# We just got kicked out of a presentation



## rchansler

Update: They rectified the situation. Yesterday, corporate rescheduled another presentation for this today. Then, this morning, they canceled the presentation, said we won't be charged for the cost of the room, and unhooked our account so we no longer have to do presentations for the remainder of our sampler.

We have a sample package and we are intent on using it up and being done with it.  We had a meeting scheduled today and we went in with the plan of staying firm on saying no as we always do.  Right from the get go it got heated between the sales rep and my wife.  Then things started to intensify.  He then left and said your 90 minutes will begin when you are ready to talk.  This got my wife more upset and she got up to talk to the manager.  I will not hold back that she was pretty miffed and it was noticeable on the sales floor.  The rep came back and told use we could leave, but as we walked out, he said we will be charged for our stay.  After we left, I called the DR Sampler line and he noted that they let us leave but said because we didn't stay the entire time, he didn't know if we'd be charged.  He told us to go back and see if they would let us finish.  The manager refused and said we were disruptive on their sales floor, which, to his credit, we were.  I then called the DR line back and told the operator that they refused us to come back in.  He said he would reschedule it for tomorrow and if they refuse us again, we will not be charged for our stay.  So that's where we are.  I don't know if I fully trust the operator though.  My stomach is kinda knotted up.  I'm not as outspoken as my wife, so she's gonna allow me to play good cop tomorrow if they let us do the presentation.  Can they still charge us if they refuse to do it?  We're almost done with our package and I'm thinking we got the most out of it and after this we'll call it a wash.


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## rickandcindy23

Why did the presentation become confrontational?  It's always okay to be polite and just fulfill the obligation to the 90 minutes and still say no.  On the other hand, I am sorry you were treated so badly.  Timeshare salespeople can be extremely rude, I know that.


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## klpca

I have no idea what is going to happen, but you guys need to decide what the end game is here. I think it is that you want the value of your sampler but don't want to buy anything (fair). To get it you have to get through the presentation (fair). You guys need to go in and just sit there and let them talk. Like Cindy said, be polite or just don't respond at all. Just sit. They can't kick you out for being quiet but they can do it for being disruptive apparently. It's 90 minutes. You can do it.


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## Cornell

Yeah - Just sit through the 90 mins and leave when you are done.


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## vikingsholm

We've pretty much quit going to any presentations. We know how it will end, but it's still aggravating as hell.

We tell them we're there to get an informational update, because we only go to ones they pitch that way, usually after expanded or new programs at our timeshares, where we genuinely want to learn new details. Both sides know it's a prelude to a sales pitch, but at least we get something out of it this way.

Too many times they became more aggressive about making a sale after six or seven times of hearing no from us though.

I've often felt like kicking THEM out of the presentation.

This was all pre-Covid, but we will not likely go to another one, unless something really new comes up in the points or other program options that really makes it worth sitting down to hear.


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## Cornell

vikingsholm said:


> We've pretty much quit going to any presentations. We know how it will end, but it's still aggravating as hell.
> 
> We tell them we're there to get an informational update, because we only go to ones they pitch that way, usually after expanded or new programs at our timeshares, where we genuinely want to learn new details. Both sides know it's a prelude to a sales pitch, but at least we get something out of it this way.
> 
> Too many times they became more aggressive about making a sale after six or seven times of hearing no from us though.
> 
> I've often felt like kicking THEM out of the presentation.
> 
> This was all pre-Covid, but we will not likely go to another one, unless something really new comes up in the points or other program options that really makes it worth sitting down to hear.


My vacation time is too valuable to even give up 90 mins.


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## bogey21

I agree.  What I have done twice when wanting information on a particular Resort is go into the Sales Office in mid afternoon and say something like "I don't want a formal presentation and I don't want a gift.  All I want is to talk with a Sales Representative".  Both times they provided me with a Sales Rep who walked me around the Resort for about 45 minutes and answered all my questions.  One was Marriott in Aspen and the other was the Boulevard HGVC in Las Vegas.  Both times they were pleasant, informative experiences...

George


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## WVBaker

Interesting. " .... _we went in with the plan of staying firm on saying no as we always do. _"

How many of these have you done?


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## simpsontruckdriver

Your salesman must have had a bad month and is in danger of being fired for not making quota (not your problem). If you need to go to get your stay for free, go. If they refuse, you still have a free stay.

TS


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## rchansler

WVBaker said:


> Interesting. " .... _we went in with the plan of staying firm on saying no as we always do. _"
> 
> How many of these have you done?


We've done 4 so far.  My wife admits that she could have handled it better.  She was not feeling well.  I was in "What just happened?" mode.   We're scheduled for a another one tomorrow and corporate said that if we show up and they refuse to let us do the 90 minutes that it will be on the sales associate and we won't be charged.  I showed my wife the responses on this thread and she agrees that she'll play nice tomorrow if they let us do it.


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## dioxide45

Cornell said:


> Yeah - Just sit through the 90 mins and leave when you are done.


It isn't always that easy. The first thing we are asked EVERY TIME is, why are you here. Ummm, I am here because YOUR marketing department invited me. It sometimes goes downhill from there....

Just sitting there isn't an option. They want dialog, back and forth. You ask, they answer, they ask, you answer.


