Do VIP owners 'have' to attend presentations?

[chapjim]

Two required, four allowed? This guy is very creative!

 

[Jan M.]

I recently checked into Ocean Walk, and kept refusing to agree to attend an update. After much pushing, he tried to tell me that he was going to have to put a note in my file that I was refusing to attend one of the two required owners updates out of the four we are allowed to attend every year. I told him that we are never required to attend any of them. He tried to tell me that he was just trying to be helpful and keep me informed. I told him that I had better ways to stay informed. Why do they keep being so aggressively nasty and lie. It seems like their sole job is to try to do everything possible to ruin your vacation, or at least get it off to a bad start since it puts me in a foul mood to have to deal with this crap every time I check in!

They get paid if you sign up and attend. However we have no obligation to give up our time to supplement their paycheck. There is actual useful information shared here on TUG so there is no need to subject yourself to the aggravation of listening to the lies the sales people spout. Unless you are one of the fortunate people who are able to remain detached throughout the speil and lies, collect your goodies and leave then you are much better off not going. I have to admit that I do enjoy chuckling at what other people post about the lies they were told or overheard at the presentations they attended.

 

[fer829]

On the other hand -
I often go to the presentations if they meet my conditions -
1 - at least $100 on a amex visa or cash (no coupons, tickets, etc)
2 - I can go alone. I list my wife as a kid when I check in so they let me go alone. She HATES the presentations.

After much pushing, he tried to tell me that he was going to have to put a note in my file that I was refusing to attend

Unless you are one of the fortunate people who are able to remain detached throughout the speil and lies, collect your goodies and leave then you are much better off not going.

I just got back from an "update" and agree with all these comments! Got the $100 gift card, my wife HATES the presentations, the sales gal said she would put a note in my file preventing further updates (I've been told that before to no effect), and I enjoy knowing more than the lies they state. My latest routine is to indicate that I am getting out of the timeshares in a couple of years when I use up my pooled points--and of course they have an answer to every objection (in this case I can NEVER get rid of my deeded points and will have to change to Access in order to do that). I almost started laughing when she started with the correct history lesson of how it was Fairfield when I bought, but then went into the lie that Wyndham (implying that it was the timeshare group) bought RCI. However, this was the first time in a presentation that I had to really raise my voice when the time was up and she wouldn't take no for an answer. She even tried to lay a guilt trip on me that she could lose her job.
Maybe I should list my wife as a child like steve_solo (or else give up on the updates when my schedule isn't very busy--I have done that successfully but have had to raise my "no" voice with the parking pass folks on occasion in the past).
Gene

 

[Silverdollar]

I just got back from an "update" and agree with all these comments! Got the $100 gift card, my wife HATES the presentations, the sales gal said she would put a note in my file preventing further updates (I've been told that before to no effect), and I enjoy knowing more than the lies they state. My latest routine is to indicate that I am getting out of the timeshares in a couple of years when I use up my pooled points--and of course they have an answer to every objection (in this case I can NEVER get rid of my deeded points and will have to change to Access in order to do that). I almost started laughing when she started with the correct history lesson of how it was Fairfield when I bought, but then went into the lie that Wyndham (implying that it was the timeshare group) bought RCI. However, this was the first time in a presentation that I had to really raise my voice when the time was up and she wouldn't take no for an answer. She even tried to lay a guilt trip on me that she could lose her job.
Maybe I should list my wife as a child like steve_solo (or else give up on the updates when my schedule isn't very busy--I have done that successfully but have had to raise my "no" voice with the parking pass folks on occasion in the past).
Gene

I have an idea. Let's all make us a t-shirt and wear it when checking in that says, "Read my lips. The answer is "No"! When "pushed" to go to an update just point to your t-shirt. That way, you never have to raise your "no" voice. You just give them a big smile and keep pointing to your t-shirt.

 

[Silverdollar]

Or, how about a t-shirt with the message: "I break out in hives when I go to an update". Or, how about, "My wife said she would divorce me if I made her go to one more update". Or, what about, "I don't want the $100 gift card. Just pay me $10 every time the sales rep lies to me."
What t-shirt message would you recommend to help you avoid attending an update?

 

[Al Wilson]

I always attend to get the free gifts. I put up a little hesitation, until they sweet talk me into going. With some hesitation, they may increase the Visa card amount, or guarantee a time limit, or even skip the presentation and just have you meet one on one with a rep. When I do sit with the rep, I tell them "I bought my contracts resale for less than 10 cents on the dollar. Sorry, but you drew the short straw today on a sale". I actually got released after just 15 minutes at a presentation last year. I think the guy must have been a manager, because I didn't hear once "let me get my manager".

 

[donnaval]

We had the best experience at Clearwater last week. After turning down the initial offers for increasing amounts of resort credit, and informing him that we were offloading our timeshares and had given back quite a few through Ovation, he brought out a nice beach towel, then brought out a couple of drink cups, and said what would it take for me to convince you to go to the update? We asked for and got the $100 Amex. When we showed up for our appointment the next a.m. the greeter welcomed us, then looked at her list and said "oh it's your lucky day! We're overbooked and don't have anyone who can update you today. Please help yourself to breakfast and then I'll walk you down to gifting." Apparently the sales sharks had not been told they were overbooked because they were circling and one even intruded on our breakfast selection to make nice with us, and then the greeter waved her over and without another look at us she went back into the sales room. We got ourselves coffee and a couple of good bagels, and walked out with the greeter, got our Amex card, and were back in our beautiful unit in 10 minutes or so. I guess after they booked us, someone looked at our account and saw our history of all resale purchases and that we truly had given back through Ovation and realized we weren't worth the trouble. We had asked in the past to be removed from the list and were told we would be - oh well, we had a couple of nice dinners with that Amex card.