Anyone toured a resort for a discounted weekend stay?
TV ClubHouse: Archives: 2003 January:
Anyone toured a resort for a discounted weekend stay?
Curious1 | Thursday, December 26, 2002 - 12:53 pm     I just bought two weekend vacation packages from Fairfield resorts. They own timeshares across the country. I got 3day/2nights for $99 in Branson, Missouri (6 hours away from me) and 3day/2nights in Orlando,FL for $49.00. Both trips come with dinner coupons and cash ($30.00) bonuses for touring the timeshare resort. Has anyone here ever toured the timeshare places? They said the tours are 90 minutes long. How high-pitched sales are they? WHAT HAVE I GOTTEN MYSELF INTO? Thanks for any info |
Ginger1218 | Thursday, December 26, 2002 - 01:07 pm     Be careful, I have not been on those tours, but others. Just be prepared for rather high pitches sales. They try anything to get you to buy and will promise you the world. Be careful. |
Zachsmom | Thursday, December 26, 2002 - 01:19 pm     Go on the Vacations and when they start with their sales pitch just keep saying "I can't afford it" "None of your business" (when they are asking financial info to prove you CAN afford it) "This looks cheap and shoddy, I wouldn't spend HALF the amount that you're selling these for" "What part of "I can't afford it" don't you understand?" I have done a few of these..sometimes you just HAVE TO be rude..I hate it when they don't take the first "no thank you, it's not in my budget for right now" |
Marysafan | Thursday, December 26, 2002 - 01:23 pm     I agree with Ginger. In the 1980's we went to one of those deals in Vegas. They ended up sounding pretty sweet and we ended up "buying" it. I started having second thoughts the minute I got back to the hotel room. Fortunately...we had paid by credit card...and cancelled the purchse the next mroning. They tracked us down when we got home and tried laying a guilt trip on us...but we held our ground. We explained simply explained to them that this is not how we make major purchases. We need time to think about it and discuss it with each other. If they weren't willing to let us do that...then we would not need to further consider this as a vacation option. They never contacted us again. |
Max | Thursday, December 26, 2002 - 01:53 pm     When my ex-husband and I lived in San Francisco, we used to take advantage of the timeshare offers at Lake Tahoe all the time. They'd give you two nights free accommodations just for sitting through their two-hour pitch. Some were more pushy than others, but heck, you got a free weekend out of it, so it wasn't too much to put up with. Enjoy! |
Bob2112 | Thursday, December 26, 2002 - 02:07 pm     Hi Curious. We have used these types of discount weekends a few times over the last 10 years and have always been happy with the accomodations. You can expect the overall sales pitch to take more like 2-3 hours, but you should be able to get out of there without making a purchase, if that is what you want. Use some of the things that ZMom has mentioned and just keep repeating those and they will get bored with you. Of course, our kids love the presentations since they usually get to be a room with other kids playing video games, watching videos and eating snacks. It's sometimes harder to get them to leave, then to get the sales person to stop trying to make a sale. Enjoy your trips.  |
Resortgirl | Thursday, December 26, 2002 - 02:30 pm     Be VERY Very careful! We bought a timeshare in Cozumel Mexico (never buy anything in a foreign country because you have little legal recourse) and the Resort went bankrupt before we were ever able to use it. We are now part of a class action suit against the corporation, because they are back in business selling timeshares at the resort again... WE lost $7500! I agree with the others here, say you can't afford it, say that you would have to discuss it in private with your spouse, say your credit card is maxed out! Just don't let them pressure you unless you really want to buy....Good luck and have fun!!! |
Wiseolowl | Thursday, December 26, 2002 - 03:53 pm     We had two experiences with these time share pitches The first was to buy a time share in a hotel in old Fort Lauderdale by the beach. It looked like a good deal but the building was only half-finished - how do you know it ever will be. The sales pressure was very high. They hearded the 40 or so couples into one big room - each having their own salesperson - we must have been there 4 hours - very intense - at one point towards the end when it was obvious we weren't buying, the saleslady said "we own you"!! There were about a half dozen guys who stood at the back who would periodically approach a couple for extra pressure on a subtle signal from the table salesperson Alot of people wound up buying - one young couple from Mississippi bought a timeshare in a different building -sight unseen- because the dates were more convenient. We had a few drinks with them the day before and they told us they didn't have health insurance because it was too expensive! We did get a seven day trip including 3 days at the Fort Lauderdale Sheridan and a 4 day cruise to Freeport Bahamas. If you could take the pressure -it was a pretty good deal. The second was a 6 day trip to Smugglers Notch ski resort in Vermont - a first class establishment - we went in peak season - paid three hundred dollars and only had to go through a one hour low key very professional pitch. People we met there paid 2000. for the same trip. |