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## rchansler

Thanks everyone for your comments.  I shared them with my wife and she admits that she could have handled it better.  She hates getting taken advantage of and high pressure sales.  Plus, she was not feeling well.  I think we learned from our sampler experience that these kinds of things aren't for us.  Corporate scheduled another one for us tomorrow and said that if we show up and they refuse to let us do the 90 minutes that it will be on the sales associate and we won't be charged.  My wife said that she'll play nice tomorrow if they let us do it.


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## CalGalTraveler

I agree it is hard not to respond. I would just say, "I am here on the sampler. The sampler package requires us to listen to what you have to say in the next 90 minutes. We are not in a situation to buy at this time but please tell us about Diamond or let us go now and not waste your time. Your choice."

Although they are high pressure, you have no obligation to be open and honest with them about your financials, your lifestyle etc.  You agreed to attend a sampler presentation. Not to share your personal situation e.g._ "I don't know there are a lot of unknowns right now (Covid, stability of job, travel, childrens school schedule, health - _you get the gist._._all of these changes since we signed up for the sampler_)"_ This goes a long way.

BTW...We have attended HGVC, Marrriott and Hyatt  presentations successfully but have never attended a Diamond presentation. We usually are interested in learning more about the network or talk about new locations so that helps the time to pass quickly. We don't buy. Such meetings have always been respectful and we stand up at the end of 90 minutes and say, "Thank you. Can we go now? We have been here for the agreed upon 90 minutes."


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## MommaBear

We actually had the best experience at Lagunamar, we were upfront that we weren't going to buy, but we had a great 90 minute conversation about the resort, the area, where they're favorite places to eat were. Not to be confused with Vistana Resort when we said " no thank you" and stood up at 90 minutes only to have the salesperson chase us out yelling "you will be leaving your grandchildren nothing except a black and white TV".


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## VacayKat

So we had similar experience with Diamond sampler, in that we had a sampler and a super high pressure almost antagonistic presentation. We had been lied to as to where we could use the sampler and literally picked anywhere to go just to use it and not lose the points. We said that to the sales person, and that we had no intention of purchasing - right up front. As in, they asked why are you here? And we replied: To use the sampler and be done with Diamond. Went downhill from there but we stuck with, ‘we were lied to, why would we want to give a company that lies to us business’ and ran out the time. 
As long as you're not giving them any info about yourself they have to keep trying different methods to get you to talk. I always suggest saying things just loud enough for others to hear but in a courteous manner - they work real hard to keep others from hearing, which makes it easier for you to just sit there.


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## x3 skier

Last one I went to, like always,  I was up front that I wasn’t buying. I offered to either leave and let them move on to the next prospect or waste everybody’s time. Naturally he said let’s talk.

After the pitch started and I explained what I owned and why I wasn’t interested, after a bit we spent the rest of the time talking about traveling and airplanes, which was fun since he was an aircraft mechanic and I am an aircraft engineer and pilot.

If they keep pushing you to buy, you might try to find something you both share and talk about.  If the sales weasel keeps pressing, don’t argue, just say “that doesn’t interest me”. If asked why, “It’s not worth it” or “I have enough now and can’t use it anyway”. You’ll never turn a bad sales weasel off but the best answer to me if I get the question “THEN WHY DID YOU COME HERE!”  is “Your outfit made me an offer I couldn’t refuse”.  If that doesn’t get a laugh, just keep saying no is different ways.

Cheers


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## RX8

CalGalTraveler said:


> I agree it is hard not to respond. I would just say, "I am here on the sampler. The sampler package requires us to listen to what you you have to say in the next 90 minutes. We are not in a situation to buy at this time but please tell us about Diamond or let us go now and not waste your time. Your choice."



You aren’t there just for a gift. You are there because your _purchase_ of the sampler package required the presentation. @CalGalTraveler hit the nail on the head.  If you say what she has suggested not only will it go smooth but you might be out in as little as 15 minutes.


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## chellej

The last timeshare presentation I went to was at Wyndham on Kauai.  The salesperson was new and I educated her on many aspects of exchanging, exchange companies etc...she went and talked to her manager and when they came back they offered me a job....Of course, I did not accept I cannot imagine being a timeshare salesperson when I know about resale.  But hey if someone didn't buy in the first place there would be no resales.

I have a weekend diamond package that got cancelled because of covid...I'm thinking I will just let it expire...diamond does sound like much fun.


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## geist1223

We have done these updates with WM and DRI at which we state up front we are not buying but only here for x, y, and z. They have turned into 60 minute pleasant discussions of favorite Resorts, countries, etc.

We tried this at a Wyndham sales pitch at Bali Hai and it turned into a batle royal. But we stayed the required time and got our $200 American Express Card. Another time at Bali Hai the Sales Person decided fairly quickly we knew more about timeshares than she and turned us over to her boss. He decided pretty quickly decided we knew more than him. So we got out in less than 30 minutes and got our gifts. But we never get angry or upset.


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## Ken555

I think the last presentation ("sales update") I attended was 8-10 years ago. I just won't do them any longer. Too frustrating and a waste of time. Much better (and accurate!) info on TUG, anyway.


