Greed... It's what brings them in!!!

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

Can't wait for Bruce to respond. Ownership is way overrated, why buy when you can get a rental for a week for under $ 300 from RCI and some now even from II. Most timeshares are a liability.

True words my SuperGoumba. I just got a voice mail from RCI telling me of "fabulous vacations" that I can have for $250 here or abroad.
B

[taffy19 Gold Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close taffy19]

I got exactly the same phone call too. It was a recording but she gave the 800 number so fast that I couldn't write it down and she didn't even repeat it either so how stupid was this ad? Another waste of money by this company as I would have called them so long I didn't have to give up one of my weeks. They must figure that we sit around with a pen in our hand.

[taffy19 Gold Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close taffy19]

Absolutely a bargain ! Especially when you're in a pricey city or area, a kitchen is a money saver. I save a lot while in London, Ireland, etc.
Also, it's nice just to have a living room to sit in or go to separate from the bedroom for night owls.
I stayed a couple nights at a very nice hotel in Orlando (Portofino), but I couldn't wait until we moved into the DVC-Old Key West. Big difference.
B.

I really believe that the people, who have bought a timeshare in a pricey city a long time ago have done the best or even better, if they bought it resale recently for a low price like some of you did. You are the smart ones here as you can always stay in these nice cities or rent the condo out for a profit over the maintenance fee. However, you cannot go wrong if you buy where you like to vacation often as it is a lot cheaper than buying a second vacation home.

As Frank mentioned too, there is no comparison between a nice resort timeshare condo or a hotel room but for a couple, who likes to eat out, it is not that bad either. In the last few years, we seem to hang around a lot more in our favorite timeshares resorts where we are guaranteed a nice view and the grounds are beautiful too so we do not much sight-seeing anymore. We go to Mexico or to Hawaii but since we have seen most of the area already, we now go to relax and it's wonderful.

Staying in a cheaper hotel makes you want to get out and about again and find some new areas to visit. Everything has it's advantages and disadvantages and it is not all about money either but how you feel when you are on that vacation. These memories will stay with you forever and especially if you share it with your family or friends which you can do in style in a timeshare condo.

Every family needs these vacations so selling timeshares can be very rewarding if only the prices were more realistic and not so inflated by the developer. The industry needs to correct that and they will have to do this soon because they will have no choice! People are getting educated and that is good.

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

saying they make 40, 50 and even 60k a year just to get in, and in the end finally admit they don't make enough to be there. Now this is after I've spent 2 hrs with them when if they had been honest Id have given them about a 45 min presentation, gotten them their gifts and gone on to the next one for a shot at a family that would or could buy. But it's the people that go to 3 or 4 presentations per week that come in here saying how bad we suck. Heres what most people don't know. As a sales rep, we get 10 tours and if we don't sell 2 out of every 10 we get fired on the spot. It's called a 2 for 10. I tell my families this. Some care,some don't,and thats fine.

Well, this is turning into an interesting thread. IsellTS, isn't your true gripe with your BOSS...the developer and the POS people who are hawking at kiosks or on the phone...they just want bodies in the chair...they don't do the due diligence to qualify the folks who you say end up wasting your time. Also, it is your greedy Boss who is firing you when you "fail"....but that is the whole point of this forum, to educate EVERYONE, on both sides of the table....if you don't like how the industry uses you, why not quit and find a job with less pressure and more reward? If you sell, you can sell anything. Why are you blaming your problem on the TS prospect who turns you down? Who is setting the bar so high for you that you will fear firing? It isn't us.

[nursetanya1973 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close nursetanya1973]

Honestly you have no idea what you're talking about. Yes you may be able to maintain the number of days at your own resort, if you're very very lucky. But I think you'll find later down the road that your phone starts ringing more and more with your resort advising you to buy more to maintain the level you're accustomed to. That's what points were made to do. They were made so the resort would not have to sell their actuall property and to keep a continuos flow of new new money coming in, even from people that had already bought. You can say what you want but trust me, you will find out what I'm saying is true. I'm not saying this to be mean but just to be honest so you know what you have. I recieve a magazine that is distributed amongst employees at some resorts that gives the definition for all timeshare terms and it states as follows:

"Points are a symbolic unit of measure having NO intrinsic value".

That's why you can buy point packages for pennies on the dollar all day long on sites like ebay and many others.

If it cost you 12000 points for a weeks stay at your home resort today, trust me, 15 years from now it WILL cost you more. You can believe what you want, but it will. That's why points were created.

