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Four presentations in four days on Maui

youknowthenight

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Took advantage of time in Maui to attend some presentations. Here are our experiences for anyone curious.

Staying at Marriott Ocean Club (rented from owner). After check-in, went over to the "welcome center" where we were just given coupons and advised "there are tours if you want." No offer for gift, so we said thank you and left.

Walked over to the Hyatt and took a look around. Went over to the timeshare desk to ask about a tour, offered $100 gift card (or other items instead) for a 90 minute presentation. We came back the next morning for the presentation, extremely low-key. We were out in 75 minutes, and probably could have been out earlier but I did have questions about the Hyatt program. Note - the only presentation I'd ever been on before was a Wyndham one in Florida where they beat me up pretty good. No closer on this one, got our gift card and went on our way.

Back at the Marriott we went down to their preview center and advised we would like to take a tour. Got a variety of offers and took 2 25min massages (worth about $130). Scheduled 90 minute tour, nice lady showed us everything, we declined. Closer then came in, I was a bit annoyed at this point cause we were already at 90 minutes, declined. Then went out to the survey guy, got offered package for 5 nights at the resort in 1bd plus 25k reward points. We said we'd think about it, collected our gift, and left.

Starwood, signed up with the guy on the beachwalk, another $100 gift card for 90minutes. Got to the presentation, salesman asked how I'd become interested in timeshares. Told him I was an avid reader of TUG. He immediately knew we were not going to be buying, he actually gave me the giftcard halfway through the presentation. We still stayed to the end, and had the closer and survey person come in as well.

Final one was Diamond resorts. We stopped by one of their discount excursions storefronts in Lahaina. They were advertising snorkeling excursion for $19 per person. We had a particular company we wanted to snorkel with that does sailboats, mentioned this to the lady, and she offered another company that sails for $50 each. When I told I'd think about it and come back she said, listen we know once you leave you're not going to come back, and I want to make a sale. So I said ok, give us the sailing snorkeling trip for free. We ended up agreeing to $5 each (retail value $120 each). Great trip by the way.

So we went and did the tour at Kaanapali Beach Club, really young salesman. This tour differs because it is 2 hours, and the extra half hour is a group presentation about why timesharing is so great. Told the guy up front we weren't really interested. Lasted the full two hours, plus about ten minutes to speak to the survey guy afterwards.

All in all, $200, two massasges, and a free snorkeling trip for three. I love timeshares!
 

Luanne

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Sorry. I don't like to give up my vacation time for presentations. But glad you enjoyed them and got something out of it.
 

BocaBoy

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The only problem I would have with what you did is that the gifts you received were all on the small side.
 

ronandjoan

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Friends do this in Orlando every year = sometimes two a day plus meals. They call it a "business trip"
 

pedro47

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Took advantage of time in Maui to attend some presentations. Here are our experiences for anyone curious.

Staying at Marriott Ocean Club (rented from owner). After check-in, went over to the "welcome center" where we were just given coupons and advised "there are tours if you want." No offer for gift, so we said thank you and left.

Walked over to the Hyatt and took a look around. Went over to the timeshare desk to ask about a tour, offered $100 gift card (or other items instead) for a 90 minute presentation. We came back the next morning for the presentation, extremely low-key. We were out in 75 minutes, and probably could have been out earlier but I did have questions about the Hyatt program. Note - the only presentation I'd ever been on before was a Wyndham one in Florida where they beat me up pretty good. No closer on this one, got our gift card and went on our way.

Back at the Marriott we went down to their preview center and advised we would like to take a tour. Got a variety of offers and took 2 25min massages (worth about $130). Scheduled 90 minute tour, nice lady showed us everything, we declined. Closer then came in, I was a bit annoyed at this point cause we were already at 90 minutes, declined. Then went out to the survey guy, got offered package for 5 nights at the resort in 1bd plus 25k reward points. We said we'd think about it, collected our gift, and left.