Pamy | Thursday, December 26, 2002 - 04:32 pm     IMO timeshares are a waste of money AND you have to pay property taxes on them, something they don't always tell ya up front. As for getting rid of sales calls, whenever I answer the phone and they ask for my hubby or me and I don't know the voice I always say he/she isn't home right now can I take a message? Stops them in their tracks cuz they can't pitch ya if your not home, usually they ask when would be a good time to call back and I say sometime after 10pm! I just pretend to be the sitter. I was in telemarketing in my early years and know that some people will keep the # of a rude person and crank call them at a later date, this way no rude person and no sales pitch |
Curious1 | Friday, December 27, 2002 - 09:44 pm     Thanks for all the info everyone. Zachsmom...I loved your comments. I can't imagine saying them, but if I have to get rude I will. I'm usually a pretty big sucker for a good deal, but if I know they're going to try to sucker me in beforehand I'll do okay! Has anyone ever dealt with these particular resorts? I don't even think the package deals I bought were for a stay in the actual resort, just a nearby hotel? Wiseolowl...your trips sounded great! Haven't heard of any deals like that! Great job not getting sucked in though! Thanks everyone |
Juju2bigdog | Saturday, December 28, 2002 - 06:03 am     Just be really careful, Curious1 and don't come back having spent $10,000 for your "free" vacation. It can happen. In fact, I bet it happens a lot. |
Ginger1218 | Saturday, December 28, 2002 - 09:05 am     I went on one of these in Atlantic City for the day with a friend of mine. The sales pitch was so intense, and the lady hated me because I tripped her up on everything she said. She said that there was a special deal that day if if my friend did not buy that day, she would never ever get that deal again. So, I said to her, "you mean that if she comes back here tomorrow morning with cash to buy it, she will not get that deal?" The saleslady said, no. I said, bullsh*t! I don't believe you for one second. The woman almost lost her mind. LOL Then, they had a bunch of people being pressured in one room at different desks with different sales people, and all of a sudden some salespeople stood up and made a big announcement that those people had bought and everyone clapped. An hour later those people were in a different room doing the same thing. (They were employees of the company) it was all a big act. It is amazing. Some people like timeshares, but I think it is a big rip-off. I would rather plan my vacations and stay in hotels - and go when I want and for how long I want. I don't want to be roped into committing to something like that. |
Pcakes2 | Saturday, December 28, 2002 - 11:48 am     I'm going to state an unpopular opinion here, but here goes...If you are not really interested in a time share, don't go. Basically, you're trying to get something for nothing (a vacation) and the sales people know it...so why wouldn't you expect the sales person to be high pressure...your wasting there time and taking money out of their pockets...this is their job. I own 1/2 a time share, but I got a very good deal. Ours is in Cabo San Lucas thru RCI. You do not pay property taxes annually on time shares...you pay maintenance fees. You do not receive a deed to your time share, because you never actually own it. When I was in Cabo in November, I looked at another one...I was very interested, but upon viewing the property, I honestly didn't like it, so I passed. If you really have no intentions on buying one, isn't it basically fraud? Something to think about. |
Pamy | Saturday, December 28, 2002 - 12:18 pm     Pcakes, I agree with what you said. If you want the freebies you have to sit thru the pitches. I am not sure where you live but in CA you do pay property taxes on the timeshares, I work for the County assessor and we assess them all the time. |
