How did you get involved in Timesharing.....

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

We still have it and it is not as shiny as it used to be, but then neither is the timeshare!

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

We still have it and it is not as shiny as it used to be, but then neither is the timeshare!

[T. R. Oglodyte Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close T. R. Oglodyte]

We still have it and it is not as shiny as it used to be, but then neither is the timeshare!

If Rick is like me, the shine would have merely moved from the top of the platter to the top of his head.

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

Cindy

So it was a turkey platter that lured us.

Do you at least cook turkeys?

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

Yes, we cook turkeys but we don't use that platter.

Steve, Rick has a little of the shiny head, but still has more of his hair than either of his brothers. Although I saw his oldest brother's recent photo on one of the websites out there somewhere and he has an answer to baldness--grow a Rip Van Winkle beard!

Here is Ronnie:

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

Over 20 years ago I went on holiday to Fiji. The "resort" we were staying at was a nightmare, the type of place where guest activities included "wet T-Shirt competitions", and betting on frog racing !

I saw an advert in a local newspaper offering 2 free nights accommodation and I just had to go. We arrived, checked in, no questions asked, no information given. Went to a "special dinner" that night and got talking to the other guests. At the end of a lovely evening one of the guests said "have they been to see you yet" we had no idea what they were talking about so they explained their understanding of timeshare. They said "don't worry - they will find you". They never did find us - we had to go looking for them . We thought it sounded great and wanted to buy but they kept disappearing. I can't remember how we managed to buy from such disinterested timeshare sales staff but we bought 2 weeks.

I look at the hard-sell tactics used by the sales staff now and laugh at how I had to work so hard to find someone.

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

It's a story that developed over the years and a little devil sitting on my shoulder.

Many years ago we unwittingly went to a timeshare presentation (no idea what we were getting into) in Orlando. It truly didn't fit our vacation pattern at the time so we said no several times. We were amazed at how quickly the asking price came down. We didn't buy, but a lesson was learned.

Then we got an offer a couple of years ago for a weekend on Cape Cod. We hadn't been there before and although it was winter, we figured we'd go for it. As soon as the salesman told us that he was disappointed that we were both engineers (me by job title only) because engineers are very hard to sell to. Later in the presentation he told us that everyone in the business had timeshares, but they bought them as inexpensively as possible. Hmm, another light bulb flips on.

Then, shortly after our trip to Cape Cod, my sister bought a TS in Mexico and she was able to answer some questions I had, but she didn't know all the ropes either.

I started browsing the eBay ads. One day, one caught my eye and the devil on my shoulder said "put in a bid, you won't get it". Of course I won and had to explain to my angry husband why we owned a timeshare all of a sudden.

Luckily, even he agrees that "it seems to be working out" after several stays at timeshares. We'll be doing our first international exchange this summer to Scotland.

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

Artsie Ang wrote:

One of my first post on TS4M's was resurrected yesterday. It got me thinking about how I got involved in timesharing, in the first place. Boy, things have certainly change in the past 15 months, thanks to this site, and all it's wonderful members.

I was cracking up at that post. I had to keep squinting my eyes to make sure the date said 2/2006. I couldn't believe that "our" Ang was asking those questions. Wow! What a difference 15 mos makes and I am right there with you Angie. I have only owned since 11/05.

I studied and studied timeshares before I made the plunge (resale) I found TUG and used to only read the classified. Had no idea there was a message board. Figured that out, read a while and discovered Ebay. Holy smokes! They sell timeshares there! Look Honey-we can buy Hawaii for soooo cheap. We love Maui, right? Instant owners.

Since then, I have purchase a point system that I LOVE!

We never really liked hotels rooms .We have always rented condos anyway-so timeshares make sense for us. We were just like Steve-cold cereal out of those punch out cereal boxes or I would bring bowls from home-now my kids are pissy if they have to "make due" in a one bedroom.

Two is good for us. I once remarked to my husband that everyone on the timeshare boards talks about their "winter vacation, their spring vacation, their summer vacation, etc" They ask the kids at school to write papers on what they did on their vacation and my kids have to ask "Which one?" LOL.
I am taking four vacations this year all with timesharing. Love it!

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

Sometime in the fall of 2005, I fell asleep. When I woke up in early 2006, I owned timeshares. I don't know how or what happened.

