doesn't offer the same perks for sitting through a presentation that other developers offer.
The clock doesn't start running until you finish your meal and the presentation starts.

 

[Marionnette]

DVC doesn't offer the same perks for sitting through a presentation that other developers offer.
The clock doesn't start running until you finish your meal and the presentation starts.

DVC doesn't really offer any incentives other than maybe a free ice cream. They used to offer gift cards and fastpasses to everyone in your party but they haven't done that for years.

 

[EilonwyWanderer]

We are considering signing up for a Timeshare offer to make our travel more affordable.

Are they are bad as I have heard?

There is ZERO chance that we would sign up.

Listen. Everyone always says there is ZERO chance they will sign up. But the people they put in these things are GOOD. They are charismatic and they know how to get you to sign even if you don't want to. EVERYONE walks into these things thinking they just want a free insert whatever here and an hour of their time is worth that.

They would not still do these presentations and incentives if no one ever signed. So be aware!

 

[tvguy]

Well, all I can say is there is a huge industry focusing on getting people out of Time Share contracts.

I have attended a few, before I retired. They all assumed I had a lot more vacation time that I actually did, and the annual fee was more than we spent per year on vacations.

 

[CarolynFH]

We are considering signing up for a Timeshare offer to make our travel more affordable.

Are they are bad as I have heard?

There is ZERO chance that we would sign up.

Yes, they are as bad as you have heard!

I too would recommend that you not attend - TS sales can be very aggressive and manipulative, and many like you have caved in despite their best intentions. Be aware that if you do sign, you have the right to rescind (10 days in Florida, different in different states, depends on where you signed the contract). DVC is very expensive, even via resale, and you can buy other systems resale for a lot less money and have a lot more options for travel to different places. I strongly suggest you look at the Timeshare Users Group forums, https://tugbbs.com/forums/, to learn more about timeshares in general and the various systems in particular before you sign up for any presentations.

 

[MillauFr]

There is ZERO chance that we would sign up.

Isn't accepting their perks bad faith if you have zero chance of signing up? Seems like you are trying to take advantage of the the timeshare salespeople.

 

[MillauFr]

TS sales can be very aggressive and manipulative, and many like you have caved in despite their best intentions.

Seems like the OP is trying to take advantage of the timeshare salespeople and manipulate them.

 

[afan]

Seems like the OP is trying to take advantage of the timeshare salespeople and manipulate them.

Which people do all the time. This isn't a new thing nor do all people that attend a timeshare presentation buy. Same with dvc. Plenty of us on the dis have done it just to see it, get the gc and the fps they used to give out. I was up front with the guy that I had friends that owned and understood how it all worked and that I was just curious to see the Riviera rooms. It was shorter because of that and still informative.

It's also no more deceptive than some od the tactics the timeshare people use. I'm also sure they know people take advantage of it and it's built into their budgets. If these presentations weren't successful they wouldn't do them at all. No reason to feel sorry for them.

 

[Buzz2014]

We went in 2015 I can't recall the property but it was in Celebration. We received a good discount (offsite rm )and park tickets but they claim it's 90 min and still took from 9a-12p to tour. The meeting portion where they show you numbers and try to convince you was about an hour since we said no various times.. I was surprised they worked numbers so low (2-3k)..but by the end of it all I think they were pretty annoyed we didn't see the value. Oh and it wasn't just one person. One person gave a tour and did most of the talking but then at the end the "manager " was trying to convince us. If you decide to attend a presentation try not to have any other big plans that day..

also we took a dvc tour back in 2018 or 2019. The guy was furious we didn't buy old key west for min points I think it added up to 8 or 9k. We only took about 2hrs there total and got a backpack treats fast passes and $150 gift card.

 

[OrangeBirdGirl]

Our first time in Vegas like 20 years ago we got suckered into a timeshare promo to get free show tickets and some sort of cash incentive. Never again. Our vacation time is too valuable. If we were truly interested in a timeshare then go for it. But just to get a cheaper rate or something else no way.

 

[midwestdee]

Some years ago, I volunteered at an animal shelter with a really nice guy that had ended up with TWO timeshares! He and his wife were nice people that just got snookered into something they could not afford. I have no idea if they managed to get out of them. Trust me, there are many ways to economize before a vacation. Please consider those options before you submit to a timeshare presentation.

 

[cruisehopeful]

I do not recommend doing any of the presentations unless you don't mind giving up an entire day of your vacation. They will keep you busy with random stuff for at least an hour before your presentation starts. Then, you are supposed to attend for 90 minutes or whatever. At the end of the required time if you are very insistent that you need to leave, they will make you wait for a manager and then wait for prize after that. You will be hungry and exhausted when you leave. You could probably make more money by just working an extra day, rather than sit through that.