Starwood, signed up with the guy on the beachwalk, another $100 gift card for 90minutes. Got to the presentation, salesman asked how I'd become interested in timeshares. Told him I was an avid reader of TUG. He immediately knew we were not going to be buying, he actually gave me the giftcard halfway through the presentation. We still stayed to the end, and had the closer and survey person come in as well.

Final one was Diamond resorts. We stopped by one of their discount excursions storefronts in Lahaina. They were advertising snorkeling excursion for $19 per person. We had a particular company we wanted to snorkel with that does sailboats, mentioned this to the lady, and she offered another company that sails for $50 each. When I told I'd think about it and come back she said, listen we know once you leave you're not going to come back, and I want to make a sale. So I said ok, give us the sailing snorkeling trip for free. We ended up agreeing to $5 each (retail value $120 each). Great trip by the way.

So we went and did the tour at Kaanapali Beach Club, really young salesman. This tour differs because it is 2 hours, and the extra half hour is a group presentation about why timesharing is so great. Told the guy up front we weren't really interested. Lasted the full two hours, plus about ten minutes to speak to the survey guy afterwards.

All in all, $200, two massasges, and a free snorkeling trip for three. I love timeshares!

I am very happy you enjoy that thrill of attending ts presentation for us no more time share presentation. You can keep the gift cards and $50 gift certificates. I am on vacation and my time is precious.
 

artringwald

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I guess that could be one way to quickly end a presentation. ;)

There seems to be frequent turnover for timeshare sales people. Do many of them even know about TUG?
 

Sandy

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I like this

Of course, doing so many presentations can interfere with the vacation. But if you have the time, like 2 weeks, it can be beneficial.

So many folks would not do this at all, no matter what the benefits. Others, like me, do not mind, but my DH does. It can be a good way to save some money on vacation. But there are tradeoffs!
 

Passepartout

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To each their own, but I have better things to do when traveling than matching wits with some salesweasel.

Jim
 

Fern Modena

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Well, that's one way to spend your vacation, I guess. Not mine, though.

Fern
 

Timeshare Von

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Some folks seem to be pretty hard on the OP about the four presentations done.

I have had vacation when they were convenient and very worthwhile . . . others not so much. Sometimes they have been scheduled and done while my DH and the rest of my family traveling with us were still in asleep in the morning. So what did I have to give up? Nothing . . . I would have been up and either watching TV or doing work email.

I will say that I have become increasingly particular as to the value of the gifts (or straight up cash/gift card) . . . but all in all . . . if it works out in my schedule, I take them up on their freebies.
 

Luanne

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We have done timeshare presentations in the past, but never four in four days on a trip to Maui. That pretty much kills four days of vacation. To me, it's just not worth it.
 

youknowthenight

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Some folks seem to be pretty hard on the OP about the four presentations done.

I have had vacation when they were convenient and very worthwhile . . . others not so much. Sometimes they have been scheduled and done while my DH and the rest of my family traveling with us were still in asleep in the morning. So what did I have to give up? Nothing . . . I would have been up and either watching TV or doing work email.

I will say that I have become increasingly particular as to the value of the gifts (or straight up cash/gift card) . . . but all in all . . . if it works out in my schedule, I take them up on their freebies.

Hi folks, yes I agree it's not for everyone. I'm more in Timeshare Von's boat - generally they were done during time where would just have been sitting around, first thing in the morning. I'm not one to spend all day at the beach (after an hour at the beach this morning I was ready to head inside), so we scheduled the activities we wanted and then did the presentations around that.

I'm sure I came off overly excited - mainly I just wanted to share the experiences of each presentation in case anybody was wondering. I'm really quite new to timesharing, TUG is a great resource and I appreciate everyone's contributions :).
 

bogey21

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I always had a different take on these things. My modus operandi was to stop by the Sales Office when they weren't busy. I'd tell them I would like a Sales Person to show me around and made sure they knew that I wasn't interested in a gift.

I was always accommodated and was able to get all the information I wanted while walking around with the Sales Person. More information; no hard sell; less time invested, and I usually learned something. At the Marriott in Vail they actually insisted that I take two large beach towels with "Marriott" on them.

