TS tour ethics

[TimeshareVon]

I consider doing the TS presentations as an opportunity to learn more about the various products out there and what other TS resorts look like for possible future RCI trades.

As a fixed weeks owner in the FF system, I have had a lot of the owner updates with them attempting to get me to buy points and convert my existing weeks over.

If they are willing to invite me and compensate me for my time, I'm usually willing to spend the time and make the effort to listen to them. I agree, it isn't my "problem" that they are so aggressive with their marketing tactics to get people into their sales offices.

[Hoc]

I am always quite upfront with the person trying to rope me into the presentation, and the salesman/woman from the second I sit down with them. I state very clearly that I own 12 timeshares, all bought resale, that I will not be buying anything today, and that I am only there for the incentive (or to see the resort+the incentive). I let them know that I understand if they don't want to waste their time with me, and would rather move on to someone who has a reasonable chance of buying.

Under those circumstances, I have no ethical qualms about taking the gift, attending the presentation, and leaving when I am allowed to go.

[JudyS]

Originally Posted by Hoc

I am always quite upfront with the person trying to rope me into the presentation, and the salesman/woman from the second I sit down with them. I state very clearly that I own 12 timeshares, all bought resale, that I will not be buying anything today, and that I am only there for the incentive (or to see the resort+the incentive). I let them know that I understand if they don't want to waste their time with me, and would rather move on to someone who has a reasonable chance of buying.

Under those circumstances, I have no ethical qualms about taking the gift, attending the presentation, and leaving when I am allowed to go.

Hoc, how do the salespeople respond? Do they give you a hard time, or just sign off on your gift?

I'm tempted to take this approach, but I generally want to learn as much as I can about the timeshare I'm visiting. I just don't want to buy at developer prices.

[shopgirl]

We have done that very thing a few times. It kind of makes some of them angry, to be honest.

We told "Betty," the salesperson at Orange Lake in 1991, that we were there for the free gifts only and even if we loved the property, and the price was deeply discounted, her total attitude was so negative toward us that we would never have purchased anything from her, not even a cup of coffee.

The Celebrity Resort Spas, which were called Resort World Spas back then, was a much prettier property, with nicer units than Orange Lake had in 1991. When she showed us the studios or one bedrooms, whatever they are, it was a complete turnoff for me. The houses were very nice, but not as nice as Spas, where we stayed for that first trip.

[mishugana]

im going to weaselgate lieisure resort in dec got a travelocity deal for 82 anight om gpoing to say im not interested and if they dont release me im going to the rest room and put on a shirt that says"I ONLY BUY TIMESHARES RESALE AND SAVE 80% !!!! YOUGOTTA PROBLEM WID DAT?!!!!!"

[Hoc]

Originally Posted by JudyS

Hoc, how do the salespeople respond? Do they give you a hard time, or just sign off on your gift?

I get varied responses. Most of the time, they just get me out of there with my gift quickly. At HGVC, her response was, "Well, I still get you for 90 minutes." To which I responded, "Certainly, that's your choice." After about 15 minutes, she told me that I was in luck and that she had someone else "just come in." Then she let me out with my gift.

At Embassy Maui, he asked me a few questions, and then when he realized that I was not BSing him, and that I actually knew more about timeshares than he did, he asked, "so what do you want me to do for you?" I responded, "get us out of here as quickly as possible." He called over his manager, who spent about 3 minutes with us on a "last chance offer" and we were out of there in about 10 minutes with about $900+ worth of discounts and incentives.

At Marina El Cid, he tried to let us go, but his manager told him he had to show us the units. So he did, then I talked with the manager for about 20 minutes or so, at which point they let me out with my gifts and asked me not to talk to people about it at the resort because "we have to make money."