Karuuna | Saturday, December 28, 2002 - 12:42 pm     Just a thought from a marketer - most of the folks who market these things plan on folks coming that are not interested in buying. They are trained in trying to get folks who are not interested to buy anyway, to overcome resistance, and usually to not give a darn whether such a purchase would be a realistic one for you, or make you happy. And you'd be amazed at how many folks they do convert. If it wasn't profitable to get "non-interested" folks to come, they'd ask you first if you would be interested in buying a time share. They don't. They call or mail you and either ask you if you want a free or low-cost vacation, or sometimes they tell you that you have "won" a free vacation. It's a kind of fraud as well. It's called shotgun marketing - get lots of warm bodies in the door, and get some small percentage of them to convert to buyers. So, I guess there are two ways of looking at it. In a sense, it's getting a semi-free vacation for almost nothing (you do have to pay in your time to listen to the presentation). If you really have no intent to buy, well, I suppose it's a kind of fraud. On the other hand, most of the folks soliciting you to come want you to come even if you don't think you want to buy. I've even said to them on the phone - I have absolutely no interest in buying a time share, and they say, well, come anyway. So I suppose that's kind of a fraud too, since they will almost always tell you "there's no pressure to buy, just come to the presentation." So, I'm not sure how to assess right/wrong here...I think it comes down to what you're comfortable with. |
Bob2112 | Saturday, December 28, 2002 - 12:43 pm     No, it is not fraud to pay a discounted rate to stay at a resort's accomodations and sit through their presentations. Some people go to the presentations with no intention of purchasing and come away an owner. The sales people have been doing this for years and they know what percentage of people will actually make a purchase. To them it is a cost of doing business and if it was not effective, they would not continue offering the discount packages. Even if the offer is a complete freebie, I still don't consider it fraud. Many sales people view it as a numbers game and just want to get their product in front of as many people as possible. They certainly will offer you all sorts of other "worthless" vacation weekends and gifts to get you to purchase. Edit: or what Karuuna said!  |
Pcakes2 | Saturday, December 28, 2002 - 02:20 pm     I agree with you all (Pamy, Karuuna & Bob). I, myself, am in sales, and offer free evaluation products, and yes it is a numbers game. All I'm saying is if someone really doesn't want a time share, and does not want to be pressured into it, they should not go....in accepting the deal, they should know that someone will pressure them to make the purchase. Pamy, I'm in CA also, but since my timeshare is in Mexico, I pay no property taxes on it. |
Pamy | Saturday, December 28, 2002 - 04:34 pm     aaahhh that makes sense Pcakes! I also agree with the numbers game thing and if they weren't making money they wouldn't offer the deals, they know some people will be able to sit thru the sales pitches and still resist. So I think it is a fair deal for everyone, as long as the buyer reads all the fine print! |
Bastable | Saturday, December 28, 2002 - 11:37 pm     For what it's worth, I write for Budget Travel magazine (yes! we're on the Web at budgettravel.msnbc.com) and we always suggest people sit through these things. In Orlando, it's pretty much the only way to get free Disney tickets. Personally, I'd rather die than sit through a time-share pitch. But some people don't mind. It's a great way to get free stuff while salesmen get to bend your ear. Everyone's happy. |
Weinermr | Sunday, December 29, 2002 - 09:03 am     It's funny you talk about dying Bastable. I work with people's estates, and it's impossible to dispose of timeshare interests when someone dies. Oh they SAY the timeshare is transferable, but just try to do it! You either have to transfer the timeshare interest to the heirs, or you have to try to sell it. It's often very difficult to track down and work with the issuer of the timeshare, even when the decedent has kept good records and retained all the paperwork. Unfortunately, they usually don't want to have a thing to do with you. We telephone them, and write to them, and they promise to send out transfer paperwork, but they never send it because THEY don't want to be bothered with the hassle. I'm making these comments based on 20 years of experience with many different timeshares. When an estate is large enough to require the filing of an estate tax return you have to value the timeshare as of date of death. As Pamy said, often there is an underlying interest in real property, and the assessor's office provides a value for that, but the timeshare interest also includes the right to occupy the premises for a certain period of time and THAT has to be valued as well, which is extremely subjective and impossible to do. And the estate has to continue to pay the assessments and the taxes until the interest is transferred or sold. There are secondary markets for timeshare interests, in fact there is a commercial that plays on TV all the time with a 1-800 number to call if you have a timeshare you want to sell. In reality, it is just about impossible to find buyers for timeshares. And then you are right back dealing with the timeshare administrator, trying to obtain the transfer paperwork and have them change ownership on their records. Good luck. And finally, a personal timeshare story. Shortly after we were married, my wife and I attended a timeshare presentation. We were young and didn't have very much money, and after a very short time the salesperson told us we might as well go home because the timeshare was "too expensive" for us. The funny thing was, we COULD have afforded to buy it, and in fact we were extremely interested in buying it. If the salesperson had made half an effort that day, we would have bought everything hook, line, and sinker. I'm glad now that we did not. |