I own a deeded week at a 5 star resort in one of the most demanded areas in the US. We are a top 20 resort world wide. Your points WILL NEVER TRADE higher than what I own. I'm sorry, it's just the truth. I know you don't believe that and I'm not trying to cause an argument but thats a fact.

I feel very much as if I were just called an idiot. And I do not take kindly to it. Perhaps our language is just different. I will always own a week, in my season, in the size unit I bought, in the resort I bought in. That cannot change. That is in the contract, and the recorded deed. Maybe, just maybe, you have been fed misinformation to pass on in order to help people prefer your weeks resort. I do not say there are no issues with points, but losing them is not one of them.


Some points systems lose more value than others, they can certainly be had for pennies on the dollar, but then so can weeks resorts. Some retain much more of their value, Hilton being one. And, by the way, have you ever done a trade comparison with a Hilton resort? They are 5 stars and are top traders. Haven't you ever been told, "never say never"?

And I quit this debate as it is beginning to seem like one of those timeshare presentations that leave me feeling a little scummy. I wonder why that is?

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

They are all alike, all the same. All have to lie to sell that expensive product.

Obviously, he is selling weeks by telling people that points purchases are not wise because things can change any time. That just makes him/her another sales sleaze that only knows his own resort and is stuck in the notion that his resort is the best, so he gives bad advice at the sales spiel.

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

Obviously, he is selling weeks by telling people that points purchases are not wise because things can change any time. That just makes him/her another sales sleaze that only knows his own resort and is stuck in the notion that his resort is the best, so he gives bad advice at the sales spiel.

You know some people prefer weeks. I have 14 weeks with no points. I tend to agree with what He/She is saying.

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

I prefer weeks too, but I have a feeling that if he/she sold points, there would be negatives pointed at the weeks system.

[falmouth3 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close falmouth3]

Guess I was lucky

When I went to my first TS presentation, it was about 15 years ago in Orlando. We didn't actually know what we'd signed up for when we agreed to go to the presentation. TS did not fit our vacation model so we turned it down. What was interesting was how quickly the price dropped when we said no. Taught us a great deal!

The next TS presentation was about 4 years ago on Cape Cod. We got an offer for 2 nights and a dinner for, I think it was $49. We went on a weekend in Feb because we hadn't been to the Cape before. The sales man there was an idiot. First thing he said to us was that engineers were a hard sell and we probably wouldn't buy. During the presentation, he told us that all of the sales people owned TS, but they bought the cheapest thing they could find, just to get into the system. Hmm, we thought. Why should we buy here?

Luckily, about 2 years later, I thought I'd take a look on eBay to see if TS were being sold there. As I've mentioned before on this forum, I put in a bid that I was sure wouldn't be a winner but it was.

And now I'm really enjoying the life of a TS owner. But those first 2 TS presentations really clued me in. I'm very grateful to the sales men who screwed up.

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

Some points systems lose more value than others, they can certainly be had for pennies on the dollar, but then so can weeks resorts. Some retain much more of their value, Hilton being one. And, by the way, have you ever done a trade comparison with a Hilton resort? They are 5 stars and are top traders. Haven't you ever been told, "never say never"?

I think the more accurate comment that ISTS should make is that your week's points may not change in that it will get you your own resort, but relative to all the new points resorts (same resort family or otherwise) it will drop. PA's fight against Worldmark is a prime example of the new San Diego resort that is going to require a lot more points. Even the new HGVC in New York is going to require a lot more points (I think) relative to some existing HGVCs.

We saw it with RCI Points from 2005 to 2006 and the number of increases required there to get into Hawaii resorts. My converted week still gives me the same number of points and I can get into my resort, but to use it anywhere else, I just saw a drop.

So I think both of you have valid comments. One relative to your own resort, and the other relative to the other ones you may want to get into.

JMHO

[Carol C Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Carol C]

We should actually all be more appreciative of the salesperson working for the developer. Just remember, if the developer didn't sell the unit in the first place it wouldn't be available later on the resale market

Let's, just for a minute, assume that the sales person does actually tell the truth. At no point does he claim to tell the whole truth. He can explain the pro's and con's of ownership accurately and how exchange systems work. He doesn't have to tell people that they can purchase the same unit cheaper elsewhere, any more than a car salesman would tell prospective customers that another dealer is offering greater discounts, or somebody working in a designer store would tell customers to wait until the end of season and purchase in the sale.