At Grand Mayan, he still spent about an hour with us, then after about an hour, the "closer" came over and tried to make us feel guilty. "Jose has a family, and he has to feed them." "Well, I told him up front that we were not going to buy, and he chose to spend the time with us." (then, with a pained look on his face): "Why did you come to the presentation if you weren't interested in buying?" "For the free gifts, of course!" Disgusted, he let us go.

Several times (Westin Kaanapali and Worldmark Maui come to mind), the salespeople were fairly new and quite interested in what I had to say. In those instances, I wound up teaching the salespeople about timeshares, how to use them, the best places to buy resale, etc.

So, the responses are varied. But nobody can actually get hostile, because I never deceive anyone, and I make it their choice whether to waste their time with me before I get the incentive. In most cases, they just get me out of there and move on to someone whom they actually have a chance of deceiving.

[iconnections]

At every timeshare presentation that we have gone to so far, we have told the sales person upfront that we were not going to buy but that we were interested in hearing about the resort and to see the condos inside. Most sales people told us that they hear this from other people too but then they end up buying anyway if they like what they see. We have in the past but can say "no" now.

We recently took a tour at the Grand Mayan in Nuevo Vallarta as I was so curious to see these newer condos and to hear if they still were telling all these lies they used to tell before. We found out that the developer had fired the whole sales force on the spot one morning and had a replacement crew ready to take over immediately. We have to agree that they are much more ethical today. We found the presentation pretty low key and much more professional too. I didn't hear the lies but they still pitch the rental income. I asked them if they could guarantee this in black and white and they said they couldn't but he showed the statistics and they were very high. I would not want to depend on that if someone needed the income to make the loan or maintenance payments.

What was also different from before was that they made you sign a piece of paper at the end of the presentation that whatever deal you were offered that day was not going to be available to you for the next ten years.

I can never talk my SO in taking any tours while I would love to see several resorts and hear what they have to offer so I was so surprised that he changed his mind and agreed to this tour but only after the fellow told him that it would feed his family for a week. He offered us 3000 Pesos for going on the presentation while he got 500 plus $10 for every credit card we had. We only had one. The more credit cards people have, the more chance they have on selling a timeshare, he told us.

We went through three levels (sales person, manager/closer and a follow-up). Everyone was professional and pleasant. This seems to be the norm how presentations are handled today because we had this experience with the Fairfield too in Honolulu.

Our last update at the Buganvilias in January lasted less than ten minutes when we told the sales person that we were not going to upgrade or spend any more money. He said that sales were his bread and butter so time was money for him and we got our gift immediately.

I would love to see more resorts in Mexico and Hawaii and the new ones here in our area too but I can't go alone. I wished you could just stop by and have someone show them to you who is not in sales. It would take very little time for both parties.

[swilshire]

I take the same approach and also have had varied responses. I don't get to go to many of these because DH hates them.

At Westgate Vacation Villas last March, the young lady was extremely pleasant and got us out pretty quick. She did go through the motions, showing us the unit and the numbers, but when she went to get the "backup" person, came back alone and released us.

At Westgate Smokey Mtns a fews ago the salesman was almost yelling at us, telling us it was people like us that cost people like him their jobs. He ask more than once why we came if we weren't interested and I responded simply "because your people invited us".

At a Fairfield in Williamsburg a couple of years ago I spent more time than I should have teaching their salesman what little I knew about their system and timesharing in general.

Overall, if I'm on a relaxing vacation with time on my hands, I enjoy seeing what they have to offer. If we have a busy week planned, their incentives aren't usually enough to entice me.

Sheila

[The Flush]

For the next tour I go on, I am planning to bring copies of the FTC fact sheet on timeshares which basically warns against every tactic most sales people use and start handing them out to the other marks attending the tour until they give me my gifts and get me out of there.

[Rent_Share]

Originally Posted by The Flush

For the next tour I go on, I am planning to bring copies of the FTC fact sheet on timeshares which basically warns against every tactic most sales people use and start handing them out to the other marks attending the tour until they give me my gifts and get me out of there.

Do you have a link to the document ?