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## dioxide45

Ken555 said:


> I think the last presentation ("sales update") I attended was 8-10 years ago. I just won't do them any longer. Too frustrating and a waste of time. Much better (and accurate!) info on TUG, anyway.


Who actually goes for the information...


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## Ken555

dioxide45 said:


> Who actually goes for the information...



LOL


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## bogey21

dioxide45 said:


> Who actually goes for the information...


In the two cases I mentioned in my prior post I wanted information about the Resort and to see the Units.  Both times. one Marriott and one HGVC,   I was courteously accommodated...

George


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## Luanne

We've done a couple, only one time because we "had" to in order to get the guest rate (Marriott Grand Chateau in Las Vegas).  In all cases I was ready to get in and out quickly, but dh loves to talk and usually manages to drag them out.  Never again.


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## Ken555

bogey21 said:


> In the two cases I mentioned in my prior post I wanted information about the Resort and to see the Units. Both times. one Marriott and one HGVC, I was courteously accommodated...
> 
> George



I did this once, many years ago, at Marriott Custom House, while I was there on an exchange.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## rickandcindy23

When we went to a Diamond presentation on Maui our second time ever on Maui, my mother-in-law, Rick's stepmom, went with us.  She was hilarious because here is this older lady, 76 at the time, and she was crushing on the salesperson, who looked a lot like Kurt Russell in his younger years.  He had blue eyes and a nice tan, and she was enjoying the entire presentation because he was so nice to her and kept bringing her coffee and sweets.  I thought we would never get out of that one.  

That particular day, this was July of 2006, there was a fire in the parking garage at the resort.  When we arrived, Rick had to get people out of the garage who were in a panic before the firefighters got there.  He was and is always a firefighter hero.  So proud of him.


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## capjak

We have been to several, we like the $300 gift cards and sometimes they help us with things to do in the area.  We are also professional plate lickers (that's what the financial advisors free dinners call our kind that don't intend to sign up).


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## Iggyearl

To the OP:  You need to understand that you bought a CONTRACT that requires you and your wife to attend a 90 minute presentation at your vacation location.  You owe them your time.  Even though your wife may be "on to them,"  the salespeople don't consider themselves to be criminals or bad people.  They are just trying to make a living.  (albeit a nasty living).  They only want the chance to tell their story.  You need to listen.  You might prepare, in advance, any reasons why you find a purchase not in your best interest..  It could be money.  It could be family obligations.  It could be that you both can't plan because of your jobs.  Of course it could also be that you have researched Diamond Resorts and seen a lot of unhappy customers.  (there are).  

You can look at the following websites and form your own opinion:  Ripoffreport - 236, Pissedconsumer - 291, BBB complaints - 1064 (in 3 years), Complaintsborad - 208, Trustpilot - 1268 (1 or 2 stars), and Tripadvisor - 1257.  The numbers are fairly recent.  There certainly will be overlap, and some complaints are minor.  But you get the picture.  

Be calm - be organized - be unemotional.  And just drift through the 90 minutes.  You can do it.


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## rchansler

Update:  They rectified the situation.  Yesterday, corporate  rescheduled another presentation for this today.  Then, this morning, they canceled the presentation, said we won't be charged for the cost of the room, and unhooked our account so we no longer have to do presentations for the remainder of our sampler.  Thanks everyone for your advice!


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## TamaraQT

Which Diamond resort was this? I've heard Diamond sales pitches are becoming as bad as Westgate.


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## winger

We frequently get calls to get updates - sure, if they put it that way. We only go if time allows - it's free money.  They offer, so why not?  Just sit, listen and leave. Ask questions if you like.


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## artringwald

Cornell said:


> My vacation time is too valuable to even give up 90 mins.


That's exactly what I tell them when they try and get me to schedule a presentation. I usually ask them if they'd rather spend 90 minutes of their precious vacation in a meeting or 90 minutes on the beach. The honest ones say on the beach and let me go.


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## Cornell

artringwald said:


> That's exactly what I tell them when they try and get me to schedule a presentation. I usually ask them if they'd rather spend 90 minutes of their precious vacation in a meeting or 90 minutes on the beach. The honest ones say on the beach and let me go.


plus the times for the presentations are always in the middle of the day so it chops up the whole day.


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## Luanne

Cornell said:


> plus the times for the presentations are always in the middle of the day so it chops up the whole day.


Not always. We had a breakfast one in San Francisco (breakfast provided).


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## winger

Luanne said:


> Not always. We had a breakfast one in San Francisco (breakfast provided).


Most of ours include breakfast or mid morning snack


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## pedro47

winger said:


> We frequently get calls to get updates - sure, if they put it that way. We only go if time allows - it's free money.  They offer, so why not?  Just sit, listen and leave. Ask questions if you like.


It is not free money. You must sit and listen to a sale presentation for 90 minutes.


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## Patri

You could also ask the salesperson if they own at that resort. The response could be quite amusing.


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## Snazzylass

rchansler said:


> Thanks everyone for your comments.  I shared them with my wife and she admits that she could have handled it better.  She hates getting taken advantage of and high pressure sales.  Plus, she was not feeling well.  I think we learned from our sampler experience that these kinds of things aren't for us.  Corporate scheduled another one for us tomorrow and said that if we show up and they refuse to let us do the 90 minutes that it will be on the sales associate and we won't be charged.  My wife said that she'll play nice tomorrow if they let us do it.


