- Joined
- Aug 2, 2006
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- 7,418
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- Location
- NY
- Resorts Owned
- Marriott Aruba Surf Club 2 & 3BRs
Interesting thread. I'm not so sure the OP was turned off by negativity, although Tuggers do tend to be a passionate bunch. Many times people are caught up in the heat of the moment while on vacation (something the salespeople exploit) and even if they do listen to good advice when they get home there is no longer the strong impetus to make an immediate decision.
I'd venture to guess many people do listen to our advice to rescind and do so, and then come home and life goes on, and whether or not to buy a timeshare takes a back burner. Others will go back to the developer and be convinced why buying now and direct is so much better for one of a dozen sales-speak reasons.
As the consummate shopper, before I discovered Tug on my first timeshare vacation I had the foresight not to buy until I researched things. It was hard to weed through the passionate advice from both advocates of buying direct and those who staunchly clamored that you should only buy resale. After five and a half years or so here it is interesting to observe how the sentiments of some of the long time members have shifted. Even many of those who used to advocate buying direct from the developer now advise newcomers to rescind and buy resale. While some people regret their ownership altogether, I think the majority of people here enjoy their timeshares and even if they regret how they bought them (because they've learned that they could have bought them for far less than they did), they are glad they own them and feel that ownership has definitely enhanced the quality of their lives. So if people come off overly negative it is largely because they are trying to make people quickly understand that they may be making a huge financial mistake and trying to help them avoid doing something that they will regret later.
It is human nature to become passionate when you're sure someone is making a mistake. Of course, it is easy to come across as a bit overbearing when simply trying to be helpful and "save" someone; the reality is that not everyone wants to be "saved," and it is easy to convince oneself that their decision was right and justify it, whether by overassessing the upfront point perks or the value of annual conversions, or the value of some other developer perk.
I know on the Marriott forum, which I follow more closely, there are members who have shifted their position. Staunch supporters of only buying direct now advocate buying resale, if at all. I think the economic situation of the past few years, which has affected everyone, even if not directly, escalating MF's and other costs of ownership, and devaluation of point exchanges have made many people rethink their strategies. I think most of us really enjoy our ownerships but are trying to help people get the most bang for the buck.
As a Starwood outsider but a somewhat savvy timeshare owner, I cannot understand how anyone can justify an initial direct purchase in light of the fact that a direct purchase of over 20K allows the buyer to re-qualify a previously purchased resale week. It seems to me that any first time buyer should buy a resale week first and then, if they really want the perks that a developer purchase offers, leverage that resale week into the purchase.
I'd venture to guess many people do listen to our advice to rescind and do so, and then come home and life goes on, and whether or not to buy a timeshare takes a back burner. Others will go back to the developer and be convinced why buying now and direct is so much better for one of a dozen sales-speak reasons.
As the consummate shopper, before I discovered Tug on my first timeshare vacation I had the foresight not to buy until I researched things. It was hard to weed through the passionate advice from both advocates of buying direct and those who staunchly clamored that you should only buy resale. After five and a half years or so here it is interesting to observe how the sentiments of some of the long time members have shifted. Even many of those who used to advocate buying direct from the developer now advise newcomers to rescind and buy resale. While some people regret their ownership altogether, I think the majority of people here enjoy their timeshares and even if they regret how they bought them (because they've learned that they could have bought them for far less than they did), they are glad they own them and feel that ownership has definitely enhanced the quality of their lives. So if people come off overly negative it is largely because they are trying to make people quickly understand that they may be making a huge financial mistake and trying to help them avoid doing something that they will regret later.
It is human nature to become passionate when you're sure someone is making a mistake. Of course, it is easy to come across as a bit overbearing when simply trying to be helpful and "save" someone; the reality is that not everyone wants to be "saved," and it is easy to convince oneself that their decision was right and justify it, whether by overassessing the upfront point perks or the value of annual conversions, or the value of some other developer perk.
I know on the Marriott forum, which I follow more closely, there are members who have shifted their position. Staunch supporters of only buying direct now advocate buying resale, if at all. I think the economic situation of the past few years, which has affected everyone, even if not directly, escalating MF's and other costs of ownership, and devaluation of point exchanges have made many people rethink their strategies. I think most of us really enjoy our ownerships but are trying to help people get the most bang for the buck.
As a Starwood outsider but a somewhat savvy timeshare owner, I cannot understand how anyone can justify an initial direct purchase in light of the fact that a direct purchase of over 20K allows the buyer to re-qualify a previously purchased resale week. It seems to me that any first time buyer should buy a resale week first and then, if they really want the perks that a developer purchase offers, leverage that resale week into the purchase.