In my case, I started going to timeshare presentations in Orlando in the mid-1990s to get free attraction tickets. I knew that we could buy resale (I briefly checked out TUG), but I felt it was still cheaper to stay at a hotel via Priceline, especially since it was just the two of us. Then, in 1998 I saw Disney's Boardwalk Villas and fell in love with it. (We didn't get any real gifts for touring that one -- just an ice cream, I think.) At that time, though, we couldn't afford Boardwalk Villas, even resale.

A few years ago, DH offered to buy me a Boardwalk Villas resale as our 10th wedding anniversary present. It took me a long time to find one that I wanted (right number of points, use year, etc) so I got frustrated and bought a cheap RCI Points timeshare off of Bidshares while I was waiting! Next, I learned that I could trade in to Boardwalk Villas via II in the off-season, using cheap timeshares. I was hooked! Now, I rent out my Boardwalk Villas points, and stay in DVC resort by trading in. I just bought timeshare number 9. I can't vacation for that many weeks, but I rent some of my timeshares out. I'm addicted!

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

Like many others, we got many offers in the mail for free gifts, and we took several tours in the 80's. We finally gave in and bought one at Eastern Slope in NH, then went home and headed to the library to read up on timeshare...needless to say, the whole idea of timeshare was dissed, and we rescinded. We were talking about it to my sister a few years later, still going to the occasional tour, and she told us about the TUG site...the rest is history..we were among the lucky ones who never bought from the developer, though we were frequently tempted.
Connie

[Icc5 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Icc5]

Different story at the Donatello

We first got involved because the in-laws received an offer to stay at the Donatello in San Francisco for 3 days/2 nights and some other goodies thrown in and they asked my wife and me if we wanted to go instead of them.
I never had any intention of buying anything and my wife had owned a timeshare before in Tahoe with her first husband. Well, after being wined and dined the offer sounded too good to pass up. Nineteen thousand dollars later I don't regret getting involved. I only wish I knew then what I learned about 5 years later and would have saved a bundle. In the meantime though, we (2 kids and us) have had great vacations and are the envy of everyone where we work. Since then we have purchased 3 others and people about 30 people at work own but thanks to us resales. It is now a way of life for us that I wouldn't change and our kids will enjoy for a lifetime.
Bart

[Anne1125 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Anne1125]

I worked with a girl that owned 3 or 4 Marriotts, all bought from the developer.

She talked about her great vacations and I asked questions. She sold me on the concept and we bought our first through Marriott. We have since sold our Marriott ( after many great exchanges) and bought 3 on the resale market. One from Ebay and 2 from Bidshares.

I think timeshares are the greatest! We travel more and to some wonderful resorts than I thought we ever would.

Anne

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

StressCadet

I was cracking up at that post. I had to keep squinting my eyes to make sure the date said 2/2006. I couldn't believe that "our" Ang was asking those questions. Wow! What a difference 15 mos makes and I am right there with you Angie. I have only owned since 11/05.

Yup....I've come a long way, baby. You will, too.

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

In May of 1983 we went to Las Vegas to visit our son who had moved to Henderson (of course) the fall of '82. While walking around the Strip one day we stopped in a little tourist info store that offered 'cheap tickets' and ended up taking the Jockey Club tour. I did NOT want to by a t/s and kept refusing to sign papers. Every time I refused, they came down in price We bought 2 weeks and spent many weeks in Vegas with our DD while visiting DS, and long after he moved back to Ohio. We just don't go out there any more, so sold one week this past year.

[davhu1 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close davhu1]

In 1992 my colleague bought a resale in Orlando. He explained the timeshare concept to me and the MF was cheaper than the annual vacations we took. I was looking for a resale in Orlando to be used once in a while but mostly exchange to beach or skiing. We found several nice weeks in Orlando from a resale company in Orlando but the resale lady talked me out of buying in Orlando because I would not be happy based on my intended use and she did not have a beach week in inventory. Several month later I found an ad in the newspaper for a bankrupted week in Myrtle Beach.

The following year we picked a resale skiing week in the Poconos and a resale week in Atlantic City. For the first few year we did not trade or belong to an exchange company. Then we decided to go other places when the kids got older.

Ebay came along, my addiction picked up 2 more weeks in Myrtle Beach, a week in Vermont and a week in Hawaii. We could not use up all the weeks. Rented a couple of times or let relative use it. When one of the Myrtle Beach converted to points for $700, we took the conversion and use the short days for weekend trips or to bridge non-consecutive weeks. Now I stop going to Ebay.