Holy cow! 4??

So how did it work out yesterday? 

Here's the disconnect: "She hates getting taken advantage of and high pressure sales" 1. Not understanding how you were being taken advantage of? You agreed to this, didn't you? A "free" vacation in exchange for the 90 minute presentation? 2. After the first time, how did you not know this was high pressure? 

Where in life can you get something for nothing? Seems y'all have had a pretty good run. Stick around here. There's lots to learn - like DR has a reputation as a den of snakes.


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## Snazzylass

Patri said:


> You could also ask the salesperson if they own at that resort. The response could be quite amusing.


Funny, but likely not relevant. My sister worked for RCI years ago (back when the DeHanns were just getting started). She could stay for free at T/S. Great perk! I would assume the same is true for the managers, at least. Usually a company wants you to be familiar with the product. My company offers me a significant discount on the product I offer.


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## bogey21

pedro47 said:


> It is not free money. You must sit and listen to a sale presentation for 90 minutes.


Agree 100%...

George


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## DesireMore

I worked for Diamond Resorts for two years as an administrator. I worked closely with the sales department, and the sales people all see you guys as nothing but walking paychecks. I've worked for the timeshare industry off and on over the last fifteen years at pretty much every major timeshare company in various roles, even tried a short stint in sales. I've also done probably close to 60 presentations at all of them for various gifts, vacations, money, etc.

I say all of this because I can say in confidence that Diamond Resorts is among the worst presentations you could do for any incentives. Your experience in a sales presentation will depend on the sales rep you get and the sales manager you get, but some companies foster a more high-pressure sales environment than others. Companies whose main revenue stream is timeshare are worse than the big hotel brands who just have timeshare as a side hustle.

In summary, I've never had a problem doing any presentation with Hilton, Marriott, Sheraton, or Disney. All were mostly positive experiences with no pressure, and I would not hesitate to do another presentation with them if offered an attractive incentive. The companies that I rate as the top 3 most likely to give a negative presentation experience are Westgate, Wyndham, and DRI.


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## dioxide45

DesireMore said:


> Companies whose main revenue stream is timeshare are worse than the big hotel brands who just have timeshare as a side hustle.


These don't exist anymore. All of the big hotel brands (Marriott, Starwood, Hilton, Wyndham) spun off their timeshare divisions into stand alone publicly traded companies. There are not hotel brands with side hustle timeshare divisions anymore.


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## CPNY

MommaBear said:


> We actually had the best experience at Lagunamar, we were upfront that we weren't going to buy, but we had a great 90 minute conversation about the resort, the area, where they're favorite places to eat were. Not to be confused with Vistana Resort when we said " no thank you" and stood up at 90 minutes only to have the salesperson chase us out yelling "you will be leaving your grandchildren nothing except a black and white TV".


To that salespersons credit..... it is a great line LOL


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## sfwilshire

I believe it was a Diamond presentation where I had to call the sales manager over three times because the sales person was so outrageous. I've sat quietly through several presentations that ended pleasantly, but I remember this one as being especially ridiculous.  Your wife may have been justified.

Sheila


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## x3 skier

Just back from a trip to Orlando where a took a presento from HGVC as a penance for a $200 4 day /3 night Tuscan Village stay. Except for a 30 minute spiel complete with pretty classy slides from a Gordon Gecko type who omitted a few key details (but no outright lies), not a bad experience.  

I chatted with the sales lady for about an hour, mostly about places we have been after clearly stating I had no intention of buying since I had all the TS I could ever need.  She only made one attempt to sell an EOY deal, called the closer and the Sales Manger for verification I wasn’t buying and I was out the door with 30000 points, a free night (up to $200) in a Hilton property and a handful of granola bars.

Since the morning of the penance was 42 degrees while I was inside, I’d actually didn’t miss much of the mini break from Ohio winter. 

I’ll post this in the HGVC Section as well for their info.

Cheers


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## kckaren21

I kind of enjoy the presentations as a way to learn more about the different systems, the area, plan for future trades, get free snacks...
DH won't go, so I have to pretend I'm single. (Obviously doesn't work at our TS)

Once I was let out in 30 mins, but the last time time the guy asked at the beginning "Is it ok if we go over a little?" Haha, of course I said No, I have plans right after. (Both times were at Welk Resorts). I always tell them I bought my timeshare on ebay for 25% of the price the resort offered me on the same day (the truth!), and I'm really only interested in the info and free food. I say it really nicely, tho, and have not had any adversarial experiences. My aunt was a timeshare salesperson for a short time (long before I had any interest in it), so I think they are generally just people with a sucky job, and I do my best to enjoy the time required to get the goodies.

At my resort, one guy tried to sell me on converting to points for $5,000 just so I could trade on RCI, instead of II. Who is stupid enough to fall for that?! lolz. He did not seem surprised when I said No.


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## amycurl

Our favorite time was at the Vidanta group in Mexico. They guy kept telling us we were lying about the MF for the unit we own and trade extensively, and that it was owner-controlled. (We were in Cancun on an AC at a two-bedroom oceanfront Royal Islander.) And then we said, "Why would we buy from someone who is insulting us and calling us liars?" It truly just became, well, comical. We laughed all the way home, and enjoyed our free day/passes to Tulum and Xel-ha. We did it because that was a pretty good deal, and we wanted to see the resort/units.