George
 

cgeidl

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My Time is more valuable

A 90 minute TS presentation often is two hours or more from the time you go to the time you get back . Two people that means 4 hours wasted. Not the place I want to be on vacation. We went to a few years ago and only one was really worth the time. A free week at the Zel Em Zee resort in Austria plus dinner and drinks. The othera were like $100 to $150 . No more for us unless it is a timeshare where they buy your extra weeks.
Guess it is different strokes for different folks.
 

Passepartout

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Some folks seem to be pretty hard on the OP about the four presentations done.

I didn't see anyone being all that hard on the OP. Just a bunch of 'Fine, if it's your thing'. Attending presentations for the perks isn't mine'. I suppose it would be one thing if it's a 'drive-to' location you may or may not return to, but after spending the price of airfare to Maui, that ramps up the vacation value.

I'm done here.

Jim
 

Sandy

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Sometimes they have been scheduled and done while my DH and the rest of my family traveling with us were still in asleep in the morning. So what did I have to give up? Nothing . . . I would have been up and either watching TV or doing work email.

.

How do you go to these while DH is sleeping? Most of the time the reps always want the spouse to attend. I have a way around this, but what do you do to go by yourself? This would be great for me for those times when I want to go but DH doesn't. I am most likely stopped because they say both must attend.
 

Sandy

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Hi folks, yes I agree it's not for everyone. mainly I just wanted to share the experiences of each presentation in case anybody was wondering. I'm really quite new to timesharing, TUG is a great resource and I appreciate everyone's contributions :).

I agree. Thank you for sharing. Beat them at their own game is what I say.
 

am1

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My bottom number would be two all inclusive bracelets for a week (once 4). I have done that 3 times in Mexico. Hoping another offer comes in 2016.
 

LannyPC

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There seems to be frequent turnover for timeshare sales people. Do many of them even know about TUG?

If they don't know about TUG and ask what it is this would be a great way to educate by saying something like:

"It is a bulletin board system of TS users. Many are veteran travelers and have owned TSs for many years. We discuss the ins and outs of TSs including buying, selling, and renting. We often talk about how we can get cheap resale TSs on E-Bay. Heck, even TUG has a section where owners post that they want to give away their TS for free, perhaps even paying the closing costs and including paying the following MF. Many also point out how they can rent from owners for less than the MF. The real fun part is how new ones come to TUGbbs who just purchased a TS from a sales presentation like this one and we tell them how to rescind and can buy the same thing resale for a fraction of the cost. And that's what TUG is." ;)
 

frank808

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How do you go to these while DH is sleeping? Most of the time the reps always want the spouse to attend. I have a way around this, but what do you do to go by yourself? This would be great for me for those times when I want to go but DH doesn't. I am most likely stopped because they say both must attend.
Sandy can you pm me how you do this by yourself? DW does not like to goto presentations. I on the other hand, if not doing anything in the morning, would go if the gifts are worth it.
I have the same problem that they always tell me that spouse must be there. Thanks
 

Timeshare Von

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How do you go to these while DH is sleeping? Most of the time the reps always want the spouse to attend. I have a way around this, but what do you do to go by yourself? This would be great for me for those times when I want to go but DH doesn't. I am most likely stopped because they say both must attend.

Someone asked that very question privately . . . here's my response to them . . .

With Wyndham, where we did own two fixed weeks and a small points contract, they stopped requiring both spouses to attend. So with those resorts, when staying at a Wyndham, it has worked very well for me/us.

I can't remember the last time I did a non-Wyndham resort presentation over the past few years. Most recently, I was traveling solo to San Antonio (Jan 2015) and they let me attend solo and gifted me. Prior to that, it was in Williamsburg. We were owners at Kingsgate and I did the new resort there on my own with DH and his mom slept in. (I was actually back to our condo before they woke up!)

We'll be in Hawaii next month at the Wyndham Royal Garden near Waikiki. It will be interesting to see what they will allow.

Good luck to you in trying to find opportunities to receive their "gifts" . . . Merry Christmas I say!

Best wishes,
Yvonne
aka TimeshareVon
 
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