I do know some people who are willing to give up a day of their vacation for a reward. If you think that you would be willing to do that, do not ask any questions at all during the presentation and only give yes or no answers. It will get you out of their quicker. If you ask any questions at all, they are trained to sell to whatever you seem interested in.

 

[chalee94]

We are considering signing up for a Timeshare offer to make our travel more affordable.

Are they are bad as I have heard?

There is ZERO chance that we would sign up.

I own 2 timeshares (DVC resale and a non-branded resale which I picked up after extensive research on TUG).

I have never ever wasted a second on timeshare presentations. If you enjoy confrontation and conflict, maybe you would enjoy it. For most of us, it's not worth the hassle.

 

[lockets]

I don’t want to be offensive, but some of the presentations are slimy and signing up for one knowing that you’re doing it just for the perks and not to buy also sounds slimy to me.

Please do anything else to save money on your vacation. Or, just “suck it up” that vacations sometimes cost more than what you’d like and you might have to work extra hours to attain what you want.

that’s my 2 cents.

PS - You’re asking for “honest opinions” about something that you’re going into without having honest intentions because you’re worried you might feel put upon? Ummmm. Just no.

 

[MrsPete]

My parents were VERY into time share presentations; we kids used to love it because we'd get to hang out and play video games (this was before home video games were a thing) or similar. My husband and I have done a few of them. I also read a book about time share deals, which said that companies build in 20K or more per unit into sales.

Here's my advice:
- Skip the snack -- unless you just want something to eat. This doesn't count towards your 90 minutes (or whatever they've told you). During this time they start "checking you out": asking about your job, trying to gauge your salary, your stage in life, etc. They're honing in on how they're going to attack you -- will they talk about precious time with your small children, or the importance of keeping your adult children close, or vacation as a way to spend time with your grandchildren.
- When they begin to talk about the great value of owning a timeshare vs. hotel rooms, AGREE with them! Explain how you've talked to friends, how you're very interested in investing in quality time with your family. Trading time shares? Not interested -- who would vacation anywhere except Orlando? This will speed this part right on by.
- After this part, typically it's time to view the condo. Express your concern about time -- you have dinner reservations or a boat ride reservation two hours from now. You want to see the condo, but you also want to get back in a fairly quick amount of time /talk money.
- If you can walk to the condo or drive your own car, do so. It's best not to put yourself in their control for transportation.
- Look through the condo, ooh-and-ahh over everything -- that's usually pretty easy. It's on a golf course? You love golf! They have a toddler pool? You have a grandchild or nieces/nephew who'd love that!
- When you return to the sales office, the salesperson is feeling sure he's going to "close the deal" with you. You came in very interested, and you loved the condo.
- When they show you the prices, your demeanor changes -- how can this cost so much? You're confused. From your purse you pull out the cost of other couple-year old time-shares in the area -- other places you're considering. They're much cheaper. You pull out the cost of resale time-shares (which can be 90% less). You're more confused. How can this product be so much more expensive? The sales person discusses the perks you get along with "buying new" -- you point out that the perks are nothing compared to the difference in cost. The sales person points out the support /help you'll get by "buying new" -- you ask if they don't support ALL their owners.
- They bring in "a closer" to put on more pressure, but you stick to the numbers on your print-outs. They have nothing to argue with math, and saying that you can't possibly buy the first time share you've toured -- especially when re-sale is up to 90% off -- is too much /too soon. You owe it to yourself to investigate Marriot, Hyatt, whatever else before you commit.
- You've gone through their presentation (quite possibly in less time than you promised to spend). You're going to go home and do more research. You collect your perks and leave.
- Know that they will call you the next week and say that they're just closing Phase 1 of the build, and once they begin Phase 2, the prices will go up! Expect 4-6 more phone calls over the next couple months.

Listen. Everyone always says there is ZERO chance they will sign up. But the people they put in these things are GOOD. They are charismatic and they know how to get you to sign even if you don't want to. EVERYONE walks into these things thinking they just want a free insert whatever here and an hour of their time is worth that.

They would not still do these presentations and incentives if no one ever signed. So be aware!

True, and I'll promise you this: No matter what you think now, a small part of you will be interested in what they're offering. The salespeople are very good, and it's human nature.

Isn't accepting their perks bad faith if you have zero chance of signing up?

Nah, it's an industry. Taking what they're offering is fine.

 

[TJsMomSarahJane]

I don’t want to be offensive, but some of the presentations are slimy and signing up for one knowing that you’re doing it just for the perks and not to buy also sounds slimy to me.

Please do anything else to save money on your vacation. Or, just “suck it up” that vacations sometimes cost more than what you’d like and you might have to work extra hours to attain what you want.

that’s my 2 cents.

PS - You’re asking for “honest opinions” about something that you’re going into without having honest intentions because you’re worried you might feel put upon? Ummmm. Just no.

Nah - the intensives are to get you in there an listen to their schpeal. Not to actually buy what they're offering. It's exactly how the game is played.