Looking for someone to do an exchange availability experiment: Does having trust points really get you more options?

[MikeM132]

Curious as to who the we are, those around the pool, discussing with the sales team?

This is talk around the pool. I wouldn't waste time talking to a sales person about this kind of thing. I have used points on Hilton Head for less than a week in mid-Fall. It is pretty cheap if you avoid weekend days. Using points for a full week or more, in my anecdotal experience, costs a lot more than using a legacy week. FWIW, after 20 years I have found finally tested and found the Florida Club can be a good deal as well locking off and making a 2br a 2 week stay. Both of these were promoted by my first MVC sales guy long ago and I blew it off. So not everything sales says is worthless.

 

[Dean]

This is talk around the pool. I wouldn't waste time talking to a sales person about this kind of thing. I have used points on Hilton Head for less than a week in mid-Fall. It is pretty cheap if you avoid weekend days. Using points for a full week or more, in my anecdotal experience, costs a lot more than using a legacy week. FWIW, after 20 years I have found finally tested and found the Florida Club can be a good deal as well locking off and making a 2br a 2 week stay. Both of these were promoted by my first MVC sales guy long ago and I blew it off. So not everything sales says is worthless.

Thanks, you must have a more knowledgeable crowd around the pool than I normally experience. I find most owners of timeshares are relatively clueless as to the overall options and processes. I try not to attempt much education when I feel it would be helpful as I find that many don't want to be educated or want to argue based on what they were told by sales.

 

[DanCali]

I try not to attempt much education when I feel it would be helpful as I find that many don't want to be educated or want to argue based on what they were told by sales.

So true... I met a couple at the pool at OP who had just spent several tens of thousands on points. They were told things like the original price being $19/point and were convinced that whatever they paid was a fantastic deal (it was such a "special deal" that they didn't want to tell me the actual price). I tried to bring up some useful points for them to consider and telling them there was another world out there, but I was preaching to deaf ears. Next time, I probably won't even try...

 

[davidvel]

So I have NO trust points. I only have elected points from one of my Vistana ownerships. I used some of those to book several nights at the Washington DC Pulse property, which (somebody correct me if I’m wrong) is 100% trust-owned, I don’t believe there are any weeks owners there.

If what sales was saying is true, I should not have been able to see any inventory there as it’s all Trust inventory. Yet I was easily able to find and book what I wanted with my elected points.

They have tried to use that story on me multiple times and it’s getting old. I wish they’d be honest. Overall it’s a great program with great properties, I feel like they’d sell more if they were honest and people could trust them.

Sales may use trust as a tool, but their real weapon is FEAR.

 

[drlee]

I've been a long time owner of several weeks, and I often use my Aruba week for points. I added 1000 points a few years ago, to give me a one day flexibility before and after my Hawaii stays. I saw no difference in availability after that purchase. I've had several salesmen admit that "points are points".

 

[Dean]

So true... I met a couple at the pool at OP who had just spent several tens of thousands on points. They were told things like the original price being $19/point and were convinced that whatever they paid was a fantastic deal (it was such a "special deal" that they didn't want to tell me the actual price). I tried to bring up some useful points for them to consider and telling them there was another world out there, but I was preaching to deaf ears. Next time, I probably won't even try...

I'm having flashbacks of many people who were clueless, many who were like the couple you mentioned and many that thought they knew the product and didn't. At times I do meet people that are truly knowledgeable and one can have an intelligent conversation with about the product. I try not to offer advice where there is no opening that's appropriate or to be very general unless they express interest in learning more. And I make every effort not to get in the middle of sales issues in that scenario unless invited though I may ask a fairly general but related question and let them decide whether I should explain further. TUG and similar is a different world for that discussion IMO where advise is often reasonable even if not formally solicited by nature of posting. I do have to be careful though as my nature is to try to help people.

Sales may use trust as a tool, but their real weapon is FEAR.

True along with FOMO, greed and partial truths.