I Survived a Timeshare Presentation — 3 Times!
Saying “No’ gracefully takes hard work
Welcome to paradise! After you land at your sunny destination, be aware of what awaits you when you finish customs. No one warned us about the professional salespersons that awaited us as soon as we landed at the airport at Cabo San Lucas.
This article details our experiences dealing with timeshare salespersons prior to the pandemic. However, now that the pandemic is winding down, things could be turning back to normal with reps stationed at airports or hotels.
Over several vacations, we received several nice perks as part of going to timeshare presentations. In Hawaii, we received a Hawaiian luau dinner and show, in Las Vegas, we received a magic show with a famous guest celebrity Pamela Anderson, and in Mexico, we were promised a bottle of free tequila plus hotel bathrobes. I can’t remember the other perks we were offered.
This is how it started in Mexico. Several years ago, (before the pandemic), we received a friendly smile from a well-mannered airport worker who waved to us when we asked for the location of the hotel buses. He said we were at the right location, and got us excited about receiving some free tequila. All we had to do was meet him outside the gate the next day, and attend a free presentation. Turned out the young man didn’t work for the hotel and was pitching a timeshare presentation at a different resort.
What exactly are timeshares? It’s an opportunity for individuals to share vacation property, usually for 1 or 2 weeks each year. It’s also a legal financial arrangement and the fees vary. Individuals pay an upfront fee, as well as regular maintenance fees.
Just outside the airport, our bus driver was patiently waiting for passengers — no doubt aware that some of them would be held up by various reps working for different companies.
And that resort that you are staying at? We also got approached by another timeshare professional.
Still, the allure of free tequila, and 2 free hotel bathrobes was enough to persuade us to attend one presentation held at the resort we stayed at.
After lunch, we toured a fabulous suite that featured an amazing living room and spacious bedroom. It was definitely better than any tiny hotel room we had previously stayed in, and we would be living like royalty for a few weeks.
Basically, the pitch is simple: would you rather stay in a cramped and drab hotel room, or relax in a luxurious 2-bedroom suite at a resort hotel? Most people would say “yes” to the latter.
But despite the sales talk and the negativity surrounding hotel stays versus staying in a fine resort property, we told ourselves we would not be buying into timeshare ownership. We would have to be assertive at the presentation and decline to purchase anything. We were only there for the freebies and to listen.
Easier said than done.
If you don’t want to buy a timeshare, it’s simple and just say “No” right? Not so fast. Unfortunately, it’s not so simple to decline a professional salesperson who has probably heard every answer under the sun.
For starters, here’s a little of the sales pitch you may hear:
- How often do you vacation every year?
- How much do you spend on hotels and vacations every year?
- Where do you plan on traveling?
- How many years do you plan on going on vacation?
Perhaps you’ll be presented with a picture of a small and basic standard hotel room and compare it against the tony, roomy and elegant 2 bedroom timeshare resort room.
Then the next part comes with some pricing, and the sales rep will hone in on the savings that you could see if you purchase a timeshare agreement. During one presentation, the salesperson told us that buying into a timeshare will allow you to have 5-star accommodation in many parts of the world. All you needed to do is sign on the dotted line and pay a fee for this opportunity.
We both agreed that we had to decline — politely. It seemed that it took us at least fifty “No Thank you's before we were finally released to his manager, who went at us again with a new barrage of questions to ensure that we really did mean it when we refused to go ahead. Sometimes we had to be creative and gave reasons like our credit card is maxed and we are still in debt. That’s true — no lies there.
If you do go attend a timeshare presentation, keep in mind that your 90-minute presentation may last longer than that. But if you agree to the set amount of time, you can say you have an appointment and have to leave.
The reps were really good and in fact, I almost wavered a few times. The main thing is that you may have some representative battering you with vacation-related questions for over one hour. Keep in mind that the representative is also under pressure to make a sale, so I do have empathy for agents as I used to work for a collections agency.
But thanks to my partner, we left without buying anything. I felt a bit guilty over the whole experience — freebie or no freebie.
Still, is it worth it to have a timeshare?
It’s recommended that you talk to people who have bought timeshares to get their perspective. We know people who bought a timeshare property decades ago but couldn’t use it anymore due to poor health. I am not sure what happened to it, or if they sold it. Yes, you will be living fancy for your vacation, but consider everything: the upfront costs and the monthly maintenance fees.
The other option is that you can rent from people who already own a timeshare property, and if you decide to buy a timeshare, you can sell yours later using Redweek.com. However, the market appears to be saturated with owners trying to sell their timeshares, according to one site.
After touring a few properties, I did fall in love with all the fancy suites and it definitely would make a great vacation to stay in one of the rooms. But hey, I stayed in a hostel before, so I actually don’t mind sleeping cheaply sometimes.
In the final analysis, make sure you know what you are doing before you buy into this. And skip the tequila before you go to a presentation. The reps are counting on your happy mood to make a purchase.
That’s all today. Here’s a shoutout to Banji Alo Please check out his story here.
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