What advice do you share with people at the pool?

When you strike up a converstation with a young family on a promotional vacation, and they have not yet done the 90 min tour?

Do you?

A. Mind your own business?

B. Tell them all about TUG and the resale market?

C. Tell them to buy from the Developer?

D. Give them the pros and cons about developer purchase vs resale market?

I always tell people before buying to check the resale market and offer the tug website. I have never had anyone say they did not want to find out about resales and save money. Now that does not mean they will decide to follow that advice, but many are very thankful. Just offer. Their reaction will tell you if they are interested or not.

Shar

B, of course. Wish someone had told me:annoyed:

Numismatist said:

B, of course. Wish someone had told me:annoyed:

Click to expand...

I'm one of the lucky ones. Someone on another travel forum steered my to TUG when I expressed an interest in buying a timeshare. I still made a mistake (spent way too much) with my first ts, but at least I bought resale and was able to sell for what I'd paid once I realized my mistake.

Now I recommend TUG to anyone who will listen. I feel bad for all the people who are making loan payments on worthless timeshares.

Depends. (Not The Disposable Undergarments, The Conversational Variables.)

On winter vacation in Orlando FL a few years back, we met a retired Iowa farmer who had just completed a million-point full-freight Wyndham equity consolidation at Wyndham Bonnet Creek Resort. We just smiled nicely & congratulated him. It would not have been right to rain on his parade.

By contrast, if people have not yet taken the spiel & if the conversation takes an appropriate turn, we will lay out the basics of Buying Timeshares Resale & Saving Thousands.

We are not timeshare resale evangelists, but -- in keeping with the spirit of TUG -- we don't keep our hard-earned secret timeshare knowledge to ourselves, either.

If we were just a tiny bit more evangelistic, we would carry with us a small supply of TUG informational business cards & offer those to people we meet who want to experience some of TUG's Knowledge Is Power.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

billymach4 said:

When you strike up a converstation with a young family on a promotional vacation, and they have not yet done the 90 min tour?

Do you?

A. Mind your own business?

B. Tell them all about TUG and the resale market?

C. Tell them to buy from the Developer?

D. Give them the pros and cons about developer purchase vs resale market?

Click to expand...

Ditto. B.

Conversely, what if the person in the pool is a long-time owner... do you?
(assuming you purchased resale)

1. Tell them how much you paid for your week?

2. Smile and keep your mouth shut?

3. Mention, in general terms, the existence of a resale market.

I was vacationing in Cancun a few months ago and this lady I did an excursion with told me about the resale market while I was sitting on the beach. She also told me not to buy from the timeshare presentation if I already hadn't. I was extremely appreciative. Without someone telling you about it, you have to be pretty lucky to find the resale market because when you see something for a dollar on EBAY it just looks like fraud. I'm seriously considering wearing an "As me about timeshares" t-shirt on my next vacation so people will talk to me and learn the pitfalls of buying retail. It hard for me to imagine someone not being thankful I know I was!!!

AwayWeGo said:

On winter vacation in Orlando FL a few years back, we met a retired Iowa farmer who had just completed a million-point full-freight Wyndham equity consolidation at Wyndham Bonnet Creek Resort. We just smiled nicely & congratulated him. It would not have been right to rain on his parade.

By contrast, if people have not yet taken the spiel & if the conversation takes an appropriate turn, we will lay out the basics of Buying Timeshares Resale & Saving Thousands.

We are not timeshare resale evangelists, but -- in keeping with the spirit of TUG -- we don't keep our hard-earned secret timeshare knowledge to ourselves, either.

If we were just a tiny bit more evangelistic, we would carry with us a small supply of TUG informational business cards & offer those to people we meet who want to experience some of TUG's Knowledge Is Power.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

Click to expand...

Wonder if the Wyndham owner you referred to is the same person we spoke with at Bonnet Creek last year while enjoying the hot tub. He was almost bragging about the fact that he had purchased his "over a million points" directly from Wyndham and "got such a deal". When I mentioned that he could have saved even more by buying resale, he looked at me with contempt and said buying resale "wasn't the same as the benefits weren't included with buying resale". I didn't go into any further discussion with him as he obviously "knew what he was talking about" :rofl:

Unfortunately for Me

The answer is All of the Above for me.

