Non-dvc Time-share Presentations.

[profdsny]

Have you done any others in Orlando? How are they? Do they let you out without giving them a lung?

 

[spiceycat]

yes!!!

Marriott, Fairfield, HGVC

just don't do Westgate. now sometimes people wonder why I say that because Westgate can be excellent. but most of the time those people are sharks.

Sheraton also has gotten some bad reviews of their sales force.

 

[robinb]

I have done Westgate and I would not recommend them. They are absolute sharks! I also did Cypress Point which was lower key. The funny thing is that we were crazy enough to do the DVC tour after the Westgate tour and was so impressed that we bought into DVC on the resale market within a month after returning from WDW.

 

[bobbiwoz]

We've done Hilton Grand Vacation Club twice. It was the price of the 3 nights that got us in, $99 once, and $199 the next time, for weekends in Orlando, it was sort of "worth it." However, we decided not ever to do that again. We are not in the market for another time share, and I just don't want to disappoint any salesperson again, when we know going in that we don't want it. Not a lung, but I my integrity was compromised the second time, the first time buying was a possibility.

Bobbi

 

[spiceycat]

Bobbi - understand completely.

but when they call me and offer me money - I tell them upfront not buying. They still want me to do it.

I will do it!!!

 

[robinb]

However, we decided not ever to do that again. We are not in the market for another time share, and I just don't want to disappoint any salesperson again, when we know going in that we don't want it. Not a lung, but I my integrity was compromised the second time, the first time buying was a possibility.

The second to last timeshare presentation I did was at the Hilton property at Waikoloa Village on the Big Island in Hawaii. Our salesperson wasn't disappointed ... she was pissed! She actually yelled at us for signing up for the presentation when we knew we wouldn't buy (my Dh has TONS of HHonors points which will get us into the Waikoloa any time we want). She even went as far as to point to the picture of her angelic looking son and told us we were taking food out of his mouth! I was seething when we left but I (mostly, LOL) let it go for the rest of the vacation. Ratting her out would not make my time in Hawaii any better, although she did her best to make us feel bad and ruin our vacation.

We went to another timeshare presentation when we were in Oahu (it was raining) selling a property in Maui and that went much better. FWIW, both properties were very nice and I would probably be a happy owner if I purchased there. I won't let that salesperson's bad attitude ruin things for me. Rejection is 90+% of their day. And yes, I am alway upfront that I am not interested in buying when I make my reservation.

 

[bobbiwoz]

Wow! No, the presentations we went to were nothing like robinb's! Thank heavens!!!

DH and I agree, no more for us, however.(I'm getting too old for that nonsense!) If we're going to buy anything else, it will be resale, I've learned that from the DIS!

Bobbi

 

[Dean]

The second to last timeshare presentation I did was at the Hilton property at Waikoloa Village on the Big Island in Hawaii. Our salesperson wasn't disappointed ... she was pissed! She actually yelled at us for signing up for the presentation when we knew we wouldn't buy (my Dh has TONS of HHonors points which will get us into the Waikoloa any time we want). She even went as far as to point to the picture of her angelic looking son and told us we were taking food out of his mouth! I was seething when we left but I (mostly, LOL) let it go for the rest of the vacation. Ratting her out would not make my time in Hawaii any better, although she did her best to make us feel bad and ruin our vacation.

I've done a number just not necessarily in Orlando. For Orlando we've done Marriott and DVC. We've also done Fairfield, Embassy and Bluegreen that have locations in Orlando but in other locations as well as a number of others. In part it depends on who you get though there is some consistency within most of the companies. We haven't done Hyatt or Hilton though,just haven't had the opportunity. Most of the top companies are relatively low key but not as much as DVC as a rule. Some of the others can be quite difficult at times. In the US I'd say Westgate and Spinaker have the worst reputations. Outside the US one can actually be held hostage or threatened physically.

We never do timeshare tours strictly for the gifts. We always wait until we are asked or offered and tell them we have no intention of purchasing. Do realize that in many cases, the people roping you into the tour are not employees of the system in question. They are called OPC (Off Premises Contacts) and generally work on a per tour basis for a commission. So they could care less once they get you to sign up. This is even true for the "concierge" on site in many cases as well. As best I can tell, they don't keep score of the likelihood that a given group will buy when it comes to paying for each contact though I'm sure they do evaluate that issue in more general terms to see what is worth continueing.

Brow beating you for taking a tour they could have used for someone else is a common tactic. It's actually something they do purposefully at times. If you'll noted, they usually do so where others can hear. Think of these people much like collections officers. They are trained in techniques to make you uncomfortable, even upset and give themselves the upper hand. Much like buying a new car, if you are informed and confident, you can make them squirm instead of yourself just by not falling for their tricks. I love to do them, my wife hates it. She usually limits me to one per week but funny thing is last time we went to HI, she actually signed us up for 2 beyond the 1 per week commitment. One was very pleasant and one almost exactly like what robin describes above.

 

[mikayla73]

Holy cow! Threatened physically?!?!?! Now I know I'll never do one outside of the US.

We have had the super pushy sales person who gives you the guilt trip and brings in the other managers to see if they can give you a "better" deal. They ask those leading questions and then repeat your answers to you when you try to say no. Some of the questions that they ask anyone is going to answer positively too. How many people do you know that DON'T want to take at least one vacation a year? Of course you're going to answer yes to that question.

The way we were treated when we bought our DVC is another reason we chose to buy. There was no pressure and it was an enjoyable experience.

 

[JimC]

We have done Marriott and Hilton in Orlando.

Hilton was extremely high pressure and turned us off completely to their product.