Curious1 | Sunday, December 29, 2002 - 09:17 am     I just wanted to add something here... When the salesman called me to sell me these vacations I flat out told him "I'd be interested in touring your resorts, but the fact is we just bought a new home and there is absolutely NO WAY I'd be interested in buying a timeshare at this time" His response was "We understand that, we know that 9 out of 10 people who take advantage of your discounted trips will not ever buy a timeshare from us or from anyone, BUT we do our advertising by word of mouth only and perhaps by viewing our resort you will speak of it to family and friends and they may become future buyers." I told him, that was probably very true but that I wouldn't feel comfortable being pressured into something that I simply can't afford right now. He stated "we are not a high-pressure sales company, just come take advantage of this trip, see our resorts and tell family and friends about it." I realize this was his "sales pitch". But I do feel I was upfront with him. Although, he won't be the one giving me the tour and I'm sure I'll have to restate all of this again. |
Pamy | Sunday, December 29, 2002 - 10:46 am     Curious..that was a good salesman! I kinda agree with his thinking though, and I hadn't thought of that before. So along with the numbers game they also get word of mouth advertising which is probably more valuable than the free trips they offer. Weiner...why oh why don't people hold all their assests in a trust!!! I see it all the time and feel so sorry for some of these people that come in and try to record deeds to protect themselves and family only to have them do a deed incorrectly and cause trouble later on. We are not allowed to offer any advice to the taxpayers regarding how they hold title, as it is considered legal advice, you don't know how many times I have had to bite my tongue helping people. Correct me if I am wrong but if they held the timeshare in their trust when they die a deed could then be recorded transferring the timeshare to the successor trustee with no probate, I know it works that way for regular real estate, not sure if timeshares have any other special rules |
Bastable | Sunday, December 29, 2002 - 12:46 pm     Weinermr, I agree that most time shares are no great deals. I would not suggest that people ever buy one. You rarely save money compared to just renting a week a year, and who wants to go to the same place for vacation every year of your life? How unstimulating! But if sitting through a speil gets you a deep discount, I don't oppose simply listening to a bad sales pitch. If no one buys, well, then time-shares will eventually die out. Which would be fine with me. |
Juju2bigdog | Sunday, December 29, 2002 - 01:13 pm     Timeshares is not going to die out because it is an industry fraught with fraud*, and there is a sucker born every minute. *and I'm not talking about the sheep, errrr ... the prospective purchasers, here |
Mak1 | Thursday, January 02, 2003 - 01:32 pm     My husband and I were on vacation, walking on Daytona Beach recently, when a time share salesperson started making a beeline for us. At least he was wearing a shirt with the name of his resort on it, so we were forewarned. He asked how we were, and I speeded up (so did he) and told him "We're in a hurry." He smiled and, almost jogging now, heehee, asked where we were from. I smiled and said "North of here, and we aren't at all interested in a timeshare." He chuckled and moved on to someone else. (My husband got a big kick out of it.) |
Twiggyish | Thursday, January 02, 2003 - 01:42 pm     The timeshares in Orlando are notorious for suckering people. Unless you really want to buy, be very careful! |
Juju2bigdog | Thursday, January 02, 2003 - 06:31 pm     We went to Daytona last year, and the timeshares vultures drove us nuts!!! It really pretty much ruined the time there. They just won't let you alone. Ironically, the last time I was in Daytona for any time, about twenty years ago, I was over there making undercover visits to unscrupulous timeshares promotions to see whether any of them were bad enough that we could indict them. I don't recall whether or not any indictments resulted, but thigs sure seem to be right back to what they were 20 years ago or worse. |
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