Timeshare presentations questions.

[Blackman Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Blackman]

Hi all Blackman here!

My wife and I went to Puerto Vallarta in April of this year and got a bunch of free stuff on time share presentations. By the end of the trip we could see this was a good way to make some extra cash and have fun, but we have some questions about going again.

I know supposedly Mexican law is that you can only go to each resort or presentation once per year, but how strictly controlled is this? Do they really have ways of checking how often you have gone? In our experience Mexico doesn't keep good records about almost anything. So we are wondering if we can get away with going again in November or December or do we have to wait till exactly one year?

Also, even if we have to wait exactly one year to go to Vallarta again could we get around this by going to a different resort city like Acapulco or something? Or would they have some way to check that also?

Last question what city offers the most money for presentations, the most gifts or both. We are looking to have fun but mainly to make the most money we can while there. Presentation in the morning one in the afternoon and by 3 or 4 freedom to do what we want.

Any help anyone can offer with these questions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

The Blackman

[Spence Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Spence]

Hi all Blackman here!

My wife and I went to Puerto Vallarta in April of this year and got a bunch of free stuff on time share presentations. By the end of the trip we could see this was a good way to make some extra cash and have fun, but we have some questions about going again.

I know supposedly Mexican law is that you can only go to each resort or presentation once per year, but how strictly controlled is this? Do they really have ways of checking how often you have gone? In our experience Mexico doesn't keep good records about almost anything. So we are wondering if we can get away with going again in November or December or do we have to wait till exactly one year?

Also, even if we have to wait exactly one year to go to Vallarta again could we get around this by going to a different resort city like Acapulco or something? Or would they have some way to check that also?

Last question what city offers the most money for presentations, the most gifts or both. We are looking to have fun but mainly to make the most money we can while there. Presentation in the morning one in the afternoon and by 3 or 4 freedom to do what we want.

Any help anyone can offer with these questions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

The Blackman

My advice - post your questions and concerns in only one forum and vacation when you're on vacation. Doing what you propose is stupid, but if you want to do it there is no such Mexican law as you submit. Only an individual timeshare or chain of timeshares can prohibit you from visiting within a certain periodicity.

[jericap Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close jericap]

Hi all Blackman here!

My wife and I went to Puerto Vallarta in April of this year and got a bunch of free stuff on time share presentations. By the end of the trip we could see this was a good way to make some extra cash and have fun, but we have some questions about going again.

I know supposedly Mexican law is that you can only go to each resort or presentation once per year, but how strictly controlled is this? Do they really have ways of checking how often you have gone? In our experience Mexico doesn't keep good records about almost anything. So we are wondering if we can get away with going again in November or December or do we have to wait till exactly one year?

.........
The Blackman

If you enjoy going to different presentations while vacationing, then by all means go...but there is no law in Mexico that states you can go to only 1 per year. As Spence stated, the resort can limit you, but not the country. On this forum, we have "the best timeshare gifts" however, there are only 2-3 responses. We also have "the worst timeshare gifts", which has 3 pages.

Have fun!!

[Blackman Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Blackman]

Well thanks Jericap, I will check out those links.

Spence: I posted in more than one forum cause I wasn't exactly sure where the post belonged. I do plan to vacation when on vacation but on our last vacation my wife and I both had lots of fun because of the presentations and the free gifts and without them we agree we would have been either bored or forced into spending a lot of money so that we weren't. I totally agree with and understand the right to respectfully disagree with a person but to call their idea stupid is rude and insulting and basically amounts to calling them stupid.

The Blackman

[Beaglemom3 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Beaglemom3]

The only "stupid" question is the one that isn't asked.
I don't have an answer for you, but would like to at least say welcome. Nice to have you here. I, too, have gone to presentations to learn about their product and to cash in on the freebie.

Beaglemom (and many others).

[barndweller Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close barndweller]

Welcome, Blackman

I've done a few presentations over the years but we are pretty selective. They used to offer pretty nice "gifts" but nowdays the are getting pretty stingy. We find the sales pressure experience is not worth it for a Visa gift card or a $50 dinner certificate.

