Presentations - What can I expect?

[bradsmith1965@gmail.com Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close bradsmith1965@gmail.com]

Hello all,

I am new to the forum and to the concept of timeshare. I have been offered a travel package to Cozumel that includes air, 4 nights and 5 days for $100 so long as I go to a 90 minute presentation. I will find out more details in a few days.

I have a question. Does this sound realistic? What can I expect from a "presentation"?

I have heard all the horror stories about having to sit through a high-pressure sales presentation, but what is it really?

I can only use my imagination. I imagine a guy at the front of a room with flyers, pamphlets, a credit card machine dresses in a spiffy suit saying sign here, sign here!... am I right?

How many people typically go to a "presentation"? How strong is that "pressure"? Will I be able to realistically walkout without buying anything? Do you have to stay to the end? I suppose a tour of the complex is part of the deal. What kind of surprises will come up?

If this has all been answered in other threads I appologize ahead of time, so please paste a link in your response.

Signed... nervous bardley... (but I've been known to be a little adventurous)

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

Hello all,

I am new to the forum and to the concept of timeshare. I have been offered a travel package to Cozumel that includes air, 4 nights and 5 days for $100 so long as I go to a 90 minute presentation. Expect it to last more than 90 minutes, I have never been to a presentation in Mexico, but I have been to others, they last closer to 3 hours.I will find out more details in a few days.

I have a question. Does this sound realistic? What can I expect from a "presentation"?
It's a sales pitch, expect them to tell you what you want to hear...how you could trade for anything, anytime

I have heard all the horror stories about having to sit through a high-pressure sales presentation, but what is it really? it really is a high pressure sales pitch, just keep saying no.

I can only use my imagination. I imagine a guy at the front of a room with flyers, pamphlets, a credit card machine dresses in a spiffy suit saying sign here, sign here!... am I right? Close...there's that guy and then 2 more after him.

How many people typically go to a "presentation"? You would be surprised how many people go to timeshare presentations!! How strong is that "pressure"? It could be very strong Will I be able to realistically walkout without buying anything? A lot of us have, but some of us stayed for the first one and bought. We then learned to say no. Do you have to stay to the end? I suppose a tour of the complex is part of the deal. What kind of surprises will come up?

If this has all been answered in other threads I appologize ahead of time, so please paste a link in your response.

Signed... nervous bardley... (but I've been known to be a little adventurous)

They will try to get you to buy at all costs...I can guarantee you, you could buy the same thing for thousands cheaper. Look on ebay in the completed sales and see what the resort has sold for. If you bring a copy of some of the completed sales, it might take the air out of their sails. It will also reinforce your ability to say no.


What resort are you visiting? Someone has probably been there.

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

One of the ploys they use in Mexico is to tell you that you can rent the week(s) you buy for much more than the annual fee and they even have another outfit that will do it all for you. I don't think they ever rented a week - ever and certainly not anywhere near what they will tell you you will get. If rentals were that easy and profitable, why would they be selling instead of renting ?

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

The highest pressure TS sales presentations I've been at are in Mexico. The more they feel they are "giving" you, the higher the pressure tends to be. You will likely be given a guilt trip by at least one person (if not three or more). They won't believe you when you say you don't have the money (because all Americans are filthy rich, of course). They may lie and state that you will never get an equally good offer or that you won't be able to get the "special" incentives part of the offer. (While this one may be true, these "incentives" are rarely worth paying the higher cost of buying from the developer.) They may state that you won't qualify for another presentation with their company for a certain period of time if you don't buy. I've never pressured them on this, but usually that's not that big of a deal. I don't think they really have a database that looks up every individual that's done a presentation with them.

I've walked out of a lot of presentations, but I'll admit that the only timeshares I've purchased are from the developer, but one was DVC so I'm not sure that counts. They are one of the few developers where it probably isn't worth trying to buy resale right now.

