Potential 1st time buyers

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

Just wanted to put this on here. We are on one of those vacation packages and we have to sit thru a presentation tomorrow. We don't really plan to buy, but would like to get an idea from some of you what to look for.

We have two small children and really like the idea of Florida and the Orlando area. I love golf and I also love racing. Not really afraid of driving, so seeing surrounding areas are no big deal.

We are starting at the Orange Lake resorts. I have read many of the posts here. I don't know if we would be in for the transfer deal each year. I do know that we have pretty flexible jobs (right now), so last minute travel is kind of our deal.

Anyway. If you guys could give me some ideas that would be great. Thanks

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

Since you are on a promo package, I would guess you are obligated to attend. Under no circumstances should you purchase anything! The prices charged by the developers are outrageous, and the magic they weave with their silver tongues is all smoke and mirrors. They are very good at what they do, so beware.

My advice is to hang around these wonderful boards, and garner as much information as you can. Being educated in the world of timesharing enables you to make rational decisions. Resales are abundant, and the costs involved are a fraction of what the developers charge.

Be strong- say "NO".

Dori

[Jeanne Sz Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jeanne Sz]

Listen to Dori! Just say no!
If you have the flexibility to travel last minute, there are plenty of choices to get where you want to go, at a fraction of the cost of buying retail.
Just keep reading and learning here and take your time.
And if the rep gets rude, get up and leave.

[fishingguy Member Find all posts View Profile Close fishingguy]

pressure to buy....

As already pointed out, you should expect them:
- to play on your emotions,
- tell you half-truths,
- talk up the resort; glamarizing on the rental or trades you can make later, maybe they'll even make it sound like it's is a no-brainer. Just remember that the deal they offer is probably too good to be true!,
- tie you up for more time than they initially tell you to expect; an obvious attempt to wear you down,
- play a game with various sales people; making phone calls to the sales manager, playing with numbers, and so on. It's all rehearsed and practiced over and over again!,
- make numerous tries to get you to commit, no matter how often you say no, and
- even go to the point of offering you better and better deals to get you to bite. After listening to things from the beginning, you may even be tempted at later offers; they know this and that's why the do it!

Listen but don't buy -- whatever you do. They already got you to attend, so you are a captive mark. They are not out anything if they even attempt to intimidate you into buying.
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Then come back to the forum and study what they tried to sell you; you'll see that you can get the same thing resale (eBay and even this forum), for much-much less. You should expect a lot of pressure to buy; so make sure if you are married that your wife is aware of this!

Lastly, nothing they sell is new. Just the same old story with a few different twists.... Be forwarned, even some expeirenced forum members fall for these sales pitches, only to regret it later.

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

Made it thru our presentation. Don't own a TS. I am not sure if what they offered was good. As stated above the deal kept getting better to the point at the end was tempting. We stuck to our guns. Not sure if we learned much or just got the sales pitch. We will continue to monitor the forums. TS seems like the right move for us, but we would like different resorts as well. During the year we use vacation time all over the US and would use it more places.
Using points at different destinations seemed very interesting. I don't know how hard that would be. Say for instance, rocky mountains (not Colorado) during the winter months. Would that need to be booked way in advance or possibly only a couple months or last minute? These are the main reasons we want to wait.

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

Congratulations! You made it through. Now take your time and keep reading here. You will soon learn enough to make good decisions re owning.

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

YaY! You made it through unscathed and still in possession of your wallet. Stick around and learn from "the experts".

Dori

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

I have been reading like crazy. I am still quit confused about the whole points and transfer process. This seems like the main reason for owning a TS for our family. I do some guy trips and we also take family vacations.

I will continue to read. Is there a good avenue besides reading to get the basics?

Thanks

[fishingguy Member Find all posts View Profile Close fishingguy]

no magic bullet that I've found, except to study

Leiterch,
If you have been studying the posts on TUG in addition to this forum, then you are in the best place. It will take a lot of effort to get an initial grasp on things, and can definately seem confusing or overwhelming at times. But hang in there; you'll become more confident and in-tune with things as you continue. [Remember that there have been a lot of newbes just getting started over the years, so chances are your questions have already been asked before on the forums.]

There are so many resort chains, exchange companies, different points programs, etc. involved that you'll wander a bit at first; until you finally lock onto those that will meet your needs. And that's when the real learning begins... as you zero in on how Wyndham, Marriott, the independants or others really work.

An Aside: Just when you think you have a good understanding, there will be new changes. So in many ways, it can seem like you never really stop learning; especially if you are one who likes to eek'-out the best trades or more subtle aspects of TSing. You can take things to whatever end you feel comfortable with.

You might also look on some of the resale TS websites, Wikipedia, and even eHow or eBay reviews for more basic info and to fill the gaps as you start-off. But be forewarned; many of these are written by someone who probably has an obvious slant on the products they offer -- so take them with a bit of skepticism.

--------------

You are going through what I call the "you don't know, what you don't know" phase, as you start-off. So you might even want to consider renting a few TSs first, to get a better feel for potential purchases and more exposure to things. [It will give you a chance to speak with other TSers too!] Lastly, the best advice I can offer is to not get in a hurry, especially when you think you are ready to buy a resale TS.

[ready123go Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close ready123go]

There are so many resort chains, exchange companies, different points programs, etc. involved that you'll wander a bit at first; until you finally lock onto those that will meet your needs. And that's when the real learning begins... as you zero in on how Wyndham, Marriott, the independents or others really work.

From one newbie to another - this is good advice. I have looked at seven or eight systems, from there I was able to hone it down to four. We are looking at purchasing two, maybe three, different systems for our needs. Now I am in the 'fine tuning' phase and firming up my choices. It takes time, but I feel it is time well invested.

I just wanted to add that two of the TS I have looked at have their own Groups at Yahoo, so that is a possible resource, too. Good luck!

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

Congratulations on getting out of the presentation without a timeshare. Do some research and buy resale. Look for a company with an internal trading system. I own in two different points systems and love the flexibility of when and where I can go. As I already wrote but want to stress do research and find what works for you. There are many people on this site with resale expirience that can give you advice.