# Should I attend a presentation?



## jpsmit (Jul 30, 2013)

We have been contemplating buying into Wyndham - obviously resale. We are currently staying at Governor's Green and loving it - thanks Ruth! 

Anyways, obviously we are getting asked to attend presentation. We have never attended a Wyndham presentation before. Is there any reason to do so from an R&D point of view? Would we learn something?


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## markb53 (Jul 30, 2013)

jpsmit said:


> We have been contemplating buying into Wyndham - obviously resale. We are currently staying at Governor's Green and loving it - thanks Ruth!
> 
> Anyways, obviously we are getting asked to attend presentation. We have never attended a Wyndham presentation before. Is there any reason to do so from an R&D point of view? Would we learn something?



The only reason to go a presentation is for the gift card. I have been to 4 in the last 2 months. I picked up $400.00 and enjoyed playing with the sales staff. You will not learn anything useful about the Wyndham system from the sales staff. They just want to sell you something. I happen to enjoy the battle. I'm also curious about how may times they will let me go before they cut me off. So far they have paid my $675.00.

 All the useful information about the Wyndham system is here on TUG. Don't go to the sales presentations until you know more about what they are selling then they do.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD


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## kwindham (Jul 30, 2013)

Unless you KNOW the system in and out, or can repeatedly say NO, avoid the sales weasels!


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## vacationhopeful (Jul 30, 2013)

kwindham said:


> Unless you KNOW the system in and out, or can repeatedly say NO, avoid the sales weasels!



Totally agree -- plus you will benefit with laughter on how STUPID the sales staff is and how THEY think they KNOW so much about a product they do not own (but will tell you they are VIP Platinum). Amusing tales on the so many great family vacations they have taken (only in their alcohol/drug induced dreams). Plus the great ways to pay your MFs by doing Wyndham Rewards Credit Card and RENTING out all the extra vacations your status will get you, etc.

And then you will know one of our favorite TUG true-ism's, "if their lips are moving, they are lying" factoids came into being.

PS Do not provide them with any personal info - their sales database is very detail on personal information. Met 2 elderly sisters who had 8+ years earlier concocted a daughter (never married and childless sisters) who they always added a NEW twist on her "out of control life". Every "update" had a concern about the daughter's problems (that is why she never came on the Wyndham vacations) - and the next resort, would ask if the daughter was better/recovering/working/etc.


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## TravelWannabe (Jul 30, 2013)

The presentation at Governor's Green was one of my worst, as I was held hostage for at least 4 hours. They feed you powdered eggs for breakfast, then feel entitled to keep you there a long time. Do not go to this one. Enjoy your vacation instead! Your time is not worth whatever gift they entice you with. If you want to attend a presentation, go to one at a resort where they promise to take only 30 minutes, but that is not the case at Governor's Green.


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## Rent_Share (Jul 30, 2013)

TravelWannabe said:


> Do not go to this one. Enjoy your vacation instead! Your time is not worth whatever gift they entice you with. .


 

Substitute ANY


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## Smurfelina (Jul 31, 2013)

I'll go just for the fun of it. I think they do tell you something new at times (even though it is gold foil coated poo most of the time) and if nothing for the experience. Just be certain that nothing they say would make you cave in and buy retail. 

I go to get info. I actually wanted some information on all these new programs I hear about on tug. I attended a presentation early this month at grand desert. The sales lady was just useless. I guess she did not like the fact that I asked very specific questions and asked for detail countering her fibs. DH also put her on a timer with the iPhone on display on the desk. She was annoyed (with us) I was annoyed with her, DH was amused (with the scene, he even recorded the session) and we were out in 30 mins. 
 I will go again if I get an offer to go on my next visit. For me I do have a couple of specific challenges for them and since they always boast about " helping members make the most of their timeshare" at the updates, well ill give them a chance. But no way on earth are they going to make me cough up any new dough for a retail purchase. So I am not fazed by their tactics.


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## tug1873 (Jul 31, 2013)

I usually avoid them. I have some family members who go for the gift cards. My time is worth too much on vacation. I have found the 10 to 15 minutes for the welcome guy can be worth it since they usually have a discount book and will talk about the area.

Once I tell them how much I paid on resale they usually go away.  What ever you decide remember there just doing there job.  Some of them actually do believe in what they sell as well and think there helping you. although some are truly dirtbags and if you get one them don't give them any respect. I like the product too but I am not paying what they charge.


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## ampaholic (Aug 1, 2013)

Remember the line from Monty Python and the Holy Grail? "Run away, run away" - very sound advice, go enjoy your vacation instead.


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## mspeggysue911 (Aug 1, 2013)

I KNOW I will never go to ANY sales presentation even if they offered $100 for 30 minutes. I couldn't stand it. They would kick me out quick. I would have to tell everybody in the room how you can get resale contracts off Ebay for $200. I am the last person they want in the room with others they are hard selling to. I hate salesmen.


