# Timeshare promotional offer from Wyndham Shawnee Resort, PA



## Timeshare_explore (Jul 23, 2011)

Hi,

I am new to timeshare concept itself. I got promotional offer to stay in wyndham shawnee resort in Poconos, PA. I have to attend 2 hour sales presentation to get discount. How aggressive sales team is ? Do they actually allow us to get out without any timeshare/rental purchase.
I want to understand concept/plus/minuses in detailed before I commit. 

Does anyone have any experience in this area ? I hope this offer is genuine and I do get discount on my 2 day stay ...

Any advice/word of wisdom would be highly appreciated.

Thanks


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## bnoble (Jul 23, 2011)

Life is too short to waste it in a timeshare presentation.  I'd encourage you to look elsewhere for a cheap getaway.


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## rrlongwell (Jul 23, 2011)

Timeshare_explore said:


> ... Any advice/word of wisdom would be highly appreciated ...



The promotional offer is probably real, they do that at that resort.  I use my points to stay there not promotions.  They cannot force you sign a contract so do not.   The sales pitch will be educational.  You may end up staying longer unless you can be persistant in leaving.  Someone suggested a stop watch/alarm clock type devise set on the required time frame.  That is not a bad idea.  There best offer for that trip is usally at the end when the sales rep has to turn you over to another person.  If all else fails, they will probably offer you a discovery package.


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## SunSandGirl (Jul 23, 2011)

Timeshare_explore said:


> Hi,
> 
> I am new to timeshare concept itself. I got promotional offer to stay in wyndham shawnee resort in Poconos, PA. I have to attend 2 hour sales presentation to get discount. How aggressive sales team is ? Do they actually allow us to get out without any timeshare/rental purchase.
> I want to understand concept/plus/minuses in detailed before I commit.
> ...



We were there for a long weekend Jan. 2009 and we took another couple with us.  They paid for 2 rooms at a non timeshare hotel for 1 for us & one for another couple (friend's), plus they gave us each a $50 dollar coupon for a local restaurant.  It was a weekend getaway package that we paid $120 for.  

Our friend's went for a 90 min. presentation on one side of the sales floor and we went to the other side for owner's.  They had a good outcome and were able to tell them "NO" and get out of there before the 90 mins.

Us on the other hand.....got roped into our 2nd timeshare.  They used all of the sales tactics that I have read about on here.  "There is a problem with your account."  "What you bought the 1st time was just a starter package and you must upgrade to be able to use it." Many other misleading statements.  We were naive and didn't know anything about TUG or resale or lying salesmen.  We were there way longer then the 90 mins., but we _thought_ we were being treated well and we _thought_ we were doing the right thing.  Hindsight is 20/20....


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## ronparise (Jul 24, 2011)

I attended a similar promotion about a year ago at Bonnet Creek, with friends who were already  Wyndham owners (I was not).. Just as described above, they were with one salesman  my wife and I  with another. None of us were strong enough to say no and make it stick. But we all did rescind as soon as we got home

You promised to attend the sales presentation, and you also (probably) said you had the income to support a purchase...so attend but be prepared for some high pressure sales (my guy questioned my manhood...what kind of guy would deny his wife and family decent vacations?) But say no and mean it...


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## DaveHenry (Jul 24, 2011)

*Remind them about the other Wyndham point sellers*

Tell them that you have people lined up around the block to sell you Wyndham points at a small fraction of the price that they're offering.  Tell them to go to the end of line.  That will give them plenty of time to think about lowering their price.  Maybe they should consider giving you the points for free, like some of the owners in your line would like to.
True, the owners in your line can't guarantee you a complimentary newspaper or the other VIP tidbits, but you're not paying $20K+ for the newspapers!
Go on the offensive.  Ask your salesman where he ever got the idea that he could sell you these points at so much more than other people are asking.  Tell him that other people are selling used cars similar to yours for $2 thousand dollars, but you'll sell him yours with a VIP membership (free car washes twice a year) for $25 thousand.


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## JimMIA (Jul 24, 2011)

Frankly, unless you're just set on buying a Wyndham timeshare for tens of thousands of dollars too much, I'd follow Brian's advice above and just not do it.  In this economy, there are lots of good vacation deals without a torture session.

You can buy many Wyndham timeshare contracts on eBay for $1, so why go to a sales weasel presentation?  

If you're interested in buying a timeshare, spend your time here on TUG researching and then buy a resale for next to nothing.  And then spend your vacation time vacationing.