At one time or another, I've done all four.

This past September, a couple told my wife and I how happy they were that the developer let them upgrade their unit to a new Luxury model.

I asked the upgrade price and it was $20K. I don't know which unit they upgraded from and what weeks they purchased (it was labor day weekend), and the luxury model is very, very nice, but I held my tongue even though I assume they were still in the 7 day cancellation period. I didn't want to dampen their enthusiasm--but still feel guilty that I held my tongue.

I wish someone would have spoken up when I purchased my first timeshare.

In the future, I'll do a better job of communicating my knowledge.

I've been known to suggest that folks explore resales before their time to change their minds runs out, and if they need any guidance with that offered my advice for the price of a beer or two.

So far I haven't approached anyone cold unless I've actually seen them huddling with the sales staff.

It cuts me to the quick to see someone- especially a young family of apparently modest means- fall victim to these sales sharks. As a comfort to the sharks reading this, most of the resorts I go to are older, sold-out and only resales are still available. That doesn't stop me from mentioning TUG and resales when out and about in a resort town.

Jim Ricks

strandlover said:

Ditto. B.

Conversely, what if the person in the pool is a long-time owner... do you?
(assuming you purchased resale)

1. Tell them how much you paid for your week?

2. Smile and keep your mouth shut?

3. Mention, in general terms, the existence of a resale market.

Click to expand...

2 & 3. I've mentioned that I bought resale just so they know it is an option if they are interested. Other times I've just kept my mouth shut.

I've also advised some long-time owners about trading through Interval. The money is already spent so they may as well get the most out of their ownership.

How times have Changed

Passepartout said:

.....

It cuts me to the quick to see someone- especially a young family of apparently modest means- fall victim to these sales sharks. As a comfort to the sharks reading this, most of the resorts I go to are older, sold-out and only resales are still available......

Jim Ricks

Click to expand...

When I bought my first timeshare, I thought to myself that when I retire maybe I'll work part-time as a timeshare salesman.

Now, I can't imagine working for a developer selling $20K timeshares to people that they could buy for under $1k on the resale market.

You Typed A Mouthful.

Tommart said:

I can't imagine working for a developer selling $20K timeshares to people that they could buy for under $1k on the resale market.

Click to expand...

I suppose the timeshare sellers these days simply park their consciences -- if any -- at home when they leave the house to go to work every day, knowing as they must that many of the timeshare deeds they're selling for major money have a true worth of approximately nothing.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

They are selling a product. You have the money. You have vacation time. It is their job to get your money, by selling you their product, so they can go on vacation.

See simple. No moral reasoning needed. They don't build it, set the price, care about its resale value or are concerned with your future. Why are you wasting their time to get a $50-75 meal voucher? You know it is a sales presentation. If it ain't written in the contract, it is just "sales talk puffiery" or you misunderstood a verbal description. Afterall, everyone they had talked to in the past month thought it was a good product and brought it.

And everyone lived happily ever after.

Except the 2 $13,500 sales that got rescinded on a recent TS stay ... just flicked over to the eBay window and did a search for the current eBay auctions. I also gave them the TUG site info.

As I go very frequently to the Grand Mayan resorts renowned for their high pressure tactics, I always make a point to talk with people who I have observed at the sales presentation - usually at happy hour around the pool - great ice breaker.

If they bought, i make a point to ask what they really bought (They usually really don't know); I advise them strongly to read every word in the contract as they have five days to rescind. I also tell them there is a resale market if they decide to rescind. What i don't say is "RESCIND, RESCIND, RESCIND." That is their choice - not mine.

What has amazed me as to how many people that had bought years ago at full price know they were deceived and paid too much, but are OK with it - even laugh about it. They usually say that the money is gone and forgotten, they love the vacations, and probably wouldn't be taking them. Then we get another drink and toast how much fun we are having.

The bottom line for me is I am OK asking questions to get people to think; I am not OK with trying to convince them to follow my advice. I will give it asked, but only if asked.

mike

My answer would be none of the above or A ( mind my own business ) if I had to choose one. We never mention anything about sales, exchanging, TUG, etc. unless it just comes up naturally in the conversation. Having said that, it does come up some times. usually it is about exchanging.

how about an " F"
Stay away from timeshares all together. Wished someone had told me that !