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## mecllap (Aug 1, 2013)

No -- do not go.  Unless you are really desperate for some entertainment in watching very tricky, skillful sales techniques and can very strongly keep saying No if you really want to get whatever bribe they're offering.  They will eventually get the price down to what seems like too good to pass up, or almost reasonable, but you can still do better resale, and get something that meets your interests/needs better than what they offer.


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## webkrawlerr (Aug 2, 2013)

When we were curious about buying points and wanted to learn the ins and outs of the system, we actually went into a Wyndham (Ocean Walk) and played the part of a curious buyer wanting to buy retail.

The salesmen spent 2 hours with us giving us a tour and explaining a lot of stuff to us.

90% of what he said was correct. And we learned more in that 2 hours then we did spending days reading things online.

Ask questions, understand the system, then say NO and buy re-sale.


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## pedro47 (Aug 2, 2013)

My opinion is "No."  unless you want to spend two hours listening to a sale presentation.
 Read & learn from this web site. You will be able to save some big "Dollars" and that is a fact.


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## jpsmit (Aug 4, 2013)

Well, the jury has spoken, and we attended no presentation. Interestingly, other than at checkin, we were not even asked. We are now at Wyndham Old Town - and love it! (Thanks Cindy & Amy!). Again, at check in we were asked, while I have no plans to go, SWMBO had her ears prick up at the "gift" which sounded like a free week anywahere (or a cruise) she said the week was worth $1500. Just for interest's sake, does anyone know what this is?


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## Shaun_G128 (Aug 26, 2013)

*Received The Same Deal*

I was asked the same question at Wyndham National Harbor. Still on the fence if it is really worth it.


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## Bigrob (Aug 27, 2013)

jpsmit said:


> Well, the jury has spoken, and we attended no presentation. Interestingly, other than at checkin, we were not even asked. We are now at Wyndham Old Town - and love it! (Thanks Cindy & Amy!). Again, at check in we were asked, while I have no plans to go, SWMBO had her ears prick up at the "gift" which sounded like a free week anywahere (or a cruise) she said the week was worth $1500. Just for interest's sake, does anyone know what this is?



It is what they say it is... Sort of. We went on a presentation recently and got a free week, but it is only the short notice type... Meaning you have to travel within 30 days of when you book. Obviously you can't go somewhere high demand, but if you'll be able to use the week (and can say NO repeatedly), you might find it worthwhile.


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## Joe33426 (Aug 27, 2013)

mecllap said:


> No -- do not go.  Unless you are really desperate for some entertainment in watching very tricky, skillful sales techniques and can very strongly keep saying No if you really want to get whatever bribe they're offering. * They will eventually get the price down to what seems like too good to pass up, or almost reasonable, but you can still do better resale, and get something that meets your interests/needs better than what they offer.*



I was reading Wyndham's 10-K annual report and it says that about 70% of its timeshare sales are from existing owners.  Which surprised me a little, I really thought it was a high churn rate that earned Wyndham money.  So, then I got thinking that these sales people must be REALLY good if they can convince current owners to keep buying multiple times at retail pricing. 

I'm afraid of what mecllap says above.  If they come up with something that seems like such a good deal to me (and I can't resist a good deal), its probably best for me to stay away from these updates.


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## vckempson (Aug 27, 2013)

Joe33426 said:


> I was reading Wyndham's 10-K annual report and it says that about 70% of its timeshare sales are from existing owners.  Which surprised me a little, I really thought it was a high churn rate that earned Wyndham money.  So, then I got thinking that these sales people must be REALLY good if they can convince current owners to keep buying multiple times at retail pricing.
> 
> I'm afraid of what mecllap says above.  If they come up with something that seems like such a good deal to me (and I can't resist a good deal), its probably best for me to stay away from these updates.



It's the constant up-sale to achieve VIP that's the source of repeat sales.  The only way to win is to never play; only buy re-sale.

When I was at Palm-Air they had a group presentation.  I was surprised at how many big point owners there were.  They were obviously proud of their achievements at securing VIP platinum status.  The group presentation format was actually very good and informative.  I knew all of it from TUG, but for the uninformed it actually covered a lot of ground.


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## Sandi Bo (Aug 28, 2013)

It is interesting to hear to that some owners are still solicited for the presentations. 

I have not been, since we added a resale contract to our VIP account. Hmmm.

We were at Ocean Boulevard, North Myrtle Beach, earlier this month.  For some crazy reason my husband said he might like to go, just to see what they have go say. They said they no longer offered Owner updates (we had 6 owners "in the house").  If anyone in our party was over 25 and not an owner they could have attended on. The (adult) kids are all smart enough not to waste their vacation time on these - so no takers.


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## Timeshare Von (Aug 28, 2013)

One of the coolest things about doing a Wyndham presentation is when you are at one of their resorts on an RCI exchange that is not tied to your Wyndham ownership (if you own).