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## bonfyr (Aug 18, 2011)

*Shawnee ownership to Wyndham point sales pitch*

In answer to your question I'll share our recent experience.  We were lured into the sales pitch by a caller who told us that Shawnee was going to Wyndham Points and we needed to visit the resort to see what they are doing and sign so paper work.  The following is an account of our sales visit:

On 8/7/2011 9:00 AM we met with Maria.   Maria explained to us that Wyndham had purchased Shawnee in 2004 and was now offering time share owners the option to switch from a fixed week to a points based system.  She also indicated that Shawnee had not been maintaining the units, using maintenance fees to expand the resort (What has been going on with maintenance fees since 2004?).  Wyndham is a five star resort organization and, as Shawnee needed major upgrades to its units to come up to their standards we were going to be hit with a $1,200 yearly special assessment for seven years.  Upgrades meant gutting the units and converting them to 2 and 3 bedrooms, bedding change outs every three years and furnishings change outs every 5.  Wyndham was going to begin renovations and the special assessments as soon as 83% of the unit owners converted to the points based system.

Maria told us that to convert us to a point based system it was going to cost Wyndham:
•	$2,380 for the life time RCI membership
•	$2,380 for legal and other fees to re-record the deed
•	$2,380 for Plus Points

To stay with the fixed week it was going to cost us $1,200 x 7 = $8,400 over the next 7 years plus our normal yearly maintenance fees and RCI membership fees.

The deal was that Wyndham would give us the value of our units in points if we bought an equal number.  Maria looked up the value of our unit and told us that it was worth 80,000 points so all we had to do was buy 80,000 points which had a retail value of $220/1000.  We’d have a total of 160,000 points to use anywhere in the Wyndham / RCI system.  She pointed out that it wouldn’t make much sense to change from fixed base to points unless we could buy in for less than the $8,400 it was going to cost us in special assessments.  She proposed that if we wrote out a note in our own words stating that this was our first time hearing about the Wyndham point system that she might be able to get approval to sell us the points at the original 2004 prices and levels.  This meant that we could convert by purchasing only 66,000 units at $100/1000 units or $6,600.

We summarized our options as:
1.	Stay with the fixed week and face $8,400 in special assessments (we asked to see plans for the unit upgrades but were denied as this was “private information”).
2.	Upgrade to the points system at a cost of $6,600 – we asked if that was the best offer possible.  She suggested we write down a number to which we said $4,800 (Wyndham’s $2,380 for legal fees and $2,380 for Plus Points (also $189 to record and mail the new dees).  As Wyndham owned RCI we figured they could absorb these).
3.	Abandon our week. Maria said that that option would ruin our credit rating.

Maria took our counter offer of $4,800 to “them.”  A short time later she returned to our table, picked up all of the papers we had been working with and stated that “they just sold the only block of 66,000 units available and all offers were off the table.  We were then ushered into another room to receive our “special gift.”


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## timesharedollars (Aug 18, 2011)

You are better off either buying resale or renting points from a TUGGER.  I am not aware of any other "investment" that loses 100% of its value at the moment the right of rescission has lapsed. That said, Wyndham resorts are beautiful and staying a well furnished condo with kitchen, washer/dryer etc., is a great way to vacation.  No matter what the promotion is, your time is more valuable so skip that offer and rent from an owner before you decide to buy resale or continue renting.


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## GeraldineT (Aug 18, 2011)

Hubby and I have sat through more preview packages than I care to count.  2 hours of my time is worth the free Disney tickets or the week at the resort for $299.  My advice is to sit, listen, enjoy your free breakfast (or lunch) and in the end JUST SAY NO.  They will send someone else to try to talk you into it and just say it's more than you thought and at this time cannot afford it.  You will still get whatever was promised to you.  The salesman will most likely call but just don't answer the phone.


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## rrlongwell (Aug 21, 2011)

Thanks for the update on the Sales Presentation coming out of Shawnee Mountain.  It is an interesting twist.  We use the resort and it is apparent that it is need of repairs to infrastuctor.  A number of  outside stairs appear to be in need of repair.  I know of a case where someone almost triped due to the bad condition of the steps.  The person was not hurt but did report it as a safety hazared.  Wyndham was quick to point out the Resort and Wyndham have no liabiliy for the condition of the steps.  This person was not trying to claim injury or anything, just trying to let staff know of the safety hazard.  I am not sure if they are going to start working the problem or not but it could be true.  I would not buy into a resort that needs so much visable repairs to roads and stairs as this Resort has.  The Unit that Wyndham is keeping up real well is the newest one.  It is actually in great shape.  Resort Staff, on a unrelated matter, advsied that there are a number of POAs in existance at Shawnee Mountain.  Make sure if you buy here that the one you buy into is not one that has legal responsabilty for deteriated areas of the various unit groupings.


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