If, and I accept it is a big if, people are given information which is accurate and then agree to the asking price they really do have little ground for complaining after the event. I spent nearly $4k on a camera last year. If I had waited a few months, or purchased over the internet, I could have saved money. I chose the way I purchased. Should I then complain 6 months later that I was robbed??

I agree with Keith. And it's not just me rationalizing because I bought from a developer, in Mexico no less, at a resort I could easily exchange into.

At the time I did the math, spent an hour running the numbers using the timeshare salesman's pocket calculator...and my nightly cost at the resort would be about the same as the hotel I was staying in. Plus I'd get a kitchenette and I'd be waterfront if I bought the timeshare. I was spending same $ in a hotel across the road with no ocean views at all...and no kitchens or amenities.

Do I wish I had found TUG earlier and bought resale...sure. But do I regret buying from a developer via a no-pressure salesman in Mexico? Not really. I've gotten some great vacations and a Timeshare 101 education.

Many buy from developers and are happy with the value they get from their purchases. In particular I've heard nothing but good things from folks who've bought direct from Marriott, DVC, and other resort systems. I'm not thrilled when I see the "nyah, nyah, nyah I got it for less" attitude rampant on these websites. Why does it make folks feel so good to belittle others who bought from developers?

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

But, if we didn't point out that someone could buy the same timeshare week for 1/2 or less, that would hurt the resale market and also cause people looking into buying not to think that they can do better than buying from the developer.

[BocaBum99 Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close BocaBum99]

Honestly you have no idea what you're talking about. Yes you may be able to maintain the number of days at your own resort, if you're very very lucky. But I think you'll find later down the road that your phone starts ringing more and more with your resort advising you to buy more to maintain the level you're accustomed to. That's what points were made to do. They were made so the resort would not have to sell their actuall property and to keep a continuos flow of new new money coming in, even from people that had already bought. You can say what you want but trust me, you will find out what I'm saying is true. I'm not saying this to be mean but just to be honest so you know what you have. I recieve a magazine that is distributed amongst employees at some resorts that gives the definition for all timeshare terms and it states as follows:

"Points are a symbolic unit of measure having NO intrinsic value".

That's why you can buy point packages for pennies on the dollar all day long on sites like ebay and many others.

If it cost you 12000 points for a weeks stay at your home resort today, trust me, 15 years from now it WILL cost you more. You can believe what you want, but it will. That's why points were created.

I own a deeded week at a 5 star resort in one of the most demanded areas in the US. We are a top 20 resort world wide. Your points WILL NEVER TRADE higher than what I own. I'm sorry, it's just the truth. I know you don't believe that and I'm not trying to cause an argument but thats a fact.

Actually, you are the one who doesn't know what your talking about.

We already know quite a bit about you. Didn't you know that the test you took to get the job you have screens out people who are logical and rationale? That means your math skills are lacking. They do that on purpose so you don't really know what you are selling. If you did, you would give up or become a compulsive liar or intentional half truth teller.

Most point systems don't ever change their point values. When they want to increase point values, they tend to do it on the new resorts. That is true.

Tell us the developer you work for and we will prove it.

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

Tony
But, if we didn't point out that someone could buy the same timeshare week for 1/2 or less, that would hurt the resale market and also cause people looking into buying not to think that they can do better than buying from the developer.

I agree that new comers should be told the truth about the retail market in timeshares. But, it is possible to break the news to them more gently then I sometimes see done. Especially, if they have already purchased a timeshare directly.

I know when first found these boards and was informed that I could have gotten my timeshares for just about half, I wanted to kick myslef......

Also, let's not forget, there are some circumstances where purchasing from the developer, does make sense.

[nursetanya1973 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close nursetanya1973]

Actually, you are the one who doesn't know what your talking about.

We already know quite a bit about you. Didn't you know that the test you took to get the job you have screens out people who are logical and rationale? That means your math skills are lacking. They do that on purpose so you don't really know what you are selling. If you did, you would give up or become a compulsive liar or intentional half truth teller.

Most point systems don't ever change their point values. When they want to increase point values, they tend to do it on the new resorts. That is true.

Tell us the developer you work for and we will prove it.

Thank you, Boca and everyone else who chimed in. I was really beginning to feel a little crazy. I totally understand not liking points; they work well for me, but I can certainly see where they wouldn't be the best for everyone.

I know he is partly correct, but it really aggravated me to be told that all my research (along with all my legal documents) about my timeshares, has lead me to "not know what I am talking about".