Author Topic: Timeshare Promotions, worth the 2 hour pitch?  (Read 2817 times)

Valvore

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Timeshare Promotions, worth the 2 hour pitch?
« on: February 12, 2020, 10:54:38 AM »
I was offered a "promotion" with a time share group this week.

1. 8 day, 7 night stay at major hotel/resort nationwide (Sheraton, Wyndham etc.) - $50 booking fee,  must book 30 days in advance
2. 3 day, 2 night stay at major hotel/resort nationwide (Sheraton, Wyndham etc.) - $50 booking fee
3. $100 gift card to major restaurant groups

The catch - go to a 2 hour tour of the timeshare resort. There is no obligation to sign up to receive the promotional gifts. I could really use the free hotel stays due to some upcoming travel plans. and a $100 gift card means earning $50/hr (lol)

Anybody else suffer through timeshare pitches to get some gifts? Was it worth it? (NOTE: I definitely WONT sign up for a timeshare)

YttriumNitrate

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Re: Timeshare Promotions, worth the 2 hour pitch?
« Reply #1 on: February 12, 2020, 02:25:43 PM »
If it's advertised as a 2 hour pitch, expect them to try to keep you there well over 3 hours.

wonkette

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Re: Timeshare Promotions, worth the 2 hour pitch?
« Reply #2 on: February 12, 2020, 02:38:33 PM »
It will definitely be longer than 2 hours and you probably won't get that gift card until the end.

I did this with a different hotel brand and have to say I was impressed with how slick the operation was. The first guy who spoke to us as a group was a minor celebrity from America's Got Talent, the presentation was very well crafted and emotional (they'll ask you about your hopes and dreams, give them as little personal info as possible), and the individual sales people were very good. You have to say no to your first one to one sales person and then they bring in a second "closer" type of sales person and drop the price even more. But I never seriously considered their product and was able to leave without any major fuss. I would do it again.

Here4theGB

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Re: Timeshare Promotions, worth the 2 hour pitch?
« Reply #3 on: February 12, 2020, 03:11:31 PM »
The first guy who spoke to us as a group was a minor celebrity from America's Got Talent
LOL, that's sad.  Who was it?

Dave1442397

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Re: Timeshare Promotions, worth the 2 hour pitch?
« Reply #4 on: February 12, 2020, 03:46:14 PM »
We took one of those offers a few years ago and stayed in Orlando for five days. We scheduled the timeshare presentation for a convenient time, told the guy we weren't interested up front, and were done in fifteen minutes.

I'd forgotten, but I got an offer for 8 days in Hawaii a few months ago. I was tempted, but the travel costs would have been more than I wanted to spend. I figured out that the 'free' vacation would have cost us around $5k.
« Last Edit: February 12, 2020, 03:48:10 PM by Dave1442397 »

Duke03

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Re: Timeshare Promotions, worth the 2 hour pitch?
« Reply #5 on: February 12, 2020, 06:27:00 PM »
First rule of timeshares is don't buy THEM!!!  2nd rule is negotiate more perks before agreeing to go to the time share and always get that in writing.  My wife and I have started going to time shares while we are on vacation and if we have a couple hours down time.  Last one we where able to get them to throw in a swim with the dolphins, a couples massage and a professional photo shoot.  All together that stuff would have cost us over $1,000.  They didn't want to throw everything in but we hit their prime target for a sale.  Married age 35-45 and make over 6 figures. I tell the guys up front we are not interested in buying, but I'll listen to the hard sale.  After telling one guy no 3 times you will get handed off to anther salesman just to tell him no 3 more times before you get to the last guy just to tell him no twice before you get your gifts.....

mrcheese

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Re: Timeshare Promotions, worth the 2 hour pitch?
« Reply #6 on: February 13, 2020, 05:35:38 AM »
I sat through one once just for the gift card. As soon as I made it clear near the end of the pitch that I was not gonna sign up he started calling my by the wrong name and I had to ask for the gift card.

yachi

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Re: Timeshare Promotions, worth the 2 hour pitch?
« Reply #7 on: February 13, 2020, 06:03:30 AM »
I sat through one.  My spouse and I were very seriously not going to get it, but I was worried my spouse would get talked into it by the hard sell.  I found some identical offers on eBay for pennies on the dollar during the sell.  We told him we were not interested at any price and he backed off.  Since we were in a room of cubicles where others were being hard sold too, I wanted to shout out what I was finding on eBay for others to hear.  The eBay listings illustrate two things:
1) you can't resell timeshares for a profit
2) you can buy them much cheaper than they are being sold right there.

ericbonabike

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Re: Timeshare Promotions, worth the 2 hour pitch?
« Reply #8 on: February 13, 2020, 06:56:12 AM »
I'm trying to extricate my mother from the timeshare ponzi scheme her and my father bought into.

1) You will NEVER be able to sell the timeshare.
2) You will ALWAYS have to pay some maintenance fee.
3) The company you buy from will PROBABLY increase your maintenance fee unexpectedly.
4) When you decide to divest yourself of this "asset", you will probably have to pay a laywer or pay the company to take the timeshare back.