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## DonnaD

Vallarta Gardens cured us of ever attending another sales presentation.


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## rapmarks

This is making me remember a lot of bad presentations.  Haven’t been on one in many years.  For thos who remember brucecz, we went on a weekend trip with Bruce and his wife  to our surprise, he only wanted to go to the different timeshares in the area and go to presentations.


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## Jwerking

We go to presentations frequently for the $200 prepaid charge card esp if rainy weather is predicted.  Always book the morning appt and make it clear from the beginning that we came for the promotional gift.  We listen politely and after they find out how many weeks we already own and are not interested in purchasing any more at the ripe old age of 65, we get out gift and leave.

We go to a lot of Marriott updates as owners - where reps are always polite and low pressure.  They don’t even care if you have been to updates recently.  We have only had one bad experience at Bluegreen at the Wisconsin Dells where a brand new rep told us that we were wasting his time and should have only come to the presentation if we were interested in buying.  After completing the customer survey, I received a phone call from Bluegreen Corporate apologizing and the rep would be counseled.  Just attended a Bluegreen presentation about 3 weeks ago in Branson where the staff were polite and respectful!

About 7 yrs ago, we booked a month vacation to Cabo where up to $500 in cash was offered for presentations.  We scheduled numerous ones and collected probably $2K to offset our costs.  Heck, why not, can’t sit on the beach every minute for a month!


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## plpgma

We have never attended a presentation - not a single one!  Whenever we're assaulted with 'we'd love for you to attend an owner update' at check-in, we simply respond with a wall of No's which usually does the trick.  I have had to get rather heated with my 'No' response from time to time -- but that has been rare.  Bottom line, I go on vacation to rest -- not to attend sales presentations.


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## chaparrusa

i don't mind attending a presentation if the gift is right , which goes with my tip to you . the marketing representative will offer you the lowest gift possible as their commission diminishes if she/him have to lure you with the best they have , so, Don't ever say yes right the way , just go with , "i don't know , we are suppose very busy and those things take like half your day , correct ?" , they will then try to explain that it is only gonna take 90 minutes .  REMEMBER their name and make sure you let your salesperson know that MICHELLE as example told you so ,   one thing to consider is that if you are going to a meal , like they offer you breakfast for instance , the time spend at the meal doesn't count , it really doesn't . but you do have somewhere to go 90 minutes after that , and mention that up some point at the beginning ,maybe at the meal itself . The key to better handle the presentation is to take the lead , DO NOT let them guide you , that is the BIG mistake and then try to run away at the very end . i kind of enjoy attending the presentations because it really gives you a better idea of the resort itself , most of the time i actually have a good time and once again the gift gotta be worth it .   Be aware that in Mexico they will try to switch your gift . specially if you are being referred by an outsider , like the person at the booth inside a supermarket or the one at the rental car . Presentations in Mexico are the best ones because they give you great meals and even drinks but they are the trickiest . Do not upgrade your gift ever . like if they offer you admission tickets to Xcaret  for your family , and at some point once they know you are not buying anything , they offer you to upgrade your admission with the VIP package by just $50 per ticket  . offering you transportation and Buffet lunch at the park + no lines because it is a VIP ticket . of course it is a scam , you will only find out once you are at the park the next day when you are at the buffett and they bill you $32 per person , and you said , i got this VIP wristbands , the cashier will then tell you , the VIP only means you got the tickets for FREE as attending a presentation . then you realize , you got scammed . happened to a very good friend of mine . and they did it to me too once as my friend did'nt attend the presentation ,so i was by myself and at the end they came with half the gift $75 Vidanta dollars , which are dollar you can spend at the resort ,but the gift offered was $150 , they were pretty clever about it , "we trully appreciate your time , so we are giving you your portion of it ,but your significant other didn't show up , so "

plain and simple they are there to lie to you and trick you into buying something you don't need , and they know that so do you , lets make the best of it and have fun 
i spend an entire day at a resort in Cancun they fed me and gave us drinks , yes they said ugly things at some point but i don't take anything personal , so we won


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## chaparrusa

put their guard down . at the very beginning they will try to find out how much you know about this SCAM call timeshare , have you attended a presentation before ? are you an owner ? most people lie , cause they think is best to keep it secret , but in reality if you let them know you are an owner , just like that . immidiately they will try to find out how you became an owner , how much did you pay ? right . then you tell them you got it for free , someone you know knew someone and they just gave it to you . you already won 3 quarters of the battle .  for this salespersons is so easy to trick someone who doesn't know anything about timeshares , they can really elaborate on how good this is and bla bla bla . the moment they know that you know about this , it is like a punch in the stomach . later on the presentation call a friend and pretend they are sending you something , open ebay with the search for "timeshares for sale" 500 will show up most are free , and show it to the salesperson , now you are 95% there  . you just showed them politely that what they are trying to sell you has not value whatsoever and that people actually want to get rid off this timeshares .  just put yourself in their shoes , how are you gonna convince these people to pay thousands of dollars for something they see on ebay for free .    GOOD LUCK


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## Larry M

My late wife and I used to do these all the time. We were up front about not buying when we received the solicitation phone calls and when we sat down at the presentations. In fact, after a while when they called, the first thing we did was negotiate the gifts. "No, we can't do it for a toaster-oven and a $100 gift card. How about a microwave oven and $250? Believe it or not, they actually would raise the ante. We viewed it as a contest; whether our resistance was stronger than their persuasion. Only once did it end badly. The salesman got a little angry, but when he threatened "We'll blacklist you with all the timeshare companies and you will never receive another invitation, we could only work hard to suppress our grins."