If you are sure you can resist the sales & you don't mind spending 2 or 3 hours of your vacation for whatever incentive is offered, by all means do it. Many resorts do restrict how often you can attend, however. It isn't a law but rather something each sales department determines.

[grest Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close grest]

A warm welcome to you, Blackman
Connie

[LynnW Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close LynnW]

Welcome Blackman

We were in PV for a month a couple of years ago and were approached in Gigante Supermarket to go on a tour. We figured like you that we could take a few hours out of 4 weeks for $300 cash!

Lynn

[WazzuCougFan Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close WazzuCougFan]

Hi, Blackman!

You don't have to limit yourself to Mexico for freebies. DH and I were given a free flight to Las Vegas and accommodations (at the Fitzgerald downtown, but we could have upgraded) for sitting through a Trendwest presentation. Then, when we were in Vegas, we decided to attend another one which got us to a free show (as well as a buffet, but we didn't get around to using it).

I wouldn't call the presentations painless, but it's kind of fun going in with a little knowledge and listing to the spiels and the spin. It's hard, though, to resist standing up in the middle of the presentation and yelling to the other captives "Don't do it!!!"

Welcome to the forum!

[janapur Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close janapur]

There is also the benefit of touring a property into which you may wish to one day exchange.

We are of the goofy group that enjoys taking in a few tours. However, we are VERY selective. Cash only and strictly 90 minutes, which has never been a problem once they learn how many weeks we own and how much we paid. We have yet to meet a salesperson who insults or offends us . . . at which point we will walk away.

[liwarren Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close liwarren]

Curious as to what the gifts were that you got in Puerto Vallarta. I would post in the Mexico section but the thread was started here.

[bigrick Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close bigrick]

It's hard, though, to resist standing up in the middle of the presentation and yelling to the other captives "Don't do it!!!"

True, true. Every time I hear a balloon pop announcing another buyer I want to see who bought and suggest they look on the web that night for resales. I've never actually seen the new buyers so for now it's just wishful thinking. I have suggested this to people we met as we were exiting the presentation building. They said they didn't have the $35k for a week although they liked the idea. If they're really interested, check the web for more info and resale prices.

[IreneLF Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close IreneLF]

Welcome to the BBS of TS4Ms Blackman.

I've been on two presentations and after the last one had said I'd not do it again... but, as they say, never say never -- if the right stuff was offered I probably would.

In Hawaii we were given half price vouchers for a boat trip we'd planned on doing anyway, and saved $250 for the 4 of us. The t/s guy was so obnoxious, so I had to be too, and he booted us out in 9 minutes saying he didn't need the practice on how to sell a t/s (not). The other time we got free tickets to Sea World, which we were planning to pay for, so for us this was also a good deal . We had two weeks away, so an hour or so was not a big deal to give up.

If you have the time, want to play the game, and really want what you will get from them, then I'd say go for it.

[WazzuCougFan Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close WazzuCougFan]

We went into the initial sales pitch with a "NO!" attitude, but I'll admit that it did pique my interest in timesharing. My dad had owned at a "resort of hospitality" (in other words a dog) for some years back in the 80s, so I had actually visited a timeshare resort. I had also picked up literature there that showed units for sale by owner, and I knew there was a resale market.

After our sales presentation I found TUG and Timeshareforums and started reading. I liked the idea of RCI Points and found a post by a member here wanting to sell her Wapato Point weeks. That's when I became an owner.

Ironically, I received a telemarketing call last night from Wyndham telling me that they had got our information from a card we had submitted (it's no doubt the same one that got us our first sales pitch with Trendwest a couple of years ago; DH had entered what he thought was a "contest" at some sportsmen's outdoor show, LOL). Again they are offering us a trip with airfare and accommodations to either Tahoe, Reno or Vegas and a $40 certificate to Red Lobster or Olive Garden. I think, since we live in the boonies, that it must be harder to attract bait to these presentations unless they offer something substantial. I hope I can talk DH into going....

The telemarketer, while I was taking down all of the information, asked me if I knew how to spell "Wyndham." "I think so," I replied. I let her spell it for me anyway.