You are pretty much fresh meat to them and they generally will offer you a greater incentive to get you into the sales presentation.  I have had several RCI exchanges into Wyndham resorts, especially during my days as a Wyndham fixed week owner and even since as a Wyndham points owner.

I'm surprised they do not cross reference their lists to make sure they "know" who they are talking to and what they may own beyond whatever got them the exchange into their resort through RCI.

I will be interested in seeing how it turns out in October as we'll be at Wyndham Shawnee via an RCI/TPU exchange using consolidated points from several prior deposits, including some older fixed weeks from 2011.


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## photoguy (Dec 26, 2017)

I am a Hilton owner who traded thru RCI to Wyndham Santa Barbara for some Christmas beach time. It has had some Hurricane Irma damage but is in good shape and should be fully open in a few months. The front desk people were so accommodating dealing with an RCI issue at check in that I agreed to a presentation as a favour to the employee assisting us, as we are long past listening to this stuff and only buy resale.

We show up at the alotted time and they tell us they need a passport as we are Canadian. We did not bring it to the presentation and would never present such a document at a timeshare presentation. They finally consented to letting us attend the sales pitch. Within a few minutes the sales person tells us we we are not being honest with him. Within twenty minutes we  have gone nowhere. He has told use nothing about Wyndham and is pretty much calling my wife and I liars. She is pretty agitated. I have a melt down. I stand up in the busy presentation centre filled with sales people and their clients. I shout out, "Get me out of here right now. Right now. I won't listen to another word from this person". He bolts to the manager. A very experienced agent walks over and calms me down. The manager walks over. He tells us the presentation is over and we can go get our reward. I thank him and we leave. I was really offended by the accusations of a newbie agent and would let it go no further. Not sure how it impacted on anyone else in the room but we were gone in about 45 minutes. Worst presentation ever and I hope this person will shortly be out of a job. We recovered later with a nice walk on the beach


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## Jan M. (Dec 28, 2017)

photoguy said:


> I am a Hilton owner who traded thru RCI to Wyndham Santa Barbara for some Christmas beach time. It has had some Hurricane Irma damage but is in good shape and should be fully open in a few months. The front desk people were so accommodating dealing with an RCI issue at check in that I agreed to a presentation as a favour to the employee assisting us, as we are long past listening to this stuff and only buy resale.
> 
> We show up at the alotted time and they tell us they need a passport as we are Canadian. We did not bring it to the presentation and would never present such a document at a timeshare presentation. They finally consented to letting us attend the sales pitch. Within a few minutes the sales person tells us we we are not being honest with him. Within twenty minutes we  have gone nowhere. He has told use nothing about Wyndham and is pretty much calling my wife and I liars. She is pretty agitated. I have a melt down. I stand up in the busy presentation centre filled with sales people and their clients. I shout out, "Get me out of here right now. Right now. I won't listen to another word from this person". He bolts to the manager. A very experienced agent walks over and calms me down. The manager walks over. He tells us the presentation is over and we can go get our reward. I thank him and we leave. I was really offended by the accusations of a newbie agent and would let it go no further. Not sure how it impacted on anyone else in the room but we were gone in about 45 minutes. Worst presentation ever and I hope this person will shortly be out of a job. We recovered later with a nice walk on the beach



The sales presentations are usually held at Royal Vista but with that location closed for renovations I was wondering where you went for the sale presentation you attended.


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## bogey21 (Dec 29, 2017)

Back when I was interested in a Resort I would bypass the Presentations and the gifts.  What I would do instead is show up at the Sales Office when the Sales Reps were not putting on their Dog and Pony shows and ask to see a Sales Person.  Most of the time I would get a walking tour of the property and answers to all my questions in a leisurely fashion without the hard sell.

George


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## Colby Meals (Jan 11, 2018)

I wouldn't waste my time with it anymore.  I've been to a few over the years and this last time I went, I didn't want to go, but it was a "requirement" from the gift they gave at the last one.  Needless to say, it didn't go well.  15 minutes into the presentation, they actually escorted me out!!!  Told me I was going to be paying for my room, etc.....yeah, it never happened.  But I thought it was comical how upset they got with me and all I was doing was answering "No" to every single question they asked.  IE - do you enjoy vacationing with your family - "no".  How come?  "No reason"  and it just went down hill quick lol!


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## whitewater (Jan 11, 2018)

of course.....


NOT!!


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## dagger1 (Jan 11, 2018)

Of course not.  You are on vacation.


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## silentg (Jan 12, 2018)

Um,No


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## vacationhopeful (Jan 12, 2018)

If your goal in travelling to a resort 1000 +/- miles from home, is to get a $100 gift card by spending 2-3 hours with a lying sack of crap ... by all means, attend a timeshare presentation.

Else spend time with your family or read a good book or nap by the pool .... it is YOUR vacation.


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