After my late wife passed, my dates and I (visiting Wyndham Ocean Ridge) would take the update for the restaurant/excursion tickets. These used to be a "sit through the group presentation, then quickly end the individual meeting" scenario. Only once did one of the dates make the mistake of showing interest in the individual meeting. (She's still too chatty.)

Now I have another life-partner. She wanted to visit her kids near DC over Xmas a few years ago and just at that time I got a Marriott solicitation for a nearby property. I told her about the great Marriott property I had booked in Alexandria--stay was in the Marriott hotel adjacent to the timeshares--and all I had to pay was parking lot fees.  We weren't married, so Marriott insisted we take TWO rooms. My partner became nervous and scared but I assured her it would all turn out fine and ninety minutes of our time was a good exchange for four days with two rooms. Before we left, I printed TUG and eBay listings for a couple of units in the property and brought them in a closed folder to the meeting.

It turned out that they wanted to offer units a different property, Baltimore Harbor(?). And I no longer had the Wyndham property they thought I owned. But we had a pleasant discussion. Eventually everybody smiled and we got the cash cards. And as an extra treat, we brought her grandchildren and let them spend the night in the other room.


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## geist1223

Two years ago we got $400 or $500 for attending Grand Mayan in San Jose del Cabo. We spend more time negotiating the Exchange Rate because we wanted the Pesos for our 3 week trip. We ended up at 16 or 17 to 1. Running the numbers I am pretty sure it was $500 at 17 to 1.

They tend to offer more if you make contact in your first 24 hours in Cabo and you have not attended another timeshare show. A couple days later we were offered $800 in Cabo San Lucas if we were in our first 24 hours and had not attended timeshare pitch. Oh well


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## x3 skier

Larry M said:


> We weren't married, so Marriott insisted we take TWO rooms.



When was this, 1890?  

Cheers


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## Steve2

I have had real bad experiences with the high pressure sales tactics and had to get lets say assertive but just regular time share updates. I will not go for less that 200 if even that not worth my time besides in Vegas I told them I had a time share to sell them when they were trying to sign me up


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## LannyPC

amycurl said:


> They guy kept telling us we were lying...



This coming from a TS sales person?


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## csxjohn

Just curious, how many presentations are you required to go to with the sampler from them?  When you purchase a sampler as a non owner in the Bluegreen System you are required to attend a presentation on your first stay using the sampler, none after that.


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## karibkeith

I previously owned at a resort that insisted on an annual "update". They were trying to convert me from RCI Weeks to RCI Points. The representative would recognize me and knowing I would again say "No" would just hand me my gift and let me go.

Since then I unfortunately became a DRI Club member. They lie from the beginning by telling you it is an update. My last experience was another lie where they told me I would be meeting an Apollo representative (Apollo owns DRI). When you reserve, you get a phone call inviting you to an adventure of a lifetime which of course includes a presentation. These are pretty good rewards but I have had enough of DRI lies and misrepresentations and now tell them that I would rather drill a hole in my head than go to their presentation. This sometimes get a chuckle.

For a good chuckle of your own go to https://www.diamondresorts.com/diamond-clarity and read the Clarity statement. If you ever have the misfortune of attending a DRI presentation, take a copy with you along with copies of a few ads offering DRI points at bargain basement properties (This will get you the line about not being able to use them for resorts other than the one for which they are designated.)

I want to find an hour glass or more specially one that lasts for the agreed time so I can slam it down on the desk at the beginning of the presentation with the words "start talking: you have ???? minutes and then I am out of here". Keeping them to the allotted time is a struggle. You have to endure Three people (they are like the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future that come one at a time. The first is the person who greeted you. Then along comes someone else with a deal. and just when you think you are getting tired of saying "No", along comes number three with the final pitch.

I always watch them scrawl all over a printed form without regard for the headings on the form. At the end when you ask for the form to take away they won't let you have it because their lies are there in their handwriting.  Take a blank piece of paper with you and write down whatever they write down. It bugs the hell out of them.


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## spudmouse

We have a hard time saying no when the poor person handing out the parking permits puts the squeeze on to attend a session.  Finally came up with a "solution" that gives us a way to say no without guilt.  The parking permit person always promises the presentation will only take 1 hour and we agree we'll attend if it's only one hour with the understanding that for each MINUTE it goes over an hour it will be a Month before we attend the next presentation.  We share the One Minute = One Month with the sales person just before or after we tell them we aren't interested in buying, IE at the very beginning.  About 90 to 180 minutes later my wife is mad because it's taken so long and I'm getting happier by the minute.  Here is the status of our last two presentations:

Worldmark - Long Beach Wa 4/7/2019 - 2 hrs and 6 minutes after promising 1 hour. 66 minutes over. Next owner update not before October 7, 2024

Diamond Resorts 2 hours & 22 Min Oct 2019 after promising 1 Hr, 82 minutes over, results in next owner update no earlier that Aug 25, 2027.


