Give me the dirt on Timeshare Presentations?

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

We've probably all been on one, and perhaps some of you have been the sales slug.

I want to know the inside scoop here, what's really going on here? Do these sales slugs know they're full of it, trying to sell you overpriced vacations?

Who are these other slugs wandering around that they introduce us to all "friendly" and what not, what do they have to do with it?

Why does your main sales agent leave just to have another "higher up" slug come and still try to peddle their properties again to you.

I was just on a presentation recently at Wyndham, and it was a fast paced environment, and I just wanted to know some of the dirt that is really going on here!

Thanks!
--Michael

[rklein01 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close rklein01]

This purports to be the script they train the Mayan salespeople to follow:

Sample Sales Narration

[tonyg Goomba & Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close tonyg]

Sure they know what they are selling is way overpriced, but they get a huge commission if they get you to buy. You will get only the good things presented and often exaggerated and usually a few lies thrown in. If you are not going for the deal, they bring in the supervisor who will try to pull a deal out of the fire. Once he/she is convinced you are not going to buy, the game is over.

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

Ooh, so he's the supervisor ehh? Once he arrived, our first sales guy disappeared, with not so much as a "nice to meet you". Guess it was at that point he realized he wasn't going to make the sale to us.

The second guy we talked to actually let us go home with his offers and think about it. It didn't take but a quick search on eBay to figure out he's full of it too.

[tonyg Goomba & Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close tonyg]

In some presentations, the price starts falling and in some others, they have an exit offer of a different resort at a much lower price.

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

Yeah, exit offers! Let's talk about those, because my wife always wants to get them thinking they are a good deal. I'm always hesitant about buying something from these people, so I turn them down. Are they good offers, or should I always pass?

[timeos2 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close timeos2]

Usually just another ripoff

Yeah, exit offers! Let's talk about those, because my wife always wants to get them thinking they are a good deal. I'm always hesitant about buying something from these people, so I turn them down. Are they good offers, or should I always pass?

On rare occasions they can be OK (but never as good as resale) but they can also be total ripoffs. What they gloss over is that the unit/time/resort you're getting may have changed. You're thinking its that primetime, ocean front, 3 bedroom you saw an hour ago and they are talking an EOY in Branson - you didn't hear that part. So if you're tempted be absolutely sure you know what the lower price is buying and where.

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

You should never, ever buy something on the spot. "Give me all the information you can today---preferably followed up by putting everything in writing. I plan to research it over the next few days, and will let you know. I am not buying anything today."

If they give you the "one-time today-only offer" (and they will): "I'm willing to forgo any deals good for today only. I am going to research to make an informed decision, and will not buy today."

Better yet, do what I do. Don't go.

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

How do these sales people sleep at night knowing they misrepresented the property?, and they have probably convinced a consumer to go into more debt to buy something they aren't going to be able to use like they sold it.

We went to a presentation a few years ago at a private resort and the slug bold faced lied to us about any additional expenses with going through RCI. He said the yearly fee was all we had to pay. We rescinded the next day after we read the stuff, and on the sheet of paper we had to sign, my wife wrote in bold print "We are rescinding because the sales man LIED to us", teehee :-)

[Jya-Ning Silver Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close Jya-Ning]

You did not buy right? So they could not be that bad.

Some has no idea. Not everyone of them actual own TS. And not every owner actually use TS to its max possible ways.

Good one lies only occasion. They may not tell you the most import part of the truth, but what they say can happen or be done.

Besides, they are there working for their living, saying things they was trained or told. There are a lot of people that may not like what they do, that does not make them unable to sleep.

Jya-Ning

ps. If they ever has problem sleep in the night, they usually will have trouble to sell, and they will get fired. So you should not expect to see those easily.

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

It's not that bad

I liked the Mayan sales pitch. My wife and I have often wondered just how two intelligent people fell for that line! Yes, with all the confidence in the world, I bought a lock out at the Grand Mayan. That same day I bought a bridge in Brooklyn, a car only driven by a little old lady...... At the same time I have upgraded my Wyndham ownership three times, and after 2.5 years I'm finally starting to really enjoy it. Yes, I paid "retail," and if I buy more it will be "resale," but all in all I'm happy. When the kids were small, and budgets tight, we pulled our pop-up all over the country. I figured in retirement we'd buy a big hard wall and a king-sized pick up to pull it. We attended our first Fairfield (Wyndham) sales pitch the week gas first hit $3/gal (Oh, the good old days). I figured my purchase price was a little less than the truck I wanted (without the camper), half the price of a motor home, and a tiny fraction of a lake cottage in Wisconsin. Yes, condo sales people rank below used car salesmen, but I'm happy to live with my mistake. Good sales people sell good property. Crooks sell bridges in Brooklyn......

[ptprism Member Find all posts View Profile Close ptprism]

Marriott has always treated us well

Yes we have probably gone to 20-25 presentations over the years. Some were OK, and some (Mayan Palace) were extremely high pressure. By far the worst was Velas Vallarta in PV. They threatened us with all sorts of trouble--including turning us in to immigration. It was ridiculous.

But on the other side of the coin, Marriott has always been respectful and seemingly very upfront about everything we have ever asked. I certainly wouldn't hesitate to tell anyone to feel free to visit their presentations. We have been in Hilton Head, Ft. Lauderdale, Kauai, Orlando and Las Vegas and have never felt like we were abused or that our time was wasted.