It's awful.  awful.  awful. 
« Last Edit: February 18, 2020, 11:31:10 AM by ericbonabike »

YoungGranny

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Re: Timeshare Promotions, worth the 2 hour pitch?
« Reply #9 on: February 13, 2020, 07:03:27 AM »
My Dad was a big fan of attending timeshare presentations when I was a kid. It was a cheap way to take the three of us kids to Disney for a couple days plus when kids attend those presentations they typically get some free cookies and then get sent off to enjoy the pool. That way the salesguy could be like "But your kids smiles while they're swimming really sells the whole package, right?". Then we'd walk out of there with our tickets having a relatively fun family day and getting to go to Disney the next day. Honestly when I grew up and found out how many people went into debt to take their families to Disney I was even more proud of my frugal Dad :)

I haven't attended any in my adult years since I already travel hack and find managing credit cards to be less time consuming but I wouldn't be opposed to attending a timeshare presentation in the future if they had some perks I wanted.

Retire-Canada

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Re: Timeshare Promotions, worth the 2 hour pitch?
« Reply #10 on: February 13, 2020, 07:11:24 AM »
Anybody else suffer through timeshare pitches to get some gifts? Was it worth it? (NOTE: I definitely WONT sign up for a timeshare)

My time is too precious to spend any of it on a sales pitch for something I don't want. So I would skip it.

Valvore

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Re: Timeshare Promotions, worth the 2 hour pitch?
« Reply #11 on: February 13, 2020, 11:35:02 AM »
Hmmm, I'm conflicted. I am 100% positive I wont sign up for the moneysuck of a time share. But I also hate engaging with sales people. the awkward feeling of having to say no over and over. It makes me uncomfortable and gives me an icky feeling. I guess it's my stupid need to not be rude. Am I willing to suffer through 3+ hours of uncomfortable semi-confrontation for free 10 nights? Ugh, I dont know. Thanks for the stories - it does seem mustachian to get free stuff from big corps.

wonkette

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Re: Timeshare Promotions, worth the 2 hour pitch?
« Reply #12 on: February 13, 2020, 12:22:20 PM »
The first guy who spoke to us as a group was a minor celebrity from America's Got Talent
LOL, that's sad.  Who was it?

I don't remember his name now but we looked him up that evening and he had appeared on America's Got Talent. Middle aged white guy. At one point he set his wallet on fire to emphasize how much money we were all wasting vacationing the "traditional" way.

Lucky13

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Re: Timeshare Promotions, worth the 2 hour pitch?
« Reply #13 on: February 13, 2020, 01:25:35 PM »
I got a similar offer but when I started asking questions discovered something that made me decide to stay far far away. If you accept, and then cancel the "free 8 day, 7 night stay at major hotel" you will be responsible for a cancellations fee equal to the full price of the room, which could be $300/night or more.  So if you go, it's free, if you book and then change your mind they charge your credit card hundreds of dollars.  This might not apply to all these offers but be sure you ask what happens if you cancel the "free" reservation!

Here4theGB

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Re: Timeshare Promotions, worth the 2 hour pitch?
« Reply #14 on: February 13, 2020, 01:39:57 PM »
At one point he set his wallet on fire to emphasize how much money we were all wasting vacationing the "traditional" way.
How in the world did you ever stay strong enough to resist such a compelling argument?

TomTX

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Re: Timeshare Promotions, worth the 2 hour pitch?
« Reply #15 on: February 16, 2020, 12:54:24 PM »
If it's advertised as a 2 hour pitch, expect them to try to keep you there well over 3 hours.

When we went to one in Hawaii the "two hours" was over in one - and it would have been less if I had pushed hard. Got $200 and it was onsite at the hotel (where we were staying free, on points.)

When they ask you how much you spend on vacation and you tell them that you vacation entirely on points ("Yep. Flight, hotels, rental car - all on points") it breaks their "savings" calculation pretty thoroughly...

albireo13

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Re: Timeshare Promotions, worth the 2 hour pitch?
« Reply #16 on: February 17, 2020, 02:58:55 PM »
I would rather have hemorrhoids!!

ChpBstrd

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Re: Timeshare Promotions, worth the 2 hour pitch?
« Reply #17 on: February 18, 2020, 01:59:11 PM »
Don’t do it. Expect to spend 4h, not 2h. Do not let them drive you anywhere or you’re trapped. Don’t think you can just decline and it be over with.

Considering your prime vacation time probably costs $100/hour or more, this trinket isn’t worth it. At the end when they go all high pressure and get out the sheet of paper with a plus sign on it and start writing ridiculous numbers in each quadrant, you may find that being treated like an idiot puts you in a bad mood many hours or days later. It can ruin an experience you paid a lot for.

DadJokes

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Re: Timeshare Promotions, worth the 2 hour pitch?
« Reply #18 on: February 18, 2020, 02:57:43 PM »
I would happily sit through a 3-4 hour presentation in exchange for a week long stay at a hotel of my choice. That's easily $100-$150 per hour. However, I wouldn't want to torture my wife by making her go as well. If I could go alone, I'd be all for it.

How do people get these offers?

Suelavie

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Re: Timeshare Promotions, worth the 2 hour pitch?
« Reply #19 on: February 20, 2020, 06:07:10 AM »
Ha! Ha! My boyfriend and I already suffered that just to get the gifts (I was not Mustachian at that time of my life but smart enough to already know that timesharing was a scam). Anyway, we listened (well not really) to them and since we were un Florida on vacation, used all the gifts  (a day cruise on a Pacific princess boat, a day at a amusement park and so on). It was fun and we felt a bit badass to do all of that for free (except for those 2 hours of suffering). Thanks for the good memories (it was about 25 years ago!!)

(I should add that at the end, the numbers they put on paper were powerful and we kinda felt dummy to not sign the thing, but we knew that it was only the “on-the-moment” feeling. I wouldn’t recommend this to someone who is an impulsive consumer!!)
« Last Edit: February 20, 2020, 06:11:41 AM by Suelavie »