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## calphone1

touching upon karibeth's request and csxjohn's signature line... has anyone tried placing your cellphone on the table, setting the timer for 90 minutes and just letting it count down? (activate airplane mode if you wish to ensure the countdown proceeds uninterrupted) at the end of the allotted period, the phone's alarm will let everyone know presentation time is over... and perhaps you'll even be able to enjoy the final minutes as you're pitched wild promises about that paddleboat pond/ice skating rink planned for Phase IIB, establishing 401v accounts, and maintenance fee rebate programs.

if the salesperson is unable to extract $21,500(ish) from you in under 60 minutes, that's much more a reflection of their skills than your unwillingness to listen.


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## jme

We certainly don't mind attending a presentation when we get something of value from it, 
like a gift card which will pay for 3-5 great meals, or enough DC points to add a couple of nights onto another trip, etc.
90 minutes is very short, frankly, and if you go to their first morning session, you simply leave and go have a nice breakfast somewhere and enjoy.
I will never understand the angst that people suffer from a sit-down meeting, over which YOU ultimately have the control. 
Not to mention we do in fact walk out having learned something new.


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## davidvel

jme said:


> We certainly don't mind attending a presentation when we get something of value from it,
> like a gift card which will pay for 3-5 great meals, or enough DC points to add a couple of nights onto another trip, etc.
> 90 minutes is very short, frankly, and if you go to their first morning session, you simply leave and go have a nice breakfast somewhere and enjoy.
> I will never understand the angst that people suffer from a sit-down meeting, over which YOU ultimately have the control.
> Not to mention we do in fact walk out having learned something new.


Many people are not strong willed, afraid of confrontation, and feel bad saying no to others. Did you know there are people who won't  hang up on a telemarketer because they think it's rude? Or others that feel they have to talk to the people outside stores with petitions, or feel bad if they don't donate to the kids charity at checkout? Sitting ducks.


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## moonstone

calphone1 said:


> touching upon karibeth's request and csxjohn's signature line... has anyone tried placing your cellphone on the table, setting the timer for 90 minutes and just letting it count down? (activate airplane mode if you wish to ensure the countdown proceeds uninterrupted) at the end of the allotted period, the phone's alarm will let everyone know presentation time is over... and perhaps you'll even be able to enjoy the final minutes as you're pitched wild promises about that paddleboat pond/ice skating rink planned for Phase IIB, establishing 401v accounts, and maintenance fee rebate programs.
> 
> if the salesperson is unable to extract $21,500(ish) from you in under 60 minutes, that's much more a reflection of their skills than your unwillingness to listen.



Yes, I have done that quite a few times. I always confirm the presentation time (usually 90 mins) with the sales person and tell them I will be setting my phone alarm time for 5 minutes less than that time as we have places to go and things to see during our vacation.  We also make it clear right from the start that we are there purely on their invitation and are not at all interested in buying, especially at their prices.  We tell them the prices we paid for our 2 timeshares and about buying resale. I tell him/her that when the alarm goes they will have 5 minutes to wrap things up and direct us to gifting. Quite a few times when the alarm goes for the 2nd time the sales person says they need to get a supervisor to do a quick 2 minute (HA!) survey on how we were treated which is always another sales pitch. We tell them we have fulfilled our time requirement and stress again we are not buying so please direct us to gifting before I start loudly telling folks where to get exactly the same as what they are selling for pennies on the dollar.  Our quickest presentation to date was less than 30 mins after telling the salesman about buying resale and what we paid (free) for our Points, and that we had more timeshare time than vacation time from work.

A few years ago we had a family (our adult kids, spouses & grands) vacation booked in Kissimmee FL.  We also booked a cheap Last Call for the week preceding that week since we had both just retired. During that first week we were invited to 4 timeshare presentations. We had nothing better to do as we were just killing time waiting for the kids to arrive so we thought what the heck!  We ended up making enough money in gift cards that week that we were able to take the entire family our for dinner twice and still had enough left to fill the gas tank for our drive over to St. Augustine the week after the kids left and lunch out on the way.

I know the sales folks have to make a living but we have developed a very thick skin for presentations and only attend at their invitation to view their product so we will continue to go if we have nothing better to do.


~Diane


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## dandjane1

DonnaD said:


> Vallarta Gardens cured us of ever attending another sales presentation.


Vallarta Gardens!!!!! So someone else had that experience! They have "Towel Nazis" that track how many towels you have at the pool, they will offer you "Twice what you paid" for your T/S if you sign with them. Of course their paperwork lies are unenforceable, and they actually called the cops on us when my wife was using her phone to record their lies! SOOOOooooo glad to get outta there! It's run by the Mexican Cartel, I'm sure. Truly the worst experience ever, but what a beautiful resort!