[eglon999 Member Find all posts View Profile Close eglon999]

I also agree that the highest pressure timeshare presentation I attended was in Mexico in at the Villa Del Pal Mar in Puerto Vallarta. Since then I don't ever accept an offer that involves Mexico. The salesman would not tell us the price until we filled out a form with personal information, including our SSN. I refused and questioned the need for the SSN. He said that they would run an "international credit inquiry." I told him that I would not allow that and would not budge. We spent about 20 minutes in a stand off. He checked with a supervisor, then told us the prices. The prices went from astronomically high, then made large price decreases as we told him that we weren't interested. They were dropping the price even as were were staning on the sidewalk outside to leave. The model that they showed us was exponentially nicer than the unit we were staying in (in the same building). I had owned my timeshare for several years so I know that we were told a lot of information that was not true. Whenever you take a timeshare tour, be sure that it includes roundtrip transportation to/from your hotel. May sound trivial, but the other tour we went on during that Mexico trip was a 30 minute drive from where we stayed. I was thankful that I had in writing that they would pay taxi fare back to the timeshare resort where we were staying.


I will occasionally attend a timeshare presentation for a resort that I am interested in, but will not do one in Mexico again. Good luck and enjoy your vacation!

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

We've only done them in the U.S. and I've also heard they can sometimes really bully you in Mexico. My post can be found here. It tells of one of our recent experiences. That might give you some idea.

[1950bing Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close 1950bing]

Be very careful! Rent from them first to see what they are offering you. Their job is to beat you up until you cave in and sign. Remember this is for life with fees that go up each year.

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

In the US, DH and I will go to a timeshare presentation by a reputable company like Marriott or Wyndham (although I've heard some Wyndhams have pretty awful presentations), or at a smaller resort that has some reward we're after.

But having heard TERRIBLE stories about timeshare presentations in Mexico, I would never, never go to one there. There's a woman on TUG who says she was drugged at a presentation--maybe it's true, maybe it's not, but plenty of the stories told by people coming back from Mexico are only marginally less horrifying. Whatever they're offering as a reward for going to a timeshare presentation in Mexico, I don't need it!

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

Need your assistance

I apologize for posting this here. For the life of me I can't figure out how to start a new thread.

Yesterday, I bought a 3000 point program for around $9500, about $650 in MF. They gave me unlimited Club Select?.... which I really liked. Our goal is to go different places, so I am don't really care about coming back to the home base where we purchased (St. Maarten). We are flexible in when we can travel so the Club Select getting deals when under 60 or 30 days sounds appealing.

I found this website today and am reading about the deals people get on Resale. Most of what I am reading seems to be people with "week" instead of points. I also read some horror stories and am now questioning whether or not I just made a good decision or not.

How can I determine if I just paid too way too much for what I am receiving and find a Resale that gives me the same for much less?

I greatly appreciate any assistance and guidance you can provide me.

Thanks in advance!

LL

[Chap7 Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Chap7]

I apologize for posting this here. For the life of me I can't figure out how to start a new thread.

Yesterday, I bought a 3000 point program for around $9500, about $650 in MF. They gave me unlimited Club Select?.... which I really liked. Our goal is to go different places, so I am don't really care about coming back to the home base where we purchased (St. Maarten). We are flexible in when we can travel so the Club Select getting deals when under 60 or 30 days sounds appealing.

I found this website today and am reading about the deals people get on Resale. Most of what I am reading seems to be people with "week" instead of points. I also read some horror stories and am now questioning whether or not I just made a good decision or not.

How can I determine if I just paid too way too much for what I am receiving and find a Resale that gives me the same for much less?

I greatly appreciate any assistance and guidance you can provide me.

Thanks in advance!

LL

Rescind now, do alot of research then decide if your deal was a good one or not. I guarantee the same deal will be there later if you still want it. You only get 7 days to rescind so look through your paperwork and do exactly as it says.

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

I went to an "owner survey" at Wyndham Governors Green this past weekend.
The "survey" part was quick and painless. When "salesman #1" was told that I was not interested in purchasing more points, he quickly ended our session (maybe 15 minutes or so)
THEN "salesman #2" took over... I told him what I had paid for my resale points and that I was not interested in purchasing more. I must have told him that I was not interested at least 15 times... finally, I leaned into him and said "I SAID I'M NOT INTERESTED".. he finally got the message. All told, I was there for one hour and was given $100.
Judy