Marriott was consultative, no pressure and professional.

 

[Dean]

Holy cow! Threatened physically?!?!?! Now I know I'll never do one outside of the US.

We have had the super pushy sales person who gives you the guilt trip and brings in the other managers to see if they can give you a "better" deal. They ask those leading questions and then repeat your answers to you when you try to say no. Some of the questions that they ask anyone is going to answer positively too. How many people do you know that DON'T want to take at least one vacation a year? Of course you're going to answer yes to that question.

The way we were treated when we bought our DVC is another reason we chose to buy. There was no pressure and it was an enjoyable experience.

MX is an especially difficult area. I do know of several instances where people were locked in a room and physically threatened. I also know of times when they were separated from their kids. Come to think of it I know of a couple of situations where the kids were taken to a different building and the parents weren't told where until they agreed to buy. My memory suggests this has happened at one place in Orlando as well. I also know of one where they were taken out to a remote place and left when they didn't buy, I think that was in the Vegas area.

One thing they did in HI at all the places we saw that I've never seen done as formally elsewhere is listing what you own already. In all 3 cases they started by listing what we had and how we got it. Seeing that we owned more than 10 resorts at the time all resale, they were pretty much done with us in 10-20 minutes. At the Embassy on Maui we had out gifts and were out the door in less than 20 minutes, half that time the salesperson was looking for someone to approve kicking us out. At the Embassy on Kauai, we were free to go at about 35-40 minutes but were given the option of seeing the demo unit which we wanted to see. That one was very nice and appropriate. The real problem one was at Hanalei Bay where the guy knew we weren't going to buy in 5 minutes both because we told him, as we did the person who booked us, and he gathered the list of our resale purchases. He went on to say we had committed to a 90 minute tour which was accurate and we knew. He was actually very appropriate until we had basically finished. He left and came back then blasted us for taking up his time. I reminded him that they set the rules and I played by them, but I let all in the room hear about that and resales so I think it backfired on him. But you never know. I've talked to people about specific resales at given systems or resorts only to have them buy retail at a price multiple what they already knew they could buy resale. I've had family promise not to buy or sign anything until they talked to me and then buy something. Fortunately in the couple of cases with family it was only a one time usage and not a full ownership they bought.

 

[Tamar]

Okay, this might sound like a really dumb question (can't believe I'm really asking), but are you always obligated to attend a presentation when you are offered a "great deal"? Yesterday I got an invitation to 4 nights at the Sheraton Vistana in a 1 bedroom villa for $169 (for the whole stay, not per night) and no where in the invitation does it mention that I'd have to attend a presentation.

The offer is good for traveling any time in the next year (based on availability), but it expires tomorrow. I'd be game for an extra trip to Orlando (our APs don't expire until November), but DH says I can't even call to check to see what we'd be committing to. He's convinced we'd spend the whole time fighting off salespeople.

 

[summergolf]

Battered Westgate veteran here

 

[Cruelladeville]

I have been to several timeshare presentations, and the best were DVC and Marriott, which we ended up buying into. The worst were Orange Lake Country Club(whoever they were when they had first opened) and Club Savilla(probably 20 years ago). At Club Savilla, I had to jump on the man's desk, grab the phone, and call 911 to report that my kids were kidnapped, in order for them to give me back my kids. At Orange Lake, we had gone on the tour to get the money, and they threw it on the ground, and stomped on it before we got it. I was horrified by such behavior! DH said, "NO MORE TOURS" after Orange Lake, so we haven't been on any since then.

 

[Entropy]

In the Unofficial Guide to WDW, theres a story of a family that took a timeshare tour that was supposed to be 45 minutes. It was a hellish 4 hours of hard sell.
When I took the DVC tour, It was pleasant and no hard sell, but we already wanted to buy. We just wanted to check it out and ask a few questions.

 

[JimC]

We also have taken tours outside of Orlando -- Aruba, Desert Springs, Maui -- all Marriott. Each time we tell them what we own, how we bought, how many tours we have taken and when, and why we are taking this one. Usually we get the shortened version of the tour, once we got the full 90 minutes. Once they know what we own they generally shift into a discussion of how we use our weeks. But the sales person always seemed to appreciate our up front honesty and they were very professional, respectful and polite. That probably is why we are also happy MVCI owners.

 

[justjudy]

In the Unofficial Guide to WDW, theres a story of a family that took a timeshare tour that was supposed to be 45 minutes. It was a hellish 4 hours of hard sell.

We took one of those tours in Williamsburg, VA -- Powatan Plantation. We took it for the "free" Busch Gardens tickets and they knew it up front. There certainly is "no such thing as a free lunch!" After the four hours from "heck" the salesperson drove us back to the pickup spot, talking on her car phone the entire way. She never spoke another word to us -- I guess we should be glad!

 

[starbox]

In Orlando, we've done Bluegreen, Fairfield, and another one - I can't remember the name. The presentations are always longer than they tell you they will be.

It did make purchasing DVC an easier decision.

 

[Connor' Dad]

Good to hear that Mariott is low key and quality. We have a tour scheduled with them next March on HHI. Anyone have any direct experience with Mariott at HHI?

TIA

 

[ursijam]

Good to hear that Mariott is low key and quality. We have a tour scheduled with them next March on HHI. Anyone have any direct experience with Mariott at HHI?

TIA

I did the Marriott thing at HHI back about 8 or 9 years ago. It was very reasonable. (We played good cop, bad cop on them and were able to get out pretty easy. I think that when one of you is on their side, they have a hard time laying into you too much.)

Definitely more pressure than DVC, but I pretty much controlled the conversation on that one and knew that I was going to buy before going in.