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## dandjane1

*Has anyone gone through a DRI presentation where they offer a 30 cents a point benefit that can be used for cruises, etc. with no limit, and 
NO MORE Maintenance Fees? That's what our last offer was in November. Sound too good to be true?
Well, we asked for all the details in writing, and after about 45 minutes, the Rep. brought out the nasty truth - all we had to do was give DRI $91,000.00!
In other words, 10 years' MFs for our Platinum membership IN ADVANCE! As many questions as we had asked, he would never say anything about how this was possible, without buying any more points. We finally learned!  Every few months, they come up with new gimmicks.*


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## pedro47

When we are on vacation.  We do not want to attend a sale presentation.


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## Tucsonadventurer

We are picky about which ones we attend. Most in Mexico we avoid except for Westin Lagunamar and Diamond's never! I like to hear what's new with our timeshares and usually learn something or at least get a tour of renovations.  We typically take long trips so don't mind an hour and a half. We always try to schedule them on rainy days


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## izzymail

dioxide45 said:


> It isn't always that easy. The first thing we are asked EVERY TIME is, why are you here. Ummm, I am here because YOUR marketing department invited me. It sometimes goes downhill from there....
> 
> Just sitting there isn't an option. They want dialog, back and forth. You ask, they answer, they ask, you answer.



I have turned the tables and ASKED lots of questions too


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## easyrider

We attended a presentation on Monday. Usually we would have just slept in on the first day of a trip. We were approached at Avis and the old guy working the timeshare dealio said he would pay for our car up to $300. I said no but thank you. He then threw in $150 of gift certificates to use at the PB resorts. So we went.

The concierge of our resort knew the offer we had and wanted to match it. I told the old guy at Avis I would go with him and we did. Our concierge told us she knew we went to the PB presentation and seemed a bit upset until I told her I only kept my word. She wanted us to go on her presentation but we are presentation-ed out for now.

I'm glad we went because we toured the newest villas on the SBPB property. I would not rent one of these. They are very nice but these villas are crowded into each other and are more like a duplex than a villa. From the upstairs you are looking at the neighbors in their pool area. I know the family I waved at was not to happy having the tour home next to their villa. 

The presentation was with a short haired hippy type guy from maybe Canada or Australia. I told him off the get go we wouldn't be purchasing anything without having examined the product. He was fine with that but at the end of the presentation when I said wrap it up, he said something to the likes of he was a predator and we were parasites. I looked him in the eyes up close and I told him " the mightiest predator in the world is the parasite." He was a nice enough guy but he had no real sales technique.

Bill


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## cali-gal

The last time I went on a presentation I thought to myself that I ought to get business cards with something like "Want to Buy A Timeshare for Pennies on the Dollar? Ask Me How", and put the link to this website. Offer to hand them out if the presentation goes over 90 minutes.


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## moonstone

cali-gal said:


> The last time I went on a presentation I thought to myself that I ought to get business cards with something like "Want to Buy A Timeshare for Pennies on the Dollar? Ask Me How", and put the link to this website. Offer to hand them out if the presentation goes over 90 minutes.



I actually have a typed sheet of paper with all sorts of info on it about rescinding, benefits of buying resale and about TUG.  It is saved on my desktop computer at home or I'd post it here, it might actually be buried in this site somewhere.  I fold it up small with the headline showing and hand it out to folks waiting on doing their presentations or ones I meet around the pool who start talking timeshares. I even gave one to a sales guy once at a timeshare presentation who said he didn't realize there was a resale market! 

~Diane


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## Tucsonadventurer

moonstone said:


> I actually have a typed sheet of paper with all sorts of info on it about rescinding, benefits of buying resale and about TUG.  It is saved on my desktop computer at home or I'd post it here, it might actually be buried in this site somewhere.  I fold it up small with the headline showing and hand it out to folks waiting on doing their presentations or ones I meet around the pool who start talking timeshares. I even gave one to a sales guy once at a timeshare presentation who said he didn't realize there was a resale market!
> 
> ~Diane


My husband has given many lessons in the hot tubs and pool on resale and TUG. You should post your handout.


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## klpca

karibkeith said:


> Keeping them to the allotted time is a struggle. You have to endure Three people (they are like the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future that come one at a time. The first is the person who greeted you. Then along comes someone else with a deal. and just when you think you are getting tired of saying "No", along comes number three with the final pitch.


Perfect description of the experience lol.


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## rickandcindy23

klpca said:


> Perfect description of the experience lol.


Yeah, short and sweet description of that experience, but the presentation isn't ever short and sweet.  Too bad!


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## Fried_shrimp

rickandcindy23 said:


> Yeah, short and sweet description of that experience, but the presentation isn't ever short and sweet.  Too bad!



Not completely true. Most of my updates (10-12 per year) usually run less than the required 60 minutes. Quickest has been 6 minutes. Granted, I do soooooo many updates per year that they KNOW I'm not buying and just let us go. Often, during the updates they walk off to do something else and my wife and I just chit chat for the 45-60 minutes.


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## travelplus

Too funny! I love the times when they are overbooked and I part with my gift. I love Sunday mornings. It happened more than once. Then I just go and use the Gift Card for some nice meals. 25 minutes of my time for $100 ain't bad.

If the sales person is hostile with me I use my acting skills and cry and ask for their manager. It works like a charm. Covering my ears as well!


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